“Let the drama begin,” Carmen mouthed at Shane and squeezed out a tear.

She went back to the porch with anger written all over her face. Shane followed her and Carmen screamed with clear pain in her voice, “It’s over Shane. You know it as well as I do. I could deal with your drinking but this…I can’t believe you did this to me. How many were there, Shane, huh? Was it just tonight or every night since I began working evenings?”

Shane didn’t answer and just stood there with a drunken stupor on her face and Carmen tried hard not to burst out laughing. So instead she covered her face with her hand and her shoulders began shaking.

After several minutes of so-called crying, while Shane was just standing there with a stupefied expression, Carmen finally wiped her tears and said calmly, “I’m going back to my apartment. I still have the lease on it until the end of next month. I will get my stuff tomorrow.”

Shane just looked at her with the same expression and answered, “Fine, whatever…I’m really sick of your sweetness and bullshit. I’m going to SheBar to find someone who really appreciates me for who I am and doesn’t judge me. I should have known that if I allowed myself to love again my heart would get broken. Love’s a bitch, and I just want to have fun and move on, with no emotional entanglements.”

All this time Carmen stood with her mouth agape in disbelief. Shane said it with such conviction and passion that if she didn’t know better Carmen would definitely applaud her lover for such a great performance.

Shane went back inside the house, got dressed and just left, slamming the door in Carmen’s face. Carmen heard the truck’s engine start and Shane drove off without another word.

Carmen waited for a few minutes and then began packing some of her stuff into a small suitcase. She took the suitcase to her own car and started driving. She needed to keep her stalker preoccupied to give Shane the opportunity to inform the police officers who were already posted at Carmen’s apartment.

Carmen knew that Eric would follow her everywhere she went. She decided to stop at the liquor store. ‘I think it’s brilliant idea,’ she thought while choosing a few bottles of strongest drinks they had at the store, ‘If he thinks I’m drunk he’ll be less alert. He doesn’t know about Shane or the cops being near the apartment, and I’ll appear too wasted to fight him off.’