28 A mournful morning.

Alexa stirred awake with a heavy head and a soft moan escaped her lips. The yelling and screaming from next door was causing her head to ache. She just managed to find sleep and now those people won't let her have it!

She slammed a fist on the bed with frustration. Those two should have the decency and respect that a stranger was passing a night for crying out loud!

She grabbed her phone from the compartment on the headboard to check the time. It was just 5:08 AM. She hadn't even slept for three hours. She sighed and slowly sat up and rubbed her eyes.

Alexa picked herself up and fastened the rope on her night robe. Staying in this house for another minute would drive her crazy. With that, she left the room to look for the bathroom.

"This is the height of it! We're done. Pack your things and get out of my house!" came Nora's booming voice.

"You must be out of your damned mind if you think you are the sole owner of this house. I paid the sum of $5,000 to get this place, so you have no fucking right to throw me out. We have equal rights to this property. If anyone should be leaving, it should be your so-called friend!"

"Wh– What? Mike, did I just hear you right? I bought this place for the sum of $60,000 and you dare to lay claim? Fine, at the end of the month, I'll refund your $5000. I'm sure it would be enough for you to get your own apartment in the neighborhood, furnish it, stock up the fridge, and get you gas for your car."

"Hahahaha... I can see you've gone mad. You— "

"Hey, Nora, good morning. Sorry for intruding. I don't know where your bathroom is."

Nora and her boyfriend both turned to see Alexa standing with her arms folded on her chest as she rested her back on the door she came out from.

Nora's face flushed with embarrassment. She turned her gaze away from Alexa and pointed in the opposite direction. "The bathroom is there."

"Thank you," Alexa left the couple without so much as a glance at Mike.

Mike, a tall burly hunk, with tattoos on his chest and forearms, stood in front of Nora while giving the disappearing Alexa a lustful stare as he licked his lips, "She seems prettier than the last time I saw her."

Nora raised her hand and smacked his face, "You disgusting son of a bitch!"

Alexa heard the loud slap but didn't turn around. It was not her business. Getting involved in a couple's fight was something she would never do or recommend. Unless there was a life-threatening situation.

Once she found the bathroom and entered, Mike suddenly grabbed Nora who was attempting to walk away from him and slammed her against the wall.

Nora whimpered and glared at him. "Do you want to raise your hand on me? Go ahead! Hit me, you shameless man!"

"So you'd get evidence to show the cops? I'm not stupid, Nora. Let this be the last time you hit me, otherwise, I'll break your hand. And also, the next time you tell me to pack out, I'll leave and you'll never see me again."

Nora chuckled and looked him in the eye, even though he was taller than her. "Do you think I was jesting when I told you we're done? Mike, I'm done with you..." she stood on her toes and inched closer to his ear and enunciated slowly, "this nonsense we have is over."

Mike observed her for a while before he laughed out loud and pulled away from her. "You look serious, but are you sure about that?"

"Mike, I'm– "

He zoomed in on her and suddenly cupped her breast. Before she could react, he slammed his lips on hers. Nora tried to push him away, but how could she push off a heavily built man like Mike?

Not only could she not free herself, she grew weak and helpless against what he was doing to her body and a soft moan escaped her throat.

Mike pulled away and brushed her blonde hair with his wide palm while asking, "Are you sure you can let me go? We've done that more than ten times in the past four years. Each time I leave, you beg me on your knees to come back to you. Are you sure that pot-bellied Manager Klein would be able to satisfy your sexual urge like I do? Huh?" He gently slapped her private part, lightly squeezed her breast and licked his lower lip.

Nora suppressed the moan that almost betrayed her as she forced herself to glare at him with her fist balled.

This was her weakness.

"See? I know you can't. There's no better man who can make you cum five times in succession. There's no better man who can hit your g-spot and make you say gibberish except for me. You've proven it a number of times. No man is as good as me, Nora."

He grabbed her chin with his fingers and raised her jaw so she could look into his angry eyes, tightening his grip little by little as he warned, "Don't provoke me, Nora. I may go to Florence the next time you threaten me. You don't want to experience sexual frustration for a third time, do you?"

He waited a few moments. Seeing she didn't respond, he grinned with satisfaction, "I thought as much," he shoved her face away and walked into the room.

Nora staggered and sat on the couch, staring at space without uttering a single word. A lone tear slipped down her cheek as her heart bled.

She thought she was finally ready to let him go. She thought she prepped herself well over the night, but unfortunately, she completely forgot the hook he had around her neck– sex.

Nora's first love was Mike. It all started in her first year in the university. He was a hot guy who loved to hit the university's gym. She was a poor nerd, whom no one wanted to spare a glance unless they wanted to bully her.

She was an average student who didn't have big dreams. Her intention was to study and graduate with good grades to get her into a fairly good company, but one day, like the unannounced arrival of rain, her dreams changed.