Mafia Daddy’s Faithful Little by Mary Potter

CHAPTER SEVEN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maddy

The pain was consuming.

I didn’t even know when I got to the pub. All I wanted to do was stop this agony and get lost in an ocean of peace. The tears wouldn’t stop falling. With every step I took, it was like I stomped on my heart, crushing it to dust.

But I knew better. I wasn’t the cause of this heartbreak. Raymond Baxter was.

My phone kept buzzing from the many calls I keep getting from Raymond. He wanted to talk to me but I didn’t want to do that. What do I have to say to him?

I had been so filled with rage when I called him some hours ago. Naomi had left my house in shame. I had not bothered to see her off. She disgusted me.

But the greater disgust came from Raymond. He acted as though everything was fine over the phone. Did he think I was stupid, that I would never find out the truth one day?

Damn him! He was an asshole. I hated him with all my heart. I loved Raymond so much I had never thought of cheating on him. That was how faithful I was!

The pub was almost empty as I walked inside. Every head turned towards me, probably taking in the sight of a broken woman. I didn’t know if any of the men or women recognized me but I prayed they didn’t. I was only here to forget my hurt.

“Whiskey, please,” I said to the bartender as soon as I got to the counter.

“A glass?” The young man asked, eyeing me as though I creeped him out.

If only he knew what I was battling deep inside.

“Three,” I said and slid some money to him.

He took it and poured me three glasses of whiskey. I thanked him and began drinking the first cup.

“Isn’t that much for a woman like you?” A man had now gotten beside me.

I turned to look at him. I didn’t know who he was but he was really good-looking. Somehow, he reminded me of Raymond and that drove me to tears.

“That’s none of your business.”

“I should be worried about you. You’re a woman and it’s dangerous getting drunk in this part of town.”

“Thanks,” I said, dropping the glass of whiskey and proceeding to twirl the engagement ring in my hand.

I wondered why I had not thrown it away. It meant nothing to me anymore. Our engagement was soiled, thanks to Raymond Baxter.

“Engaged?” The good-looking man was asking again.

“Seriously, it’s none of your business.”

“I think it is, Maddy Parker.”

I spun to look at him now, narrowing my eyes at him and wondering how he knew my name. He seemed to have recognized me.

“Who are you?”

“Just a concerned citizen of Leevens. Everyone knows you’re engaged to Raymond Baxter.”

I felt uncomfortable, more from the fact that he had mentioned Raymond’s name. All I could think of was him smashing Naomi while I was out of town with Mr. Coast, working to make a name for myself.

“You’re a really ambitious woman, Raymond. Sometimes, people think you’re not the perfect woman for Raymond.”

For the second time this night, I frowned at the stranger. “What do you mean?”

The man shrugged. “Well, you’re a woman who is more concerned about her dreams. You would never let marriage get in the way now. Think of it, you’ve been engaged for six years. People started talking.”

I groaned and rose to my feet. “I have to go. I don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“Should I drive you home?”

“No. I came here in my car.”

As I walked out of the bar, I couldn’t stop thinking about what the man had said. Was I indeed the cause of this? Was I really not the perfect woman for Raymond?

Raymond and I had fought over this several times but he said he respected my dreams and goals. He had been one of those people who voted my entry into the Ross Mafia and even persuaded others. How then was my ambition an obstacle to our future? How was this my fault?

Fine, we have been engaged for six years. Raymond had asked me to marry him a week after I got back from the business trip with Mr. Coast. My refusal to have a wedding until I had attained all my goals wasn’t a reason to have covered his crime.

Now, thinking about it, I felt he had proposed to me because he felt guilty about what he did with Naomi. I wasn’t to blame. This was all Raymond’s fault!

When I got into the car and started it, I saw that the stranger was at the front of the bar, watching me. This frightened me. Why was he doing that?

I backed out of the bar and headed for the Leevens sea. There was a fancy cabin out there that belonged to me. I had bought it a week ago but never told Raymond about it. It was supposed to be a surprise because Raymond had always dreamed about having a place looking over the sea.

However, that place was going to be my solace tonight. I needed to be far away from my troubles. My mental health was at stake and I didn’t want to go back to living my life where I saw shrink almost every week.

The cabin was dark when I got inside. I pushed the door open and set up the fireplace, appreciating the warmth that came over me. After placing a kettle filled with water on the cooker and putting it on, I walked into my bedroom and waited for the water to boil. I needed to make tea.

Unfortunately, the tranquility of the cabin couldn’t work its magic on me. The memories came rushing in, pushing me to my bed where I began to cry.

This was unfair, everything I was feeling. How could Raymond have done this to me? I gave him my whole life. I rendered myself to him but he took that for granted and lied to me.

I didn’t want to see him. I didn’t want to ever talk to him. I was still feeling this way when my sobs began to subside and I fell asleep.