chapter 8

"Daren?" Christine said and she jumped up immediately.

"What the hell is this place? and what am I doing here?" Daren stood up to hold her and calm her down but she did not allow him to touch her.

"Calm down please." Daren let out gently.

"Calm down? You better start talking now or I will scream." Christine said hastily and Daren's eyes widened up.

"Just calm down, I will explain but you need to chill out first. I am not to hurt you nor do I plan to do so," Daren said again calmly.

"The only thing I can remember is that I saw you sitting right in front of me in that tavern. Where is the place and how did I get here?" Christine asked with fear all over here but she tried as hard as she could to hold it within.

"Alright this is a motel and I brought you here because I do not know where you live. You were drunk and couldn't walk by yourself and I couldn't allow you to drive either so I had to lodge you here. Trust me please, I mean no harm." Daren said and Christine gasped in disbelief as she dashed with haste to the bathroom.

She stood there and couldn't believe she was truly drunk. She tried as hard as she could to remember what transpired last night but it was as if her memories had been wiped off.

"Christine?" Daren called out and she was frightened as she was lost in thought already.

"Please I just want to talk to you, Christine. I am not mad at you at all." He let out.

"Leave me alone," Christine yelled and Daren backed off immediately.

Christine spent the rest of the night inside the bathroom with different thoughts in her head till she slept off.

The next morning, Daren waited for her to come out of the bathroom but she did not make any sound nor did she show her face. After several hours of waiting to see if she would come out, he walked up to the door and knocked.

"Hey Christine it's dawn already, please come outside. I need to talk to you before you leave," Daren said and he placed his ear on the bathroom door then he heard the sound of something falling apart.

"Are you okay Christine?" He asked immediately, almost shivering.

"If you want to talk to me, step back and stay far away from my path. I'm heading out now." Christine said.

"Alright."

Christine then stepped out of the bathroom gently with an iron from the bathroom sink in her hand and she dashed to the entrance door and kept it ajar.

"Stay where you are, I'm listening," Christine said and fixed her eyes on Daren. She was ready to run if he made any sudden move or reaction.

"Christine?" He asked with a grim expression on his face.

"I know I messed up before, but please, just hear me out. I can't bear the thought of losing you." Daren said, looking nervous.

"I'm so sorry. I know I was wrong and made a stupid mistake. But I've learned from it, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make it right." He added and this time Christine glared at him with pity.

"Give me a chance to show you. Let me earn back your trust, step by step. I'll be patient, I promise." Daren let out again after a few minutes of silence.

Christine has already eased up; she was touched by Daren's words and it soothes her mind.

"Daren I will see you later but I have to leave now I'm sorry." Christine let out with remorse and left without looking back.

She was so surprised when she saw her car outside of the motel and when she checked, all her stuff was intact she sat down in the car and thought about what Daren said again.

She felt she was thinking too deeply about it so she shook her head and drove out and headed back home.

"Where the hell are you coming from?" James roared at her the moment he set his eyes on her.

"I-I was…" Christine stuttered.

"Where did you sleep?" He asked again before she could complete her statement.

Christine gave it several thoughts and did not know what to say. She then ran into her bedroom and locked the door.

"I am talking to you!" James roared again as he watched her run away.

"Christine!" He called out.

James kept pounding on the door but Christine did not respond. She was so scared and was even unable to mention it to him that she saw Daren.

James left after a few minutes of intense shouting and banging on the door without any response from Christine.

When she noticed that he had left, Christine was still scared and couldn't come out of her room. Inside the room, she was hungry, agitated and frustrated.

She sat down contemplating what to do when the thought of calling her father crossed her mind. She picked up her phone and scrolled through but his number or anything she could use to contact him was not there.

She almost smashed the phone on the floor when she suddenly remembered something, she picked up her phone again with haste and scrolled through then placed the phone on her ear.

"Yes." Ella's voice resonated nonchalantly.

"Please, I need your help," Christine said hastily.

"What happened? Why are you?" Ella asked with a concerned voice.

"I'm at home but I did something bad, I am scared of facing James right now. I need you to come over please." Christine let out and there was a grave silence at first.

"Ella? Are you there?" Christine solicited.

"Yes, I will be on my way soon, hold tight," Ella responded and Christine sighed in relief.

She stood up and started roaming around inside the room till she heard a knock on the door and her heart skipped. She hurriedly dashed towards the door and placed her ear on the door.

"Ella?" She asked gently.

"Yes, open the door," Ella responded and Christine sighed in relief and kept the door ajar enough for Ella to fit in and then she entered.

"What happened?" Ella asked immediately even before sitting down and Christine explained all her ordeal with Daren to her.

Even after all the betrayals and lies Christine still trusted Ella with all her heart. She pleaded to her that she should let James go and explained how much she still loved him but Ella wouldn't listen still.

"I will talk to him," Ella responded, cutting Christine off when she was about to start talking about James and her love for him.

"Thank you." Christine managed to say before Ella headed out.

Ella met James sitting in the sitting room when she got out of Christine's room and they were surprised.

"What are you doing?" James asked almost immediately after setting his eyes on her with a confused look on his face.

When Christine heard James's voice, she hurriedly ran towards the door, locked it and placed her ears on the door to listen to Ella's conversation with him.

"Do you know Daren has been released?" Ella said as she bent down and pecked him.

"What Daren?" James roared and his face changed immediately.

"Yes, and your wife went to have sex with him just yesterday after he was released and that is why you did not see her at home last night." Ella let out with remorse.

"What!" James roared and Christine muttered as tears rolled down her cheeks. Her best friend has betrayed her again.

"Are you sure about this?" James asked Ella with a very stern voice.

"Of course, she's inside there you can go and ask her," Ella said, pointing towards Christine's room.

"Your wife is having sex with the demon that killed your friend." Ella let out again to piss James off even more and it worked.

Christine wobbled down on the floor as she couldn't believe what she just heard. She not only felt betrayed but also embarrassed.

The fear of how to approach James now grew even more and she knew that James would not listen to any explanation from her.

"Christine!" James roared.

"Open this door now and explain yourself." He let out again with a strident voice and Christine shivered uncontrollably in fear.

James banged on the door continuously, the more he banged on the door the more Christine's heart skipped and the more Ella smirked with satisfaction.

James went to his tools room and brought out a hammer. He hit the door lock and after several attempts, the lock broke.

Christine stood up and tried to hold the door but she was too weak to match James's energy. He pushed back with all his strength and Christine fell.

"Is it true?" James roared as he stood right in front of her.

"Answer me!" He retorted with anger. His eyes had already turned red and all his veins were out showing all over his arms.

She had never seen him like this before and she couldn't even keep a straight face with his toxic glare.

"Answer me!" James let out again as he picked her up with her clothes straining her body up in the atmosphere and Christine was gasping for breath.

He threw her on the floor but the force was too much that she hit her head on the bed edge. Blood began to gush out of her head as she passed out.