What the fuck is this bitch saying?
No. No. No.
This can't be right. There's no way I flew halfway across the world, sat through a twelve-hour flight in this goddamned heat, only to be catfished by some dude. My mind was spiraling, trying to process what I had just heard. Everything—the chats, the late-night calls, the promises—none of it made sense anymore.
And just as I was about to hit peak meltdown mode, this fucking guy had the audacity to open his mouth again.
"Can't you just accept me the way I am?"
Huh.
Huh?
Accept him? The way he is?
I snapped.
Something inside me broke, like a string pulled too tight for too long. I could feel the heat rising up my neck, my nostrils flaring so hard that I swear steam was coming out of them.
"I'll kill you!" I barked, my voice low but dangerous.
The dude yelped like a scared puppy and took a shaky step back, raising his hands defensively. His eyes darted around nervously, probably looking for the nearest exit, but too bad for him—there wasn't gonna be one.
"You—you wouldn't hit a woman!" he stammered, laughing nervously. "Technically, I'm still—"
"Fuck you!" I roared, cutting him off as I lunged across the table.
My hands found their way to his scrawny neck, and I grabbed him, shaking him back and forth like he was some goddamned maraca. His eyes went wide as saucers, and he made this weird choking sound, like a dying chicken. People around us gasped, but I didn't care.
I didn't give a single fuck.
"You're gonna pay me back my money, you fucking thief!" I spat, each word coming out harsher than the last. "Do you know how much that plane ticket cost me? Huh? Do you?!"
He tried to say something, but all that came out was a pathetic gurgle. Good. Let him suffer. He deserved every second of this.
"Someone call the cops!" I vaguely heard someone shout from the back, but honestly, I couldn't care less. Let them call whoever they wanted. Hell, bring the entire SWAT team for all I care—I wasn't done with this asshole yet.
The next thing I knew, a pair of strong hands grabbed my shoulders and yanked me backward. I resisted, jerking forward to keep my grip on the bastard's neck, but whoever was pulling me was stronger.
"Let go of him!" an officer barked in English, his voice sharp and authoritative.
I turned my head slightly, catching sight of two cops—one holding me back and the other stepping in between me and the guy. The dude stumbled backward, gasping for air, his hands flying up to clutch his throat.
"I'm not done with him yet!" I growled, thrashing in the cop's grip like a wild animal. "Let me go! He owes me money!"
"Sir, calm down!" the officer ordered, tightening his hold on me.
"Calm down?!" I shot back, glaring at him. "Do I look like I wanna calm down right now? That bastard lied to me! He scammed me! I flew all the way here for him!"
The officer exchanged a look with his partner, who was now helping the dude steady himself. The guy coughed a few times, still rubbing his neck like the world's biggest drama queen.
"Sir, you need to calm down, or we'll have to restrain you," the cop warned again, his tone firm but slightly less aggressive now.
I took a deep breath, trying to rein in the fury boiling inside me. My hands were still trembling with adrenaline, and my heart was pounding so loud it felt like it might burst out of my chest. I wasn't calm—far from it—but I knew I wasn't getting anywhere by fighting the cops. Not yet, anyway.
"You don't understand," I said through gritted teeth, my voice still low and dangerous. "This guy tricked me. He made me fly all the way here thinking I was meeting someone else. He's a goddamned liar."
The officer gave me a skeptical look, clearly not buying my story. "Even so, you can't just assault someone in public."
"Assault?" I repeated incredulously. "That wasn't assault. That was me asking for my fucking refund."
The dude, now standing a few feet away, piped up weakly, his voice hoarse from being shaken like a rag doll. "I didn't scam you. I just… didn't tell you everything."
I shot him a glare so cold it could've frozen the entire café. "Oh, so catfishing is what, a hobby now?"
The officer sighed, clearly getting tired of the whole situation. "Look, sir, if you want to file a complaint, you can do that at the station. But right now, you need to come with us."
Fuck it all!