An Avenging Angel

I was feeling under the weather from the night before, but I went to the office anyway because I had to give an important presentation. But things weren’t as smooth as I would’ve liked them to be, so much that even my boss told me she’d cover for me halfway through. I still had more work to do even after the presentation, but she told me to take some time off until I felt better. I was disheartened that I couldn’t push through the presentation, but I was glad I could go home. I just wanted to be in the comfort of my bed.

When I arrived at my house, however, I noticed my boyfriend Cliff’s car in the driveway. It was strange. His work usually ran later than mine; he didn’t tell me he was coming home early. I then remembered what my best friend Roman said just two days ago: he said he had seen Cliff at a hotel with another woman. I brushed it off as a mere business meeting and told Roman he was being paranoid, but now I wasn’t so sure.

When I stepped inside, I heard a woman’s giggles coming from the bedroom. It was true…

I grabbed my gun from the drawer and darted into the bedroom, pointing the barrel at both of them. “Get on your knees!”

The two of them sprung off the bed and begged me not to shoot; they were shaking and in tears. I felt my heart beat louder and louder in my chest as my stomach felt like it was being twisted inside-out.

“How could you do this?” Tears were streaking down my cheeks before I knew it. I hated it. I hated them.

He begged yet again, and this time, he had the audacity to apologise. “Agatha, please… I’m so sorry.”

I scoffed. “Sorry for what, Cliff? For cheating on me or for getting caught?”

“Agatha—”

“Shut up!” That was it. I grabbed their clothes with my free hand and threw them out the window. “Go.”

“But—”

“Now!”

The two of them scrambled to grab their clothes and rush to his car. There were several neighbours outside who caught the entire scene live. Served them right.

A month passed by and the cops came knocking on my door. Cliff had been murdered. I was interrogated and asked not to leave town; the case went on for months, but the killer was never caught. Roman stood by my side and helped me through it all, and I was especially fortunate since he was a lawyer. He had been my pillar of strength since we were kids; I knew I could always count on him for anything.

It was another year before I could bring myself to date anyone again, My new boyfriend, Harry, was kinder than Cliff ever was. He seemed to be the perfect partner for six months, without me ever having to question any of his actions, but one day, I received an envelope from an anonymous sender, and in it were photos of him with multiple escorts. My world came crumbling down once again. I broke up with him that day and never heard from him again.

However, a month later, the police arrived at my doorstep once more. Harry had been murdered as well. Some detectives were convinced that I was the killer, and I couldn’t blame them, but the case hit one dead-end after another before it was finally dropped. I was glad that Roman stuck by my side through it as well; he was my guardian angel. Somehow, it seemed I also had an avenging angel by my side, although I knew not who they were.

After my second dating disaster, I was so sure I would never put myself through it again; but a year later, out of the blue, Roman himself asked me out. I was dumbfounded. I never knew he felt that way about me. I didn’t particularly feel that way about him, but considering all we had been through together for the past twenty years, I decided to give him a chance. After all, he was the only man I truly knew everything about.

Roman and I dated for three years without any issues before he asked me to marry him. A year and a half later, we were wedded and expecting. Roman always loved talking to our unborn daughter. He would spend his free time stroking my tummy and promising her he’d be by our side for as long as he lived, and that he’d make sure no one would ever hurt us.

“I will never forgive anyone who tries to hurt you or your mom. I will always protect you, just as I have your mom all this time.”

The tone with which he said that last line raised some suspicions within me. It was something that I had dismissed before, but there was a curiosity stirring within me. That evening, I questioned Roman about my previous relationships.

“Roman, did you have anything to do with Cliff’s and Harry’s deaths? Please, be honest with me.”

Roman stood there in silence for a few seconds; I could see the hesitation in his eyes. “I did what I had to do to protect you, Agatha.”

A mixture of emotions swirled within me. There was fear, but there was also gratitude; there was concern, but there was also sympathy. Growing up, we always had each other’s backs. It was only in our careers that our paths deviated. Roman went on to confess how he stalked my exes to make sure they weren’t breaking my heart, and when he found out that they were in fact doing so, he took matters to his own hands.

By the end of the confession, Roman’s eyes were brimming with tears. “Does this change the way you feel about me?”

I found myself in tears as well. This did not change my feelings for him. I rushed to his side and wrapped my arms around him. “Thank you...”