Chapter 5 Farewell
Kelly’s POV
Matthew left and I laid in bed for a while, waiting for my body to feel less uncomfortable before getting up and going to the bathroom to take a shower.
The hot water washed over my body and from the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the bathroom I could see that my body was covered in marks that Matthew had left behind, I could clearly hear him whispering in my ear earlier, "Remember, you're mine."
I'm guessing that's just something Matthew says during sex, he could have said it to me or any of his mistresses.
I wouldn't be arrogant enough to think that I was Matthew's only mistress, after all, with his looks and money, there were plenty of women willing to be his mistress.
Before this, I had no contact with Matthew, I only heard the name occasionally in the conversations of my coworkers.
I thought that we would never cross paths.
The shower gel in the bathroom smelled good, I looked at the brand, it was something I couldn't afford.
Wrapped in a bath towel and coming out, I sighed deeply when I saw the crumpled clothes that fell on the floor.
It seems that this dress and I are not meant to be.
I asked the maid to bring over the dress I had just changed out of, and during the waiting time, I stood in front of the window, looking out at the scenery.
The light was bad when I came here last night and I didn't pay attention to my surroundings, but now I can see it clearly.
The maid brought the dress in and I saw a hint of contempt in the maid's eyes and I gave her a smile.
"Can you call me a cab?"
Matthew had already left and I glanced at the clock, I had two hours before the afternoon show and I had to get there in a hurry.
After getting in the cab and telling the driver the address I started thinking about what Matthew had said to me before he left.
I smiled at the thought, who was I to refuse his request?
What about the remaining hundred thousand dollars in debt? I couldn't sell the apartment.
The cab was moving along unhindered and with my eyes closed I suddenly felt the vibration of my cell phone.
Unlocking my phone's interface, I saw a bank text message showing that a hundred thousand dollars had arrived in my account.
"That's a nice number." I curiously counted how many zeros there were.
Then my phone received another text, an unfamiliar number: you should know how to choose.
It was Matthew, and I was pretty sure it was him.
Turning off my phone screen, the cab pulls up and the driver tells me I've reached my destination.
I only have one show today, and because I'm mindful of the marks left on my body by Matthew, I wait until everyone is out before I start to change.
Luckily, today's performance clothes were tightly wrapped, so no one noticed the marks on my body.
However, it doesn't matter if they were found. Everyone knows what's going on.
I've seen marks on a few of my colleagues. They're able to talk about it quite openly, and I'm usually the one who gets teased about it.
The show went well and I was rewarded with applause from the audience.
During the curtain call, I involuntarily got red-eyed and watched the audience on stage fade in and out of my sight.
"Kelly, why are you crying? Is it because you're not feeling well?"
"Thanks, I'm fine, I'm a little excited that so many people are applauding us."
I reached up to dry my tears and tried to hold them back, "I'm going to go change first."
Instead of going to the changing room, I went to the restroom next door.
Locking myself in the cubicle, I was finally able to let loose and cry.
I cried very quietly and ten minutes later, I walked out of the restroom.
The next show at the theater had already started, and it was quiet backstage, so I found the manager who was watching the news.
"Manager, is it convenient to talk now?"
"Convenient, have a seat. By the way, have you resolved your family matters?"
"I'm sorry for involving the theater because of what happened to me, don't worry, I'll make amends." I assured the manager.
The manager, however, waved his hand and said to me with a smile, "Someone has already sent the compensation check to the theater, Kelly, let me ask one more time, what kind of person is that gentleman to you?"
Facing the manager's inquiry, I didn't know how to answer for a moment.
"Just a friend." I explained.
Yes, Matthew was a friend to me, at least that's what I thought.
I looked at my manager with a look of obvious disbelief, the manager had been in the theater for so long that he naturally understood the implications of what I was saying.
I shook my head helplessly, see, it wasn't in vain that the manager would think that, anyone else would think the same.
"You have to protect yourself."
"I will. Manager, I'm here to resign today." No matter how reluctant I was, this was something I was going to say.
The manager visibly froze for a moment, then nodded, "You're a gifted one, kid, do you really want to do this?"
I didn't actually know, I just knew I didn't have a choice.
"Tell you what, you'll take a leave of absence without pay and talk to me when you want to come back."
"Is that possible?" I was surprised the manager could say that, suspension without pay was by far the best thing to do.
Although I had thought about it that way, I was worried that the manager wouldn't agree.
After all, it was uncertain when I would be back.
"As the manager of the theater, that power is still there. Your dancing was amazing and you shouldn't just quit."
"Thank you, I'll try to get back to the theater as soon as I can."
I bowed to the manager in appreciation, sincerely.
It's still early, so I say goodbye to my sisters one by one, telling them I'm only leaving for a while.
By the time I left the theater with my suitcase, the sun was setting and I loved it.
I walked with my head down and accidentally bumped into someone.
"Sorry, my fault." After apologizing, I continued walking.
Suddenly my arm was yanked and pulled back.