Chapter 10: Derek Breaks Down
I thought Derek would fade away quietly. Move on with Amber. Leave me alone.
I was wrong.
It started with texts from new numbers—since I'd blocked his.
"You think you're hot shit now?"
"Who's funding your new lifestyle? That meathead neighbor?"
"Everyone knows you're a whore, Sophia."
"$4,000... $3,000... $5,000..." The system barely paused between deposits.
Then came the escalation.
Derek showed up at my new apartment building. Drunk. At 2 AM.
He buzzed every unit until someone let him in, then pounded on my door.
"SOPHIA! Open the fucking door! I know he's in there!"
Ethan was NOT there—he was out of town for work.
I called building security. They removed Derek, but not before he screamed enough obscenities to wake my entire floor.
"Public disturbance involving ex-spouse. Witnessed by 12+ residents. $35,000 deposited. Attractiveness +3%. Current rating: 9.4."
The next morning, my building's management company called to assure me they'd revoked Derek's access and would call police if he returned.
Three neighbors sent me fruit baskets with apologetic notes.
One older woman on my floor knocked on my door. "Honey, I went through the same thing twenty years ago. Here's my therapist's number. She's wonderful."
I almost cried.
But the system wasn't done. "Host, I detect an escalating threat pattern from your ex-spouse. Would you like to activate the Protection Protocol?"
"What's that?"
"If physical danger becomes imminent, the system can temporarily boost your reflexes and strength by 200%. Duration: 30 seconds. One-time use only."
"One-time use?"
"Correct. Use it wisely."
I filed that away mentally. Hopefully, I'd never need it.
Diana filed a restraining order. The judge granted it immediately given the 2 AM incident and court record.
Derek was legally required to stay 500 feet from me at all times.
But legal papers didn't stop a man unraveling.
Amber called me the next day. "I hope you're happy. You've ruined him. He's drinking every night, lost his job, and blames everything on you."
I said nothing.
"He was FINE before you left. You broke him by leaving!"
"$7,000 deposited."
"Amber," I said calmly, "he was sleeping with you for eight months while married to me. If anyone broke him, it's his own choices."
"You don't get it—"
"I get it perfectly. You won the prize. Congratulations. Now live with it."
I hung up.
That night, Ethan called from his hotel room in another city.
"I heard about the 2 AM thing. I'm catching the next flight back."
"Ethan, it's fine. Security handled it."
"Sophia." His voice was strained. "I wasn't there. He came to your door at 2 AM and I WASN'T THERE."
The guilt was eating him alive.
"Hey," I said softly. "You can't protect me every second. I'm not helpless."
"I know you're not. That's not the point." He exhaled. "The point is I never want you to feel unsafe again. Not for one second."
Silence stretched between us—warm, heavy, full of things unsaid.
"Come home soon," I whispered.
"Tomorrow. First flight. I promise."
I fell asleep with the phone still on, his breathing steady in my ear.
I was wrong.
It started with texts from new numbers—since I'd blocked his.
"You think you're hot shit now?"
"Who's funding your new lifestyle? That meathead neighbor?"
"Everyone knows you're a whore, Sophia."
"$4,000... $3,000... $5,000..." The system barely paused between deposits.
Then came the escalation.
Derek showed up at my new apartment building. Drunk. At 2 AM.
He buzzed every unit until someone let him in, then pounded on my door.
"SOPHIA! Open the fucking door! I know he's in there!"
Ethan was NOT there—he was out of town for work.
I called building security. They removed Derek, but not before he screamed enough obscenities to wake my entire floor.
"Public disturbance involving ex-spouse. Witnessed by 12+ residents. $35,000 deposited. Attractiveness +3%. Current rating: 9.4."
The next morning, my building's management company called to assure me they'd revoked Derek's access and would call police if he returned.
Three neighbors sent me fruit baskets with apologetic notes.
One older woman on my floor knocked on my door. "Honey, I went through the same thing twenty years ago. Here's my therapist's number. She's wonderful."
I almost cried.
But the system wasn't done. "Host, I detect an escalating threat pattern from your ex-spouse. Would you like to activate the Protection Protocol?"
"What's that?"
"If physical danger becomes imminent, the system can temporarily boost your reflexes and strength by 200%. Duration: 30 seconds. One-time use only."
"One-time use?"
"Correct. Use it wisely."
I filed that away mentally. Hopefully, I'd never need it.
Diana filed a restraining order. The judge granted it immediately given the 2 AM incident and court record.
Derek was legally required to stay 500 feet from me at all times.
But legal papers didn't stop a man unraveling.
Amber called me the next day. "I hope you're happy. You've ruined him. He's drinking every night, lost his job, and blames everything on you."
I said nothing.
"He was FINE before you left. You broke him by leaving!"
"$7,000 deposited."
"Amber," I said calmly, "he was sleeping with you for eight months while married to me. If anyone broke him, it's his own choices."
"You don't get it—"
"I get it perfectly. You won the prize. Congratulations. Now live with it."
I hung up.
That night, Ethan called from his hotel room in another city.
"I heard about the 2 AM thing. I'm catching the next flight back."
"Ethan, it's fine. Security handled it."
"Sophia." His voice was strained. "I wasn't there. He came to your door at 2 AM and I WASN'T THERE."
The guilt was eating him alive.
"Hey," I said softly. "You can't protect me every second. I'm not helpless."
"I know you're not. That's not the point." He exhaled. "The point is I never want you to feel unsafe again. Not for one second."
Silence stretched between us—warm, heavy, full of things unsaid.
"Come home soon," I whispered.
"Tomorrow. First flight. I promise."
I fell asleep with the phone still on, his breathing steady in my ear.