There was a relentless banging on the door, but she kept quiet as a mouse. It was him. She just knew it!
More banging.
She pressed her hands over her mouth, holding in her breath. Someone slid a note under her door. Silently she stared at it. So small and innocent it seemed, like the kind that children secretly passed amongst each other in class. Footsteps moved away. She released her breath. When she hurried to pick up the paper she accidentally bumped against a chair. The scraping of the wood along the floor made her shrivel. For a moment, her heart stopped. She pressed her knuckles on her lips.
Please be gone. Please be gone. Please be …
BANG! BANG! BANG!
She shrieked.
"Lena!" her visitor roared. "Are you hiding from me?"
The note trembled in her hand. It read:
"My darling, I'm so sorry I hurt you. You know I never mean to. I'm just a jealous fool who is madly in love with the most beautiful girl in the world. Yours forever, Jonas."
"Lena!" he insisted. "Open the door!"
The wood trembled under his fist.
Instinctively she stepped back. She caught her reflection in the mirror. There was nothing left of her soul.
"Lena! You selfish bitch!"
Pushed by adrenalin, she hurried to the window. A cold wind pulled at her wavy, golden hair. Just a few steps to the fire escape. She could make it. She took off her high heels and sneaked across the ridge.
Inside her apartment the door cracked open. Her heart jumped and she almost lost her balance.
"Where are you, you little whore?" Jonas called out from inside.
Her toes glided across the ridge. Slowly now. Don't lose focus. There! Her fingers folded around the fire escape. She was already on her way down when Jonas peeked his head out the window.
"Are you running from me?" he screamed. "Do you think I will let you? You're mine! I bought you!"
She looked up at his face, red with anger, and hesitated for a moment. His fear of heights prevented him from following her.
She climbed down as fast as she dared to, knowing that Jonas had probably already found his way back to the elevator. She released a sigh when her bare feet finally hit the pavement. The door was still closed, so she hurried out of sight. One second later and he would have seen her.
She ran and ran until her feet hurt and the sun slowly disappeared behind the skyscrapers. She had stopped being afraid of dark alleys a long time ago. Pulling her leopard skin coat closer to her frail body she took a seat in a wall cavity. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she fought them. She had promised herself never to become a victim again. Then again, she had promised herself so many beautiful things.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not notice a cloaked figure approaching. The sudden sound of his voice made her cry out.
"Lena …?"
Her fear disappeared when he crouched down before her and she recognized his face.
"… What are you doing here?"
Such a warm and compassionate voice. How she had missed it.
"What is wrong?"
She had been so afraid of this moment, when he would finally find out how hard she had failed at everything. At life itself. It was why she had chosen not to ask him for help, but now that he looked at her pale and bruised face with such empathy, she knew she had been a fool. He could never judge her. It was simply not in his character.
Tears rolled over her face and she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his long, soft hair.
"Vincent," she sighed. "I'm so sorry."