All Chapters of Unforgettable Encounter: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

I take the train to Kate's apartment, not wanting to be alone at home. I use the spare key and let myself inside. I find her asleep,, sprawled out beneath the blankets in her bed in the back corner of the studio apartment, realizing the time, I remember she had worked third shift last night at the hospital. I feel bad waking her but I don't know what else to do. I drop my belongings on the couch and crawl into bed with her, snuggling up in the blankets. She rolls over and yawns. "Kris?" she mutters without opening her eyes. "What are you doing here?" I sniff, trying to hold back more tears. "I—we—" my voice wavers. Kate opens her eyes and says firmly, "Kristine? what's going on?" "First fight." I groan, covering my face with her blankets. "He was a complete asshole and—Ugh!" Kate sighs and wraps her arms around me. She doesn't say anything, she just holds me while I cry. Time passes slowly as I calm myself down. My gasping breaths are beginning to balance out and the remnants of

I place my hands on my hips and look at the disaster around me. Clothes everywhere, boxes and suitcases stacked upon each other, towering in the living room. Kate drops a box down with a loud thud. She sighs and lays down on the couch. "You own a lot of shit." She groans. "I never knew one person could own so much stuff." I shrug and rub my temples. "What am I doing?" I mutter. "What am I doing?" "Moving in with your boyfriend." Kate retorts, stretching her arms above her head. "That's what you're doing." I narrow my eyes in her direction. "Smart ass," I groan, dropping down onto the couch beside her. "Why would I leave my perfectly good apartment to move in with some guy I met in a bar?" Kate sits up and punches my arm, her face blank as she does so. "Ouch!" I exclaim, rubbing my sore muscle. "What the fuck was that for?" "You're being an idiot. Stop trying to self-sabotage. You know he's not just 'some guy you met in a bar' anymore. He's your boyfriend and you love him." "Me

Rachel... his wife? HIS WIFE?! "Ex-wife!" Elliot's voice is harsh behind me, I flinch at the tone of it. He joins me at the door, dressed in his sweatpants but bare chested. His face is hard, his jaw rigid and clenched as he stares at the woman— at his wife. I feel the blood drain from my face and I'm hit with a wave of disorientation. I clutch the door to keep myself in an upright position, unable to determine if I'm going to vomit or faint. My body goes numb and I feel as if I'm watching everything play out in slow motion. Elliot and Rachel are speaking loudly, their voices growing into angry shouts, but I cannot process their words. They sound muffled, as though I'm listening to them from under water. I release the door and stumble back into the apartment. They follow behind me, Elliot slamming the door forcefully. "I—I..." I stutter. "Wife?" My heart beats uncontrollably, I press my hand against my chest in an attempt to stabilize myself. "Ex-wife," Elliot says again through g

"Shit!" I hear Kate mutter, followed by a soft thud. "Dammit.""Are you okay?" I call from the bathroom. "Have I ever told you that you own a lot of shit?" She groans. I stifle a laugh,. "Yeah, once or twice." While I had been with my parents, Kate managed to recollect all of my belongings from Elliot's apartment. He had been there while she was repacking some of the boxes, but wouldn't tell me much more than that. Part of me wanted to know how he was doing, the other part of me wanted him to not exist. "I have another apartment showing scheduled tomorrow, you'll only have to deal with me for a little longer." I've been sleeping on Kate's couch for nearly two weeks now, and today is my first day back in the office after taking some personal time to recollect myself. While I'm not whole, I'm at least functional. "You know you can stay here as long as you want,." Kate tells me, leaning against the bathroom door. "Maybe I'll just move into the storage unit with the rest of my thin

"No, please." I try to fight him off. "Mr. Harris—" "Shut up," he hisses in my ear. A slight whimper escapes my lips. He turns around and hits the emergency stop button on the elevator panel. "You've ruined everything for me. I've lost it all. My home, my wife, my kids, my job. It's all gone and it's all because of you," "Doing this... Won't help your case..." I spit. I ball my hand into a fist lift my arm, attempting to hit him. He wraps his meaty hand around my wrist and pins it against the elevator wall. "Probably not, but it sure does make me feel better." He removes his forearm from my throat, replacing it with his hand. I take in a quick breath before I feel his thumb and fingers press against my airway. "I haven't got anything else to lose." I've reached my limit. My sadness, my disappointment, my anger, spills over all at once. I haven't got anything else to lose. "You fucking did this to yourself," I force the words past my lips, I'm finding it harder to breathe. "What