Chapter 77 The debt
Melissa’s POV
I stood outside the apartment building, with my hands shoved deep in the pockets of my hooded coat.
The neighborhood was run-down… broken bottles littered the sidewalks and every shadow felt like a threat. Graffiti covered the crumbling brick walls. A homeless man slept in the doorway of the building next door. The streetlights flickered weakly, casting everything in sickly yellow.
I took a deep breath through my mouth, trying to steady my nerves and avoid smelling the air.
I could do this. I just needed to get in, give him the money, get the video deleted, and get out.
Simple.
The building’s entrance door hung crooked on its hinges, the lock broken long ago. I pushed through and immediately wanted to gag.
The hallway smelled worse than outside…like mold and cigarette smoke and something rotting that I couldn’t identify. The wallpaper peeled in long strips. Water stains spread across the ceiling like diseased branches.
My footsteps echoed through the building as I climbed the narrow staircase. The railing was sticky under my hand, and I jerked away, wiping my palm on my jeans.
Second floor. Third floor.Apartment 3C.
I stood in front of the door, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might break through my ribs. My hands were shaking. My stomach churned.
Just get it over with.
I raised my fist and knocked.
The door swung open almost immediately, like he’d been waiting right there.
Troy stood in the doorway wearing a stained white t-shirt that might have been clean once. His jeans hung low on his hips, the waistband of his boxers were showing. His hair was greasy, plastered to his head. His eyes were bloodshot, the whites yellowed.
“Melissa.” He smiled, and I had to force myself not to recoil. “Right on time. I like a woman who keeps her promises.”
He stepped aside, gesturing with mock gallantry for me to enter.
I hesitated at the threshold, every instinct screaming at me to run.
But I thought of the video. Thought of what would happen if it got out. Thought of Gavin’s reputation, my mother’s heart, everything that would crumble.
I stepped inside.
The apartment was even worse than the hallway.
Empty beer bottles covered every surface…the coffee table, the kitchen counter, the floor. Pizza boxes were stacked in the corner, some still open with moldy crusts visible. The couch had visible stains that I didn’t want to identify. Dirty clothes were piled everywhere. The whole place reeked of stale smoke, old food, and unwashed humans. When did things get so bad.
I pressed my hand over my nose and mouth, breathing shallowly through my fingers.
“Cozy, right?” Troy said, closing the door behind me with a click that sounded too final. “Not like that fancy penthouse you’re living in now. But it’s mine. Nobody can take it from me.”
“Did you bring it?” he asked, his tone shifting from false friendliness to business.
I nodded wordlessly, reaching into my coat pocket. My fingers closed around the envelope…thick with bills I’d withdrawn from my account, money I’d been saving for camera equipment.
I pulled it out and threw it at him.
It hit his chest and fell to the floor.
He looked down at it, then back up at me, his expression darkening for a moment. Then he smiled again and bent down slowly, never taking his eyes off me, like a predator watching prey.
He picked up the envelope and opened it with dirty fingers…I could see grime under his nails, black crescents that made my stomach turn.
He pulled out the cash and counted it, taking his time with each bill. Then he brought the stack to his nose and inhaled deeply.
“Mmm,” he hummed, his eyes closing in exaggerated pleasure. “Nothing smells quite like money. Especially money from my girl.”
“I’m not your girl,” I said through clenched teeth.
“Who told you, you had a choice?” He set the money on the cluttered table.
He started walking toward me.
I backed up instinctively until my spine hit the wall next to the door.
“You know, Melissa,” he said, his voice dropping to what he probably thought was seductive, “we used to be good together. Real good. I was your lover.” He stepped closer. “Your protector.” Closer still. “The man who knew exactly how to make you…”
“Stop,” I said, but my voice came out weak.
He kept talking, and I found myself fixating on his mouth. On his teeth.
They were yellow. Almost brown in some places. His gums looked inflamed, receding. His breath…god, his breath…smelled like something had died in his mouth.
I shuddered involuntarily, my whole body recoiling.
“What is that?” Troy asked, his eyes narrowing. His hand came up to touch my arm. “Are you cold?”
He pressed closer, trapping me completely against the wall. His body heat made my skin crawl.
“You’re in luck,” he said, his face inches from mine now, “because I want to warm you up. Just like old times.”
His hand slid to my waist, fingers digging in.
That’s when something inside me snapped.
My hands clenched into fists at my sides, nails cutting into my palms. Every muscle in my body coiled tight, ready to strike. I could picture it clearly…my fist connecting with his nose, the satisfying crunch, the blood, his shock.
Consequences be damned. Video be damned. Everything be damned.
I was pulling my arm back, ready to swing with everything I had, when…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Someone was at the door. Right behind me.
Troy’s head snapped toward the sound, his grip on me loosening slightly.
“Who the hell…” he muttered, his face twisting with irritation.
He stepped back from me, and I could finally breathe again.
He moved past me and yanked the door open. “What do you…”
He stopped mid-sentence, staring at the empty hallway.
Nobody was there.
“What the fuck?” He stepped out into the hallway, looking left and right.
I didn’t wait to see more.
The second his back was turned, I bolted.
I slipped past him through the open door and ran…down the hallway, my footsteps pounding, my heart racing. I heard him shout behind me, heard his footsteps, but I was faster.
I hit the stairwell and took the stairs two at a time, nearly falling in my desperation to get away. Down one flight. Down another.
I burst through the building’s entrance into the cold night air, gasping, my chest heaving.
I didn’t stop running until I was three blocks away, until my lungs burned and my legs shook and I had to lean against a wall to catch my breath.
Only then did I let myself feel it.
The fear. The disgust. The rage. I’d gotten away this time.
But Troy wasn’t done with me.
Not even close.