Good. I’m here for you in all the ways I can be.
Timmy emerges from the back room again, trying to grab my phone.
I switch windows before he can see anything.
He pulls out his own phone, making it a point to show he’s messaging someone. As if to say,See, I have friends too! Take that!
Pathetic.
I shake my head, utterly drained.
How did I get here? And, more importantly, how do I get out?
CHAPTER 98
VOLCANO OF PAIN
MARGAUX
My intuition screams at me, louder than ever—Get out. Now.
This is no ordinary day.
Timmy’s escalating behavior—his false allegations, the spitting, the rage—feels like a red flag on fire. It’s not just his words or the threats of violence—it’s the sense that there might truly benothinghe’s not capable of in this state.
Sabre’s and my lives are in real danger.
As soon as Timmy leaves the apartment—probably to panhandle at the 7-Eleven or drown himself in vodka at the tents—I spring into action. I pack essentials—my laptop, a few clothes, Sabre’s food and carrier—and we head to a hotel.
Once there, Sabre does his usual perimeter check, sniffing every corner of the room before hopping onto the bed with a loud purr. His approval is a small comfort, one of the few silver linings in this situation.
After grabbing a bite to eat, I open my laptop to do some work. But the moment I see the inside, my stomach lurches.
Oh my fucking god.
The keyboard is saturated—water, or worse, has been poured inside.
Desperately, I try to dry it out.
I press the power button. The screen flickers for a moment, then dies. I plug it in, and the familiar MacBook chime gives me hope, but the screen stays black.
My laptop. My main tool as a writer.
Most of my work is saved to the cloud, but not all of it. Backup plans have fallen by the wayside in the chaos of my life with Timmy.
I curl up in the fetal position on the bed, tears streaming down my face as the weight of everything crashes over me.
Sabre, sensing my distress, curls up against me, purring softly. His small, warm body is a lifeline in itself.
Somehow, amidst the despair, I manage to fall asleep.
When I wake up, my phone is buzzing with notifications.
Timmy:
Come back, I need to get my dick wet.
I gag.