The house was quiet, and the warm air filled the room. Mia had woken up for the third time and was feeling very tired. She dragged herself from the bed, changed into a dress, and made her way to the fridge for another bottle of wine. But it was empty – no bottles at all.
Rick
She angrily returned to the room and into her wardrobe. Then she pulled out a long, sleek, and curvy-shaped bottle and smirked at her intelligence.
"You're not that smart for a lawyer." She scoffed.
She settled in the living room with the bottle in her hand and a glass. Then she turned on the TV for a movie.
Halfway into the movie, the male character pinned the female character to the wall, aggressively tearing the clothes off her hot, feminine body. Mia watched the man, who was covered in tattoos, flench his muscles as he carried the naked hottie to the bed and climbed on top of her.
Mia felt a little tingling between her thighs, and her thought went straight to that person.
"Get out of my head!" She muttered.
Just then, her phone chimed. A perfect distraction.
Not so perfect. Because unexpectedly, it was a notification from his post. She saw him again… the only man that made her heart race even though he was miles away.
She opened the post and lowered the volume of the movie, the character's loud moan fading into the background. It was a post of his person, which was, apparently, his new black van.
Mia smiled. She was jealous of a van. That's more like her ex, though. He has always loved his vehicles and treated them like they're human.
"Well, I like your person." She says, going through the image.
The van was nice, though, but something else caught her attention. It was the husky man that stood next to it.
She recognized that white vest he wore. It was the same vest from their second-year anniversary. She bought it for him. And seeing that piece of clothing brought back deep memories. Memories that made her very… very… wet.
To distract herself from the intrusive thought wanting her to masturbate again, she looked up at the movie. Luckily, the scene had changed, but she seemed disappointed.
"Fucking movie."
She smiled and lay back to regain her strength. Then her phone chimed again. Google Calendar reminded her of her birthday. She was about to drop the phone when she noticed another notification. Apparently, the notification had come in earlier while she was asleep.
It was a text from an unknown number. It says 'Happy Birthday'. Nothing more, nothing less.
At least someone remembered my birthday.
Someone always did. Ever since she got married, she has always received a birthday message from an anonymous person, and it's always the same message every year.
She doesn't bother to call the number. She knows how it works…from experience, of course. It's going to go straight to voicemail.
After letting out another deep breath, she got off the chair and headed for the study room. Back in her chair, she picked up her journal and turned to a blank page.
Friday, October 21st, 2019.
3:46 PM.
Happy Birthday to me.
As suspected, I'd be alone.
Spartacus made my day, though.
Great movie!
I can't stop thinking about him.
I really wish for a re-do
Whatever,
Happy Birthday, Mia.
Today, I turn 30.
Mia closed the book, and soon a knock came at the door. She knew exactly who it was. And because of that, she refused to stand.
She heard the door open, and footsteps approached the kitchen and then the bedroom.
"I'm here!" She called out, and in no time, he appeared before her.
"You didn't come to the door."
"You know it's not locked." She replied, refusing to look up at him.
"Mia, I have had the time to think about what you said… And you're right. I'm sorry." Rick knelt on one knee and put out his hand, revealing a small box.
Mia was confused, but she refused to flinch. "Get up. It's embarrassing."
"I love you with all my heart. I may not know how to prove it to you, or maybe I'm not doing it right, but know that I'm willing to know you… all of you. Yes, I admit that my default setting as a nice guy might not agree with a few things that you do… or a lot of things that you do. But you mean everything to me. So I am ready to accept everything you throw at me."
Mia was smiling now. "And what's the box for? Are you proposing again?"
"Open it."
She took it from his hands and opened it. Her smile shone even brighter when she saw the ring. "So, you're proposing again."
"I'm making a promise to you." He rose to his feet, taking her in his arms. Then he looked into her eyes. "Happy birthday, baby."
"You remembered!"
"Fuck yeah, baby. I did." He carried her in his arms to the bedroom, dropping her on the ground. Then he pushed her up against the wall and kissed her hard, with some aggression. Then he paused for a moment to look at her.
Mia was frozen, completely in shock, as he had never done this before in their two years together.
Still, he said nothing and kissed her again, taking her gown off to reveal her full naked body.
"Fuck, baby, you're fucking hot." He said in a deep, breathy voice.
Mia couldn't resist him anymore. After all, she's been craving intimacy with him…not with him… but will settle for him for a long time now.
"What's gotten into you?" She managed to say amidst the intense kissing.
"You. I want to fuck you so hard. Jay said women are less disrespectful when they are properly fucked."
"What? What the hell?" Mia exclaimed. The whole ecstasy left her body with immediate effect.
"So you think I'm disrespectful? And this is your way of dealing with that?"
"Shussss!" Rick shut her up. "Saying anything in a moment like this is disrespectful."
That didn't just shut her up. It shut off her spirit. She didn't fight him or stop the sex from happening, but her mind and soul were far gone from it.
☘ ☘ ☘
Mia could hear him hum in the bathroom, and she couldn't help but scoff. It has been a long time since he was that excited. That last time was when he just found out she was pregnant.
It was a magical moment for them both. She remembered right there in the kitchen, he would hug her from behind, planting steamy kisses on her neck and rubbing her tummy. That's why it was very saddening when the doctor told them the bad news after she saw the blood stains on the bed.
She'd always thought that was the reason he changed towards her, always so engrossed in his work. It was like it was his medication to stay sane. But now, after the sex they just had, she felt he had found another medication, and she was going to hate it. She was ready to endure the disrespect. So far it's going to save their marriage.
With a forced smile, she carried the plates to the dining table, arranging it all for the perfect look.
"Good morning from News At Dawn. My name is Andrea Machenez, and this is the latest news."
News in the morning. It wasn't Mia's cup of tea. So it wasn't surprising when she left to change the station. But she stopped. Something caught her attention. Or rather. A photo.
"El Patricio has escaped the Federal Detention Center where he was being held. His escape occurred early this morning at dawn, where some armed men in trucks and a black van threw explosives, causing his escape. More updates will be provided soon."
Black Van
Mia rushed to pick up her phone from the study where she had left it the night before and scrolled to the photo her ex updated on his social media. It looked exactly like the black van from the news.
"Mia!" She jumped at the sound of her name. "What are you looking at?"
"Nothing."
"You look scared. Like you have seen a ghost. What's wrong?"
"I'm…. I'm fine. It's nothing. You are dressed!"
"Yes. I am excited for the big day today. El Patricio is finally going to be sentenced to prison. But I think he'll be killed. He has done a lot of bad things, and I'm the prosecutor that has finally caught the criminal."
He proudly adjusted his tie, tucking his already tucked-in shirt. "I'm so excited for the party tonight."
"Er- about that. Rick. I think we should call it off."
Rick looked disgusted. "And why should I?"
"El Patricio…"
The loud thud at the door cut her off.
"That must be the paperboy. I've secretly been waiting for him. Rumor has it that my name will appear on the headlines and that I am the one that found the evidence to finally put the 'El Patricio' in his place."
Mia tried to stop him, but the self-confident Rick left already for the door. She turned to face her phone, zooming in on the plate number and any other details about the van she could find.
Then she heard a screech. It sounded like it was from a car. Without thinking, she rushed outside to look for Rick. But he was gone.
The only thing she saw was a note on the ground. She picked it up, looked around for anyone that maybe could have dropped the note, but she saw no one.
She looked at the note; all it read was:
"E'P cannot be caged"
Like a revelation, she immediately knew E'P stood for El Patricio. Her husband had been kidnapped by El Patricio and she knew just who to meet.
In the next few hours, she's at the front of a door, her heart beating very fast. Before she could knock again, the door opened. Her mouth open instinctively to the sight in front of her.
"Claus!"