Chapter 9 Madman
One day, it all came to a head. After weeks of this harassment, Paul reached his breaking point. I guess he finally realized his flowers and pleas weren’t going to work, so he resorted to something more
drastic.
I was at home, sipping tea in my living room, when I got a call from the apartment building’s concierge.
“Miss Sinclair, we have a situation downstairs,” the person on the other end said, her voice tense. “It’s about… a man named Paul. He’s lying in front of the entrance, refusing to move unless you agree to come down and speak to him.”
I closed my eyes, my patience gone. He was truly desperate now, pulling this stunt in broad daylight. “Can’t you just tell him to leave?”
“We’ve tried, but he won’t budge.
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We’ve called the police.”
“I don’t wanna meet him. Please just take him to the police.”
That was when the gravity of the situation hit me. Paul wasn’t just annoying anymore–he was dangerous. He was spiraling, and his inability to let go had become a full–blown public spectacle. My heart hardened. There would be no pity, no second thoughts.
Minutes later, the police arrived, and from my window, I watched as they approached. him. Paul was lying on the ground, arms. crossed over his chest, as if staging some. kind of protest.
The police talked to him, but he didn’t move. After a tense exchange, they eventually forced him to get up, and he was
escorted off.
Even as he disappeared down the street, I felt no relief–only exhaustion. His desperate antics, his attempts to guilt me
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into coming back–it all boiled down to his inability to accept the consequences of his actions. He had destroyed everything we had, and now he was destroying whatever was left of his dignity.
That night, I called Andrew. “We need to ramp up security around the office and my apartment. Paul’s losing it.”
Andrew’s voice was steady on the other end of the line. “Already done. He won’t get near you again.”
The next day, my mind was all over the place. I couldn’t focus on work, no matter how hard I tried. Andrew noticed my unease almost immediately.
“Ruby, you seem off. What’s going on?” he asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
I sighed, finally giving in to the storm of thoughts I had been pushing aside. “It’s Paul. As much as I hate what he’s been
doing stalking me and making a scene–I doing–stalking
can’t help but feel concerned about him.
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He’s really losing it.”
Andrew leaned back in his chair, thinking for a moment before offering a solution.
“Maybe we should go to the police station and talk to him. If it helps, we can even consider filing for a restraining order. At least that way you‘ ll feel safer, and he‘ 11 know you‘ re serious.”
I hesitated, unsure if I was ready to face Paul again. The idea of confronting him, of possibly escalating things with a
restraining order, made me uneasy. But Andrew’s calm and protective presence gave me some confidence.
“Okay,” I finally agreed. “Let’s go. Maybe it’ll finally put an end to this.
We arrived at the police station later that afternoon. I wasn‘ t here for a casual visit.
I was here because Paul had become a
genuine threat to my peace of mind, and I had to do something about it.
The moment he saw me, his entire
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demeanor changed. His face lit up with a wild sort of hope, and in an instant, he dropped to his knees in front of me. The police officers and Andrew watched cautiously, ready to step in if necessary.
“Ruby, please!” Paul cried out, his voice cracking with desperation. “I‘ m begging you. Please save me! I’ll do anything. Anything!”
I stared down at him, feeling a mix of emotions–pity, anger, and a deep exhaustion. This was not the Paul I once knew. I wanted to feel sorry for him, but the months of stalking, manipulation, and refusal to let me live my life flashed through my mind.
“Paul,” I said firmly, but gently, “you need to calm down. We can’t talk if
you‘ re too emotional like this.”
He continued sobbing for a few moments, but eventually, after several deep breaths, he composed himself enough to speak. coherently. His eyes never left mine,
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searching for any sign of the compassion I used to show him. But that part of me was long gone.
Once he was calm, I laid out my conditions. “Paul, this has to stop. You can’t keep showing up at my office, my apartment, or following me around. You need to go back to Casouth–back to our home country. If you don‘ t, I will file a restraining order and have you deported. Do you understand?”
His face twisted with shock and fear at my words, but I didn’t back down. I had to be firm. This was my chance to end things once and for all.
“I’ll give you enough money to pay off what you borrowed to get here,” I continued. “And I’ll give you enough to live on for a few months once you‘ re back in Casouth. But you need to leave tomorrow. No more stalking, no more showing up unannounced.”
Paul’s eyes widened, a mix of disbelief
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and reluctant acceptance washing over him. “You‘ Il really do that? You‘ 11 help me get out of this mess?”
“Yes,” I said. “But only if you leave. I need you to sign a paper, witnessed by the police, confirming that you agree to these terms. Once you‘ re back there, I’ll transfer the money. But it won’t happen. until I know you‘ ve left.”
I turned to the police officers, who quickly arranged for the paperwork to be drawn up. Paul, still visibly shaken but seeing no other option, agreed to sign the document.
I watched as his trembling hand scrawled his name on the paper, knowing this was the closest I would ever come to getting true closure.
Andrew stood by my side the whole time, a steady and reassuring presence. He didn’t say much, but I could tell he was ready to step in if Paul tried anything crazy. Thankfully, Paul stayed compliant, though he still looked at me with a sense of
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longing that I no longer reciprocated.
After everything was signed and witnessed, I pulled out my phone and booked Paul a plane ticket for the next day. It was a one- way flight back to Casouth, scheduled for the morning. He had no more excuses.
Andrew glanced over at me as we walked to his car. “You okay?”
I nodded, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. “Yeah. I think I will be.”
