***CONTENT WARNING: DEPICTS SEXUAL ACTS AND MILD VIOLENCE***

As the weeks went by I was going to physiotherapy regularly, and although it was slow going, I was making progress. During this time Kyle, Gerry, and I were able to pattern Bruce and Devin pretty well. Every Friday Devin was coming to the city, and every Friday Bruce would make up some excuse to leave the apartment for a few hours. I decided it was time to set a trap. I had Kyle agree to come to the city on the following Friday to meet me at the coffee shop just down the road from the apartment complex. I told Bruce that I had a physio appointment that day as well. That would get me out of the apartment for several hours and would leave Bruce home alone. I now just had to hope that Bruce would take the bait and bring Devin to the apartment.

Friday came, and Kyle met me as arranged at the coffee shop. He wasn't driving his Corvette, instead he was in an anonymous Oldsmobile sedan.

"It's one of my father's cars", he explained. "I didn't want to risk Devin seeing my Corvette around town."

"Good thinking", I said.

I moved my Cougar to the back parking lot so it couldn't be seen from the road. We ordered and then sat in front of the window so we could see the road. We had only been there for a half hour or so when Kyle said "Look! There goes Devin!"

Sure enough, we could see his S10 truck driving along the road, toward the apartment complex. Devin was behind the wheel.

"Let's go!" he said, and started to get up. I shook my head.

"Not yet. I want to catch them in the act. Give them 15 minutes or so."

We waited what seemed to be the longest 15 minutes ever. Finally I said "Ok, now it’s time to go."

We went outside and got into the Oldsmobile. Kyle started driving and I gave him directions to our building. As he drove into the parking lot I was annoyed to see that S10 parked in my spot! I was tempted to slash the tires. Kyle wanted to key the paint.

"No", I said. "We're not mad at the truck. Let's go in, quietly."

Kyle parked in one of the guest parking spaces and we went into the building. I opened the security door with my key.

"Now then, be quiet", I whispered. "I literally want to catch them doing whatever it is they're going to be doing. Not a noise!"

Kyle nodded. We went down the hall and arrived at our apartment door. I placed my ear against it, listening for any sounds. There was nothing. They weren't in the living room or kitchen. That meant that they were in a bedroom. I very quietly slid my key into the lock and slowly turned it, careful not to make the slightest click. I then slowly turned the knob and gently pushed the door open. It came to a stop on the chain.

"Shit!" Kyle whispered.

I put my finger over my lips to quiet him, then reached into my pocket and pulled out a pair of sidecutter pliers. I had known that Bruce would put the chain on and came prepared. I quietly slid the pliers into the narrow door opening, grabbed the chain with them, and squeezed the pliers. The chain was cut with the slightest of noises. I stayed perfectly still for a moment, then pushed the door the rest of the way open.

As expected, nobody was visible in the living room or kitchen. Bruce's laptop was still open on the coffee table. I motioned for Kyle to follow me, and tip-toed down the hallway. Bruce's bedroom door was closed, and we could hear moaning coming from the other side of it. I signalled to Kyle to go around me and get on the other side of the doorway, and put my hand on the doorknob. I slowly twisted it until it stopped. The moaning did not change at all. I looked at Kyle, who was looking at me wide-eyed.

"Ready?" I mouthed, without making a sound. He nodded.

I pushed the door open and the two of us sprung inside, with me yelling "Surprise!!!"

To say that pandemonium ensued would be an understatement! When we burst in, Devin was on all fours facing the door and Bruce was pounding him from behind. Devin leapt off of Bruce's cock so quickly he fell out of the bed and got tangled in the sheets on the floor. As he was struggling, Kyle pounced on him and started hitting every part of Devin's body that he could make contact with.. Bruce was there on his knees, cock hanging out, looking at me in abject terror.

As for myself, I was surprisingly calm. Let there be no doubt, I was exceptionally angry, but I was still fully in control. Gerry would have been so proud of me.

"So", I said. "You piece of shit, this is what you've been getting up to behind my back."

Bruce did not say a word. Whether he was too afraid to talk or too smart to, I didn't know or care. He reached behind himself and grabbed a pillow to cover himself up, and continued to stare at me, wondering what I was going to do. Truthfully, for all of my planning I didn't even know this myself. All of my planning had led up to this moment, I had not thought about beyond it. I just kept staring at him, thinking about how small and weak he looked. Was I ever really once attracted to this worm?

Bruce must have mistaken my silence for my waiting for him to speak, because he finally started to talk.

"Carmen..."

The very sound of his voice was like fingernails on a chalkboard now. I didn't want to hear his explanations or excuses.

"Save it! Don't you dare say a fucking word! I don't want to hear more of your lies or justifications! You're a piece of shit and not worth my time!"

I started to turn around but something on his dresser caught my eye. It was the model car I had given him, the miniature Volvo 850 Turbo. I walked over, picked it up, looked at it, looked at Bruce (who was looking as terrified as ever), back at it, and then I threw it, as hard as I could, at his head. He ducked just in time and it smashed into a million pieces on the head board behind him. The noise of it brought a stop to the battle between Devin and Kyle that was happening on the floor. I had forgotten all about them. I started walking out of the room, when I heard Bruce's voice again.

"Wait! Carmen..."

I turned around, and I can only guess that the look I had on my face was pure evil because Bruce turned white when he saw it.

"I told you not to say a word to me. I am trying my damnedest to keep myself from losing my fucking mind right now, and I'm doing a pretty good job of it, though I say it myself. But I'm warning you, my determination is only going to get you so far. You've seen what happens when I lose it, Bruce. Unless you want to join that fucking car in pieces on the floor you'd do well to keep your fucking hole shut. I have nothing to say to you, and there is nothing you could possibly say to me that I want to hear. Now, I am going to go into my bedroom, turn on my computer, put on my headphones, and listen to some Judas Fucking Priest until my eardrums melt. I will probably be in there for a while. When I come back out, I would strongly suggest that you be gone. All of you. Because if I come out of that fucking bedroom and there is anyone else in this apartment besides me, well, I can't make any guarantees for anyone's safety. And it goes without saying that I wouldn't recommend anyone attempt to enter my bedroom once I close my door."

With that, I turned around and walked out. There was silence behind me. Even Devin and Kyle had stopped fighting long enough to hear what I said. I went into my bedroom, closed the door, and made good on my promise with the headphones.

I stayed in there for a good two hours, and it probably would have been longer but I had to pee. I stopped the music, got up, and left the room. I went straight to the bathroom and had one of the most relaxing pees I ever had. Afterwards I went back into the living room and was dismayed at what I saw there. Bruce was sitting in the chair. He had his bags packed, but, for the love of God, he actually had the nerve to still be there. I instinctively balled my fists.

"What the fuck are you still doing here? Are you a glutton for punishment?"

"No. But I wanted to say goodbye. Beat the fuck out of me if you want to, but I couldn't leave without saying goodbye."

"Right. So you've said it. Goodbye. Now there's the door."

"Wait. Carmen, I'm sorry. I know I've fucked up again. But I really have feelings for you. I don't want it to end this way. Please..."

I very nearly took him up on his offer to let me beat the fuck out of him. I really did. But that was not a part of the plan. There were better ways to hurt him.

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're going to sit there and try to tell me you care about me, after I just caught you balls deep in that Devin kid? You think I went through the trouble of setting you up to catch you like this just so you could worm your way out of it? That's right, QuikBrik, I know it wasn't a one-off. What, surprised that I know about your little alter ego? I've known for weeks. You are such a piece of fucking shit. You are so far beneath me that I don't know how I didn't see it earlier. You're a selfish, manipulative lying prick. I'm done with you. Forever. You can go home to your wife... That is, if she'll have you", I added with a sly grin.

Bruce had a look of terror on his face. "What? What do you mean? You're not going to..."

"Oh, no, Bruce. I'd never do something like that. I'd never do anything to damage your precious reputation around the valley. You know me. I even put my own comfort away and kept lying to my family just to keep you happy. But Kyle, now, there's a different story, isn’t he! What was it you said about him? That he's the biggest gossip-bag in the valley? Well, you were certainly right about Devin being a slut, so I can't imagine your assessment of Kyle being wrong. And for you to be fucking his boyfriend? Oh, my, Bruce, but you do like playing with fire, don't you?"

He stood up. "You... you've ruined me! You planned it like this, didn't you?"

He took a step toward me, then saw my balled fists and stopped.

"Oh, honey, come on", I dared him. "Just give me a reason. I promised Gerry that I wouldn't beat the shit out of you unless you laid a hand on me. Please, I beg you, lay a hand on me! I've been bottling up all of this rage for weeks now, it would be fun to finally vent some of it!"

Bruce backed up and sat back down.

"Oh, very wise move, Bruce. I can't say I'm not a little disappointed, but it is good to see that you're at least capable of thinking with that head of yours. Now, where were we then? Oh, yes. 'I've ruined you'. Bruce, what a perfectly selfish and typical thing for you to say! I didn't ruin you! I didn't fuck around on you! I didn't choose the boyfriend of the biggest gossip bag in the valley to fuck around with! No, sweetie, I did not ruin you. The furthest thing from it. You've ruined yourself."

"But you went and got Kyle involved. You didn't have to do that."

"And there's the problem with you, Bruce. You can't take responsibility for your own actions. It was you who got Kyle involved, because it was you who was fucking his boyfriend. I'd be lying, though, if I said that I wasn't the one who let Kyle know that his boyfriend was cheating on him. Surely I'd be a pretty shitty friend if I hadn't told him, wouldn't you agree? And I'd also be lying if I said that I wasn't beside myself with glee knowing that by this time tomorrow everyone in the valley, from Bridgetown to Windsor, is going to know that you were fucking some 19 year old dude and got caught by his boyfriend, who happens to be the son of one of your business associates."

"But why..."

"Why indeed, Bruce? Do you really need to ask that?"

My expression turned very cruel, and there was venom in my voice.

"Because you fucking hurt me, Bruce. You took advantage of my naivety, my desperation, my inexperience. You were the first guy I've ever had a real relationship with. You lied to me, you manipulated me, and you used me. By doing all of that, you hurt me, and you knew you were hurting me. And you Didn't. Fucking. Care. You only cared about Bruce, because Bruce is all you've ever cared about. So I wanted to hurt you. Not physically, no. As satisfying as it would have been to beat you into a pile of bloody mush and be finished with you like I should have done that night I punched you, that wouldn't be good enough. Oh, God, no, I wanted something that would hurt you in the only place that matters to you: Your ego. That was the only way I could hurt you as badly as you hurt me. And I rather think I've succeeded, wouldn’t you agree? You've gone from 'Pillar of Society' to 'Perverted kid fucker' in the eyes of your peers. I couldn't have asked for a happier ending."

Bruce looked more scared now than he ever did when he thought I was going to hit him. I found this very satisfying.

"And now, Bruce, I believe we are finished. There is nothing for you here anymore. I believe you know where the door is. Send me an email when you want to make arrangements to pick up the rest of your things."

At first Bruce did not move. He just sat there staring at me. Finally he got up, picked up his bags, and went out the door. I took a deep breath and looked around the apartment. I was free. Free of his lies, his deceptions, his sneaking around, but most importantly, free of his control. I was free to be me.

As I was walking back to the coffee shop to retrieve my Cougar I had my headphones on, and the song that was playing couldn't have described our rocky relationship any better: I Want to Break Free by Queen. As much as I had cared about Bruce, he was toxic. In my infatuation with him, and in my excitement over finally being in a relationship, I had overlooked or ignored just how one-sided it was. As long as I was with him I would never grow. Now that we were finished I had broken free, just like Freddie Mercury had in the song.

“I want to break free, I want to break free
I want to break free from your lies, you're so self-satisfied I don't need you
I've got to break free
God knows, God knows I want to break free

I've fallen in love
I've fallen in love for the first time, this time I know it's for real
I've fallen in love, yeah
God knows, God knows I've fallen in love

It's strange but it's true, hey. I can't get over the way you love me like you do

But I have to be sure when I walk out that door, Oh, I want to be free, baby
Oh, how I want to be free
Oh, I want to break free

But life still goes on
I can't get used to living without, living without, living without you by my side
I don't want to live alone, hey
God knows, got to make it on my own, so, baby, can't you see I've got to break free?

I've got to break free, I want to break free, yeah”

*Lyrics to “I Want To Break Free”, by Queen