Page 30 of Marked By Myth

Once I got off at the Airport station, I wheeled my luggage up the escalator. Fuck, maybe I should have booked a ticket on the train. Ha! And chance a look at one of the many, I’m sure are abusive, messages from Beck? No way. I didn’t want to cry through the airport.

Wheeling myself through to the ticket gate, I headed toward a little kiosk and pulled my phone out. Quickly swiping all my notifications away, I opened up the airport app and made a move to book my flight. There was one leaving in three hours.

Signing into my account, I booked the first available seat, but a big red error popped up on the screen.

“Insufficient funds. Please use another payment method.”

What?

I had plenty of money in my account. Putting it down to the airport wifi, I moved into the cue to check my luggage in and tried again.

Same error.

There had to be an issue. My heart began to race, the closer I got to the check in desk. Fuck it, they’ll know how to help me. I strummed my fingers on my passport in my hand nervously, the weight hanging over me with my phone and all its notifications burning in my pocket.

Finally, a counter opened up and I headed toward the girl smiling at me with her perfect hair and perfect uniform.

“Ticket and passport please.”

“Sorry, can you tell me if the airline is having issues? I’ve tried to grab a ticket and it’s not letting me.”

“Oh? I haven’t heard anything. What was the issue?”

“Insufficient funds, but I know I have plenty on that account.”

“Have you checked with your bank? Perhaps they’re having an outage.”

“Oh,” I chuckled, nervously. “I hadn’t even thought of that. How stupid of me.”

“It happens all the time,” she said. “Why don’t you try calling them and hop back in line once it’s sorted, and I can help you then?”

I nodded, moving my luggage bag to the side and logging into my app. It loaded quickly and I checked my account.

My eyes nearly bugged out of my head, and my chest seized when I saw my balance.

No, no, no, no…this isn’t possible. I had at least twenty grand on this account. I’d been saving it for years.

What the hell?

I clicked into the transactions to see where it went and why I only had $69 left in the account and there, in black and white, I saw the reason.

My heart told me I should have suspected he would do something to stop me from leaving, but not this. How could he?

Tears pricked in my eyes as I realised I would have to face him. I’d have to tell him I was leaving and I didn’t want him anymore.

Even if it was a lie.

I wasn’t his Rox anymore, and he needed to understand that, as fickle headed as he was.

Dialling his number, a number I should have forgotten over the years, but never had, I waited for his deep voice to answer.

“Afternoon, wife,” he answered, his voice tinged with smugness. “How has your day been?”

“You son of a bitch,” I growled into the phone. “Sixty-nine dollars?”

“It’s a nice round number, don’t you think? Certainly not my favourite thing to do with that combination, but there’s always tonight.”

“You fucking asshole. This is my life, my savings, how could you?”