Katarina

3 months later.

"Table at Isle Five is asking for his order."

Odette, one of my colleagues said to me as she walked past me, carrying a tray of empty plates to the kitchen sink.

I rolled my eyes, annoyed that I had somehow gotten the worst of the worst customer today.

"I'll be right there, thanks Odette," I said to her despite my irritation for the man at table five.

He had only been inside the restaurant for all of ten minutes and he's been nothing but a pain in the ass.

First, he'd tried to touch me inappropriately and then he'd told me to get him a particular wine and when I had, he had tried to gaslight me that he'd asked for a different wine.

I didn't need a priest to tell me that it was going to be trouble with that one.

"What's up with table five's order, Greg?" I called out, to the chef over the counter.

"Two minutes more and I'll be done, Lisa."

Greg said as he flipped the eggs in the pan.

Lisa... I was still getting used to that name. Sometimes I'd even forget that it was my name and completely ignore my colleagues when they used it.

It had been a total of three months since I left everything behind, three months since I left the most powerful man alone on the altar. I'd like to say it was easier now that I was no longer forced to be with a man I didn't care about but that would be a lie.

Being by myself made me realize just how sheltered I was back when I was with my parents.

The street was hard and harder for someone who was desperately trying to bury her old life and at the same time run away from it.

I had grown so much in three months despite how difficult it had been for me to adjust the first couple of weeks. Thanks to the cash I had gotten from Jerome. Not only had I been able to skip town, I had been able to get myself a tiny one-bedroom apartment in the worst part of the town, but I was practically a new person.

My short pixie-cut pink hair was one of the drastic changes I had to make when I first arrived in town. I was at least five states away from my family now but I wasn't about to take my chances.

I even wore blue contacts to cover up my amber-colored eyes and did my makeup differently. I still looked like me but anyone trying to find me would have a hard time recognizing me, especially when I was wearing makeup.

"Alrighty, it's ready!" Greg said, moved closer to the counter, and plucked the tray of food.

"Thanks, Greg."

"Anytime..."

I practically ran down to table five and found the man staring at me with an irritated look in his eyes.

"What the hell took so long?" He glared as soon as I placed the tray on his table.

I wanted to scream at him that it had only been ten minutes since he ordered but decided against it. I didn't want to lose my job, I couldn't afford to.

"I am sorry, sir." I gave an apologetic smile to the balding man, my hands behind my back.

"Are your words supposed to make me forgive you?"

Forgive me? Was the man insane? Was he missing something?

"I hope sir," I said.

"Well, it's not."

I was doing my best to ignore his silly tantrum but the more he spoke, the harder it got.

"I'm not sure what you want me to do sir..."

A lewd smile spread across his face causing an uncomfortable shiver to run down my spine.

"You know, you are a beautiful girl, one I'd like to plunge, just imagine you on my bed and me on top of you fucking your brains out. Wouldn't that be interesting?" The man said, his disgusting smile still in place.

What I wanted to do was slap the shit out of him but I ended up taking the high road because I wanted to keep my job.

"If you'd excuse me, sir, I think I hear the chef calling for me."

I turned around without waiting for him to speak. I hadn't even taken a step when I felt his hands slap my butt.

I turned around to look at him but knew I couldn't exactly do anything.

Shamefully, I walked away, not wanting to cause any trouble. I was barely five steps away from him when I heard the sound of someone getting punched.

I turned around to find a man punching the shit out of the man at table five.

"How dare you put your hands on her?" The stranger growled.

He had him up in a chokehold, and his legs were dangling up in the air.

I would have laughed if the man's face hadn't started to change color.

"You will apologize to the waitress or I'll kill you right here."

"Please." The man struggled to get my savior's hands off but couldn't. He looked like a garden gnome being strangled by a giant.

I ran up to them and signaled for a colleague of mine to get security.

"I will apologize." The man choked out, his words barely coherent.

"Good," the tall man said and dropped him to the ground like a hot potato.

"Now, apologize."

The bald man quickly glanced at me and began to plead for forgiveness but I was too stunned to even acknowledge him because standing in front of me was a man I thought I'd never see again.

It was Jerome, the man who had saved my life three months ago after I had escaped my wedding day.

"Jerome?" I whispered, barely audible enough for me to hear.

 The man looked at me like he didn't know who I was and it was then I realized that of course, he wouldn't. I looked nothing like I did, the day he met me.

Katarina

 "You were just going to walk away and let him disrespect you?" 

 Jerome turned to glare at me, his face contoured into a look of disgust.

  I  felt small under his scrutiny and I almost wanted to run and hide.

 "I...I..." I stuttered as I stared up at his familiar face. He stared back at me but nothing that indicated that he knew who I was, was evident in his look.

 "Save it, you are pathetic, letting an insolent man disrespect you like that? It's almost disgusting." He spat.

 My hands balled into fists as his words sank in. 

 "Fuck you!" I spat at him, eyes blazing.

 Who the hell did he think he was speaking to me like that? He knew nothing about me. I couldn't afford to lose this job. It was my only source of living for now and my ticket to leave the country. Even though he had helped me, he still didn't have the right to talk to me that way.

 "Oh, so now you can speak, or were you just enjoying the attention you were getting from that disgusting man." He sneered at me.

 My blood boiled in my veins as I glared fire and brimstones at him. The urge to slap him across the face settled heavily in my hands but I thought better of it. This was not the time to lose my temper.

 Why was he talking to me like that? Just because he helped me didn't mean he got to look down on me. I never asked for his help, after all.

 "How dare you? You have no idea what you are talking about and you don't know me, so fuck you!" I spat again, my voice carrying all of the anger I was supposed to direct at the customer.

 With that, I turned on my heels and ran in the other direction, straight into the supply room at the back, my legs shaky as I ran.

 As soon as my back hit the door, I slid down the door frame to the floor, and the tears I had managed to keep away slipped down my cheeks.

 I felt insulted and belittled. How dare he say that to me?

 I understood he probably didn't recognize me because of my short pink pixie cut hair and my extremely dark and gothic makeup but it still hurt to hear that from him.

 It wasn't as if I couldn't stand up for myself, it was that I knew what standing up for myself would do. 

 It would get me instantly fired.

  It wasn't the first time the customer had done this neither was it the second. The first time he'd groped me, I had reported it to my Boss and he'd told me to suck it up, that I worked in a restaurant/bar of course I was going to get touched once in a while. He claimed we were the entertainment.  Plus he'd only groped me, it wasn't as if he had raped me

  At that time, his words had shocked me and  I had wanted to quit out of rage on the spot but after I had thought about it, I knew I didn't have much of an option but to stay and suck it up. It had taken me four weeks to get this one, quitting when I didn't have any jobs lined up for me would have been putting a damper on my plans. And I needed to leave the country as soon as possible. I knew it was only a matter of time before my family found me and I didn't want that.

  How they hadn't found me in three months was still very much a miracle to me. One that I would like to keep that way till I had enough money to disappear.

 But what on earth was Jerome doing here? Was he looking for me?

 No, that couldn't be. He wasn't even able to recognize me earlier. 

 He was probably here on some kind of business. He was rich after all. The kind of man who traveled frequently for business.

 He looked so good too. I wondered if he hated my guts for stealing from him. I still didn't have the money to pay him back even if I wanted to. 

 The sound of voices and footsteps walking in my direction alerted me and I quickly stood up and arranged myself, wiping the tears off my cheeks and making sure I looked okay. It was a relief I was wearing waterproof mascara today otherwise I would have had to redo my makeup.

 I opened the door to the supply room and standing in front was both my Boss and manager.

 "Lisa, what are you doing here?" My boss asked.

 "Just getting some drinks for the bar."

 I said with a plastic smile.

 "Where are the drinks then?" He probed again, staring down at my hands.

 "Was just about to get it." I rushed out to say and picked out a random drink from the shelf, sidestepped both men and practically ran to the bar.

 Jerome was long gone by the time I got there and I couldn't help but have mixed feelings about his sudden appearance and disappearance.

 "Who was that hot guy that beat up Mr Kingsley for you?"

 Ella, one of our bartenders asked.

 "I don't know." I lied, handing her the bottle of Jack Daniels I had plucked from the supply room.

 "Bummer, he is hot and he tipped well, more than thirty percent of what he got," Ella said, tucking a loose strand of brown hair behind her ears as she collected the bottle and placed it on one of the bar shelves.

 "Cool," I said absent-mindedly.

 "Anyway, he asked that I shared it with you...*

 "Wait, what?" I turned around to look at Ella. "Why?"

 "I have no idea, I thought you knew him or something," Ella said, looking at me for confirmation.

 "No, no, I don't. I'm as surprised as you are." I lied again. I couldn't afford to have anyone figure out who I was.

 "I guess he was being a gentleman, I mean he did beat up that rascal, Mr. Kingsley for you, didn't he?"

 "Yeah, a gentleman."

 A customer sitting at the edge of the bar called for Ella's attention and she excused herself to go attend to them.

 Now, I was confused. Did Jerome remember me or not? And if he didn't why on earth would he leave such a huge tip for me after I had Insulted him?

 I shook my head. I was thinking way too much about this. Jerome had been the man that had helped me when I had run away from Kylan, of course, he'd beat up a man for harassing a random girl in a bar and then leave a tip for the said girl after.

 I spent the rest of my shift helping Ella in the bar. I didn't want to wait tables after what had happened earlier. I was still too annoyed and emotionally sore to handle customers outside of the bar.

  It was around midnight when I finally clocked out of work. I was exhausted and in need of my bed.

 "Alright, I'm off," I said to Ella who was still busy balancing her book for the day.

 "Wait for me!" She yelled after me.

 "I would, but we both know you won't be ready to leave anytime soon," I said as I began to exit the door.

 "I promise, it will just take a couple of minutes this time." She pouted.

 "Sorry love but I can't wait, I'm too tired and after the day I had, all I want to do is fall on my bed and sleep. Besides, Aaron will walk you, or have you guys fought again?" I asked with a narrowed gaze.

 "He started it!"

 "Okay, well, you can end it then, bye..." I waved and stepped out of the bar.

 As I came out of the bar, the night breeze pulled me into its cold embrace and I pulled my jacket closer to my chest, taking steps to my house. 

 I was barely a mile away from the bar when I heard footsteps behind me.

 At first, I thought nothing of it but when I turned a corner so did whoever was behind me.

 I  glanced behind me and gasped when I saw a familiar face. It was Mr Kingsley.

 "Hello, sweetness." He grinned,  his eyes wide like a crazed man.

 What the fuck was he doing, following me?

 "What the fuck do you want?" I asked, still walking ahead of him.

 "I just want to talk, you know finish what we started earlier." The grin on his face made my skin crawl and I could not help but shiver at his words.

 "I have no idea what you are talking about, please leave me alone."

 I said to him.

 "Now, you know that cannot happen." He said in response.

 Ignoring him, I turned back around and increased my pace but that didn't deter him instead he increased his pace as well.

 I turned to look at him again and my stomach twisted and fell to my legs. They were now two of them and neither of them looked friendly.

 This wasn't good. I should have waited for Ella like she wanted me to but no, I just had to fucking walk alone.

 "Leave me alone!" I lashed at him, knowing whatever this was, it wasn't going to be good.

 I started to run, trying to get to a place that was at least crowded with people but the more I ran, the more they increased their pace. It didn't get far before I felt hands grab me from behind and pin me to the wall. My breath doubled, as I struggled to get out of his hold.

 "Now where do you think you are going to darling, you owe me, remember?"

 He whispered into my ear.