Shattered Trust: A Norse Tale of Betrayal

"You can't just leave me, you have to stay."

"Yes," I say again. "I'm not staying here."

We're outside in the dark. I'm standing near the door and he's close to me. He's holding my shoulders and looking at me. His eyes are angry and sad. He doesn't want me to go and he tries everything he can to make me stay with him. But I won't listen to him.

He goes quiet for a moment, then says: "You have to be punished for leaving me. You should have stayed."

"I have to go now, thanks anyway." I turn around, open the door and walk inside. My heart is beating fast, my hands are shaking and my stomach is turning into knots. I am scared of him but I know that he won't do anything right now because there are people around who would see him hurting me. So I take my chance and run off quickly.

As I walk away from his house, down the lane and through the streets, I feel a great burden lift itself off my shoulders. Yes, it was a lie what he told me when we first met - that he has seen me before when we were kids - but no matter how much I knew that it was a lie, it still made an impact on my heart because that's the kind of man he is: charming and cunning enough to make any girl fall in love with him even if she knows deep down that it's not real love but just a mad infatuation on her part.

And so it started: in less than two weeks after we first met each other, we were living together as man and wife. It happened very quickly, too quick for anyone to stop us or even question our move. Within this time, too, Johan had managed to convince everyone in the community that we were indeed in love with each other and what was more peculiar was that they believed this explanation of ours even though they knew perfectly well that there were many others who were much closer to *me than Johan.*

It was this unusual relationship between us which raised their eyebrows but they let us be anyway because they couldn't do anything about it otherwise it would create trouble among them all; after all Johan was considered one of them from his birth until death - everyone knew him since he was born - so whatever relationship he decided to start with me shouldn't be questioned by any of them because it would make them look bad in front of others if they did so.

Even though this whole thing looked odd but at least things seemed fine between us two until one day when we went out together to meet some of his friends at a local pub where they always seemed to go on a weekend evening or late evening when they got bored at home with nothing else better to do than drinking alcohol while telling stupid jokes.

I know that those friends of his hate him the way they do because he always puts himself above them; even though they are all wealthier than most people around them thanks not only because of their hard work unlike Johan who only lives off the hard work of others by constantly stealing from hardworking merchants whenever he gets an opportunity to do so without getting caught by anyone! But still, it doesn't seem to bother him because he thinks that being born as one of them gives him rights over their wealth and possessions even though he knows absolutely nothing about working for someone else like them! But what can they do? Nothing! Because if they tried anything against him then it would only make things worse for themselves since Johan is known for being very violent towards anyone who crosses his path or disagrees with his views! Only the worst criminals around these parts have more influence over others than Johan does! As long as they keep giving him money every month or whenever he asks for it then things would remain fine but if they stopped giving then things might get ugly! This is why those fools are afraid of him and also this is why Johan feels like God amongst them! They don't want to lose their lives so they give in easily!