The Ballad of David and Sarah

David had always been the type to downplay his own achievements. Even when he received praise from others, he would brush it off and attribute his success to luck or help from others.

It wasn't until he started working with a new mentor, a successful businesswoman named Sarah, that he realized the importance of recognizing and taking credit for his own accomplishments. Sarah would often ask him about his recent successes, and David would struggle to come up with anything noteworthy to share.

One day, Sarah sat David down and asked him to write out a list of his achievements over the past year. David was hesitant at first, but with some encouragement from Sarah, he started writing. To his surprise, the list was longer than he had anticipated.

As he read over the list, David began to feel a sense of pride in himself and his accomplishments. He realized that he had been selling himself short and not giving himself the credit he deserved.

With Sarah's guidance, David started to feel more confident in his abilities and began to speak up more in meetings, sharing his ideas and taking the lead on projects. His colleagues began to notice the change in him and started to look to him for guidance and inspiration.

As David's career began to take off, he and Sarah grew closer, sharing long hours at the office and late nights discussing their personal lives over glasses of wine. One night, after a particularly successful day at work, Sarah leaned in and kissed David on the lips.

At first, David was taken aback, unsure of how to respond. But as Sarah's lips lingered on his, he realized that he had feelings for her as well. They spent the night together, exploring each other's bodies and fulfilling each other's desires.

In the weeks that followed, David and Sarah continued their secret affair. They were careful to keep it hidden from their colleagues, but the thrill of sneaking around only added to their passion. They would steal kisses in the elevator, send flirtatious texts during meetings, and find moments alone in the supply closet.

David had never felt so alive. With Sarah, he felt powerful and confident, both in his personal and professional life. But as time went on, he began to worry about the consequences of their relationship.

What if they were caught? What would happen to his career? And what about Sarah? She was a successful businesswoman with a reputation to uphold. David didn't want to be the one to ruin that for her.

Despite his reservations, David found himself unable to resist Sarah's allure. They continued to see each other in secret, their passion growing stronger with each encounter. But in the back of his mind, David knew that their relationship was unsustainable.

One day, Sarah called him into her office for a private meeting. David's heart raced as he walked in, unsure of what to expect. But instead of reprimanding him for their affair, Sarah handed him a promotion letter. David's eyes widened as he read the letter. He had been promoted to a higher position in the company, with a significant raise in salary. Sarah smiled at him, noticing the shock on his face.

"I know you've been working hard, David," she said. "And I believe you deserve this promotion. You've been an integral part of this company's success, and I hope you continue to strive for greatness."

David was overwhelmed with gratitude. He couldn't believe that his hard work had paid off in such a tangible way. And the fact that Sarah had been the one to give him this opportunity only made it more special.

As he left her office, David realized that his feelings for Sarah had only grown stronger. He knew that their relationship was risky, but he couldn't imagine giving her up. He decided to take a chance and express his feelings to Sarah, hoping that she felt the same way.

That night, David invited Sarah to dinner at a fancy restaurant. As they sat across from each other, David nervously fiddled with his fork, trying to find the right words. Finally, he took a deep breath and looked up at Sarah.

"Sarah, I know we've been keeping our relationship a secret, but I can't keep my feelings for you hidden anymore. I love you, and I want to be with you."

Sarah's eyes widened in surprise, but then softened as she looked back at David.

"I love you too, David," she said, taking his hand in hers. "But we have to be careful. Our relationship could cause problems for both of us."

David nodded, understanding the risks. But in that moment, all he could focus on was the warmth of Sarah's hand in his and the love he felt for her.

From that day forward, David and Sarah continued their secret relationship, taking care to keep it hidden from their colleagues. But with Sarah by his side, David felt more confident than ever.

Many in the office were starting to become jealous of David and his new found success believing that he had not earned it. One person in particular was a friend of Sarah's that found out about the relationship between David and Sarah. Her name was Rachel and she decided to try her hand at blackmail.

Rachel would threaten to reveal the relationship between David and Sarah if he did not pay a certain amount of money. In addition, she also began to threaten David's job by making up false stories that he had been coming into work late and/or not doing his job correctly.

The information she was gathering was all lies, but she would convince people that it was true and they began to believe her. David did not want to believe that Sarah was capable of doing this to him, but he had no choice but to pay Rachel the money.

It did not take long for David to run out of money to pay off Rachel, who did not seem to be satisfied with how much he was paying. She increased the amount that was needed, demanding more.

David was torn. He did not want to give in to Rachel's demands, knowing that it would only fuel her greed but he did not want to lose Sarah. David knew he had to come up with a plan to put an end to Rachel's blackmailing. He couldn't let her ruin his career or his relationship with Sarah.

He decided to confront Rachel and try to reason with her. He met with her in a public place, making sure there were witnesses around. David calmly explained that he couldn't keep paying her, and that he would go to the authorities if she continued to blackmail him.

At first, Rachel scoffed at David's threat. But as he continued to speak, her expression changed. She realized that David was serious and that he had evidence of her threats. With a defeated sigh, Rachel agreed to stop blackmailing him.

David felt relieved, but he knew that he couldn't let his guard down. He was still worried that Rachel might go back on her word and reveal their relationship. He confided in Sarah, who listened sympathetically and promised to do everything in her power to protect him.

All of a sudden, David looked at Sarah with a serious look and told her that they both knew what had to be done. He said that they needed to kill Rachel. It was the only way they could be happy and not look over their shoulders the rest of their lives. Sarah's eyes widened in shock as David suggested such a drastic solution. She shook her head and recoiled from him, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"David, no! That's insane! We can't just kill someone!"

But David was resolute. He argued that Rachel had already ruined their lives and that by eliminating her, they could finally be free. Sarah protested, saying that they would be throwing away their entire future if they went through with it.

The two of them argued back and forth, their voices growing louder and more desperate. In the end, Sarah realized that she couldn't convince David to abandon his plan. She reluctantly agreed to help him.

Over the next few days, they carefully plotted out their move. They decided to stage a break-in at Rachel's apartment, making it look like a burglary gone wrong. They would then plant evidence to suggest that Rachel had been involved in illegal activities and that she had been targeted by someone seeking revenge. The night of the break-in, David and Sarah crept into Rachel's apartment, careful not to leave any traces of their presence. They quickly searched the place for anything incriminating, but found nothing that could be used against her.

As they were about to leave, Rachel suddenly appeared in the hallway, having returned home earlier than expected. David and Sarah froze, their hearts pounding in their chests. Rachel looked surprised to see them, but before she could say anything, David lunged at her, covering her mouth with his hand to muffle her screams.

Sarah watched in horror as David pinned Rachel to the ground, his hands tightening around her neck. She wanted to stop him, to call for help, but she was too afraid. She didn't know what to do.

David's eyes were wild, his face contorted with rage. He squeezed harder, watching as Rachel's eyes bulged and her face turned red. Sarah could hear Rachel's muffled gurgles as she struggled for breath. It was a gruesome sight, and Sarah felt sick to her stomach.

But then, suddenly, David released his grip. He stood up, breathing heavily, looking down at Rachel's lifeless body. Sarah could see the shock and horror on his face, as if he couldn't believe what he had just done.

They stood there in silence for a moment, soaked in Rachel's blood. Sarah couldn't believe what had just happened. This was not the man she thought she knew. She slowly backed away from him, not wanting to be near him.

David turned to her, his eyes wild and desperate.

"We have to leave," he said, grabbing her arm. "We have to get out of here before someone finds us."

Sarah jerked away from him, disgust and fear evident on her face.

"I'm not going anywhere with you," she spat. "You just killed someone! How could you do that?"

David looked at her, his face full of sorrow.

"I didn't want to kill her. I don't know what came over me. I never wanted to hurt anyone..."

"Well, you did," Sarah replied angrily. "You killed that woman and that's all that matters. I'm going to the authorities and telling them everything that happened."

Shaking his head, David begged her not to. He told her that she would be traumatized if she had to recount everything that had happened to the police. And, even if she did go to the police, he told her that she would never be believed, since she had helped him bury the body a few hours earlier.

Sarah was torn. She knew he was right about her credibility, but she couldn't live with herself knowing that she was helping David cover up a murder.

"I'm not going to the police," she said finally. "But we can't be together anymore. I can't be with someone who could do such a terrible thing."

David's raw emotions had now turned to anger at Sarah. She was the one who agreed to all of this and now that it was done, he felt betrayed. David told her that if she was going to leave him, then she would have to leave town. He was too nervous to stay in Miami after all of this.

The two of them left Rachel's apartment and went their separate ways. Sarah returned to her apartment and packed her bags. She vowed to never see David again.

For the next few days, David stayed in his apartment, not going to work and barely eating or sleeping. He didn't know what to do. By killing Rachel, he had ruined his life. He was now a murderer and there was no going back.

As he lay awake at night, David began to understand that once he killed Rachel, he could not take it back. She was dead and the only person who knew what happened was now gone. It was all up to him now. There was no one to stop him from continuing to murder people.

The thought was terrifying, but also exciting. There was no one to tell him that he couldn't do it, no one to stop him from fulfilling his fantasy. David liked how he felt when he killed Rachel. It was a freeing feeling, as if he were finally in control of his own destiny.

He knew he could use this new feeling to fuel his acting career. He already had the fame he had been seeking, but now he wanted something more. He wanted to be able to control the reactions of other people. He wanted to be able to manipulate them and make them do what he wanted.

And he realized that he could do that by becoming the world's greatest actor. By killing, David would gain the fame and respect that he always wanted to have. Being an actor was something he could do all of his life, exposing his true self to the world and stealing breath from the people watching.

He knew this was his path in life, his destiny. And he knew that he had to follow it.

David called Sarah and told her that he needed to speak with her. She agreed to meet him the following day. David told her that he was leaving town and that he wanted to say goodbye to her.

He went to the café where they had first met and waited for her. He took Rachel's body with him and buried her on the beach not far from the café. He took off his shirt and threw it into the ocean, as if he were symbolically letting go of his old identity.

As he sat and waited for Sarah, he smiled to himself, knowing that their next meeting would be very different from all of their previous ones. This time, he would be in control. This time, she would be the one powerless.

When Sarah arrived, David acted as if everything was fine and normal, as if he hadn't just murdered someone and buried a body. But he could see that Sarah was suspicious of him and that her guard was up.

They had a brief conversation and then David asked her if they could go for a walk along the beach. Sarah was reluctant at first, but David pushed and pleaded with her.

"Please, just for a short walk. We can sit on the beach and look out at the ocean. It will be like the first time we met. Just you and me, enjoying the sea breeze..."

Sarah finally agreed, even though she was still very suspicious of him. They walked along the shoreline, talking casually while David planned his next move in his head. He needed to make sure that Sarah felt comfortable, that she wasn't going to suspect that he was going to kill her as well.

Her suspicions were valid, because he had every intention of killing her. Sarah knew too much about him and if he didn't get rid of her, he would never be able to exact his revenge on the rest of the world.

They took off their shoes and walked along the sand, enjoying the warm breeze and the sound of the waves in the distance. David's mind was planning, calculating, but his eyes were looking at Sarah, enjoying her presence.

Finally, as they reached the end of the beach, David turned to Sarah and took her in his arms. He kissed her passionately and she responded, her guard down now that they were alone together.

Suddenly, without warning, David pushed her down to the ground, holding her down by the shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes, enjoying the fear he saw there.

"What are you doing?" Sarah asked.

David didn't respond. He just looked at her, his eyes smiling with an evil devilish glow to them. Sarah tried to push him off her, but David was too strong. He started to strangle her, his eyes filled with a crazed passion. Sarah's eyes bulged as she gasped for air, her hands clawing at David's arms.

David felt a rush of pleasure as Sarah's body went limp beneath him. He let go of her and watched as her lifeless body lay there on the sand. He felt a sense of power unlike anything he had ever experienced.

He stood up and surveyed the area, making sure that no one had seen them. He felt confident that they were alone. He picked up Sarah's body and carried it down to the water's edge, where he dumped it unceremoniously into the waves.

As the tide carried Sarah's body out to sea, David felt a sense of finality. He knew that he had made a choice, and there was no turning back.

Now he would never downplay his own achievements. He wanted all to know what he had done and take full responsibility. He made sure to leave his wallet on Sarah so that when she was discovered, the police could link it back to him. No longer hiding and showing his true self. That would be come his freedom.