Chapter 4

Rita returned back home when she could not deal with the pressure that came with losing William to another woman. She had already made up her mind and was ready to challenge William's relationship, but her friends were warning of the repercussions it would bring upon her. However, Rita's close friend, Rosemary, who happened to be in a similar situation advised her against making any rash decisions.

So, for the next three days, Rita decided it would be best to do something fun to take her mind away from everything. When she got home on Wednesday night, she noticed that the house was unusually quiet. She went into the living room to find her cousin sitting on the couch, reading his new book.

"Hi!" She greeted as she walked towards her cousin. "What are you doing here?"

"I was bored," he responded casually. "So I thought maybe we can go out and have some fun."

Rita chuckled at his response. She loved spending time with her cousin, but he had been so busy lately; they barely saw each other. Since he was also in school, he hardly had time for anything else. In fact, since returning from his trip to California, he only came home once every two months or so. But despite all this, they still managed to maintain their friendship.

"That sounds like a good idea," she said as she sat beside him. "But what about your girlfriend? I don't want to get in trouble."

"Don't worry; my girl is out with her family tonight." He smiled. "She'll be back tomorrow afternoon."

"Alright. I'm starving. Let's go eat somewhere nice."

They left the house and headed to a restaurant they had never been to before. It was an Italian place that served amazing food. As soon as the waiter brought them their menus, Rita ordered spaghetti and meatballs while her cousin opted for lasagna. They ate without saying much. After dinner, they decided to walk around the area until it was time for Rita to head home.

It was a warm evening, so they took off their jackets and let the cool breeze hit them. Although they were both wearing tank tops, they kept themselves covered by holding hands.

"How are things going between you and him?" Her cousin asked after a few minutes of silence.

Rita shook her head. She knew he was talking about William. It wasn't that she didn't think there was anything wrong in dating a man who had made her look like a fool several times. But right now, she wanted nothing more than to forget about him. So, she told her cousin to change the topic and he did.

After walking for a few more minutes, they arrived at an ice cream parlor. They both ordered a large cup of vanilla ice cream and sat down at a table to enjoy their treat.

"Do you know why William is a fool ?" Rita asked. Her voice sounded strained, and she hoped he wouldn't notice.

He shrugged. "Maybe you're just not meant to be together."

Her face grew red, and Rita tried to hide it by looking at the ground. "I don't think that's true. I mean, he loves me. We've been friends for years, but he is a douchebag who borrows money unnecessarily and feels he can use me anytime he pleases."

Her cousin laughed. "You're overreacting. I'm sure he didn't mean any harm."

"No! That isn't what I'm saying. Everything will be fine as long as I remain firm on my decision not to return to him."

The air around them felt tense. Rita looked at her cousin but he avoided her gaze by staring at his ice cream. She sighed and leaned back.

"Look, Rita," he began. "I know how hard it must be for you to see William being happy with someone else. But you need to calm down. You can't keep thinking about him all day, every day. Maybe you should date again and find someone else. Just because he cheated doesn't mean you shouldn't move on."

"I know," she muttered. "It is why I am here with you trying my best to move on."

Her cousin nodded slowly. "I'm glad you feel better. We can talk about this later," he said, standing up. "I'm gonna go for practice now. I don't want to be late."

Rita watched him leave her and turned to watch the street, feeling a twinge of sadness. The truth was, she still loved William and had no idea how to move on. Even though she was trying to find someone else, she couldn't help but wish things would work out between them.

As she walked back home, she realized how lost she really was in her thoughts. She glanced at her phone and saw that she missed several calls and messages from her friends. She was in no mood to answer them.

An hour later, she was on the road, driving with an intent to see a friend who lived a few miles away. She drove for a short moment, and hit the brake pedal quickly once she came in contact with an object lying on the road.

Due to the impact of the rushed brake, she found her car outside the road struggling to gain balance. She tried to control her car, but it didn't work. Her car ended up turning upside down.

Carefully, she got out from the car in order to avoid being caught inside the explosion that followed after the crash.

Alone, she wandered inside the forest she had found herself in with the desire to find a person who would be willing to help her deal with her situation.

She didn't search long until she came in contact with a man who immediately turned himself into a werewolf as soon as he came in contact with her.

"Please! Please! Don't hurt me!" Rita begged for her life as she saw the creature approaching her direction.

"Why are you here?" The creature yelled at her.

"I don't know how I found myself here," Rita tried to explain herself to him.

The creature didn't listen to her. Instead, he rose his fist and struck her very hard on the head until she fainted and found herself in another world.