‘I’m calling the police!’ he announced, his voice stern and insistent.
Christie stood with the phone in her hand, her heart pounding. She opened the cubicle door and came face to face with Edwin in a tense standoff. He lunged for the phone, but Christie dodged him.
‘Don’t come any closer!’ she warned, pressing her back against the cold wall of the toilet.
‘Give me my phone, or you’ll regret it!’ Edwin cornered her, reaching out his hand. Christie screamed, hoping someone would come to her aid and waiting to see what would happen next.
In the sterile police station, Christie sat under the cold gaze of fluorescent lights.
‘You’re lucky Mr. Edwin didn’t press charges,’ the stern officer warned, ‘Consider this your only warning.’
Christie nodded, her voice quiet. ‘I thought I was doing the right thing.’
‘Good intentions don’t always lead to good deeds,’ replied the policeman and left.
At that moment, her mother burst through the door, her face reflecting disappointment. ‘Christie, this is not the daughter I raised,’ she said, her voice thick with emotion.
‘Mum, I was trying to protect you from Edwin,’ Christie explained, lowering her eyes.
‘Protect me by breaking the law?’ her mother retorted sharply. ‘You’ve gone too far.’
The officer intervened. ‘Mr. Edwin has filed a restraining order. Any further action will result in arrest.’
Christie closed her eyes, but her mother gave her no respite.
‘I don’t want to see you anymore. Learn your lesson. Goodbye, Christie,’ said the elderly woman and left.
Christie returned to the same hotel where she had met Isabella and sat down at the lobby bar. Sipping a strong drink, Isabella moved closer to her.
‘I heard about what happened. I’m so sorry,’ she sighed, clasping her fingers on the surface of the bar.
‘Thank you,’ Christie replied with a half-smile. ‘But before it was all over, I changed Edwin’s password on the dating site.’
‘That’s great,’ Isabella replied, intrigued. ‘We can use that. Let’s warn the other women.’
Christie laughed as they logged into Edwin’s dating site profile together, creating multiple messages to warn his targets.
‘Beware of Edwin. He’s not who he says he is. Guard your heart and your wallet,’ Christie typed confidently.
Their initial laughter turned to determined silence as they saw how far this man was willing to go to deceive women.
It was late at night when Isabella closed her laptop and squeezed Christie’s hand.
“And just think, what we started today is only the beginning. Edwin has no idea what’s in store for him. Wait until the wedding — it will be unforgettable!”
The morning sun flooded the city chapel with golden light as Edwin, dressed in a formal black tuxedo, prepared for his wedding to Christie’s mother.
However, he did not know that today would be the last time he would be able to pull off his Casanova scam.
Christie watched the beginning of the ceremony from the trees, her heart pounding. Suddenly, an unusual murmur arose from the crowd.
Heels clicked on the floor: one woman, then another, and dozens more gathered at the chapel. They were all women whom Edwin had deceived.
A woman in a bright red dress shouted, ‘Fraud!’ Her voice pierced the solemnity of the ceremony.
Edwin frowned, and his confusion turned to horror when he recognised her and the others.
‘He’s a liar!’ shouted another.
‘You won’t get away with this!’ added a third.
The ceremony descended into chaos. One of the women smeared a piece of wedding cake across Edwin’s face, covering him in cream.
He started to run towards the altar, but one of the guests tripped him up and he fell into a flower bed.
The women attacked him, using handbags, shoes and flower arrangements to take revenge, shouting accusations.
In the end, the police intervened, dispersing the crowd and leading away a dishevelled Edwin. When calm returned, quiet conversations and occasional sobs could be heard in the chapel.
Christie emerged from her hiding place just as her mother came out of the chapel, tears streaming down her face. The elderly woman shook her head and got into her car.
Her mother was too proud to admit she was wrong. But Christie would wait and give her enough time to mourn. In the meantime, she would make sure that Edwin felt the full force of the law.
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