The slap hit Laura without warning.
Her head snapped to the side with a crack. The force of the hit made her stumble. Her heels got caught on the rug. Her knees gave way. She fell onto the wooden floor with a heavy thud. The fall shook her spine.
She stayed down for a moment. Her breath came in gasps. Her palm flew to her burning cheek. It already felt swollen and hot. Her ears were ringing. A high-pitched sound drowned out the ticking of the grandfather clock in the hall.
"You vicious slut, " Gordon's voice filled the room like a clap of thunder. He stood over her. His tall body cast a dark shadow. The shadow seemed to swallow her up. His chest rose and fell under his shirt. His jaw was tight. A muscle twitched in his cheek. The eyes she once loved were now full of anger. The anger looked like hate.
He didn't reach out to help. He just stared at Laura like she was something dirty he had stepped on.
Laura looked up at Gordon from the floor. Her eyes were wet. Tears blurred her eyes. She refused to fall. Her cheek throbbed with her heartbeat. What hurt more than the pain on her face was the way he looked at her.Gordon had already decided she was guilty. There was no trial. No questions… A sentence passed in the dark.
"Gordon please…" her voice cracked. It came out as a whisper.
"Where were you last night ?" he snapped. His voice dropped to a dangerous growl.
Laura swallowed hard. Her throat felt dry and rough. Her hands shook badly as she slowly pushed herself up. She had to hold the wall for support. Her fingers scraped the wallpaper as she forced herself to stand. She took a deep breath.She tried to stop the spinning in her head.
"I was at the hotel," she said. Her voice was small and fragile. "I was waiting for you, Gordon."
The Night Before:
Laura's phone had buzzed on the dressing table. The vibration was loud in the bedroom. She picked it up. Her heart gave a hop when she saw the sender. She read the message twice. Her eyes were wide.
Meet me in room 906. Let's celebrate our anniversary. – Gordon.
A small, relieved smile touched her lips. For weeks, Gordon had been distant. He was cold. He barely looked at her during their dinners. He left before she woke up. He came home long after she had gone to sleep.. This message changed everything. Maybe he still cared.Maybe things could go back to how they were before.
She dressed with shaking hands. She chose her silk dress. She sprayed perfume on her wrists. The smell of roses filled the room. She wanted tonight to be perfect.The scent of roses filled the air. She wanted tonight to be perfect. She wanted to remind Gordon why he had married her.
When she arrived at the hotel room, the atmosphere was perfect. The lights were dimmed low. Soft shadows covered the suite. A bottle of champagne was placed in a bucket of melting ice on the table.She looked around. Her pulse quickened. Gordon wasn't there yet.
She poured herself a glass.The bubbles made her nose itch. She sat on the side of the bed. She smoothed her dress. She waited.
One glass became two. Two became three.
The alcohol hit her faster than usual. She wasn't thinking clearly anymore. Her body began to feel heavy. It felt warm and strangely slow. She told herself it was the nerves. She told herself she was just tired from the stress of the few months. Gordon would be there any minute. He would hold her.
She lay back against the pillows. The ceiling spun gently. Her eyes grew heavy. The lids felt like lead.
"Gordon…" she murmured. Her voice trailed off into the room.
Then…total darkness.
The Stranger in the Dark:
On the other side of the hotel, inside the wooden elevator, a man held the handrail tightly. His knuckles became white.
Nickson Campbell loosened his silk tie. He blinked hard. His sight became blurry at the edges. The gold lines on the elevator doors seemed to blend into the walls.His legs felt heavy. They moved in motion.
Something is wrong, he thought. His mind fought through a thick fog.
He pressed the button for his floor. His finger shook. He rested his forehead on the metal wall. He breathed slowly through his nose. The elevator stopped with a soft sound. He walked out into the hallway.He squinted at the gold room numbers. 1006? No 906.
His hand found a door handle. It was unlocked. He pushed it open. He stumbled inside.His boots made a soft sound on the carpet. The room was completely dark. He did not try to reach for the light switch. He did not have the strength. His body was slowly giving up. His muscles begged him to stop. He only had one thought…lie down.
"Shhh…" he whispered through clenched teeth. His knees touched the edge of the bed. He slowly lay down. His head fell onto the pillow with a low sound. "Someone… someone gave me something."
He didn't know where he was. He didn't know whose room this was. His skin felt like it was on fire.. He was shivering. His mind slipped away into a void.
Beside him barely visible in the shadows a woman stirred.
"Gordon…" she whispered.
Laura felt a warmth beside her. It felt familiar. It felt safe and solid.
Her mind was still lost in a thick fog. She could not open her eyes. They felt stuck close. She could not think clearly. She could only feel the warmth coming from the person beside her.
She thought it was Gordon. She was sure it was him. He had come to the room just like he promised in the text. He had come back to her.
The room remained in darkness. Her body felt disconnected from her brain. She was caught in a place between sleep and waking. A dream she couldn't escape.
She said his name again. Her voice was a rhythmic prayer. "Gordon... Gordon..."
The rest of the night disappeared into the shadows.