Chapter Twenty-Two

Angel stepped out into the sun from the limousine, the guards following after her like rabid dogs. She looked around her at all of them and frowned. They were so suffocating.

"Wait for me," she told them. "I'll just be at the Ladies."

She disappeared into the mall toilet. Looking down at the gaps in every cubicle, she caught sight of those Chanel boots and knocked on that cubicle door.

The door opened and out came one of her helpers. "You'll look like me and I'll look like you! Pass me your clothes!"

"Let's get to it," Angel said, exchanging the clothes with her in no time.

In her new disguise, she left the restroom and walked past the guards who were none the wiser. Soon, she was shopping at a mall far away, finally alone with her own thoughts.

After she was done from an entire day of shopping, she left the mall and decided to take a shortcut down an alleyway. She was about halfway down that road when a lonesome figure appeared on the other end of the path.

She stopped in her tracks. This could be dangerous. But oh well, she thought, she was never afraid of others. People took heed to be afraid of her instead. She walked bravely down the path and immediately the man pointed a gun at her.

"You're fucked!"

Angel studied the man. She recognised him.

"Samuel," she said. "You're supposed to be dead."

All of his limbs were wrapped in bandages, even his head was covered in them. He sure took a lot of damage.

"I don't fucking care about power anymore. I just want him to pay for doing this to me!"

"Oh, please. I'm not afraid of you."

Samuel flicked the safety switch off. "Let's see about that..."

❃❃❃

"Fucking hell, Angel," Darrow said that night. "Do you know how worried I was? The guards couldn't find you the entire day. Where the fuck do you have to go that they can't follow?"

"You know what it feels like to have no freedom," Angel pointed out.

"I don't care if anything bad happens to me," he said. "If something happens to you - "

"It doesn't matter anymore actually. Nothing bad will happen to me anymore."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm saying I won't be the First Lady anymore."

He stared at her silently.

Angel continued. "I want a divorce, Darrow. I'm sorry. I can't take this anymore."

"What? What are you saying? How can you leave me? You promised - "

"I have found another man."

"You're not making any sense - "

"I don't love you, Darrow. I'm sorry for lying to you. I don't love you. Never did - "

"No, don't you fucking dare say the exact same thing Shannon did!"

"Never will," she said finally before she turned to leave.

❃❃❃

Darrow ran a hand across his face, wiping the sleep from it. He kicked the empty wine glass away from his body. He took another one from the crate and opened it against the side of a drawer and downed it in one minute.

He flung it to the other side of the room. Another nosy person peeked into the crack of his door and he picked up an empty bottle to throw at the door, and it exploded upon impact.

He slumped further down the floor, as he replayed that night over and over again. She had decided to leave him like Shannon. If even his stalker left him, then which woman wouldn't? What was wrong with him?

Reaching into his pocket, he removed a packet of cigarettes. Taking out the last one, he put it into his mouth and tried to light up.

He flicked. But the fire didn't come. He flicked again. None. Flicked again and again. No fire.

The cigarette fell from his lips as tears streamed down his face. Fuck! Nothing was on his side, not even the measly lighter! He slammed his fist down at the floor until his knuckles bled.

Then he passed out on the floor.