A big yawn escapes Melina’s lips as the car pulls to a stop at a traffic light. She forces her eyes open as her eyelids drop on their own. I don’t understand. I just woke up a few minutes ago. How can I be feeling sleepy again? Melina looks out the window, blinking her eyes to drive the sleep away, when she sees that they have stopped not too far from a pharmacy. Melina remembers she needs tampons. She was going to ask Thomas to get it tomorrow morning, but she has started spotting, so it would be safer to get it now. She’s unsure when her period will begin. Melina takes a deep breath and moves closer to Thomas to ask him if they can stop by the pharmacy so she can get some tampons.
“Thomas, can I ask for something?”
“Why are you suddenly so close to me, and did you say something?” Thomas looks between their touching thighs and Melina’s face. Melina moved closer to him so that Leo and the driver wouldn’t hear her question. She doesn’t feel comfortable letting Leo and the driver know she needs tampons.
“Please, I want to ask for something?” Melina raises her voice slightly higher than before.
“Wow, this is new” he says, surprised. She doesn’t blame him. She’s not in a position to make demands from him.
“What do you need from me?”
“I want to ask if we could stop by the pharmacy over there,” Melina says, motioning to the pharmacy to their left. “I need something important from inside.”
“Important?” he asks, sounding curious to know what she needs. Knowing the type of person Thomas is, Melina knows very well that if she doesn’t cut to the chase, he wouldn’t respond to her demand.
With her heart racing, she moves her lips to his ear and tells him the essential item she needs. Melina isn’t shy to tell Thomas she needs tampons since he had gotten them for her many times when they dated. She’s worried that he won’t like her being so close to him. Thomas doesn’t show displeasure or anger as she whispers into his ears. Thank God.
“Jacob, stop at the pharmacy by your left,” Thomas instructs the driver.
“Okay, sir,” Jacob replies and begins to drive toward the pharmacy.
A smile spread across her lips for the second time today. “Thank you, Thomas.” He doesn’t reply, which doesn’t surprise her.
Thomas steps out of the car once Jacob parks in front of the pharmacy. Melina follows suit and walks behind him into the pharmacy. She assumed he would send her in with Leo, but she’s relieved he’s coming himself. Once they enter the store, Melina immediately searches for the brand she prefers.
While going from aisle to aisle, something shocking happens.
“I got two packs as always; we can go now,” Thomas says from behind Melina. Turning around to face him, Melina sees the brand she likes to use in his hand, and as he said, he got two packs as required. She’s surprised he remembered. Melina was always under the impression that he had forgotten everything about her. She guesses she’s wrong.
“Tha-” Someone pushes Melina into the aisle as they run past her, cutting her short. She knocks off a few items from the shelves.
“I’m so sorry, ma’am,” the kid who ran into Melina rushes says quickly.
Melina bends down to pick up the items that fell. “It’s okay de…” she pauses, seeing the things that fell.
“Are you okay, Melina?” Thomas shoves the boy out of the way and crunches down beside Melina. She doesn’t respond and continues to stare at the pregnancy tests.
“Melina,” Thomas grabs her shoulder, shaking her.
“Yes!” Melina blinks, her eyes returning to Earth.
“Are you injured?” Thomas asks, concerned, looking at her from head to toe
“No, I’m fine” Melina stands up with a few pregnancy tests in her hand. She put them back on the shelves.
“Then why the hell are you crying?”
“Crying?” Melina touches her cheeks and feels moisture on her palm. Her eyes widen. She can’t believe she shed a tear.
“Everything is fine. Something must’ve entered my eyes when I bumped into the shelves” Melina quickly wipes away the teardrop from her cheeks.
“Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Thomas asks, spinning her around to check her back.
“Yes, I’m positive.” She forces a smile on her face. Melina hopes Thomas won’t notice she almost cried while looking at pregnancy tests. She doesn’t think she’s ready to explain why that almost happened. So many memories she would love to remain buried.
“Alright, if you say so. Let’s go.” Thomas grabs Melina’s hands and walks them to the counter. Melina breathes a sigh of relief, relieved that he didn’t press for an explanation.
***
Melina moves her body gently to the music playing in the club while sipping her virgin mojito. Thomas refused to let Melina drink as she didn’t know how to hold her liquor, and Thomas said he didn’t want to carry her drunk ass out of the club when it was time to leave. Melina is okay with just a virgin mojito. She stands up from the couch to pee, but Thomas grabs her hands before she can take two steps.
“I want to pee,” she says without waiting for him to ask where she’s going.
“Didn’t you just fucking pee at the pharmacy like 20 minutes ago?”
“I know, but I feel like going again.” Melina also found it a little odd that she needed to go already. She hasn’t even finished her first glass of drink yet.
“Ask Leo to take you to my office and be quick,” he says as he lets go of her hand.
“Okay.” Melina walks to the door of the VIP room they were in and asks Leo to take her to the restroom.
Once she’s done with her business, she walks back to the VIP room, but on her way, someone bumps into her. What the hell? Am I cursed with people bumping into me, or what?
“Dui bu qi. Wo mei kan wo yao qu na li” the man who bumped into her says. Melina doesn’t understand what he said, but she’s guessing he said sorry.
“It’s fine.” She continues walking but is stopped as the man grabs her hand.
“You look familiar,” The man’s word came out slurred. He’s definitely drunk.
“Do I?” Melina can’t see the man’s face correctly because the corridors are dimly lit.
“Yes, it’s you,” the man says, clapping his hands. “You’re the bitch Thomas refused to sell to me.”
“Excuse me,” Melina says, taken aback by what he just said.
“It’s you,” he palms her face. “I can’t believe I met you here,” he says as he slowly draws his hands down her face and takes his time pulling her lips.
“Please don’t touch me,” she says as she takes a step back and searches for Leo. she wonders where he went to.
“C’mon bao bao,” The man takes her hand in his and pulls her in closer. “If you don’t tell Thomas, I won’t,” he whispers, fanning her neck with his stale alcoholic breath.
“Let go of me. I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Melina wiggles her arms in his grip. She looks at the man, wondering why a complete stranger would hit on her like this.
“Is it because I’m being nice?” He backs her into the nearest wall. A sharp pain shoots up into the back of Melina’s skull.
“Who are you? Let go of me.” Melina continues to fight as the man presses her against the wall with his arm to her neck.
“I will show you who I am.” The man starts to try to take off Melina’s dress but suddenly stops at the sound of someone’s voice.
“Xiao Zhan, the lady fucking asked you to let go, so I advise you do before I make you,” Thomas says, standing a few feet away.
Hearing the man’s name causes Melina’s brain to recall his face. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t recognized him right away.
“Thomas, thank God you’re here.” the man takes his arm away from Melina’s neck. “I am willing to double the prize to 10 million dollars,” Xiao Zhan says as he walks toward Thomas. Melina’s eyes widened as she heard the prize that was just offered for her.
“Is that so?” Thomas pulls a cigarette from his pocket and lights it up.
“Yes.”
“10 million dollars is a lot of money for a piece of pussy,” he says after taking a drag. She panics, hoping Thomas doesn’t agree to sell her to him.
“I know, but that’s how fucking bad I want it.”
“I see,” Thomas says as he smokes his cigarette and circles Xiao Zhan. “10 million fucking dollars for my Melina.”
“Yes.”
“Yes?” Thomas arches his brows at him.
“Yes,” Xiao Zhan repeats. Thomas suddenly laughs drily and punches Xiao Zhan square in the face in the blink of an eye. Melina shuts her eyes, cringing as she hears Xiao Zhan’s nose break.
“Fucking 10 million dollars for my Melina,” Thomas punches him again. Melina feels bile rise in her throat, watching Xiao Zhan’s blood slowly cover the floor. Deja vu suddenly hits her, and Melina sees herself in that basement, begging Thomas to stop beating the man. She shakes her head to quickly remove the image. No, not again. I’m not going to let this happen. Without thinking before she acts, Melina walks forward and grabs Thomas’ hand before it lands on Xiao Zhan.
“No!” Melina speaks firmly. The man almost raped her, but she couldn’t stay there and watch Thomas kill someone again because of her. For what he did, a punch was enough. His life was just too much for it.
“Melina, fucking let my hand go,” Thomas’ hand vibrated in Melina’s, but she didn’t back down.
“Sure, but you can’t hit him anymore.” She let go of his hand and shielded Xiao Zhan with her body.
“Are you fucking serious right now? He almost raped you.”
“I know that, but he doesn’t deserve to die for it. He may lose his dick but not die.”
“Oh my God! You can’t be serious right now!” Thomas looks at her with disbelief.
“I am Thomas.”
“Wow, it seems you have grown a backbone and think you can tell me who the fuck I kill.”
“When my only company at night is nightmares of you killing people because of me. I’ll undoubtedly develop a strong backbone.” Melina couldn’t believe she was talking to Thomas like this, but she was proud of herself.
“You have nightmares because of the killings” Thomas’ voice takes a softer tone, and he moves closer to her.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asks, concerned.
“I didn’t think I was supposed to,” Melina’s says, her brow furrowed. She’s a bit confused right now.
“You didn’t think you were supposed to?” Thomas asks, raising his voice a little. “If you have forgotten, listen carefully,” he takes her face into his bloody palms and stares into her eyes. “You’re mine Melina, and that means every single thing about you is my fucking business.”
Melina swallows a lump in her throat as she stares into Thomas’ eyes. She could see he meant what he had just said.
“Understood?” he presses her cheeks a little.
“Yes.”
“Good, let’s go. I don’t feel like partying anymore.” Thomas grabs Melina’s hands and walks them out of the club.