The atmosphere of the apartment room was empty and cold. However, the scent of tobacco perfume filled the room. Richie was still standing and looking at himself in front of the mirror that only hung on the wall beside the chest-sized nightstand. His facial expression seemed hesitant as he put on his non-formal blazer. Inside, her head seemed filled with questions she could not answer. "Sharlynn, what are you doing?" he muttered. However. The ringing sound of her mobile phone, which was not far from where she was standing, precisely located on the right side of the nightstand, the bright flat object flickered its screen. The identity of the person he was about to meet appeared on it, though it disgusted him even more. Richie ignored it; he didn't want to hear that woman's voice that looked more like a donkey's.However, the voice came back and was more extended. Richie was forced to grab the thing that almost ruined his mood, trying to ignore the discomfort around him. With a se
Richie felt uncomfortable when Odette tried to make physical contact with him. The woman touched and lightly rubbed the back of Richie's hand. He tried to pull his hand resting on the table, wanting to end the disturbing physical contact."Odette, I'm sorry, I don't think this is worth continuing," Richie said in a low voice, trying to free himself from Odette's advances.However, Odette remained adamant, ignoring Richie's attempt to withdraw his hand from her touch. "Richie, until now I was still confused about what made you want to marry Sharlynn. Was she ever attractive in your eyes?" she asked with a curious look.Richie raised one eyebrow in response. "To drive away the loneliness, perhaps. After I parted with the lover I loved."While they were engaged in an increasingly complicated conversation, the restaurant's ambiance was getting increasingly romantic, with the dim lights and the matching music. However, Richie suddenly said goodbye."Sorry, Odette, I have to go. I still ha
"I'd tell you if I could explain everything. Odette and I have nothing to do with each other-" Sharlynn did not believe it. The woman looked at the man in front of her timidly and backed away slowly as she occasionally saw the bedroom door and intended to run and hide there. Sharlynn shook her head, "There's no way you didn't have bad intentions after breaking the door to my apartment," Sharlynn argued. Richie shook his head vigorously, "Sharlynn, listen to me! Now pack all your things, and let's get out of here!" Richie forced. Sharlynn was again surprised by Richie's crazy request. The woman shook her head and took a few quick steps back. She turned around to enter the room, but Richie quickly grabbed her wrist.Sharlynn felt her heartbeat quicken as Richie firmly gripped her wrists. She felt depressed and scared, but her distrust of Richie kept her alert."Richie, let me go!" hissed Sharlynn, trying to break free from the man's grip. Richie's eyes flashed, reflecting the tensio
Sharlynn, furious because Richie never answered her question, deliberately hit Richie's head, making him jerk and groan. "Sharlynn, what are you doing!" raged Richie, who made the steering wheel slightly sway. "You want to kill me, right?" asked Sharlynn frantically. "Shut up, don't take this the wrong way. If I wanted to kill you, I would have strangled you earlier!" Sharlynn did not believe Richie's answer. With her breath catching in her throat, the woman looked back at the darkness ahead. The road they were traveling was only lit by a small, sparse street lamp.Sharlynn felt her heart racing, trying to calm her emotional turmoil. Richie, despite the pain, remained focused on driving the car carefully. The atmosphere inside the car was tense, with only the whistling of the wind and the rattling of the wheels on the deserted asphalt."Look, Sharlynn, I have no intention of killing you," Richie said in a soft voice, trying to calm the woman next to him. "It's just a misunderstan
"Okay, I'm not leaving," Richie said, instantly relieving Sharlynn even though she never let go of her hug for Richie.In the dark hut at the edge of the Grunewald forest, a quiet atmosphere prevailed between Richie and Sharlynn after Richie's soothing statement. Sharlynn was still holding Richie tightly, and despite the relief, Sharlynn still felt tension."If you don't let go of your hug, I can't move. I'll clean this place for you to sleep," Richie continued in a soft voice, trying to reassure Sharlynn.Slowly, Sharlynn unraveled her hug to allow Richie to move. Just then, like a miracle, the room lit up again. Richie removed a device the size of a child's fist from his shirt pocket. Carefully, he switched on a small lamp that gave a dim light to the whole messy room.The lamp was positioned on the table, providing enough light to look around. Richie looked around, planning his next steps. The tables and chairs looked intact, while the room's corners looked messy.Without hesitatio
As Sharlynn awoke and jumped in her seat, Richie finished his conversation with someone on the other side. He looked at the woman before him and then got up from the wooden chair he had just sat on.Not knowing what made him suddenly react with concern for Sharlynn, he lowered his stance and squatted in front of the woman."Are you okay?" asked Richie, who stared at Sharlynn without saying anything.Richie suddenly felt guilty again when he accidentally saw the scratch on Sharlynn's forehead when she bumped into the table leg when he accidentally pushed her.Richie embraced Sharlynn's face suddenly and made the woman a little surprised. However, Richie realized that Sharlynn felt a chill from the subtle vibrations of the woman's body."Sharlynn, say something. Are you okay?" asked Richie in a panicked tone."I'm fine, just feeling a little cold," Sharlynn answered honestly. Despite being on the outskirts of the forest, Richie admitted that the night air felt very cold.Richie decided
Sharlynn, starting to feel unbearably sleepy, closed her eyes while still sitting up. Occasionally, Richie, who was in the chair, looked at her. He wanted to warn her to lie down immediately if she could not resist her sleepiness, but he decided against it because he did not want to startle Sharlynn. However, suddenly the silence of the night in the Grunewald forest was broken as the sound of gunfire, even from a distance, was still clearly audible to the ears of the young couple inside the hut; Sharlynn instantly jumped and threw off her blanket in shock. "Richie!" She stood up and ran towards him. As the man also stood up when he heard the gunshots, Sharlynn reflexively hugged Richie from behind and tightened her embrace even more when the gunshots were still heard several times. The closest noise came from the fluttering of night animals that flocked out of their nests in surprise at the gunshots.Richie tried to calm Sharlynn down by hugging her trembling hands. "Relax, Shar
Sharlynn's sleepiness instantly disappeared when she heard what she believed to be a gunshot. Her worries became even more intense when she saw Odette's business card brought by Richie. She still couldn't believe Richie's kindness because she was sure he was promising Odette something. Sharlynn was pensive and stared at the dim light from the small battery-powered object. Her mind was raging; she was very unwilling if she had to die at Richie's hands on Odette's orders. She hadn't even had time to avenge her heartache.Richie, who was sitting beside her, noticed Sharlynn's face full of anxiety. "Sharlynn, go to sleep," Richie said coldly. However, Sharlynn had already lost the sleepiness that had ambushed her earlier."Sleep? How can I sleep in such uncertainty?" hissed Sharlynn, her eyes wide open. "I don't believe in your kindness. I believe there is an agreement between you and Odette."Richie raised his eyebrows, astonished at Sharlynn's ridiculous request. "Stop your silly requ