A turn for the worse.

Martha opened her eyes with a start. Body rigid, drenched in sweat with her eyes open wide,
it wasn't difficult to surmise that she'd woken from a horrible nightmare. Slowly she regained
her senses and got up from bed. It would be impossible for her to go back to sleep. She
walked out of her room towards the kitchen for a much need glass of water. All the while
myriad thought whirled in her mind. She'd tried with all heart, she had, but it just wasn't
enough. Memories, horrid ones of a long forgotten past ripped through the complacency and
peace she'd taken granted these days. After soothing her parched throat, she stood there at the
kitchen counter, staring out of the window over the sink. Face pale, eyes clouded, she stood
there brooding over matters unknown. Suddenly the peeling of the phone was heard. Martha
hurried to her room and picked up the call, it was Josh."Martha, he's back." Martha froze, a
morbid feeling creeping up her spine. She asked, “He’s back? Who's back? And why are you
calling me at 3 in the morning?" "It's Randall. He's back. Listen, Martha, I'm worried for you.
Why don’t you... Martha you there? Martha? Martha!" But Martha wasn't listening. In fact
the latter went numb. She fell back on her bed. Her emotions stretched to the limit. She could
already picture it, her happy life, and the beautiful home that she had painstakingly put
together after a dreadful past. A past that spoke of nothing but pain. He was back. And there
was no escaping him.
She wasn't sure how long she sat there, numb to the world. Her mind went back to
her college days, when she had been an innocent graduate at the local law school. She
remembered how it had been back then - classes, working part time at the local diner,
completing assignments in the dead of the night, the frugal but wholesome life she had led,
until she met him. Randall Jennings, the college jock, the local sweetheart that every girl
wanted. But what most people didn't know that Randall was an abusive jerk, one who
excelled at tearing down the downtrodden. It gave him a kind of rush, a liberating feeling.
Hut Martha had been an innocent, a victim to the vile scheming of a seasoned player. She fell
for him and his many mechanisations. Only one month into the relationship and she realised
who he really was. She was jerked out of her musings by the alarm clock.
With newfound strength she pulled herself up to prepare for the day. It was 9:30 by the
time she arrived at her office. Skirting through the entrance, she moved swiftly towards the
elevators. Greeting people on the way, she barely made it before the elevator doors closed
shut behind her. Bright lights, the inconsistent tapping of the keyboard and the smell of
coffee overwhelmed her as she got off at her floor. Dropping down in her seat, she tried
focussing on her assignments. It wouldn’t do any good if she kept on harping on the past; it
would bring her nothing but anguish. While working she got a message from Josh. He was
extremely worried for her. What would you expect from a dear childhood friend, one who
had spent a major portion of his life looking out for you? Josh was her constant, the one she
could always count on. For a moment she had thought that they could be something more, but
it wasn’t meant to be. She texted him a quick reply and then returned to her work.
It was after lunch that thing started going haywire. Martha was called by her boss
concerning a new project her team was supposed to be working on. She thought it was a
normal review call, but she couldn’t have been more wrong. As she and her team members
made their way to the boss’s cabin, she saw him. Leaning against the wall opposite to them,
resplendent in an expensive navy suit, Randall was laughing at something his companion was
saying. What was he doing here? How had this happened? This must be way more than a
coincident, for him to be at her office right after his return to the states. How did he know she
was here? Martha was trembling; she felt petrified with the very notion of being in the same
place as him. And then he looked her way! He looked at her and smirked; eyes twinkling the
way they used to when he was his charming self. He was walking towards her. Martha had
nowhere to run. The moment he reached her, she waited for his sarcastic remark, the abusive
tone which he used especially for her. But what came out of his mouth had her shocked out of
her. “Hello there! I’m Randall Jennings from Thomson Medias Holding. I just arrived here
yesterday; so I’m a little out of sorts. Anyways, it’s a pleasure to meet you, what is your
name?” Stunned Martha gazed at the man, who was responsible for her teenage traumas, the
man who astonishingly didn’t recognize or remember her. “She’s Martha Terrance, our
Project Manager, and the team leader for the project we’ll be collaborating on.” She managed
to turn towards her boss who’d just spoken.
Everyone was smiling, Randall didn’t even recognize her and she didn’t know
how to feel about it. While she had been choking on the traumatic after-effects of an abusive
relationship, her abuser didn’t even remember her or the atrocities he had committed, the pain
he had dealt on another individual. Should she confront and punish him or should she let it go
and start anew? With her mind made up, Martha followed after them. The last time, she
allowed herself to be degraded, but not anymore. With a determined stride, she moved
forward to get justice for herself.