As always I own nothing. But the drama will begin and almost end in this chapter because there is only one chapter left to post. YAY this story will be posted in it's entirety hopefully today. I haven't even had my Christmas nap so in case I doze off it will be finished no later than tomorrow. I hate how this chapter ends but it is a movie right can't have too much character development and rationality. Lights Camera Action

Chapter Four

Mercy entered her townhouse and closed the door behind her. Her head was hurting. She'd spent the day organizing an anniversary party that sapped her of energy. All she wanted was a hot shower before going to bed. It was more than twenty-four hours since she'd last seen or heard from Sam. Shocked as she was that he ran off without an explanation, it was probably for the best.

There was nothing left to say. He cheated on her, and when she uncovered the truth, he didn't have any reason to stick around. He was probably back with his fiancée, planning their wedding all over again.

That low down dirty bastard!

If she ever saw him again, she didn't know what she would do. She trusted him, and he betrayed her in the worst possible manner. Like a fool, she thought he was different and that he actually cared, but it was obvious he didn't have any regard for her feelings. And here she had been thinking of love, making love to him, and commitment.

I'm off men forever. It's either a vibrator or a futuristic male sex doll for me when I get horny.

A pang ached in her heart. No doll and no orgasm could replace strong arms that cuddled you after a bad day. Could make you laugh by doing impressions. Could make your heart melt with a smile. She missed him already. With no other man did she feel so much at ease and yet so full of excitement. He brought out the best in her. And yet, he didn't want her in his life anymore. One way or another, she had to accept that fact and move on. As she took off her shoes, Mercy heard her phone ring. Who could it be? She didn't recognize the number. If it was Sam calling from a burner phone, she was going to hang up on him without saying a word.

"Hello."

"Ms. Jones? Mercedes Jones?"

"Yes?" She didn't recognize the voice. "Who is this?"

"I'm calling from William McKinley Hospital. We've got a woman here, Jane Elise Hayward Jones, who has been in an accident."

"What?" Her hand shook as she pressed the phone closer to her ears. Jane had an accident? "Is she all right?"

"She has suffered some superficial wounds and bruises. Would you be able to come in right now?"

"Yes, I'll be right there." Mercy shoved her feet into her shoes again, grabbed her handbag, and rushed out of the apartment. Rather than call Sheila, she ran to get her, and together they grabbed a cab. Both sisters prayed on their way to the hospital.

"Wasn't she supposed to join her friends for a few drinks tonight?" asked Sheila.

"Yeah. She said she would get a cab or call an Uber instead of drinking and driving."

Tears pooled in Sheila's eyes. She was always the most sensitive of them all. "I hope our baby sister is going to be okay."

"They said it's just cuts and bruises." Mercy prayed that it was so. If something happened to her baby sister…the thought was too horrible to contemplate.

When they reached the hospital, they rushed into the emergency area and asked for Jane Hayward Jones' room. They were directed to a bed that was curtained off.

"Oh, thank God!" said Mercy when she saw Jane. There was a bandage on her temple, a cut on her arm, and a black bruise on her cheek, but she was alive. Sheila simply hugged her. Walking over, Mercy deposited a kiss on her sister's forehead. "What happened baby sister?"

"The idiot Uber driver was drunk or sleepy. He crashed into a pole."

Luckily for Jane, her injuries were not serious. After reassuring herself that Jane was indeed doing well, Mercy went to talk to her doctor. "She has suffered a head injury and we generally like to keep such patients overnight to make sure that they don't have a concussion."

"Can we stay with her?"

"I'm afraid not. But we do have a waiting area."

Mercy came back to deliver the news. "I have to stay here in this shared room with only a curtain separating me from my neighbors the whole night?" Jane wailed. "I'm fine. I can stay with one of you, or you both can come over to my place for a sleepover."

"It's just a precaution, sweetie," Sheila reassured her. "You may have a concussion or complications and the doctors just want to observe you to make sure that you are going to be alright. And we would feel much better if we were here with you."

"We'll sleep in the waiting area. I already checked it out," said Mercy as she patted her sister's hand. Jane never did like visits to doctors' offices and hospitals. Every vaccination shot was a major trauma event. "We can all leave tomorrow together."

"Certainly not!" said Jane in an emphatic voice. "I'm not going to allow you guys to waste your time here. We've got work tomorrow."

Sheila smoothed Jane's hair as she suppressed a smile. "No, we don't."

"Oh well, I don't care. You're both going home, and if you don't do as I say, I'll dismiss myself."

Mercy and Sheila exchanged a look. It was obvious that she was distressed at the idea of inconveniencing them when she was doing quite all right. "Okay. We'll talk to the doctor and come back in the morning when it's time for you to be discharged." Mercy kissed her sister. "I'm glad it wasn't that bad and you will be okay."

"Same here," she grinned.

Sheila and Mercy left the hospital. Mercy hated to leave Jane alone, but there was nothing else they could do, and if all they were going to do was wait, then it was better to do so at home. They made their way back home, relieved that it wasn't as bad as they'd feared. Once they reached the building, Mercy paid for the cab.

"Want to come in for coffee?" She didn't want to be alone just now. Jane's accident shook her more than she realized. It would be nice to have company for a while.

"Not if I plan to sleep, but I wouldn't mind sharing a room with you tonight. I don't think I could rest after the scare I got."

"Same here." Mercy was glad that she didn't have to be alone. Digging into her purse, she took out the key and went to open the door. "It's unlocked."

"Did you leave it open?"

Mercy couldn't recall her exact moves. Maybe she did leave it unlocked in her rush to get out. "I'm not sure." As she stepped inside, Mercy got her second shock of the day. Someone had spray painted on one of her living room walls. "Merry Christmas, Bitch!" she read out loud as if that would help her make sense of the situation. Her white couch was a mess. It was marked with a liberal dose of spray paint. The cushions were thrown about. A vase that sat on one coffee table was smashed. Glass littered the floor. "What the hell happened here?"

"We need to call the police," Sheila's voice shook as she put a hand on Mercy's arm. "Now."

While Sheila made the call, Mercy surveyed the damage. The intruder also spray painted on her bed and cabinets. Her clothes were flung out. But the cash and jewelry she kept in one drawer was untouched. Whoever it was didn't come to look for valuables.

Who would do such a horrible thing?"

Sheila came inside. "Let's wait in the kitchen. They told me not to touch anything. You want some coffee? I don't think we're going to get much sleep anyway."

"Sure." Mercy walked behind her sister. She felt numb. Nothing like that ever happened to her before. Why would someone come into her house with the express purpose of destroying her property? It was an act of violence, aggression, and hatred. And she was shaken to realize that she invoked such strong, negative responses in someone. "I have to be dreaming because this is a nightmare."

Sheila made coffee as they waited for the police. Two policemen came in fairly quickly. They saw the place, took pictures, and then began their questioning.

"How long did you say you were gone for?"

Mercy rested her trembling hands on the kitchen counter. "Less than two hours."

"An hour and a half maximum. We couldn't stay with Jane, so there wasn't much point in sticking around at the hospital," said Sheila.

"Have you noticed anything missing?"

"I don't keep much jewelry at home. But the few pieces, and laptop, iPad, digital camera, and cash are all there. The drawer was locked. It looked as if no one even tried to tamper with it. The person who came in wasn't looking for things to steal."

"Sometimes junkies do random acts of destruction of property," said one of the officers. "But in your case, I would have to agree with you. It looks as if someone wanted to express his or her anger at you. In such cases, more often than not, we look at the ex-husband and/or old boyfriends."

Mercy rubbed her temple. She couldn't believe Sam was capable of such an act. Of course, she didn't even think he would cheat on her, but he did do that. So, what made her think that he wouldn't do this to get back at her? But try as she might, she couldn't pin the blame on him. "I have never been married. And yes, I did break up with a guy…but he couldn't have…I can't believe that he wouldn't do such a heinous crime."

The two policemen exchanged glances. "We'll see what we come up with. There's a doorman at the building opposite yours. We can ask him if he saw someone go in and check with neighbors. Sometimes people are up at odd hours and notice things. We might come up with a lead. But if we don't…we might have to take a look at your last boyfriend."

Sheila walked them to the door and returned to sit beside Mercy. "You can sleep with me tonight."

"Yeah." Mercy couldn't bear the thought of staying in her own place when it looked like this. "Why would someone do this to me?"

"I don't know, honey. But I hope they find that person before I do." Sheila gripped her hand. "Are you sure it couldn't be Sam? The way you described your last confrontation with him, you said he looked angry."

Mercy squeezed her sister's fingers. Sam was indeed enraged, but for some strange reason, she felt sure that his wrath wasn't directed at her. After careful deliberation, she'd come to the conclusion that she missed something important in their conversation. He didn't say much, but given the way he reacted to her accusations, something was definitely off.

And whatever else she believed about him, she could never convince herself that he was behind this nefarious act. He would never do such a horrible thing. Sam might be a cheater, but he was certainly not a lowlife who got off on spoiling other people's peace of mind. He was a calm and collected individual.

"He didn't do it," she assured her sister. "I'm a hundred percent sure of it. But don't worry, the police will find the person who did."

"Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'll be okay. It's not the worst thing that has happened to me."

All Mercy hoped was that she got a chance to move on with her life without any more drama. She just wanted that normal pace back.

Sam rang the bell at Mercy's apartment. It was two days since he'd last seen her, but now that he'd cleared the demons from his past, he was willing to face her again. Perhaps it wasn't the best idea to leave without explaining himself, but how could he have said anything when he didn't understand half of it himself?

Now, he felt ready.

When Mercy opened the door, an unexpected coldness hit his gut. He'd never seen her look so disheveled. She was wearing black leggings and oversized football jersey on top of a tank top. Tendrils of her hair escaped from the high ponytail behind her head and there was a mark on her cheek. Behind her, he could see Sheila dressed similarly with a dirty rag in her hand.

"What's going on?"

Her eyes narrowed. "It's none of your business."

She would have slammed the door in his face if he didn't catch it. "Don't!" His gaze took in the graffiti on the wall that the two sisters were cleaning. "Who did this?"

Sighing, she opened the door. "If you must know, I had a break-in last night."

"Were you hurt?"

"I wasn't here." She told him about Jane's accident, and the fact that she and Sheila weren't in the building. "Nothing was stolen, so it wasn't so bad." Her cell phone rang. She walked over and picked it up. After listening for a second, she put a hand on it. "It's a client. Excuse me!"

He watched her walk into the bedroom. Sam closed the door behind him. It might not be as bad as she said, but it was certainly terrible enough. The person who did this intended to cause pain and had succeeded. "Any leads as to who broke in?" he asked Sheila who began cleaning the wall.

"The police don't have a clue, and neither do we. Nothing like that has ever happened before. Mercy might have left the door open but this is a private building and we've never had intruders."

"You should hire a doorman."

"That's what we are thinking about now or perhaps a better security system." Sheila sighed, stepped back, observed the wall that was still splattered with paint, and began to clean it. "We'll have to repaint this part of the wall."

"I could help."

She cast a glance back at him. "Thanks, Sam. But I think you've got bigger issues."

He rubbed a hand on his face. "Yeah, you're right, but I can talk and work. Here, give me a rag."

Sheila picked up another from a bucket in the corner and passed it on. "I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell you this, but the police wanted to question you."

He began to wipe the wall. "Do they think I did it? Looks more like kids."

"Yeah, that is what I thought, but the police claim that the graffiti sprayed on the wall clearly indicates a person who was really angry with Mercy."

"And that points directly to me because…"

"You guys did break up not so long ago."

Fear lanced his heart. Had Mercy decided their fate already? No! He wouldn't allow her to do that without a fight. "We're still together."

"But…" Sheila paused to stare at him.

"We're still together," he repeated in a firm voice while he continued to rub the rag on the wall.

Clearly upset, Sheila went back to the task at hand. She didn't say anything and they both continued to wash and wipe for the next fifteen minutes. By the time Mercy came out, the wall was clean. "Sam, you don't have to do this."

"I might not have to do it, but I want to." He threw the rag back in the bucket, washed his hands, and turned. "We need to talk."

Looking a little unsure, she tilted her head to the side. "I've got a lot of work to finish."

"So do I." Without giving her a chance to respond, he grasped her elbow and gave her a questioning look as he led her to the relative privacy of her bedroom.

She shrugged out of his grasp when he closed the door behind them. "Don't you ever put your hands on me again without my permission. I don't enjoy being manhandled."

His nostrils flared as he glared at her. "I am sorry. I just was so hurt. I can't believe that you think I did this...that I would want to hurt you?"

Her hair in a high ponytail swung behind her head as she shook her head. "Whatever Sam, and it you must know…No, I don't think you did it. That's what I told the police."

Relief flooded through him. At least, she didn't suspect him. If she'd done so, he would have walked out right there and then, because love couldn't blossom without a foundation of trust. "Thank you for that."

"Yeah, well…" She raised a hand in dismissal. "I've got work, so if we're done here…"

"We're not done," he said in a voice that brooked no argument. "Do the police know anything?"

She appeared a little surprised by his persistent questioning, but he needed something more before he could give her some answers. "Well, the only solid lead is that an elderly lady in the building opposite claims she saw a woman go into the building ten minutes after Sheila and I walked out. But she can't be right. We don't know any woman who would want to do this."

"Did she describe the woman she saw?"

Mercy squished her eyebrows together. "Why? What's wrong?"

Sam wiped his hand across his face. "I believe…or rather I think I know who is behind this."

She scratched her cheek in an absentminded gesture, clearly not sure if he was joking or if he knew something important. "Who?"

"It's my ex-fiancée, Charlie."

Her mouth gaped. "Charlie? Why? I mean…what? Why would she…?"

"Yeah. Do that for about five minutes, and you might get to the point where I was when you sprung that surprise on me and told me you saw her coming out of my apartment."

Her eyes narrowed. Disbelief was etched clearly on her face. "Are you saying you didn't know she was there?"

"I haven't seen Charlie since the day before what was supposed to be the wedding. Something about it being bad luck to sleep with and/or see the bride before the wedding. The last time I talked to her was on the phone when you suggested that I call her. That's what I told you, and that's what's true."

She paced the room. "But I saw her come out. She had a key."

"Which I never took back…because well, when she sent all my stuff, I didn't look through it. I just stored the boxes she sent in a closet and forgot about them. Frankly, I was in no mood to take a trip down memory lane, so I just pushed them out of my mind. Which was a big mistake! I assumed she must have sent my keys back. She didn't."

Mercy stopped in front of him. "And you never knew?"

"I can see why you would have trouble believing it, but I'm saying it the way it was." He wanted to draw her in his arms, but she wasn't quite ready yet. From the way she crossed her arms over her chest, he could tell that she was feeling a little vulnerable. He didn't want to make her nervous, but if his ex-fiancée was a known drug addict he had just found out she was, and if she as unhinged enough to come after her, then he wanted her to be prepared.

"That day when you told me, I couldn't offer an explanation because I didn't have one. So I went home, checked through those boxes, and didn't find the keys. Then, I asked the doorman, and he said she did come around. Since I never bothered to cut her name from the list of people who can go up without my express permission, he was allowing her up whenever she showed up."

"She has been to your apartment before without you knowing?"

"Apparently many times. But only when I wasn't there."

She raised her hand, as if to touch him, but then dropped them, as she continued to pace. "Why would she do that?"

He cleared her throat. This was the difficult part. "Perhaps just to keep an eye on me."

"But she dumped you at the altar."

He winced at her apt description. "Yeah, I know. First, she dumps me for no reason at all, and then almost a year later she decides to stalk me."

"But why would she do that?"

He couldn't believe that he was with Charlie for a year but never latched on to that obsessive element of her personality. How could he have missed that? He'd talked to his mother after he was sure that Charlie was indeed stalking him and discussed it. According to her, he was virtually blind to Charlie's many faults while they dated. His mother described her as a jealous, vindictive, and flighty woman who could do dangerous things when she was under the influence. Sam knew she liked to drink, but he didn't know she had a drug problem until Charlie's mom mentioned it to Sam's mom as a reason why Charlie jilted Sam at the reception of the wedding that never was. Knowing she had a substance abuse problem, opened Sam's eyes to the inconsistencies in her behavior. And now he was able to judge Charlie's irrational behavior accurately, he was sure that his mother and Mrs. Darling weren't that far off the mark. It also explained why her wealthy parents didn't offer to pay for the wedding. They didn't trust her with large sums of money. It was a blessing that she dumped him before he managed to tie himself to her for a lifetime of misery.

"I've been trying to locate her just to find out the reason for that. But now that I've seen what she did here…I think it might be necessary to talk to the police first."

Mercy rubbed her forehead, walked over to the window, and looked out. He could tell that she was in deep thought. He could only hope that whatever she was mulling over moved her into his direction. He couldn't bear to lose her. Finally, she turned to face him. "You would do that for me? Hand her over to the police?"

"Yes. She means nothing to me." When she walked over, gratitude filled his heart. She halted one step away from him. Unable to stop himself anymore, he drew her into his arms and inhaled the sweet, strawberry fragrance that enveloped her. "Charlie is my past, but you're my future. I want you back in my life. Without you…I'm…nothing. Please don't punish me for having the bad taste and the lack of sense to get entangled with Charlie Darling. Please I am begging you to trust me and give me a chance to prove that I am worth this temporary insanity."

A wide smile bloomed across her lips when she heard his declaration. Her arms curled around his neck as she kissed him gently, softly. "If you can promise to keep that psychotic bitch away from me, then I will consider giving you another chance."

His heart soared at hearing those words. He would move heaven and earth to make sure Charlie got what she deserved, and he would finally be free of the damaged that she was trying to do to his soul and to his love. Her willingness to be with him through the fire, the good, and the bad was the most wonderful, sweetest, earth-shattering news he'd received in a long time.