Chapter 9 - The Crawl
Two days later, Marcus hit absolute rock bottom.
He had spent two nights sleeping on a bench in a subway station. His expensive Tom Ford suit was ruined, stained with grime and sweat. He hadn't showered. He smelled foul. His phone battery had died, and he had exactly fourteen dollars in his pocket.
Desperation drove him to the only place he thought could save him. He used his last few dollars to buy a bus ticket to the upscale suburb of Weston, where he knew the Sterling family estate was located.
He walked three miles in the freezing drizzle from the bus stop to the massive iron gates of my family's compound. He looked like a stray dog.
He pressed the intercom button, shivering violently.
"Please," Marcus croaked into the speaker. "I need to speak to Clara. Tell her it's her husband. Tell her I'm sorry."
The camera on the gate whirred, focusing on his pathetic, drenched form.
Inside the house, I stood in the security control room, watching him on the monitor. My father stood next to me, his arms crossed.
"Do you want me to call the police for trespassing?" my father asked.
I looked at the screen. I saw the man who had mocked my pain, who had prioritized his image over my life, begging in the dirt.
"No," I said, stepping up to the microphone and pressing the button.
"Marcus," my voice echoed through the speaker at the gate.
Marcus looked up at the camera, tears streaming down his face. "Clara! Oh, God, Clara, please! I have nothing! They took everything! I’m freezing. Please, let me in. I made a mistake. I was stressed. I love you!"
I let him cry for a full minute, watching the rain plaster his hair to his face, watching him shiver in his ruined clothes.
"Do you remember what you told me on the highway, Marcus?" I asked smoothly.
He froze, his eyes wide.
"You told me to call a cab," I said. "But seeing as you don't have a phone, I suggest you start walking."
"Clara, please! I'm begging you!"
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"Get some dignity, Marcus," I whispered into the microphone. "You smell like rotting garbage. And my family doesn't let garbage into the house."
I released the button and turned off the monitor. Outside, Marcus fell to his knees in the mud, screaming my name into the empty air, completely alone.
