The King And I by Amicia Bianchi (which ebook reader .txt) 📕

I had become a rather clingy person and over the years I had gotten more dependent on the idea of finally finding a place I really belonged. Due to that I became weak maybe not physically but mentally I was a disaster waiting to happen. It was inevitable and after disappointment after disappointment I cracked. I had stupidly followed others for most of my life and that was all I knew so even after perpetually being hurt I blindly continued to do so. I had been broken for a long time and it took me a while to realize it but when I did I slowly started to pick up the pieces. I had never saw myself and the truth of my situation before but suddenly one day I could clearly see it all…

"I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to do that."

Yes you did you liar you've done it before, I wanted to say. I was shocked that I could still be this angry because I had begun to put up with this for so long. It was a wonder that I still had any fight left in me to stand up to him but I did. I slowly rose to a sitting position but didn't bother to look at him or to move my hair out of my face.

"Get out," I whispered knowing he would hear me.

"What baby? You don't really mean-" he started caught off guard by my demand.

"I said get out," I said in a stronger voice.

"You don't have the right to-" he began.

"This is my apartment. You don't have a job so you don't pay rent," I simply stated in a level tone getting up. "This is my apartment," I repeated more forcefully, "not yours and I just told you to get out," I growled at him.

His eyes widened in surprised. I knew I must have been a sight to behold, never having stood up to him before there I stood my glowing amber eyes watching him waiting to see what he would do. I shook, my anger rising every second that he still stood in front of me.

"You obvious have a problem so what is it? Is it that you're suddenly blind or deaf?" I started walking towards him. My teeth elongated and I growled at him in warning, "because I believe I made myself clear when l said what I wanted you to do."

He smiled at me tenaciously, "there's no problem right babe?" he approached then reached for me as I had let him do before.

He always had his way, I never fought with him but he thought he could get out of this the way he thought he could get out of everything. He wanted to distract me, because he thought if he turned on the charm I would always fall into bed with him and forget everything he'd done wrong. This charade was over, I had played gullible and stupid far too long.

"It's just a simple misunderstanding," he cooed. This time I wasn't falling for his tricks.

"There is no misunderstanding that you need to find somewhere else to live and most likely a job too," I sneered at him slapping his hand away. My hands had started shifting but when I'd stepped closer to push him away I slashed him in the process. He wailed, I hadn't exactly meant to do it but I wasn't apologetic either.

Serves him right after all he's done to me.

Finally getting the message he fled as quickly as he could.

It'd been a month since I last saw my ex which was for the best. I was beginning to see an end to all the debt he'd gotten me into but I had a little money to spare. Physically and financially I was going to be okay but I was still struggling with how to look at myself in the mirror knowing all I'd let him get away with before I finally ended it. All I'd let him talk me into.

It was hard to accept on top of everything I'd been through that it'd only happened to me because I let it. Because I was a weak woman…

 I had come to terms with my situation, well as much as I was capable of at the moment, in any case. I wasn't happily accepting it but I realizing who I was and trying to change. Accepting wasn't easy and I got depressed but I forged ahead anyway.

Today was one of those days when acceptance was taking its toll so I decided to splurge for once. I was in a poor mood and I just got this sudden spontaneous impulse to enter a cafe that I had always walked by but never noticed was there until today.

When I walked in I immediately started looking around in awe at all the furnishings giving off a elegant and expensive look. It was decorated with warm autumn colors giving off a cozy feel. I eventually made it to the counter and ordered a cappuccino. I was so caught up in how good the coffee was smelling that I didn't see the older lady walking behind me and clumsily collided with her, spilling her coffee and mine in between us.

"Oh no no no, I am so sorry," I completely mortified, couldn't come up with anything else to say so I continued to apologize profusely.

"Oh, it's alright dear," she assured me.

"I'm truly sorry I'll buy you another coffee," I desperately offered to her. I will never forget the sweet smile she gave me, "please it's the least I can do."

"Well deary if you insist."

We approached the counter and both re-ordered. By the time our new coffees arrived we had diverged a conversation and decided to get a table.

"My name's Katherina. What is yours dear?" she had asked.

"Elena Grandburg," I had smiled somewhat awkwardly. "Again I'm so sorry about-"

She laughed, "Elena you have apologized enough don't worry of it any longer child," she pinned me with a look that dared me to continue.

"Alright," was my sheepish answer.

"Not another word of it," she added her gaze melting to a warm motherly one.

I eyed her with concern that I couldn't help, depsite being dressed causally her clothes looked expensive. The way she carried herself had an air of grace and sophistication even under such casual terms one could easily see her status. Although she seemed rich she wasn't snobbish which made me feel even worse about the coffee stain on her white shirt. She caught me staring and readjustment her scarf to cover it.

"All fixed," Katherina smiled encouragingly.

"Do you come to this cafe often?" I asked trying to move to a new topic.

"Oh no, I'm not from around these parts, I'm originally from a little country far from here I just love to travel so here I am."

"Are you here for business or recreational reasons?" Again eyeing her casual attire.

"It's a little of both really but you needn't worry so much it's not like I can't take care of myself," her eyes flashed amber for a moment before she blink and they were brown once again. I'd been so caught up I hadn't realized she was a werewolf as well.

"You're here by yourself?" I inquired once I'd gotten over my initial shock. She seemed like an important person which caused me to wonder why her pack would let her leave to go travelling. 

"I'm a bit of a cast off anyway so no one will miss me while I'm gone," she waved me off.

"Really, no one? I'm sure there's somebody, you don't have family?" Everyone wasn't like me… I couldn't help thinking.

"They don't care and my son's too busy to worry after me," me, who'd never had a family, was shocked by this dynamic. 

Ever since I could remember I'd been alone with no real family and those who'd taken me in were using me and eventually betrayed me. I'd always been jealous of other people who had families because they were loved and supported. I'd never really had that. Not genuine, unabusive, continuous love. I hadn't encountered a person who had family but didn't think they cared.

"You don't have a mate?"

"He died two years ago," she answered sadly.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, feeling bad for asking.

"Don't worry about it deary, I've come to grips with it. These days I've taken to travelling but I always go back," I must have been looking at her with pity because she reached over and patted my hand.

"It must be nice to travel," not the kind I'd done so far in my life but I could imagine with the resources Katarina had she could afford the type of amenities that would make such trips actually feel like an escape from regular life.

"Oh that it can be. You encounter some rather peculiar people and get to see things that you'd never have gotten a chance to if you only stayed in one place. But travelling really toughens your skin though," that got my attention.

"I never really thought about it that way, how so?" I asked curiously.

"Well I just think people who've travelled more are more diverse. Because you get to see more than just your four little corners," she laughed. "Have you ever gone somewhere and felt out of place because the way everyone around you did things was different and unfamiliar?" she asked.

"Yes, I have," I admitted.

"It can be intimidating and a bit scary, at first, right?" she responded. I sat shocked for a moment, I'd never met anyone who I could really relate to but maybe she understood.

"Yeah, but you get used to after a while," I inserted, trying to downplay the correlation as I quickly recovered. There was no use getting my hopes up she was some rich lady, with a son, who had no association to me. After today she'd probably go back to her comfortable rich lifestyle in her country or continue travelling the world and I'd never see her again. We had nothing to do with each other so why should think that she could understand?

"Exactly! So you know what I mean? You must have done some travelling yourself. I find that people who are just used to culture shock are always very interesting. Most folks don't travel much though and they don't often get to meet too many people from other places so they can be a bit narrow-minded, to put it nicely. For some of them it's as if they've never been anywhere which can be a bit of a pain but of I guess it makes up for it only in that those experiences make for good stories that you can tell later," she laughed.

"Really?" I asked languidly, I imagined that most people would bother a person of her status but she seemed like an amiable, talkative lady so I couldn't be sure what she considered 'a pain'. "What have been some of your experiences?" I couldn't help but to ask. She shared various anecdotes about people she'd met and I realized that she was surprisingly funny and I found myself staying there laughing at her stories. When I finally