When I heard Nathan shouting, I instinctively stopped in my tracks, terrified that the receptionist would reveal my whereabouts.
Thankfully, this was a high–end hotel, so the receptionists were professional. She politely declined his demands. “Sorry, sir, we cannot disclose any information about our guests due to privacy concerns.”
To my surprise, Nathan dropped his usual refined composure and began shouting. “Don’t talk to me about privacy. She’s my wife! I have the right to know if she’s staying here!”
I couldn’t help but let out a mocking smile when I heard that.
His wife? What a foreign term.
Nathan had never even seriously said that he liked me after all these years, let alone make me his wife.
“Sir, in that case, you’re welcome to call her. If she really is staying here with us, you can ask her for her room number, and I can verify it for you. If everything checks out, you may go up.”
The receptionist’s professional response left Nathan frozen in place. He stood there in silence, unable to form a response for a long time.
I had already blocked his number and removed him from all my social media. He had no way of contacting me.
I did not stay and listen to the rest. Quietly, I made my way upstairs to my room.
As soon as I lay down on the bed, Anne called me.
Excitedly, she asked me how I managed to throw Nathan into such a frenzy. “You know, I immediately clocked his panic when he called me earlier. He asked me if you were with me!
“Listen, Yvonne, you can’t be so kind this time. That scumbag deserves to suffer. Don’t go soft on him!”
I was exasperated too. He was even more persistent than I expected.
After all these years, this was the first time he had put this much effort into me, and that included calling Anne when he couldn’t reach me.
“Don’t worry, I won’t cave this time,” I told Anne. “I didn’t do anything, really. He was lurking outside my apartment, and I happened to catch him there, so I avoided him and checked into a hotel for the night.”
Before ending the call, I reminded her, “Don’t tell him where I am!”
To my surprise, Nathan was relentless.
Somehow, he got hold of a new number and called me with it.
The moment I picked up, he launched into a frantic monologue, his voice hoarse and clearly panicked. “Yvonne, where are you? Why are you avoiding me? Do you know how hard I’ve been looking for you? I waited for you outside your apartment for so long–why won’t you even see me?”
Without saying a word, I hung up.
