On the day of Elen and Luther's scheduled meet-up.

Inside a crowded office where employees are busily attending their own tasks for the day.

Luther was finalizing his job for the day. He turned off his desktop while grabbing his backpack with gusto and trailed off enthusiastically, leaving the premises.

Under his computer desk where his legs would normally rest, a cutesy, red-colored paper bag decorated with frilly ribbons could be seen. Inside it was a miniature box that seemed to contain something valuable.

In front of Elen's office, Luther knocked on the door twice as he turned the knob and entered the room. He could see a mahogany table with documents neatly piled on top of each other. A nameplate made of glass and silver was situated at the very center edge, with words engraved in it as if to declare its presence.

[Elen West, Chief Marketing Officer]

Luther could not help but be taken aback. 'Was Elen promoted, since when?'. Upon realizing the fact, Luther was filled with pride and felt incredibly elated.

He was extremely proud of her! Well, it would happen sooner and later. Elen was a diligent employee, she had always devoted herself to everything she does.

When others leisurely took their time with their breaks, she would instead only take fifteen minutes to eat her lunch and rush back to her duties straightaway. Most of the time she would come early and leave late. A prime example of a workaholic.

'I just hope she takes time to rest as well', Luther thought in concern as he left the room quietly.

Thirty minutes past five, Luther was breathing heavily as he was furiously pressing the elevator buttons. He was back at his office.

Apparently, his excitement got the better of him, and forgot something very important in his office's cubicle.

'I'm a complete moron! How could I forget something so important!' He still needed to formally dress up prior to his meeting with Elen. After all, today's the day he planned to propose to Elen. The main reason why he proposed to meet up an hour after work hours was so he would have enough time to prepare.

He then approached the main door of his, in front of a biometric scanner.

As the device recognized Luther's fingerprints, it then released the main door's lock. The hallways that could rival a fish market's din and congestion were now as silent as a grave.

Luther dashed to his cubicle and squatted to check the area under his table. After seeing the paper bag, he felt as if a thorn had been plucked from his throat as he could normally breathe again.

He stood abruptly and checked the time on his watch, 'I still have enough time, I just need to make a run for it.'

As he briskly walked past a particular room, Luther could faintly hear a man's intoxicated breathing accompanied by what seemed to be a woman's groan.

Standing in front of the door from which the noise originated, Luther found himself feeling absurdly cold inside as opposed to his body perspiring profusely.

The sound came from Elen's room.

Bracing himself for the terrifying reality. He silently slid the door open, just wide enough to survey the events unfolding inside the room.

What unfolded before his eyes was the most nauseating and gut-wrenching scene imaginable. So cruel that his stomach churned involuntarily, trying to expel whatever was left inside.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

'crack, crack..cr..', That moment on, Luther's heart once again shattered like glass. No, it was pulverized into powder.

He could see a woman's undergarments strewn on the floor.

Inside the room, Elen's back laid on the table, her slender legs were spread wide open as they wrapped around a man's thighs. As the man lifted her legs slightly upwards, he rhythmically thrusted his entire weight into Elen.

Every thrust felt like a dagger that stabbed Luther's heart. Their ragged breathing that resulted from the obscene copulation paralyzed his thoughts.

Luther unsteadily backed away from the door and rushed towards the nearest restroom.

He accidentally threw the paper bag in his hand to the side. The contents within rolled several centimeters away until it halted on an inconspicuous corner of the room.

He then began vomiting as he discharged the remains of undigested food in the lavatory, filling the air with a pungent odor.

Turning the knob of the faucet, Luther splashed a copious amount of water onto his face.

As he faced the mirror, he found a man's disheveled reflection as though it had weathered a turbulent storm. His distorted visage told of a tragic story.

Luther left then the building quietly as he wandered aimlessly, his destination unknown.

---------

Inside Elen's office.

A man with protruding belly brought his monochrome checkered pants up as he forcibly tightened the belt around his waist.

As he took a quick glance at the haggard woman lying on the table, an intense feeling of gratification swept over him as he was beginning to get aroused again.

He walked closer to the woman and perversely stroked her pale nape down to her chest with his sweaty palm.

He could not help but grin mischievously as the memory of the heated intercourse replayed in his mind.

"I'll arrange a wire transfer to your account in a while", he remarked as he reluctantly left the room. "Keep up the good work".

"T-thank, yo-", Elen replied inaudibly as she was unable to finish her words due to the extreme disgust and resentment she felt towards herself.

"L-luther...."

"I'm...sorry"

"I-, so, sorry....."

As if to complement the mournful silence, a faint, anguished sob of a woman could then be heard in the room.

What was left of the woman known as Elen West was now an empty husk, feeble and hollowed.

***

On an abandoned building's rooftop, secluded from the liveliness of an urban district.

Luther was standing at the edge of the structure without railings or any form of protection against fall.

His eyes, devoid of life studied the strangers who came from different walks of life. He could see a group of teens merrily engaged in hearty conversations. Couples intimately entangled with each other and some drunk walking languidly as if tomorrow held no consequence.

Not that it mattered. Yes, It did not matter to Luther as his life was going to end, anyway.

With his own hands, on his own terms.

'The Gods, do they even have eyes?' he muttered to himself.

'You're probably looking down from up there, reveling in every tragedy as if it were a spectacle.'

"he, heh heh! ha ha ha! HA HA HA HA!!" Luther then began to laugh maniacally as he was unable to contain his rage and contempt.

"Was this part of your script all along..?!"

Shouting his lungs out, he continued.

"Then come watch! see how I end your little entertainment, you sick bastard!"

With a scream that proclaimed his defiance against the world, he took a step into the thin air, entering into a free fall.

The towering skyscrapers, the neon lights, the pedestrians and vehicles, everything within his line of sight became blurred due to the sudden acceleration.

What remained now was to let the law of causality do its magic.

Then, the inevitable came as expected as everything within Luther's vision went black.

***

Inside a familiar office building.

A woman was on her knees, tightly gripping what seemed to be a tiny red box with both her hands.

Inside was a dazzling piece of jewelry that shone brilliantly as it reflected light. The ring held a crystallized stone at its center. A quick glance would suggest the enormous value it held.

Inexplicably, she felt an intense sense of melancholy wafting over her entire being.

Still as a lake, she remained in her position whilst blankly staring at the ring as if nothing in the world could ever move her.

***

End of Prologue -