“I don’t want to be here,” Cainan grumbles, holding onto Samantha’s hand as they stroll through the guests present at the party. Some faces are familiar and some aren’t, but they all seem to have one thing in common, they are all old, just like Hugo.
Everyone here would probably be dead in ten years, including Hugo, and if wishes came true, Hugo’s ten years would be tonight. He knew that is a horrible thing to wish on someone but he can’t help it.
A few grandpas here had young ladies in their arms, and he wondered which poor bastards they had snatched them from. He would bet all his money that most of these women weren't here because they loved these men. Their riches probably enticed them.
Clara is a thirty-five-year-old woman married to a sixty-six-year-old man and if that doesn’t irk Cainan’s skin, nothing else would. It’s probably obvious to the world, and him that she married him for his money, but he knows he wouldn’t have complained if she had waited and married him for his own money.
“Well, we are showing support. Besides, don’t you want them to come one day for our wedding anniversary party?” Samantha’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts.
Cainan doesn’t answer. No, he acts like he didn’t hear what she just said from the much noise in the hall. Samantha is a brilliant woman, he knows that, but she’s just not the type he’d ever want to settle down with. It might sound selfish, but making a home with her just isn’t part of the future he sees. She will not satisfy him and will definitely cheat and she will kill him when she finds out. None of them wants that.
‘You saw a future with Clara, always have, look where that has brought you.’ His mind scolds him.
“Hey, I’m glad you could make it,” Hugo says joyfully, walking to where Cainan and Samantha now are.
“She convinced me to come. By the way, meet my girlfriend Samantha, apparently, she is a friend of Clara.” She introduces trying to avoid Clara’s eyes as much as he can.
They exchange handshakes, “Very nice to meet you, sir.”
“You too, Sam,” he says before turning to Cainan. “well I’m glad you came, son.”
Cainan cracks up a little. He does not mean it being loud, but he can’t help it. “Did you hear what he just called me? Son! Goddamn, he’s right, he’s old enough to be my father, and that’s a fact.”
Clara presses her lips together and tries not to show any resentment towards Cainan’s childish attitude.
“Well, thanks again for coming. I hope one day you find a woman who will love you and treat you right, just like Clara does me.” Hugo smiles, causing wrinkles to settle on the side of his face.
Cainan would have made another sarcastic reply, but Hugo’s head dips and he takes Clara’s lips between his, deeply and passionately kissing her in their presence.
Cainan's teeth clench and as he sees Clara move in discomfort and he looks away immediately for the fear of going between them and pulling them apart and punching him in the face.
Hugo pulls away and wraps his arms around Clara’s waist possessively. “Have fun, kids,” he says with a twisted smile before walking away.
Cainan follows both of them with a glare, wishing the old man would drop dead in that instance because that is the only thing he can do at this party.
“He’s such a great husband!” Samantha silently squeals, but it’s loud enough for Cainan to hear.
He rolls his eyes before he can help it. “What, you’re planning on marrying him too?” If she wants to, he will even try to stop her.
“What?! You’re such a jerk!” She slams, and there’s a little pain in her voice.
His mind wanders from her because he just saw Clara excuse herself and walk towards the ladies. This is his chance to confront her and get his frustration out.
“Excuse me, I need to use the men’s room.”
“Good, go pass out those toxins in your system and come back a new man.” Samantha sends him off.
“Oh, you do not know,” he silently mutters.
He waits until the room cleared before entering and locking the door.
Clara jerk back in surprise on seeing him in the bathroom section for ladies, but she knows she shouldn’t be because it’s how the Cainan she knew settles scores. Heated bathroom make-up sex was always his go-to solution. She knows she’s done with all that, and just feels stupid for thinking he was, too.
“I’m not having sex with you in this bathroom, Cainan.” She tells him with a serious expression.
He raises his hands, “We will get to that later.”
She folds her hands over her chest, trying to conceal some parts of her exposed chest. She’s wearing a red deep v-necked dress, making it difficult for Cainan to concentrate. His eyes keep wandering from time to time.
“What do you want?” She asks, although a part of her regrets asking.
He smirks and steps forward, “There’s a long list of what I want darling, but how about we talk about what you can do for me?”
Clara’s face furrowed with a frown. “What’s that?”
“Stop letting your husband parade you in my face like some trophy wife.” He says each word so slow it feels as though he is spelling it.
“You’re right to say ‘my husband’ because that’s what he is and what do you want me to do about that? Tonight is our anniversary. I go where he goes!” Exclaim the lady exasperatedly.
“Do you even listen to yourself, Clara? You used to be strong-headed and have a mind of your own. I guess the age gap between the two of you finally made you realise he’s more of a father than he is a husband. Or next time spare me the trouble of an invitation because Samantha, your friend, dragged me here after asking many questions about my reason for wanting to decline the invite.”
“What are you getting at Cainan cause I need to leave,” she impatiently tells him.
“So stop letting him shove his tongue down your throat whenever I’m around,” his voice drops as he says. “I find it repulsive and completely annoying. You owe me that much.”
“I don’t owe you anything, Cainan. We are through!” She tells him and she turns to walk off, but he takes hold of her arm and when she tries to struggle, he tightens his grip on her. She still struggles to set herself free from him, even though she knows that’s not happening soon.
She stares up at him with fear in her eyes and her attempt to speak turns into a whimper, “Cainan—?”
There are dark feelings going through him and he knows it, but he ignored and instead he speaks again, “We are through only when I say we are through, Clara, you fucked me up over and over until I couldn’t think straight and you don’t get to parade with your joke of a husband in my face or let him do the same. The only reason I haven’t ripped those clothes off your body yet is because I bought them.”
“Cainan” comes the weak whimper of Clara as she still struggles against him.
Cainan has never been aggressive. He’s never hurt her before, never goes against her wish and this side of him is terrifying and fearful to behold and indeed, it scares her to the core. “You’re hurting me, please let go.”
“Now you know what it feels like, being at the mercy of someone, I’ve been there for the last few years, at your mercy, praying I don’t do something wrong to send you running off to Hugo. You created a competition between me and him and I fell for it, thinking if I did better, became the better man, you’d love me enough to want to be with me instead, but you being the selfish, self-centred bitch took my love for weakness and affection for foolishness. So how does it feel now?” He sneers into her ear as he holds her captive with his hands.
“Cainan, let me go,” she pleads, her eyes glassy and panicking.
His hands loosen around her and she immediately takes off from him. A part of him feels mad. He let her go when he knew she didn’t deserve any mercy, but another part was happy because, for once, he didn’t follow the animal instinct in him. That’s what he’s going to do. He’s going to let her go completely. He knows it will not be easy and almost all parts of his body rebelled against this decision, but it would be the first step to healing.
He sees a shadow lurking around on the wall and immediately realises someone has been here all along and he was not as alone with Clara as he thought.
“Come out,” He orders, but he gets no response or movement. “I said come out, I know you’re in here, don’t let me come and drag you out.”
He hears a hushed movement and a young woman appears from behind the wall. Her face looks familiar and he can swear he’s seen her before, those big brown eyes, that medium length, curly brown hair, full lips, fair skin. This reminds him of his nightmare and the one who causes it.
“It’s you!” He exclaims, half furious, half frightened. “How did you get in here?”
“The real question is, when did I get in here?” she marches forward with much confidence. “And oh if you think I’ve been listening to everything that has been happening here, you are right, cause I have.”
“What do you want?”
“First off, I want you to rehire Shawn Ola, your previous PA.”
“Done.” He immediately replies and takes a step forward toward her.
She opens her mouth to speak again when she hears a knock on the bathroom door, followed by Shawn’s worried voice.
“Hey, um... Neriah, are you done in there? You’ve been gone for twenty minutes and I’m getting kinda worried.”
Neriah is about to speak when Cainan places a finger on her lips, “Neriah? Are you still in there?”
“Be a good girl and don’t let us get caught,” he hushes.
Neriah frowns in confusion, “Get caught doing wh--?” She doesn’t get to finish because Cainan captures her lips in his and pulls her closer to himself, his hands gripping harder on hers even as she struggles.
Neriah pushes him off with all her strength, “Get off me, you animal!” she slaps him on his cheeks before she can stop herself. “What kind of monster are you?”
“The kind you never, ever want to threaten in your whole life. Tell your boyfriend he has his job back, what just happened is enough payment for that. But as for you, I’m not yet done with you. I promise I’ll make your life a living misery.” He steps closer to her, “And if anyone ever finds out about what happened between Clara and me, I’ll kill your boyfriend and then I’ll kill you. And if that’s not enough, I’ll track down the rest of your family and kill them as well.”
Cainan steps back and walks out of the bathroom, and Shawn sees him. “See you on Monday,” he says with a mischievous look before walking off.