The Broken Hearts Story

      It’s the early morning in the United States. It’s about six hours in the morning. There are amazingly many people at one of the large airports in New York for such an early time. Someone leaves the city, gets examined, and passes their baggage. And someone just arrives here, takes their stuff and tries to catch a taxi to reach a temporary place to live.       Alicia arrived in New York at this time. As it turned out, the woman could not leave London shortly after she decided to do it because she suddenly got some important business that she had to solve before going to the United States. Closer to the last night, Alicia got into her airplane, leaving which was also delayed a little. But after many hours of the flight, the woman finally arrived in New York with a sense of strong tiredness.       When she gets over all the checks for documents, Alicia leaves the airport. Pushing a card with her suitcase, she looks around closely in a search of a taxi that would drive her to a hotel where she wants to have a rest and get enough sleep. A few seconds later, the woman steps aside not to bother other people, takes her phone from a purse, types the number of Amelia, and puts it to her ear, waiting for the answer from her friend.       “Hi, Amelia,” Alicia pronounces amicably. “It’s Alicia.”       “Hi, Alicia,” Amelia greets with a slight smile.       “Don’t I bother you?”       “No, not at all.”       “Does it seem to me, or do you have a sleepy voice?”       “I do.”       “Didn’t you get enough sleep?”       “Yeah, because of Hailey. She didn’t let Raphael and me sleep the last night.”       “Again?”       “Yeah. She’s lately been too restless.”       “Oh, gosh! Hasn’t she gotten sick?”       “Well, nope. She has no fever and eats well… She is just not quiet… She doesn't want to sleep.”       “Maybe, something bothers her?”       “I don’t know… But I don’t know what to do to her. And I’m starting to worry about her.”       “Maybe, you pay a visit to a doctor?”       “If nothing changes at the nearest time, I’ll surely show her to a doctor. Maybe, she is really not fine.”       “I hope everything will be fine with your daughter.”       “Oh, I also hope Hailey is okay. And I worry for nothing.”       Amelia sighs heavily, and then silence settles in the air for two seconds, which she breaks.       “Oh, okay!” Amelia waves her hand. “I don’t wanna burden you with my problems.”       “Don’t worry, you don’t bother me at all,” Alicia protests with a slight smile.       “By the way, are you going to go to New York? It’s been a week, but you haven’t gone there.”       “I’m in the USA now.”       “What? Did you leave?”       “Yes, I've just landed and left the airport.”       “Listen, why didn’t you go there before?”       “I had some little problems with the documents for adopting the girl. I spent one week solving all my problems.”       “Ah, I see…”       “Anyway, I’ve solved everything and asked my boss to give me some time off. Now I am in New York.”       “That’s good, then.”       “It’s a very early time here, about six hours o’clock.”       “What are you gonna do?”       “First, I will go to a hotel and sleep. Because I didn’t sleep all night and feel very tired now. And somewhere after lunchtime, I will think about what to do.”       “Okay! Keep me aware of what’s happening there.”       “Okay, Amelia,” Alicia pronounces with a slight smile. “I will contact you.”       “I will be impatiently waiting for news.”       “Bye.”       “Bye.”       Alicia ends the call, puts her phone in her purse, and goes to search for a taxi that would drive her to a hotel.       

***

      This morning, at ten o’clock, Rachel decided to visit Terrence at home, hoping he calmed down a little and wishing to support the man after what happened yesterday. After what made him much more distanced. Much colder and much more indifferent. When he left the club and said goodbye to his friend, Terrence was walking somewhere on the night streets for a long time and decided to come back home somewhere in the early morning. Because he did not almost sleep, the man looks tired enough. His dark circles under his eyes, sleepy look and constant yawning clearly confirm it.       Rachel unsuccessfully tries to shake Terrence up somehow, but her attempts to wake the man up do not give her anything good. And she is starting to get irritated by his indifference to her, his silence, and his reluctance to talk to her.       “Hey, are you actually listening to me?” Rachel barely holds her irritation down. “Haven’t you woken up from your trance since yesterday? You keep thinking of something and paying no attention to me.”       Before saying something, Terrence slowly moves his eyes to Rachel and looks at her without emotions, not caring about what she wants to say.       “Huh?” Terrence asks distractedly. “What? Erm, yes, of course, I listen to you!”       “Who am I telling all of that? It seems like I am talking to a wall!”       “No, no, I’m listening to you.”       Terrence says nothing for two seconds and says the first thing that he comes with:       “So, what happened next?”       “You don’t hear me,” Rachel says gloomily, getting more irritated by the fact that Terrence does not listen to her and thinks of something. “I actually asked you whether you would pay attention to me.”       “Don’t I do this?” Terrence rounds his eyes.       “As if you aren’t happy to see me! You didn’t even welcome me well! You said something coldly and didn't cheek me on the cheek! And your servants always found any excuses when I asked when I would see you.”       “I just asked them to tell you to wait for a while,” Terrence explains without emotions. “Should I have come to you literally in my underwear just because you didn’t wanna wait?”       “What’s wrong with it?” Rachel throws her hands up with an innocent smile. “We aren’t strangers to each other! You can walk in front of me in everything you want. I would not be shy about walking in my underwear in front of you, and would come to you if you went to my home.”       “Don’t forget that there are servants, who walk in the house and may see me like that.”       “Oh, why do you care about those servants? They’re nobody to you! They are just women, who are working for you.”       “Don’t say that!”       “And actually, I don’t like the fact that you treat them like friends or relatives.”       “Do you think I should shout at them?” Terrence wonders. “Should I ban them from having a rest in their free time and not let them go when they have to leave?”       “Of course, you should! They are working! So, they must do their work! If they don’t like something, they can get fired!”       “Maybe, servants are someone like slaves for you, but they are not for me.”       “But it’s true, Terrence!” Rachel shrugs with an innocent look. “Servants, bodyguards, gardeners, and other people working at your home are just slaves. The only thing they must do is obey their boss and not meddle not in their business. But your servants dare to be arrogant and always want to know everything.”       “I’m pleased with my servants and their work, and I ain’t going to change anyone,” Terrence replies coldly.       “They don’t respect me at all! That fat woman refused to give me a glass of sweet water, saying she allegedly had something to do and telling me to ask someone else about it. The four-eyed lady also pretends to be proud and looks at me with contempt… Only that petite one is more or less good! But she also treats me disgustingly.” Rachel tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “My servant runs to me after a first call and leaves her business because she knows I don’t like to wait.”       “And what?” Terrence wonders loudly. “What do I do as they don’t allegedly love you? Go to shout at them or kick them out of here?”       “You must get all of them fired!”       “I see no meaning.”       “I will piss them off when I get married to you and move in here. Or they should learn how to be servants, not friends.”       “My servants treat everybody in the same way. And all those women spoke to you well with my pretense.”       “Because they’re afraid of you. But when you aren’t with me, they are arrogant and complain that your ex-girlfriend left.”       “I didn’t see them being mean to you.”       “I wonder what Cameron did if these servants almost cried because of her?”       “They love her. They loved her for being able to talk to her heart to heart.”       “That’s wrong! Servants must know where they belong and must not meddle in what their bosses do.”       “It’s my house! And I decide who would work here, and who I would get fired!”       “Besides, what could they talk about with a crazy lady? What could those three servants talk to her about? Did that brainless chicken not fight with them before you kicked her out of here?”       “Don’t insult Raquelle with my pretense, Rachel,” Terrence demands coldly.       “Seriously?” Rachel smirks quietly. “What would I respect her?”       “Everybody here loved that girl. First of all, for being able to find something to talk about and get anyone to trust her. And they’re saddened because of her.”       “How do you actually let them just pronounce the name of that whore? You must cut their pay or actually kick them out of here to the fuck just for that.”       “I will decide what to do!”       “It’s okay, sweetie, I will put everything in order soon,” Rachel says confidently, softly caressing Terrence’s lap. “Soon, I will become your wife, move in here and make them as quiet as mice. I will do my best for the name of that insolent gal to never be called. And anyone to dare to do it will be immediately fired.”       But Terrence falls into his thoughts again and does not hear what Rachel says. The man wants her to leave and let him relax a little much more than anything. It makes the girl irritated again, and she does not hide that she is resentful and does not want to be as soft and quiet as she was in the beginning.       “Shit, Terrence, you’re dreaming again!” Rachel throws loudly and irritably, waving her hands sharply. “Are you actually gonna stop doing this?”       “Oh, Rachel, what do you want from me?” Terrence asks tiredly, moaning quietly. “Why did you actually come here? I didn’t personally invite you!”       “Why? To support you!”       “And please, stop shouting like this. I’ve got a headache. And I madly wanna sleep…”       “So, do you want me to leave? Don’t you need me anymore?”       “I didn’t say it.”       “Listen, MacClife, it can't be happening anymore!” Rachel exclaims loudly. “I don’t recognize you! After meeting that crazy lady, who insulted and showered you with mud, you suddenly changed! What did that witch do to you? Did she charm you?”       “Just because you’re always funny and fine, doesn’t mean it’s all the same about others.”       “Yeah, but you were fine before: talking with me, kissing me, hugging me, telling me compliments… What’s my fault now? Tell me!”       “Rachel, get off me, please,” Terrence says coldly, rubbing his forehead with a hand.       “Well, okay…” Rachel raises her hands up. “If you have no wish to kiss and hug me, it’s okay. But at least speak to me! Don’t be silent!”       “What would you tell me to do if I don’t want to talk to anyone?” Terrence moves his eyes sharply to Rachel. “I do want to stay alone for a while and put my minds in order. Do I have to smile at you by force and pretend that everything’s okay?”       “Can you just talk to me?” Rachel asks.       “What am I doing now?”       “You don’t pay attention to me at all! It seems like you don’t need me anymore! You’re sitting here and thinking of your ex-girlfriend!”       “I’m not thinking of her.”       “Of course! Not thinking! Even if you talked about her, you tried to stop this talk quickly or said terrible things about her. You did even want to bring that crazy lady to a mental hospital and threatened to ruin her career to the fuck.” Rachel throws her hands up. “Now what? As if you want to talk only about your beloved Raquelle!”       “Yes, but I’m now regretting it much,” Terrence pronounces without emotions. “Regretting mocking her like that and doing my best for her to get the hatred for me. My breakup with her is all my fault. If I had behaved differently, everything would’ve been otherwise.”       “You still love her…” Rachel nods slightly. “Do you love her, yeah?”       Rachel barely holds down her tears from thinking that Terence does not belong to her completely because his thoughts are still obsessed with Raquelle. To be clear, they got obsessed with him after yesterday’s events at the club, and he started to realize he was still not indifferent to his former girlfriend.       “If you still love her so much, then why are we actually dating?” Rachel wonders. “Just tell me you love that fucking slut and hope to get her back, even despite the fact that she never loved you. Come on, MacClife, keep suffering! Keep letting her shower you with mud!”       “She is not a slut, Rachel!” Terrence cuts off sharply.       “Yeah, who is she? Innocent angel? The gorgeous, all-favorite queen?”       “Rachel…”       “That bitch does not need you! She used you! But you, idiot, are gonna run after her!”       “I’m not going to run after her.”       “Cameron preferred her career – so, she can choke with it.”       “Rachel, stop insulting that girl! I don’t like the fact that you let yourself do it with my pretense.”       “Seriously? You’re defending her?”       “Yes, I am!”       “So, you still love her!”       “I can’t forget her at once. Sometimes it takes months or even ages. Someone actually loves their whole life and doesn’t look at other people the way they look at a beloved person.”       “That crazy whore attacked me with fists and almost killed me right there, but you dare to say something good about her. You must defend me! You must stand by the one, who's going to become your wife soon!”       “Yeah, what if you provoked her?” Terrence asks loudly. “What if you attacked her first?”       “What?” Rachel rounds her eyes.       “What if you almost killed her but then came to me and pretended that you became a victim, not her?”       “My gosh, Terrence, how can you say it?” Rachel opens her mouth widely, looking at Terrence with pity in her eyes. “Why do you think I’m lying to you?”       “Because you’ve always been a fibber. I remember the stories you told everybody when we were kids. And I would not be surprised if you dreamed up a story about Raquelle attacking you without a reason first.”       “Hey, we’ve known each other since childhood! You know me much better than her! I’ve never lied to you and always been honest with you.”       “I know…”       “Then don’t believe your ex-girlfriend,” Rachel begs with pity in her eyes. “I swear I didn’t lie to you. Cameron really attacked me with fists, even if I didn’t bother her at all.”       “Now I doubt it.”       “I swear I don’t know why she did it. It would be okay if she loved you. I could explain it with jealousy for you. But Cameron doesn’t need you.”       “Sometimes I think Raquelle feels something for me. But she doesn’t want to confess it or doesn’t understand what’s happening to her now.”       “She is jealous! Jealous because you and I are happy. She is mad because she lost such a wonderful man like you.” Rachel softly takes Terrence’s hand and caresses it tenderly. “Since you showed her placed yesterday, she will realize she will not get you back. Because you’re now only mine. You and I will keep dating and living happily after. And of course, we will get married. And make beautiful babies.”       “If she wants to, she can live her life,” Terrence says quite confidently. “But Cameron will not get off me anyway.”       “What do you mean she will not do away from you?” Rachel rounds her eyes.       “She will not! That girl still belongs to me, and I will not stand any other man next to her. I will not stand!”       Terrence thinks about something again and gets his hand out of Rachel’s hands sharply but softly.       “My God, this love is gonna drive you crazy,” Rachel shakes her head. “She kicks you like a ball, but you wanna come to the one that doesn’t need you. Stop humiliating yourself, Terrence! You must have some pride! Why did you get obsessed with that girl?”       “You’ve been obsessed with me for many years,” Terrence recalls coldly. “You’ve been waiting for me to pay attention to you literally since childhood. So, you can’t say anything about the love that’s gonna drive someone crazy.”       “Listen, sweetie…”       “And yeah…” Terrence moves his surprised look at Rachel. “Why did you decide that we were dating? And why do you believe I’d marry you even if I already broke up with Raquelle? Do you think just because we kissed and hugged and went on a few dates, we could be called a couple?”       “What?” Rachel opens her mouth slightly, looking at Terrence with her dumbfounded eyes, while he moves his eyes down and doubles over, tightly locking his fingers. “But… B-b-but why? Terrence… You… You said that!”       “If my memory doesn’t betray me, I’ve never told you I want to date you,” Terrence replies quietly. “And I’ve never suggested you become a girlfriend of mine.”       “But you dropped a hint! You said you were ready to get married to me!”       “I said if you wanted! But I’ve never said I would propose to you.”       “You’ve begun to forget everything! I clearly remember you promising to marry me! I remember you saying you wanted to start everything over again, forget your ex-girlfriend, focus on your musical career, and find the girl that would not make the mistakes Cameron made.”       “Maybe,” Terrence pronounces quietly. “But now I’m taking my words back. Because I understand that I don’t want to lose what really means very much to me.”       “My gosh, Terrence, stop thinking of her! Stop torturing yourself! I say again, that girl doesn’t need you not for anything!”       “Even if it’s so, I need her.”       “In two months, you will not even remember who Raquelle Cameron is. Because you will love only me! I will give you my love and care and become the best one. I will do my best to become perfect for you.”       “You can’t be perfect at everything. Any person has at least one weakness.”       “I promise, honey, you’re gonna feel very good with me. I will not make the mistakes of that girl and will become the one you want to have. Just forget everything that bothers you, and then you and I will be together. You will propose to me, and we will be happy.”       “I did say I would not let her go at my will,” Terrence says confidently. “Even if she tells me to leave her alone, that girl will be mine anyway.”       “But you said you got sick of it! You kind of broke up a long time ago!”       “I don’t wanna break up with her. That girl still belongs to me.”       “Why are you torturing yourself?” Rachel wonders loudly. “Are you gonna get her back after she humiliated you?”       “If I could do it, I would do my best to get her back.”       “Be a proud man! Don’t turn to a milksop, who gets humiliated for some riffraff!”       “I don’t think I get humiliated for someone.”       “Believe me, your Raquelle will never come back to you, no matter what you offer her. And someday, she will meet another fool that will stand her caprices and unbearable character.” Rachel falls into silence for two seconds, putting a finger on her lips. “Well, somehow you said she already slept around with someone… So, your ex-girlfriend will have fun with another man. While you’ll be sitting and suffering because of that gal, who cheated on you and had fun with someone, forgetting she was actually in a relationship.”       “That's a lie, she didn't cheat on me!” Terrence replies sharply. “Someone just endeared it to me! And I, idiot, believed it! Raquelle was always loyal only to me and never betrayed me.”       “She told you that?”       “I realized it. I realized that there was no real proof of her betrayal. It means I suspected her for nothing.”       “You would’ve broken up anyway. Cameron would not date you until the end of her life. She would’ve left you early or late.”       “We’re guilty of ruining our relationship. If we would've made an effort, nothing would’ve happened.” Terrence exhales quickly and moves a dead look aside. “If I have a little chance to get her back, I want to use it. But if it doesn’t help me, I’ll have to take it and let that girl go. I’ll be able to do nothing if she doesn’t forgive me for what she had to take from me.”       “You can’t even try,” Rachel replies confidently. “Your effort is gonna be wasted for nothing. So, you better stop counting on something and get all the thoughts about that lady out of your mind.”       “It’s okay. But I will at least try.”       “Believe me, Terrence, none of you is gonna pull your hair out because of ending your hopeless relationship. Very soon, you’ll forget that you were actually together, and then you will not even recognize each other outside. You’re gonna have your personal life: she will meet another man, and you will work on your personal matters.”       “You understand nothing, Rachel!” Terrence exclaims with despair.       “Why not? I do understand! I understand you’re going crazy over your love for her. The love for that egoistic otter that deserved everything that’s happened to her.”       “You just didn’t have to get through everything that poor girl had to get through.”       “Seriously?” Rachel rolls her eyes up. “I don’t actually care about what she has had to get through, what she thinks, or what she feels. Even if she dies, I will not care about it!”       “But I do care about it! And I’ll be doing everything to save her from that bastard, who decided to ruin her life, and also make amends for all the bad things and get her love back.”       “And why?” Rachel wonders loudly. “Why are you doing that? That thankless pig will not appreciate what you will do.”       “I don’t care.”       “Wake up, stupid lover! Stop humiliating yourself for that prostitute, who cares only about walking on a runway and walking with her boobs and naked ass in front of a camera.”       “Rachel, I think I told you to stop insulting Raquelle,” Terrence recalls much colder.       “I say what I think!”       “She did nothing to you, and you have no right to say it about her.”       “Did nothing?” Rachel rounds her eyes. “She stole you from me and doesn’t wanna give you to me!”       “You are not my girlfriend.”       “So, did I steal you from her?”       “No matter what, stop insulting her.”       “Yeah…” Rachel shakes her head. “It seems like that dyed chicken washed your brains enough. You’re walking here as if you’re under a spell and turned into a zombie.” Rachel bites her lip slightly, looking closely at Terrence, who is staring into the distance without emotions on his face. “I guess she is a hysterical lady that could surely be called a witch. You are really like a zombie! Bewitched! Cameron definitely made a spell or dosed you with a love potion! That’s why all your thoughts are about her! That’s why you don’t wanna let her go!”       “Oh, gosh, Rachel, how silly you are…” Terrence moans quietly, running his hands over his face. “Just a child that needs to grow up…”       “What? Seriously? I’m twenty-six, if you still remember! I’m no longer a child!”       “You can be a child inside, even at the age of forty.”       “You must grow up! And stop acting like a naive boy, who believes that the fucking gal will be waiting for him with open arms and love him as much as he loves her. You are an adult man, who behaves like a boy, who fell in love with a girl for the first time.”       “This is the first strong love in my life.”       “Holy shit, what kind of love! There is no love! There has never been! You were united by just a wish to fuck. Nothing more! Or some kind of magic in case that bitch knows how to bewitch someone.”       “Yes, it happened at first. But I’m starting to realize more and more that I feel much worse without her than with her. I need her.”       “As if you did not love before!”       “I did! But not so much!”       “So… Now I can see that you did not forget her,” Rachel shakes her head. “You love Cameron. You don’t care about me.”       Before answering, Terrence says nothing for two seconds and then slowly moves his eyes to Rachel, deciding to reveal his cards and confess that he played love with her because he cannot keep deceiving her anymore.       “Maybe, it’s true,” Terrence says confidently with his head proudly raised. “I don’t really care about you and everything that has to do with you!”       “No, Terrence, please, don’t say that,” Rachel begs with pity in her eyes, fixing Terrence’s hair and caressing his cheek.       “It’s the truth.”       “You’re just tired… And you don’t understand what you’re saying,” Rachel caresses Terrence’s forearm softly. “You will see that when you have a rest, you will get better. You will stop thinking of Raquelle. You will remember that you’ve got me, your beloved girl and soon-to-be wife.”       “No, Rachel!” Terrence sharply cuts off. “It will never happen! I will never marry you and live with you.”       “No, no, sweetie, don’t hurt me,” Rachel begs, looking at Terrence with greater pity in her eyes and softly putting a hand on his hand. “I know you’re very upset and afraid to get hurt in a new relationship again. But I promise, I will help you get over that. I shall do my best for you to love me much more than that lady. For my eternal love for you.”       “Yeah, girl…” Terrence smiles falsely. “I am telling you the truth, but you don’t believe me…”       Terrence simpers evilly.       “You are so in love with me that you became blind, and you notice nothing,” Terrence adds confidently. “You did not even realize that I used your naivety and was playing a love for you all this time.”       “What?” Rachel rounds her eyes.       “You are a too easy thing to catch and got caught in my trap quickly. The same happened to all the girls. They brought themselves into my trap. They wanted to be too sweet and obedient. But honestly, I don’t like it at all. It’s not interesting to be with a girl, who aims to be a too obedient slave and does not resist at all.”       “That’s not the truth…” Rachel shakes her head. “It’s bullshit… You just don’t understand what you’re talking about…”       “I do clearly understand. And I do know well what girls I like much more.”       “Listen, I completely understand all your feelings and know you can’t fall out of love with someone so quickly, no matter if you’ve known him or her for one day or ten years. I know you’re saying it because you love Raquelle. But believe me, life doesn’t stop after breaking up with one person. When you forget that model and tell yourself she didn’t deserve such a wonderful man like you, you will find the will to love me.”       “I don’t want to try to fall out of love with her!” Terrence says confidently. “Because I am sure I will not get the one I’m really attracted to out of my heart.”       “But you try to do it, honey.” Rachel takes Terrence’s hand and softly kisses him on the cheek. “You’re gonna have a very good girlfriend. You’re gonna have me. Cameron can’t be compared with me. I am way better than that model, whose career is going to be ruined someday. Who everyone will forget soon.”       “Right, you can’t be compared with her,” Terrence nods. “You’re different. Not what she is. Even if you try to imitate her in everything to please me, I will never consider you a replacement for Raquelle. That girl is the only one.”       “Your Raquelle is an empty shell! A fucking worthless doll without boobs and an ass! Flat board! Lofty! I don’t understand what you liked about her! If you removed her makeup, you would see an ugly ducking. Who, I’m ready to bet, was humiliated by everyone. Nobody needs such a mouse like Cameron for anything.”       “I liked what any other girl doesn’t have.”       “Oh, she became the first one not to lie in bed with you at the first meeting.”       “At first, it got me attracted to her.”       “My God, why do so many men lose their minds because of her?” Rachel wonders loudly. “Why does everyone wanna be with her and literally lick photos of her wearing suits and underwear that she promotes? Is there something special about that whore?”       “Because she is sexy.”       “Why is she?”       “The case is not about a body. Not about how beautiful it is. The case is about how a girl behaves. Self-confidence is a key to true sexuality. You can put on the most beautiful underwear, put red lipstick on your lips, and get a gorgeous hairstyle. But if you don’t have self-confidence and don’t like too many things about you, it’s not gonna make you sexual.”       “But I am confident, too!” Rachel exclaims. “I am beautiful! Very beautiful! I have never doubted myself or my body, and I love it. I can be shy and sassy.”       “No, Rachel, you can’t be sassy.”       “Listen, is that really the important thing about a girl? The most important things are her brains and her wisdom. And I am smart and wise. And I am loyal. Caring. I am real. I can love and be loyal. I… I was born to be the wife of a beloved man and give birth to his children!”       “You will surely give birth and become a happy wife. But not with me.”       “You won’t regret being with me! I will make you very happy. I will do my best to help you forget that witch and the pain she gave you. Just let me love me, and you will feel much better very soon.”       “No.”       “Please, sweetie…”       Rachel caresses Terrence’s shoulder and then wants to stroke his hair a little. He quietly reacts to her caressing his shoulder, but the man does not let her touch his hair and sharply steps back from the girl, throwing coldly without emotions on his face:       “You do know that I’ve never loved you! And I will never love you.”       “But why?” Rachel wonders loudly.       “You are not the type of girl that I like. You are the same as everyone. You do not differ from them. You are behaving in the same way as all the girls do.”       “But what about what’s happened between us in the past few weeks? All our passionate kisses, hot hugs, your agreement to make me yours…”       “It was an act,” Terrence says confidently with his head proudly raised. “To prove to myself that I’m still worth something. To make myself sure that I could forget Raquelle if I told myself that I started to fall in love with another girl.”       “But…”       “But after our yesterday’s meeting, I realized I didn’t need any other girl except her. She is the only one. Imitable.”       “Please, Terrence…” Rachel pronounces with pity in her eyes.       Terrence falls into silence for two seconds, exhales slowly, runs his hands over his face, and looks at Rachel with a sense of guilt.       “Listen, Rachel,” Terrence says quietly. “I’m sorry for being very cold and rude to you. But I’m sick of pretending. And I no longer want to pretend that I madly love you and am ready to reach a new stage in my life.”       “Please, don’t say that…” Rachel begs with despair. “I love you…”       “You’re a very beautiful and sweet girl. You’ve always been a very good friend and nice talker to me. But I’ve never looked at you as my sweetheart and can’t give you anything but friendship.”       “It’s a lie… Lie!”       “Believe me, it’s very unpleasant to say it to you. But I can’t make myself change what I can’t change in any way.”       “You want to kill me…” Rachel sniffs and shakes her head. “You want to kill me with your words.”       “Maybe, if I hadn’t run into Raquelle yesterday, we would’ve kept pretending that we were happy together. But yesterday, I realized I no longer wanted to let this show go on. Nevertheless, I would’ve had to pretend all my life. But I would not have been able to do.”       “You don’t understand what you’re saying!” Rachel softly takes Terrence by the shoulders and shakes him slightly. “I’m begging you, Terrence, come to yourself! Stop scaring me so much.”       “I’m really sorry…” Terrence pronounces with pity in his eyes. “Don’t get mad at me… But I don’t love you. And I will never marry you…”       A few seconds later, Rachel realizes that Terrence clearly let her know that he did not love her and would not like to do anything to try to love her. After hearing this shocking confession from the man, the girl shakes her head and starts to cry quietly, feeling humiliated and betrayed. Even though she truly believed she would get the love of this man and finally get married to him, just like she wanted to do since school times.       “No…” Rachel pronounces in a shaking voice with tears. “No… No, I don’t believe it! I don’t! N-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O!”       Rachel shouts out loudly and starts making sobs, closing her mouth for a few seconds, while Terrence watches her with pity in his eyes, feeling guilty for giving the girl such pain but understanding that it should have happened early or late.       “YOU COULD NOT DO THIS TO ME!” Rachel screams at the top of her lungs. “COULDN’T! COULDN’T! COULDN’T!”       “Rachel, please, calm down,” Terrence says quietly, softly taking Rachel by the shoulders. “Don’t scream at the whole house!”       “BASTARD!” Rachel steps back from Terrence and sharply gets up from the sofa. “How did you dare to do it? How could you use the feelings of the girl?”       “I’m really very sorry,” Terrence says quietly. “But early or late, it would’ve happened. I would’ve had to admit that I was pretending.”       “What happened between you and that plucked chicken while I was waiting for you?” Rachel demands the answer coldly. “ANSWER NOW, SCUMBAG, WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU! ANSWER, I SAID!”       “Hey, quiet, Rachel, quiet, don’t yell. You’ll scare all the servants here.”       “MAY THEY KNOW THEY’RE WORKING FOR THE JERKOFF, WHO USED THE GIRL’S WEAKNESS AND PLAYED WITH HER FEELINGS. THE FUCKING REAL.”       “Rachel, sit down and calm down!” Terrence raises his voice.       “How could you, stinker, dare to do it to me?” Rachel wonders with tears and sniffs quietly. “I, idiot, believed you when you said you wanted to forget that gal! I decided to help you, give you my love and care, and become better than your ex-girlfriend. I even brought you to my father. I persuaded him to take you into the band as a guitarist. I WAS DOING EVERYTHING FOR YOU TO FEEL GOOD! AND YOU, BEAST, DID USE ME!”       “I didn’t have any bad thoughts,” Terrence excuses himself quietly. “I just wanted to forget what someone allegedly did to me and start a career as a musician.”       “So, did you need only a career as a musician? NOT ME!”       “I could not miss such a good chance when you said the label of your father was looking for a guitarist for the band. And I’m truly grateful to you for that because my dream finally came true.”       “And for that, did you decide to play with MY feelings? You probably thought, ‘This naive, silly girl Rachel, who is in love with me like crazy, would do everything for me if I made her think I started to love her.’ And you decided to use her!”       “Rachel…”       “So, congratulation, MacClife! You got what you wanted! I truly believed you loved me.”       “I thought I would love you somehow later,” Terrence confesses quietly. “Yes, I just pretended to be in love, but it was very nice for me to be with you. I really felt good and got what I didn’t feel when being in a relationship with Raquelle. I thought I’d forget her later and really fall in love with you. And I’d stop playing love.”       “Did you, bastard, not think about what kind of pain you would give me? OR DID YOU THINK ONLY OF YOUR ASS? ABOUT FEELING GOOD?”       “No, I…”       “Wow! You blamed Cameron for thinking of herself, but you are not better. You are the same fucking egoist, who thinks only of himself. That can use people easily. Who, by the way, LOVE HIM with all their heart!”       “I am not an egoist!”       “EGOIST! A REAL EGOIST!”       “When I met Raquelle for the first time in a while, I just suddenly realized that I loved her. She meant very much to me. Although I don’t deny that my psychical attraction for her was much stronger, I did have nice feelings. They just fell asleep ‘cause we didn’t try to support them and forgot each other after we decided to live together.”       “Ha, I wonder what woke up your feelings for that slut?” Rachel simpers contemptuously. “You saw her flat ass and her zero-sized breasts and got insane?”       Terrence says nothing and just rolls his eyes, glancing aside. And two seconds later, Rachel comes to him quickly, grabs him by the collar, and starts shaking him strongly with tears that are rolling over her cheeks.       “Answer now, were you snuggling with her or not?” Rachel demands the answer coldly. “ANSWER NOW, YOU, SHAMELESS SCUMBAG! OR YOU WILL REGRET IT!”       “Rachel, stop shouting at me!” Terrence says gloomily. “Your behavior is starting to irritate me.”       “SPEAK, BASTARD, WERE YOU SNUGGLING WITH HER OR NOT? AND DO NOT DARE TO LIE TO ME!”       “YES, I WAS SNUGGLING WITH HER!” Terrence says loudly and confidently and gets up from the sofa sharply, looking at Rachel coldly. “I was hugging and kissing her! I was kissing her very passionately!”       “THAT’S WHAT I WANTED TO HEAR!” Rachel rudely pushes Terrence off herself. “I KNEW IT!”       “I will tell you more: we almost had intimate contact.”       “What?”       “Yes, yes, you heard it right, we could’ve had sex. We could’ve felt the emotions you would never give me.”       “You… How you dare…”       “And I want to tell you one thing: no matter how hard she was resisting, I am sure Raquelle still has a thing for my incredible caress. And at heart, she feels something for me. Even if she denies it too hard.”       “I could give you MUCH more than that otter!”       “No, Rachel, you are not what Raquelle is. I just felt good with you, no more. No sexual attraction and wish to be in the same bed with you.”       “Are you leaving me just because you think that whore would be much better at sex?”       “Raquelle does differ from all the girls I have ever known. She is not ready to be obedient and obey someone. She is not ready to become someone’s slave and agree with everything silently. She is headstrong and confident.”       “So, as I understand, did you like fighting with her? Did you like shouting, pulling each other’s hair, and something like that?”       “I liked the fact that she refused to obey me and support a wish to reach her. Other girls are ready to give me everything at once, but that’s not interesting. No passion. I quickly lose interest. But Raquelle has been behaving differently from the very beginning. And that’s what I like about her.”       “So, are you interested in running after the one that doesn’t the fuck need you? Instead of being with the one that’s ready to give you everything you want?”       “I need emotions, Rachel. I need some passion. I’m not interested in running after the one, who's ready to bend under me and make my wishes come true immediately. With Raquelle, I feel alive. She makes me feel a crazy passion. Thanks to her, I get an ocean of emotions. No other girl has made me feel as ALIVE as I feel next to her.”       “So, do you think I’m a log? Do you think I can do nothing in a bed?”       “No, Rachel, I didn’t say it!”       “I knew it! I DID KNOW IT!” Rachel gives Terrence a strong slap in the face with tears in the eyes, and he grabs his cheek and starts rubbing it. “I DID KNOW YOU WERE SNUGGLING WITH THAT WHORE! WHILE I WAS WAITING FOR YOU NOBODY THE FUCK KNOWS HOW LONG. YOU WERE CHEATING ON ME!”       “I didn’t cheat on you,” Terrence protests. “I cheated on her. With you.”       “You wanted it!”       “I don’t want it now!”       “You quickly change your mind! Today, you love that girl, but tomorrow, you will say you hate her and dream of forgetting her.”       “I will not change my mind anymore.”       “It’s alright, MacClife, it’s alright! She will forget about you forever soon. And you will keep suffering and naively believing that Cameron will be back to you.”       “Maybe. But I still have a right to hug and kiss her as much as I want.”       “You think only of sex! Confess that you don’t the fuck need anything you talked about very much! You need a girl just to fuck her.”       “What man doesn’t want sex?”       “So, were you gonna use me as a sexual toy, as well? Do you want to say I would give you care for nothing? Don’t you the fuck need it at all?”       “No, Rachel, don’t turn everything upside down.”       “You know, Cameron said you were playing with me,” Rachel recalls. “She said you would never love me as much as you loved her.”       “Wow…”       “That bitch knew that you play an act just for your career,” Rachel smirks evilly. “She quickly bit the liar through! She knows what you are made of.”       “She has a special secret that lets her read me like a book,” Terrence smiles slightly. “But other people like you wouldn't guess when I act. Because I am an excellent actor, who gets through everything his characters do. Who everyone must believe.”       “BECAUSE YOU’RE AN ASSHOLE!” Rachel shouts out with anger in her eyes. “THE ASSHOLE, WHO USED ME AND PLAYED THE WHOLE SHOW FOR ME!”       “Rachel, please, forgive me,” Terrence apologizes truly, putting a hand on his heart. “I swear I didn’t want to hurt you and do confess that I did a disgusting thing to you and Raquelle, and both of you suffered enough because of me.”       “DID YOU, SCUMBAG, THINK OF WHAT I’D FEEL IF I KNEW ABOUT YOUR TRICKS?” Rachel gets wilder and wilder. “OR DID YOU CARE ONLY ABOUT COVERING AND SATISFYING YOUR ASS?”       “Listen, I know it’s hurtful for you to hear all of that. But I swear I didn’t mean to do anything bad.”       “You used me! USED!”       “I completely understand it. But…”       “My God, why was I an idiot?”       Rachel puts her hand on her forehead, feeling that her heart is tearing apart, and she cries hard and does not believe everything is happening to her.       “Why did I hope you’d change your mind?” Rachel wonders. “Why was I dreaming about you loving me the way you loved Raquelle like an idiot?”       Rachel shakes her head.       “I naively thought you wanted to fall out of love with her and make me happy,” Rachel adds and sniffs quietly. “But you didn’t even try to love me! You used me to make that anorexic model mad and jealous.”       “Rachel, please…” Terrence pronounces with pity in his eyes.       “Congratulations, MacClife, you got what you want! That gal got jealous of you. So much that she almost pulled my hair out. She almost strangled me with her own hands.”       “We can’t make someone love us against a wish,” Terrence replies quietly, looking at Rachel without emotions in her eyes. “As people often say, love cannot be forced.”       “You just don’t want! As if you do LIKE suffering! You like suffering from the love for that slut! You like getting humiliated for that whore, who does not the fuck need you.”       “I’ve never hidden that I love you just like a friend. And I've always been ready to lend you a hand to help if you need it. But understand, falling out of love with someone isn’t easy. And it’s impossible in my case.”       “If you tried, you would not even remember her!”       “I love only one girl – Raquelle. And our great fight, our breakup, and anything else cannot change it.”       “Are you sure you love her? Or do you just want to fuck her again?”       “I am sure! She is the girl that I need. I feel bad without her.”       “Yeah… I didn’t think you’d like running after the one, who never loved you. Like being in a toxic relationship.”       “It’s very unpleasant for me to say it to you. But I wanna be honest with you and give you no false hopes.”       “You have already given! ALREADY! AND TRYING TO CALM ME DOWN, YOU WOULD NOT MAKE ME FEEL BETTER.”       “I’m sorry, Rachel. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”       Terrence tries to caress Rachel’s shoulders with sadness in his eyes to comfort and support her as a friend. But she sharply pushes him off herself with tears in her eyes and looks at the man with her wet eyes full of disappointment and offense.       “You know, it would be better if what has happened between us in the past few days never happened,” Rachel says quietly. “And it would be much better if we never met each other again. I don’t want to hear anything about you, run into you on the street, or read news about you on the Internet and in newspapers. You did everything to make me hate you by lying to me so insolently.”       Rachel sniffs and wipes off tears under her eyes with a short movement.       “I’m very sorry,” Terrence pronounces with sadness in his eyes.       “You’ll pay me for that, jerkoff,” Rachel threatens in a low, rude voice. “I will not forget it! I swear I will do my best for your name to be defamed around the entire world! Make everyone hate you!”       “Please, Rachel…”       “I will tell everyone what you did to Cameron and about your character. Open the eyes of people and let the world know you are not a holy angel as well as your ex-girlfriend. I will turn you to dust! You will know who Rachel Noelle Sanderson is!”       “Please…”       “And I will no longer cover you and will surely tell my father and your band about what you did. I am sure they would not let you stay in the band after that. My father will immediately kick you out. Marty, Daniel, and Peter will also get mad and stop thinking you are a good man.”       “Do what you want. I don’t care.”       “YOU WILL PAY ME FOR DARING TO PLAY WITH MY FEELINGS! YOU WILL PAY!” Rachel takes her purse from the sofa and quickly places it above her shoulder. “Farewell, Terrence MacClife! Keep suffering and loving your fucking Raquelle. If you really like running after that bitch, nobody will mind. Get humiliated for your witch! SUFFER! BURN IN THE HELL! CURSE YOU!”       Rachel quickly comes to the hall door, opens it, and slams it after she leaves the house. Then the girl gets in her automobile, starts the motor, and leaves this neighborhood nobody knows where. Terrence does not even try to stop her and just watches her without emotions on his face, being happy that he finally revealed all the cards and got away from the girl that had already begun to get him a little nervous.       

***

      While driving her car, Rachel lets her emotions get control over her and starts crying bitterly because she realizes that she has been rejected again. Unfortunately, did not get Terrence to pay attention to her and try to love her. All the thoughts of this man are about Raquelle. The only girl that got him interested in her much more than any other girl.       Rachel cannot stop thinking of everything Terrence told her about his feelings that he never had. It does not let the girl focus on the road, and she is not always careful because of it. Thus, she almost crushes someone’s car two times and almost hits a young girl crossing the road when it’s the green light because she does not manage to stop just in time. It makes Rachel much more nervous and makes her understand that her heart starts beating much faster. She can barely drive the car, which she, however, has never been able to drive well. The blonde often gets involved in hard situations when she could avoid something bad thanks to the great money earned by her father. And now, not stopping crying and thinking of the mean thing someone did to her, the girl cannot get all the bad thoughts out of her head and think about having to drive a car.       Later, she understands that she should stop somewhere and try to calm down to go home without problems that she does not need at all. To her happiness, Rachel sees quite a large café that is very popular among people. And thinking that lunchtime is getting closer and closer, the girl decides to use a moment, buy something light and sit in the quietest place with the hope that she will stop thinking of all of that.       Trying to brace herself at least for a few seconds, Rachel reaches the turn she needs, turns her car on, goes to the small parking lot, and quickly finds a very good place where she stops. After this, she just sits and looks into the distance with her dead eyes for some time with her dead look, quietly sniffing and wiping tears off her face, because of which her makeup got much worse.       And while Rachel is sitting in the car with the motor switched on, crying bitterly and not stopping to think of what happened, a black metallic car goes to the parking lot and stops in a free place not far from her. Some people standing near the café, smoking, drinking something, and talking with each other can hear hard rock music that is playing out of the open windows of the car at full volume.       However, they liked this type of music, and they do not react to the owner of the car, who is Daniel, a member of the band Terrence is a part of. He is driving the car with a proud look, wearing dark glasses, and having great pleasure listening to the music that is playing in his car. By the way, the man is not alone: Peter, one more member of the band, is with him. He does not look less proud while wearing similar sunglasses, and he gets much pleasure from the heavy music that he really adores.       The men spent a wonderful time on the way to this café. And when they realized that they wanted to eat, they decided to come here. The friends loudly sing along with their favorite song that is currently playing on the radio together and by one, actively waving their hands and slightly shaking their heads. Peter does not forget that he is an experienced drummer and beats a rhythm on everything he sees in front of himself or just clicks his fingers, while Daniel often knocks at the steering wheel with his fingers.       The friends are definitely having a wonderful time together, having an excellent mood, and would be happy to go somewhere to keep having fun. But sadly, they do not have time to sing their favorite songs in the car and get some people, who are a few miles away from them irritated.       “Ah, that’s what I call music!” Peter pronounces cheerfully, leaning back in the passenger seat and stretching his arms. “The real rock that really drives you crazy!”       “So true,” Daniel agrees, putting the hand brake on and switching off the motor. “We’ve gotta enjoy masterpieces enough, ‘cause we’re gonna play some pop music along with our princess.”       “Oh, don’t remind me of that!” Peter runs his hands over his face. “When I think I'll have to see that queen again, I wanna hang myself.”       “Oh, yeah!” Daniel exclaims and makes the music in the salon lower by pressing some buttons. “But didn’t you notice she calmed down a little after our latest boycott?”       “She didn’t probably like the fact that we compared her with a clucking chicken.”       “Yeah!” Peter quietly chuckles. “I still remember she had her widely open eyes when we showed her who she really was.”       “Me too!” Daniel smiles mysteriously, getting the key out of the ignition key. “That scene was a must-watch one!”       “We’ve gotta often remind her of that. Remind her that she is not a queen.”       “Why is she not a queen? She’s a queen! She is! The queen of plucked chickens!”       “Right!” Peter laughs loudly. “The queen of chickens!”       Daniel and Peter laugh shyly but later calm down a little and say nothing for two seconds while the brunet turns off the radio in the car, and the blond shakes his head and massages his neck slightly.       “Oh, okay, let’s not waste time,” Daniel says tiredly. “Let’s go to eat quietly and then go to the studio.”       “Oh, to be honest, the thing I wanna do less than anything is to go to the studio,” Peter confesses, leaning his head back in the passenger seat. “I’d better go to a club and hang out along with cool music…”       “That’s how!” Daniel smiles mysteriously. “Did ya decide it’s time to look for a beautiful girl?”       “Oh, Perkins, here you go again…”       “What’s up? Are ya gonna live alone for the rest of your life?”       “No, I am not.”       “I don’t understand ya, dude! There are so many beautiful girls around, and many of them pay attention to you, but you give them no chance.”       “There’s just nobody that would fit me.”       “And it’s okay if you don’t wanna marry – nobody makes you do. But you could hook up with a cutie and hang out with her a little. You could reject her at any time if you got sick of her.”       “Maybe, I don’t wanna get married and start a relationship with girls at the moment,” Peter says quietly, moving his eyes to Daniel. “I have no wish to do that at the moment.”       “Hey, don’t you like someone?” Daniel asks, clapping Peter on the forearm. “Maybe, there is a beauty that managed to charm you while I know nothing?”       “No, I don’t like anyone yet. And if I met a girl, who I could have something with, I’d tell you that. Just like you dinged into my ears about your adored girlfriend.”       “You know, blond, you’re starting to make me believe that Marty was right when she doubted your sexual orientation.”       “What?” Peter frowns strongly.       “Maybe, you really have a thing for men? And is that why you refuse to go on dates with girls?”       “You found a bad person to believe!” Peter chuckles quietly. “That selfish princess!”       “Everything happens for a reason. I wouldn’t be surprised if she was right.”       “I’m not gay!”       “C’mon, Pete, why are you shy?” Daniel smiles shyly. “Do you think I will change my attitude toward you for getting excited by men much more? You were my friend, and you will always be.”       “I don’t get excited by men.”       “Okay, maybe, you have a thing for girls and men? What if you are, so to say, a bisexual?”       “Stop talking bullshit, Perkins!” Peter throws gloomily and gives Daniel a slight slap on the head. “Were you thinking much before you decided to say it?”       “Hey, tell me honestly, do you like me?” Daniel smiles slyly, looking at Peter with his head proudly raised. “Maybe, you've been in love with me for ages, but I know nothing?”       “Huh?”       “Maybe, you already lost hope to get happy because I got a girlfriend? And you’re secretly jealous of me and her and dreaming of dating me!”       “I have a thing for girls!”       “C’mon, buddy, don't be shy!” Daniel claps Peter on the shoulder. “Confess that you have a crush on me and want to become a boyfriend of mine.”       “Even if I was gay, I would definitely not pay attention to you.”       “Why?” Daniel rounds his eyes. “I’m handsome! You wouldn’t meet anyone else like me!”       “I doubt that you will be a taste of mine.”       “C’mon, confess that I’m fucking sexy. How could someone have no crush on such a gorgeous guy that doesn’t leave anyone indifferent?”       “Get off, Dan! It’s not funny!”       “Besides, I can give excellent kisses. I’m sure you will really love them.”       “Are you annoying me on purpose?”       “So, don’t you like me at all?” Daniel shows something little with his fingers. “Even a little? Even so little?”       “No, I don’t like you!”       “Sorry!” Daniel chuckles kindly. “I thought you and I would make a beautiful couple. Everyone would be jealous of me and call us their role models…”       “I repeat, I am not gay and have a thing only for girls,” Peter says confidently. “Don’t listen to that empty shell, Marty, much. She just wanna say something, but you, idiot, believe her!”       “Oh, okay, okay!” Daniel raises his hands up. “I can’t even tell you a joke!”       “This joke is one of the worst jokes of yours.”       “Anyway, you remember that I have nothing against gays and lesbians. Although I’ve had only heterosexual couples in my surrounding, I don’t judge those, who chose a different way.”       “I said everything, Perkins!” Peter exclaims. “I am a man, not gay, and will date only girls.”       “Okay, okay, man-no-gay, I understood you!”       “I don’t want to hear it anymore! If you start telling me jokes about my orientation, you will regret it very much. I swear.”       “Okay, okay, dude, I ain’t an idiot, and I got it.”       “I’d better take your talks about the fact that I’ve gotta meet a girl.”       “Hey, about girls…” Daniel turns off the radio that is playing in the car. “I just called the memory about you talking about a girl… A friend… Erm… A dark-haired one… You said she was very sweet and nice to you…”       “Huh, you mean Helene?” Peter smiles slightly.       “Erm, maybe… I can’t remember her name.”       “We just speak very well! I’ve known Helene for almost three years, but there is only friendship between us.”       “Three years! Wow! Have you kept communicating for so many years?”       “Yup. Of course, we rarely meet, but if we find time to do it, we visit each other at home with pleasure for a cup of coffee and talk about something.”       “And have you never thought she could be your girlfriend?”       “She’s sweet, very kind, and nice to talk to, but…”       Peter glances aside and bites his lip slightly, locking the fingers of his hands tightly.       “No…” Peter shakes his head. “Helene and I can be just friends. We can have a strong and touching friendship.”       “So, there’s no hint?” Daniel wonders truly.       “There’s no hint.”       “Maybe, you just made yourself think so, and you didn’t you wanna look at her differently?”       “I didn’t make myself think anything, Dan. Do you think just because I have girls among my friends, I definitely should hook up with them?”       “Nobody makes you hook up with girls among your friends. But you at least pay attention to Helene… She is a sympathetic girl! Young and smart, as I think…”       “Ha, you’ve seen her only two times!” Peter chuckles kindly. “In a photo and briefly when you and I met her.”       “Yes, I barely remember her. But I am sure she’s very good. Maybe, she is perfect for you.”       “Oh, chocolate head, what do I do to you?” Peter moans tiredly. “If you wanna do or say something, you can annoy anyone ‘till the end. And you’re trying to match me with any girl.”       “I just want your personal life to be fine,” Daniel smiles innocently.       “You’re a headstrong donkey, man!”       “Listen to my advice and make your relationship with that girl different. If there is nothing between you, you will become friends again.”       “I’m happy with everything so far. And when I understand I’ve met a girl I need, I will surely date her.”       “Sometimes I doubt that you will really be.”       “Don’t doubt.”       Peter glances aside for a second and takes off the safety belt, saying:       “And actually, let’s go to the café! Or you and I are gonna be hungry when going to the studio and will surely kill that princess Marty if she starts one or two hysterics.”       Quickly closing the subject that he does not like too much, Peter leaves the car, closes the door, and fixes the sleeves of his light brown light jacket. Daniel, frowning slightly, looks at his friend with the suspect, but then he decides to leave him alone and talk about it somehow later. After staying in the car for a few seconds, the brunet takes off the belt, leaves it, and locks it with a key that he puts in a pocket of his dark blue coat.       “Hey, I’m wondering why Terrence hasn’t come to rehearsals for a long time,” Daniel confesses thoughtfully. “We’ve played with him only several times, but then he disappeared suddenly.”       “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it,” Peter nods. “As far as I know, that guitarist ignores the calls from Albert and the guys from the label. And he doesn’t wish to see us, as I understand.”       “That’s right… First, he was so nice and invited us to go to his home to talk with pleasure. But then something changed. It seems like that guy was replaced.”       “You know, Daniel, I’m starting to think more and more that Terrence is kind of suspicious. I don’t believe he is really as good as he is trying to seem.”       “At least, he doesn’t make me feel disgust.”       “I don’t know… Every time I talk to him, I’ve got a feeling that he is not the one that he wants to be.”       “Yes or no, but I can clearly say Albert is gonna kick Terrence outta the band soon. He won’t take a total ignore of MacClife forever.”       “I don’t doubt it.” Peter puts his hands on his hips. “Yes, he has great talent. But that man is slippery… He has something that doesn’t make me trust him.”       “Maybe, we talk to Rachel? She always spends time with him. And they’re dating. What if that girl tells us what’s happening to him, and why he’s ignoring all of us?”       “I thought of doing that. And I wanna do it shortly after I meet her at the studio.”       “It would be great if she came.”       “Exactly! We should know if we can expect MacClife’s appearance again and hope he’ll start working. Or we’d have to wait for Sanderson to find a new guitarist.”       “It’s weird that Albert doesn’t talk to her about our guitarist,” Daniel frowns slightly, glancing aside for a second. “She better knows what that guy has on his mind. They’ve known each other since school times, as Terrence said.”       “Why would he talk to her? Albert spends hours at the studio or goes from one city to another, and Rachel is here! She goes on dates with Terrence and doesn’t almost spend time at home. Albert somehow said his daughter always went somewhere with MacClife and returned home at a late time.”       “Yeah, but he could find two minutes and find out why Terrence doesn’t do what he should do.”       “Yeah, he could… But he hasn’t done yet…”       Two seconds later, Peter and Daniel step away slowly from the brunet’s car and go to the entrance to the café, still talking about Terrence and asking themselves why they have not met him at rehearsals for a long time.       Meanwhile, Rachel comes to herself more or less and decides to go to buy something for lunch. The girl fixes her makeup quickly, wipes tears off under her eyes, and calms down a little. Then she exhales sharply, takes her little purse from the passenger seat, gets out of the car, locks it with a key, and goes to the entrance.       Daniel and Peter quickly recognize the girl when they move their eyes on her at some moment.       “Hey, look, isn’t that Rachel leaving the car?” Daniel points at the familiar blonde.       “Yup, that’s her!” Peter smiles slightly. “I do remember the number of her car. And the purse is familiar…”       “It’s definitely a sign!” Daniel clicks his fingers. “Let’s impose on her and have lunch together? And we could ask her about our guitarist.”       “Great idea! We wouldn’t have to wait for her at the studio!”       “Okay, let’s go!”       Wasting no time, Peter and Daniel quickly come closer to the entrance and manage to catch Rachel, for whom the blond is going to open the door to let her in first. The girl moves her eyes to them and smiles shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.       “Peter! Daniel!” Rachel pronounces surprisingly. “What a meeting!”       “Hey, Rachel,” Daniel and Peter welcome at a different time.       “Hi…”       Daniel and Peter welcome Rachel by hugging her amicably and share a short kiss on the cheek with her.       “We saw you here and decided to come,” Peter says with a slight smile.       “I got a little hungry and decided to come here,” Rachel replies shyly. “Eat… You too?”       “Yup, we wanna eat at first and then go to the studio,” Daniel says amicably. “If you want, you can join us. We’d have lunch together.”       “And you would tell us how you’re doing,” Peter adds. “We haven’t talked to you for a long time.”       “It’d be great…” Rachel replies quietly. “I’d really like to talk to someone now… Open my heart to someone…”       Rachel embraces herself with her arms and moves a sad look aside, sniffing quietly. Daniel and Peter look at her closer and quickly notice that the girl looks kind of depressed and too quiet. The men look at each other, put their sunglasses on their heads at a different time, and look at the face of the literally crying girl much better.       “Hey, Rachel, are you okay?” Peter shows anxiety, putting a hand on Rachel's shoulder. “You’re kind of sad…”       “I wouldn’t say I’m okay…” Rachel makes a quiet sob. “I feel so broken and depressed…”       “You have some problems?” Daniel asks, looking at Rachel with sadness in his eyes. “Maybe, Peter and I can help you somehow?”       “Oh, how could you help me? You two can do nothing to make me feel better…”       “Something happened to you?”       “My life is absolutely ruined. I was just cruelly deceived.”       “Huh?”       “And yeah, why are you crying?” Peter wonders. “Did someone hurt you? Or did you fight with someone?”       Thinking of Terrence shamelessly saying that he played a great love with her, Rachel cannot hold herself down and starts crying quietly and shaking slightly. When seeing the condition that the girl is in, Peter and Daniel quickly understand that something serious happened to her.       “Rachel, poor girl…” Peter pronounces with sadness in his eyes. “Tell us something! Why are you crying?”       “I was betrayed, Peter,” Rachel confesses with tears in a shaking voice. “Cruelly betrayed. And I dunno how to keep living.”       “Who betrayed you?” Daniel wonders.       “I don’t know what to do… I am so unhappy. Unhappy!”       Rachel hugs Peter tightly and starts crying much harder than before. He quickly presses the poor girl to himself and caresses her head, hoping to comfort her somehow.       “Rachel…” Peter pronounces. “Rachel, c’mon?”       “Damn, what happened that you’re shaking and crying bitterly?” Daniel gets horrified, looking at Rachel with sympathy in his eyes and caressing her shoulder. “What made you so upset?”       “Why?” Rachel wonders. “Why do I have to get through that?”       “Quiet, quiet, friend, don’t cry…” Peter pronounces softly, caressing the crying Rachel’s head tenderly and pressing her close to himself. “It’s okay… It’s okay…”       “No, everything is terrible!” Rachel exclaims a little louder in despair. “Someone betrayed me!”       “Rachel…”       Seeing that Rachel is literally grieving, she is upset with something, and she cannot calm down, Daniel and Peter understand that they cannot leave her alone. They must support her, comfort her and find out the reason why she is crying so hard and is about to have a strong hysteria.       “Okay, let’s have lunch later,” Daniel suggests and quickly looks around. “There is a bench there! Let’s sit down there and talk! We’re standing here and not letting people go!”       Daniel goes quickly to the bench placed not far from the café. And Peter shortly follows him, hugging the crying Rachel and quietly saying something to her to try to calm her down. And when they come where they want, the blond seats the girl on the bench, and the brunet sits down next to her, hugs her around the shoulders, and takes her hand.       “Rachel, please, try to calm down and explain what happened,” Daniel says softly. “We can’t help you if you don’t say anything to us.”       “You can help me if you kill that asshole, who used me for his interests,” Rachel replies in a shaking voice through tears with anger in her eyes.       “What asshole?”       “The one that will pay me for betraying me,” Rachel moves her wet eyes to Daniel. “You will see, Daniel, I will turn that scumbag to dust.”       “Wait, wait, we don’t understand anything,” Peter says quietly. “Speak clearly. Who used you? What did that person do that you’re saying these things?”       “What did that person do?” Rachel raises her eyes cried out to Peter. “WHAT DID THAT PERSON DO? HE WAS ACTUALLY BORN IN THIS WORLD!”       “Hey, hey, quiet, quiet, darling, quiet,” Daniel says quietly, hugging Rachel tightly. “Don’t scream at the whole street.”       “HOW COULD SOMEONE ACTUALLY LET THAT JERKOFF BE BORN?”       “Quiet, quiet, sweetheart, calm down. We can hear you well.”       “That scumbag ruined my whole life, guys…” Rachel says much quieter in a strongly shaking voice and makes a sob. “That asshole thought he could play with me like a naive idiot.”       “What asshole?” Peter wonders, throwing his hands up. “Who are you talking about?”       “I did everything for that man, but he did not appreciate it!”       “Listen, Rachel, we completely understand you feel bad,” Daniel says quietly. “But please, stop crying and try to explain everything to us quietly. I promise we won’t leave you and will try to support you anyway. Whatever happened.”       “You can’t even imagine how bad I feel now,” Rachel says in a shaking voice, being close to hysteria.       “We understand it, but speak clearly, please.”       “I feel so bad… So bad that I really wanna die…”       “What?” Peter rounds his eyes.       “I wouldn’t be able to live after that betrayer. After someone did such a cruel thing to me.”       “My gosh, friend, what are you talking about?” Daniel gets horrified. “Don’t even dare to think about it! What if your father heard something like this? What kind of pain you would’ve given him!”       “Why was I such an idiot, why? Why did I believe the bastard, who wasn’t ashamed of doing that to me? Used me for his own benefit!”       “Rachel, please…”       “Why? Why?”       Rachel closes her face with both hands and doubles over, crying much harder and getting the attention of some people walking by because of her sobs. Daniel embraces the girl tightly and, trying to comfort her somehow and caressing her head softly, looks at Peter with horror in his eyes, who closes his mouth with a hand and shakes his head.       “Rachel, please,” Peter says softly, squatting down in front of Rachel and taking her hands. “Try to brace yourself.”       “C’mon, guys, don’t waste your time on me,” Rachel says quietly and sniffs. “Go to have lunch and go to the studio. Or the guys are gonna be mad. I will take it somehow.”       “Don’t care about the studio! Daniel and I will not leave you until you finally calm down. And your father will understand it and not get mad at us.”       “Come on, friend, breathe deeper,” Daniel insists, holding Rachel around the shoulders. “Stop thinking of bad things. Remember that we’re with you and will help you. We’re your friends that you can always count on.”       Peter and Daniel’s support help Rachel calm down a little. Thanks to them, she finds the will to brace herself at least to tell them what happened between her and Terrence and what a cruel thing he did to her. Even if she still continues to wipe her tears off her face and shakes slightly from tension.       “Guys, am I not like everyone?” Rachel wonders, looking at Daniel and Peter with pity in her eyes, and sniffs quietly. “Do I differ from people somehow?”       “No, honey, don’t say that,” Peter shakes his head.       “Why am I not so lucky? I’ve never done anything bad to anyone! Why do I have to get through the betrayal of the one, from whom I didn’t expect to get a stab with a knife on my back?”       “Please, don’t say bad things about yourself.” Peter sits on the bench next to Rachel. “You’re a very sweet and kind girl. Your father is very lucky to have such a wonderful daughter like you.”       “But why was I betrayed?” Rachel wonders. “Why did the one I trusted for a long time use me for his benefit? I was doing everything for him! But he did not the fuck appreciate it!”       “Who are you talking about, Rachel?” Daniel asks. “Who betrayed you?”       “My gosh, I wish someone of the girls did that… I wouldn’t be so worried…” Rachel sniffs quietly. “But not that man… Not that man…”       “But who is that? Who hurt you so much that you’re crying so hard?”       “Your fucking guitarist!” Rachel throws loudly. “That egoistic scumbag that thinks only of himself!”       “Our guitarist?” Peter rounds his eyes. “Terrence?”       “Yes!”       “But how did he betray you?” Daniel wonders. “You’re dating!”       “Huh, dating!” Rachel hums contemptuously. “That bastard just played love with me to make his ex-girlfriend get jealous, become a musician with my help, and cover his ass for nobody to know his terrible secrets.”       “What do you mean he played? He cheated on you?”       “He did, too. And he also pretended to be madly in love with me and forget his fucking prostitute, Raquelle.”       Daniel and Peter say nothing for a few seconds and shake their heads, being shocked by this statement.       “Wait, wait, Rachel, don’t be nervous,” Peter says quietly. “Let’s talk about everything in order. Why do you think Terrence played love with you?”       “He confessed everything to me,” Rachel replies coldly. “After our yesterday’s meeting with Raquelle, he was replaced and is now raving about her and wanna be only with her.”       “Yesterday’s meeting?” Daniel frowns slightly. “Did you meet his ex-girlfriend?”       “Yes! Everything was fine between us, but when he made out with that brainless idiot at the club, MacClife gave a fuck about me and decided to tell me about his real goals.”       “So, do you wanna say he didn’t love me and was just acting all the time?”       “Exactly, Daniel, exactly!”       “But with our pretense, Terrence was always very nice to you. We thought he was at least not indifferent to you.”       “It was just an act,” Rachel throws gloomily. “MacClife actually never felt anything for me. Never. That rooster called the memories of being an actor and decided to use his skills to make me think he was madly in love with me and ready to start a new life after the breakup.”       “Oh, damn…” Peter gets horrified. “I can’t believe what you’re saying.”       “But playing with someone’s feelings is mean!” Daniel exclaims. “Someone to be in love!”       “It seems like that bastard didn’t know it,” Rachel assumes. “Or he cared only about his wish to take revenge on his ex-girlfriend, start a career as a musician, and cover his ass. He thought only of himself and was shamelessly ready to use the poor girl, who naively believed that she would become truly happy.”       “Wow…”       “And he got what he wanted! First, yesterday, that bitch wanted to strangle me, almost pulled my hair out, and ripped my favorite golden dress. And second, MacClife got a place as a guitarist and won the trust of my father, who knows nothing about the scumbag he’s working with.”       “Did Terrence really use you for his goals and give a fuck about your feelings?”       “Exactly, buddy!” Rachel sniffs quietly. “And he did know I loved him with all my heart. He knew I was ready for anything to make him happy. I loved that cad since school times and hoped he would be with me someday.”       “So, have you loved him since school?” Peter wonders.       “Yeah, but MacClife didn’t pay attention to me and always rejected me. He said we were just friends. And when we graduated from school, I forgot it. But when we met again, those feelings woke up inside me again. I got hope that I would get him. Moreover, he broke up with his girlfriend… Who didn’t appreciate him.”       Rachel carefully wipes tears under her eyes.       “And I began to believe more and more that my goal was very close,” Rachel confesses. “I was sure Terrence would love me. But I was wrong… Because as it turned out, that bastard was just pretending to be in love with me… He used me to get that hysterical lady Cameron mad and get a place in the band.”       Closely listening to the story, neither Daniel nor Peter can believe Terrence did such a cruel thing to Rachel. Yes, they had questions about him. But they thought he was not such a terrible man to play with the feelings of the one, who was in love with him.       “Damn, I can’t believe it…” Daniel shakes his head. “Did that guy really go down to that?”       “He did, however,” Rachel pronounces quietly.       “Listen, Rachel, maybe, he said it in anger?” Peter assumes. “What if you had a big fight, and Terrence got mad? You know you could say anything when being obsessed with anger?”       “No, Pete, that bastard did know what he said,” Rachel replies coldly, wiping off tears under her eyes.       “Hey, tell us more about his meeting with his ex-girlfriend.”       “That horndog and I went to a club yesterday. We wanted to drink some cocktails and then go to my home. But as it turned out, his ex-girlfriend was there and saw us kissing.” Rachel sniffs quietly. “In short, I went to the restroom, and she came there some time later like crazy and began to shout at me. She attacked me with fists…”       “So, did she really do it?” Daniel frowns slightly.       “Yes! Cameron ripped my dress, almost strangled me, and scratched my face to blood.”       “Scratched your face?”       “My scars aren’t seen now ‘cause I covered them with cosmetics. But if I washed it off, my face would be just horrible…”       “Erm, do you mean these scars?” Daniel asks, looking at Rachel’s face better and seeing barely visible scars.       “Yup, it’s her work…”       “Wow, so much…” Peter gets horrified, looking at the scars on Rachel’s face. “It’s weird that I didn’t see them before…”       “I didn’t notice them, either, honestly…” Daniel shakes his head.       “I heard many insults from that sick, hysterical gal,” Rachel confesses in a little shaking voice. “She was wild and told me to leave Terrence alone. And when I said I was going to get married to him, Cameron gave me tons of slaps and dragged me by the hair… I barely got out of there… And then she was chasing me and shouting that I would pay her for allegedly stealing a boyfriend from her. But that’s not the truth. MacClife met me after they broke up.”       “And how did Terrence react to that?”       “He went to talk to her,” Rachel simpers quietly. “He said that. But they actually sucked each other’s faces and almost went to a dressing room to fuck each other.”       “Come on?” Peter rounds his eyes.       “Yes, yes! Imagine, guys! That whore shouted at me, ripped my dress, scratched my face to blood, and beat me so much that my body still hurts. But instead of showing her where she belonged or actually putting her in a mental hospital, he went to hug and kiss her and have sex with her.”       “But how do you know that?” Daniel wonders. “You saw it?”       “He said it when he revealed all the cards today and said that he played love with me. He kind of loved only that plucked chicken.”       “If that’s the truth, I’m really disappointed in him.”       “He definitely likes suffering. He likes running after that whore that doesn’t need him. He says she keeps him in shape and makes him feel alive. And I’m kind of an amoeba that he allegedly felt good with. You see, he wants emotions! Fights, shouts, and scandals…”       “That guy definitely has mental issues,” Peter says thoughtfully.       “Exactly! MacClife lied when he said he needed peace and care. It’s a lie! He wants as much drive as possible, good sex, and everyday praises. How gorgeous, irresistible and imitable Terrence is. And he wants a gal, who would resist him and go against his wish. He doesn’t like that everyone obeys that rooster silently.”       “Wow…”       “I felt something happened between them. He was out for a very long time. And when Terrence came back to me, he was dumbfounded and refused to talk to me. He silently drove me home, said goodbye coldly, and got out. And today, when I went to his home, like, three hours ago, he told me all those things… And he was pleased to come to me one hour or one and a half hours later. And his servants were always mean to me and refused to serve me.”       “They don’t like you?”       “They don’t do. They love only Raquelle. And they want her to come back there.”       “Okay.”       “Do you now understand why I feel so bad? Why I hate that scumbag to death. The scumbag that I loved with all my heart for so many years! The scumbag that betrayed me so cruelly!”       Rachel makes a quiet sob and closes her mouth with both hands, while Peter and Daniel being shocked by what they hear look at each other and try to comfort the girl somehow, completely understanding what she feels after this betrayal.       “Yeah, Terrence seemed to be suspicious to us for the reason,” Peter says thoughtfully. “There was something disgusting about him…”       “I agree, but I didn’t personally think he could like that,” Daniel confesses. “MacClife seemed like a good man.”       “I wonder, what was he thinking of when deciding to play with the girl’s feelings and use her?”       “About how to cover his precious ass and save his reputation,” Rachel throws coldly with anger in the eyes. “Terrence was terribly afraid I’d tell everyone what a scumbag he was and make his kind name dirty.”       “So, he really has something to be afraid of if he did that.”       “And I will no longer cover him. That bastard will pay me for daring to do that to me. I swear, lads, I will tell people about his real side and reveal all the secrets that he is hiding so hard to be an innocent angel to everyone.”       “What do you wanna say?” Peter frowns slightly. “Is there something that Terrence didn’t want to make known?”       “There is! And now I shall tell you what the all favorite Terrence MacClife is really made of. Who is actually not the one he wants to be.”       “And who is he?”       “That’s a fucking stinker that got admitted to your band thanks to me and my father. I brought MacClife to him and was persuading him to talk to that man for one week.”       “We know,” Daniel nods.       “But I don’t doubt that Daddy will not love to keep working with him after what he’s gonna hear.”       “Tell us honestly, did he hurt you somehow?” Daniel asks hesitantly. “Did he go much further than just a play with feelings?”       “No, he didn’t.”       “Hey, don’t you know the reason why Terrence broke up with his girlfriend?” Peter asks. “What actually happened between them?”       “Don’t you know?”       “Somehow, we asked him about it, but Terrence distantly said their relationship was close to a breakup.”       “And I must confess that the blond and I didn’t like the fact that MacClife said very bad things about his ex,” Daniel adds. “He tried to make her a psycho girl and even threatened to put her in a mental hospital and ruin her career. He called Raquelle sick and hysterical.”       “Ha, I will ruin his career and destroy him!” Rachel smirks loudly crossing her arms over her chest. “When I tell everyone that he regularly raised a hand on his ex-girlfriend and had been cruelly beating her before he kicked her out of the home. And state that’s the scumbag that has just an unbearable character.”       Rachel lies about beating on purpose to make Terrence’s bandmates turn their backs on him and believe that he is terrible. And it works because Daniel and Peter get horrified and stare at the girl with their widely open eyes after they hear this statement.       “What?” Daniel and Peter pronounce at the same time.       “Raised a hand and was beating his ex?” Peter asks with his widely open eyes.       “He confessed it to me,” Rachel confesses quietly.       “Holy shit…” Daniel shakes his head.       “And he didn’t look like he felt sorry. MacClife said she deserved it and brought him to that condition by her hysterical attacks.”       “What a twist…” Peter pronounces thoughtfully.       “He said that gal is really, mentally sick and could barely stand her. And when that peacock found out that his prostitute met another man, he lost his patience, and she got what she asked for, after all.”       “Did he easily confess something like that to you?” Daniel wonders.       “It’s amazing, but yes. Moreover, I heard something about that case when I accidentally overheard the talk of his servants, who were working at his house. At first, I couldn’t believe their words and thought he couldn’t do that. But when the servants talked about what happened on one of the days when I had to wait for Terrence to come down to me, I realized it was the truth. He really beat, insulted, and humiliated his wife. There are witnesses of that… But I didn’t say anything to him and never asked what happened between him and his ex. MacClife told me everything at his will.”       Of course, Peter and Daniel suspected that Terrence had some demons, but they did not think this man would be so terrible and dare to raise a hand on the girl, even If she is crazy and decided to cheat, as Rachel says. Being the people, who would never do anything like that, the guys cannot quietly react to these things and begin getting disappointed in their bandmate, who they, however, have never been too close to.       “Damn, I can’t believe he dared to do such disgusting things,” Daniel shakes his head.       “At first sight, we wouldn’t say he could be a violator,” Peter says thoughtfully.       “How did he actually dare to raise a hand on the girl? Didn’t his parents tell him that’s a disgusting thing?”       “He does not have shame!” Rachel throws in a low, rude voice. “That bastard thought only of his well-being.”       “Did he really say it at his will? Or did you make him do it?”       “No, he did. Someday, Terrence told me everything. But it seems like he got scared that I’d tell everyone about it and decided to play love with me. He wanted to shut me up in this way. Even if I didn’t even think of saying anything. My father knows nothing about it. And MacClife understood that I got caught in his trap and relaxed. He thought I would keep being silent forever.”       “Wow, he told you these things at his will…” Peter shakes his head. “About beating the girl, about playing a love, about sex he almost had at the club…”       “It’s not about violators,” Daniel frowns slightly. “Vice versa, they usually deny everything.”       “Or maybe, he said it accidentally! And when he realized what he did, it was too late.”       “And the most important thing is that he feels no shame,” Rachel confesses confidently. “As if everything should happen. It’s kind of fine that he was constantly beating his ex-girlfriend and kicked her out after slapping her in the face several times and almost strangling her. And yesterday, he actually forced her to have sex with him against her wish.” Rachel makes a quiet sob. “My God, why was I so blind? I almost got in touch with the real tyrant? Daddy wouldn’t be able to help me if I was at mercy of that scumbag, who MUST get therapy before he really kills someone.”       “Oh, damn, I dunno what to say…” Daniel shakes his head with dumbfounded eyes and closes his mouth with a hand. “Bastards like him must not live in this world!”       “As it turns out, my intuition didn’t betray me, and I was right about my suspects,” Peter says thoughtfully.       “It seems like you were.”       “Yes, of course, we suspected Terrence hid something and didn’t want to reveal his secrets. But… We didn’t think that man would be such a scumbag.”       “So, everyone’s right when saying he’s an incredible actor. MacClife was playing the role of an innocent angel so well that none of us noticed anything suspicious. He does make everyone think he has no propensity for violence. And people believe him!”       “It’s alright, Daniel, everyone will know the truth soon,” Rachel says confidently with anger in her eyes. “He will not get off it easily. I’ll go to the chef editors of all the newspapers and TV channels and tell them about the scumbag that has everyone wrapped around his finger. Believe me, after what I tell the entire world, nobody will wish to work with him or even meet him on the street.”       “Yeah, but what about proof? Nobody is gonna believe you if you don’t prove your words!”       “Don’t worry about proof. I will do my best for everyone to believe me,” Rachel smiles slyly. “Moreover, Cameron would do me a favor and confirm my words. She also threatened to ruin his life and tell everyone what a scumbag her ex is. So, that gal would help me enough.”       “Anyway, we’re by your side,” Daniel says confidently, softly caressing Rachel’s shoulder.       “Yes, Rachel, if you ask us and wanna tell everyone what a scumbag he is, we’ll confirm your words,” Peter promises confidently, taking Rachel’s hand.       “Thanks, guys,” Rachel cracks a slight smile.       “I think your father will also help you and use his contacts. Moreover, he’s too mad ‘cause Terrence has ignored his calls and hasn’t come to rehearsals at the studio for a few days.”       “Hasn’t he come to rehearsals?” Rachel rounds her eyes, looking at Peter surprisingly. “What do you mean? What do you wanna say?”       “Yeah, didn’t you know he has been in the studio only two or three times?” Daniel wonders. “And then he refused to contact us and go to the studio.”       “Oh, gosh…” Rachel slightly opens her mouth and shakes her head. “So, it happened that he lied to me when telling me about allegedly good rehearsals at the studio and complaining about being tired after many hours of rehearsals?”       “It seems like he did,” Daniel shrugs.       “Didn’t you know it?” Peter wonders.       “No, I didn’t know it. And I thought Terrence was rehearsing with you when we weren’t meeting.”       “Didn’t your father ask you about that? He did know you often went somewhere with him and was aware of where that man could go.”       “No, guys,” Rachel shakes his head. “Sadly. Daddy has lately been too busy, and we barely have time to say, ‘hi’ to each other when having breakfast or dinner. And somewhere three or four days ago, he went to a different city for his business. We didn’t almost talk about it… I’m busy with my matters, and he’s working on his business.”       “Well, that’s what we actually thought…”       “You should tell Mr. Sanderson about that stinker, Rachel,” Daniel says confidently. “You must not let that liar keep having him wrapped around a finger. Your father must save you from such a bastard like him. Violators are very dangerous people: if he slaps you once, everything will be much worse later. And you’ll have to take stronger acts of beating. Everything may lead to the day when he will just murder you.”       “Yes, friend, if you want to save yourself from that man, tell your father everything as soon as possible.”       “It’s gonna be hard for him to know it,” Rachel says quietly. “Daddy does count on him.”       “He is gonna sacrifice him for your well-being.”       “It wasn’t easy for me to say it to you. You got on well with him, and he’s played in the band multiple times.”       “No, Rachel.” Peter glances at Daniel. “After what we heard from you, Dan and I no longer have a wish to work with him. Even if you say nothing, we will personally tell him to kick Terrence out of the band. For us, those, who hate bastards like him, standing that man is an unforgivable thing.”       “Yes, we will!” Daniel nods with his head proudly raised. “And if he doesn’t believe us and wants to let MacClife stay in the bad, Pete and I will leave it. But I think he’ll do anything for you. If you tell him everything, he won’t even think and will say farewell to that guy forever. No matter how talented he is, your father will not betray you.”       “I’m really afraid to tell him that, guys…” Rachel confesses in a little shaking voice and sniffs quietly. “Daddy was so happy that he found a really talented man.”       “No matter how talented a person is, they have no right to turn up their nose and behave like the whole world owes them. Great merits do not exempt them from liability for remaining decent and conscientious.”       “I’m gonna tell you a secret: he even wanted to work on his solo career and make him a famous singer. That’s what MacClife wanted. He wanted to start a solo career – Father could’ve given him a chance.”       “I’m sure MacClife would piss off your father if he became a solo artist. He already pissed you off… So, he’d do the same to your father.”       “I know… But how disappointed he’s gonna be when he has to say goodbye to him… Daddy was literally doing everything for him and was afraid to lose him… He would’ve easily said goodbye to any artists of his label and left only Terrence. He got really overwhelmed by his strong voice.”       “You can’t avoid it, Rachel,” Daniel says quietly. “You’re his daughter. He loves you very much and is ready to do anything for your happiness. And when your father finds out what Terence did to you and his ex, he won’t feel sorry for him. And if the blond and I press on him, he’ll have no choice.”       “I’m really very sorry it all happened,” Rachel wipes tears under her eyes. “But that scumbag must get what he deserves. May everyone know what he did, and who he really is.”       “Stop, sweetie, you’re guilty of nothing,” Peter says softly. “Don’t blame yourself for becoming a victim of that man. We’re all his victims, to some extent. We were all deceived by him.”       “You both already set up a good relationship with him… And he always seemed to be fine when we were kids and studying at the same school,” Rachel sniffs quietly. “I wouldn’t have thought quite a harmless boy would’ve become such a senseless beast that would feel sorry for nobody and think only of himself.”       “There were rumors about Terrence behaving like a king and believing he was unique in everything,” Daniel notices. “There were many people, who confirmed it. But his managers meddled in it, and he made a great show, doing some good things for the public and pretending to be an innocent angel, whom everyone believed.”       “And to be honest, we’ve never been friends with him,” Peter confesses. “We just hung out together a little, but then started talking to him only about the band business. I mean, he is not interested in speaking to us. However, after we heard, we don’t want to speak to him and keep working with him.”       “And this time, he won’t avoid getting blamed for pretending,” Rachel says confidently. “I’ll give my everything to ruin his reputation and shower him with mud. If I have to, I’ll look for as many people as possible, who could confirm and say what he is. And the better proof I get, the higher the chance that people start to call that stinker a bastard, and his career gets ruined to the hell.”       “We’ll surely help you bring that man to clean water. You can count on us.”       “Yes, friend, all bastards, who dare to raise a hand on girls or beat them, don’t deserve trust,” Daniel adds confidently.       “And that’s good you found out the truth now. Because nobody would’ve been able to protect you later.”       “I know…” Rachel pronounces quietly.       “And that’s even good his girlfriend broke up with him. She ran away from such a stinker like him just in time and wouldn’t suffer much more.”       “I don’t care about her at all,” Rachel says gloomily. “She can live as she wants. If she doesn’t bother me, I will not hurt her. But I will not leave Terrence alone. I call everyone to shower him with mud and tell everyone what he actually is.”       “That’s right!” Daniel supports. “People should know his real character and stop thinking he’s kind of holy and good.”       “And you actually need to forget him,” Peter adds confidently. “You’re a young and beautiful girl… I’m sure many men would love to spend time with you. Life doesn’t stop after one man betrays you. Even if you’ve known him for ages. A betrayal is not the reason to become depressed and get cross. No matter how hurt you feel, your life must continue, and you can’t ban yourself from being happy because of the one, who is not worth your tears.”       “Yeah, Rachel, take your friends, go to a club with them, and dance along with cool music,” Daniel suggests. “You know how it’s great! The blond and I often hang out there in our free time and sometimes meet new cool people.”       “You’ll see, you’ll get better when you dance and meet somewhere there. Talk to someone and forget that stinker.”       Daniel and Peter’s comforting words help Rachel calm down a little and even find the courage to smile through tears to show her infinite thanks.       “Thank you so much, guys,” Rachel pronounces with thankfulness. “Dan, Pete… I don’t know what I’d do without you and your support.”       “Glad we helped you,” Peter smiles slightly.       “Thanks for agreeing to listen to me and support me at such a hard time for me. I got much better.”       “You know that we two have always treated you well,” Daniel replies amicably with a slight smile.       “And we are always ready to help you if you need it,” Peter adds softly.       “From now on, you can think I owe you,” Rachel replies confidently through tears, slowly getting up from the bench and looking at Daniel and Peter with a slight smile. “Anything for you.”       Peter gets up from the bench with a slight smile first to take Rachel in his hug, which she accepts with great pleasure and shares an amicable kiss on the cheek with him. And then the girl does the same to Daniel, who also hugs her tightly.       “Okay, let’s go to have lunch or just buy something to eat,” Peter suggests, putting his hands on his hips. “Talk about something to forget it. And then we can go to the studio.”       “Yeah, let’s go to eat something,” Rachel agrees thoughtfully.       “I need to eat enough,” Daniel says cheerfully. “I didn’t almost eat anything this morning.”       “Do you know what I want much more right now?”       “What?”       “A big piece of cake. Any cake.”       “Are ya gonna eat your stress with sweet food?” Peter wonders.       “No, but right now, I want something sweet. Junk. Calorific.”       “I guess they’re selling something delicious here,” Daniel expresses hope.       “No, I’d better call my servant and ask her to cook a big sweet cake. And I will eat a big piece tonight.”       “Well… I think… You’d better eat much sweet food than go to a bar and drink tons of alcoholic drinks.”       Rachel laughs shyly, getting funnier and funnier thanks to Peter and Daniel, who are doing their best to support her and telling her some jokes. Talking to them distracts and relaxes the girl somehow, and she puts on a wide smile on her face more and more after something funny they tell her.       Somewhere half of the way, Rachel hugs Daniel and Peter at the same time. The men answer her back and go to the entrance to the café together, let her go in first and follow her then. But despite a better mood, the blonde is not going to forget about her wish to take revenge on Terrence for the humiliations and shower him with mud. To do this, she is ready to lie a little or actually think up what he has never done. Everything to humiliate him for the entire world and make him get through what the man is terribly afraid of.       

***

      Meanwhile, Blair and Christiana are cleaning the kitchen, doing some things, and talking about what’s lately been happening. Since Raquelle left this house, all the servants have been very sad. Blair is especially sad because she managed to get attracted to the girl, who could always listen to the young girl and help her with something or a piece of advice.       “Since Raquelle left this house, it’s been so quiet and sad here,” Blair says thoughtfully with sadness in her face and voice, slicing some vegetables with a sharp knife, and sighs quietly.       “Yeah, everything has changed in this house since she left,” Christiana confesses, washing the floor with a mop and a rag that she sometimes soaks in a special solution. “I still can’t get used to the fact that she is not here.”       “I could always come to her to talk heart-to-heart, share something with her, and get advice from her.”       “Right. Although she’s very young, she is quite smart. She knows some things that many people of her age don’t understand.”       “Probably, the reason is that she has had to get through very much.”       “That’s how someone grows up!” Christiana exclaims. “If someone is under control and can’t start to live as an adult because of some people, they are gonna feel like children. And they will not be able to get through any difficulties they may run into.”       “You’re right. Absolutely right.” Blair thinks for two seconds, slightly biting her lip. “Moreover, Raquelle could always find a way with people, talk into them to understand their problem, and help either with doing something or saying a word…”       “She was so nice to all of us…” Christiana notices with a slight smile. “She talked to all of us as a friend. She didn’t keep herself distanced. She didn’t think servants were dust or dirt.”       “Right… For her, we were the same people as any others were.”       “That’s good the modeling career didn't make her worse.”       “I agree.” Blair sighs heavily. “My God, I’m so sorry that she doesn’t live here anymore.”       “I feel sad, too…” Christiana agrees. “But what can we do?”       “There would hardly be such a wonderful lady of the house as Raquelle. Even if another girl lives here, she will not talk to us like friends.”       “Right. Another lady is going to look at us arrogantly.”       “Gosh… How sad it all is… Very sad…”       Blair puts aside the knife that she was slicing some vegetables with and falls into her thoughts with sadness in her eyes. Christiana, seeing that the young servant looks upset, puts the mop aside, comes to her, and hugs her around the shoulders.       “Don't be upset, Blair,” Christiana pronounces quietly. “Nothing can be changed anyway.”       “I know, but I’m missing her so badly,” Blair sighs heavily.       “Believe me, I’m also very sorry Raquelle left this house. We are all very sorry!” Christiana thinks for two seconds. “Look, even Terrence has lately changed much. He has been very sad and depressed since Raquelle left this house. When that girl lived in this house, we could see a smile on his face. Even if it happened rarely. But now that man no longer smiles and always thinks of something.       “Yeah, you're right…” Blair sniffs quietly.       “Even the blonde, whom he’s been having fun with in the past two weeks, can’t make his mood much better.”       “I saw that he went somewhere with that girl yesterday. And as I understand, he returned here at a very late night or in the early morning.”       “He probably drove her home and went his home.”       “Who knows…”       “But Rachel, if I remember her name right, will never replace our beloved Raquelle for Terrence.”       “I don’t like her at all,” Blair confesses. “If Rachel moved in here, she would turn our life to hell.”       “Yeah, I don’t like that lady, either.”       Christiana tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear.       “She is too insolent and capricious,” Christiana says confidently. “For example, she came here in the early morning, demanded to wake Terrence up, and didn’t want to let him sleep after he came back in the morning. And while he was getting ready to go down, that girl behaved like she was at home. Rachel almost started a scandal when she asked me to give her a glass of water, but I refused and said I would give her something to drink after finishing my business.”       “Yes, yes, I heard…” Blair nods slightly. “She even started complaining to Terrence about us and compared us with her servants. We’re slaves that must do everything on the first requirement.”       “Ha, who is that gal to make me leave my business for her and go to serve her? I was actually hired to work at Terrence’s house, and I am working only for him. If he asks me to do something for her, I’ll undoubtedly do it.” But that lady is nobody!”       “And Rachel was bragging about being the daughter of a rich man, who has his own recording studio.”       “Yes, yes, I know.”       “But I’ve heard nothing about that studio.”       “Yeah… Some unknown people work there, and that lady brags so much as if worldwide celebrities signed contracts with that studio.”       “I don’t know, maybe, her father just founded the studio and is just looking for artists.”       “Even if it’s so, that girl has reached nothing. She hardly works. All this time, Rachel just went somewhere with Terrence.”       “You’re right.”       “Oh, honestly, that gal gets me really irritated,” Christiana confesses. “But not because I love Raquelle and want her to come back. Rachel just seems to be a fake. Too insolent and confident.”       “Just looking at the way she treats us, servants, would be enough.”       “My gosh, where did Terrence meet her? Does he really like speaking to that totally false lady?”       “As far as I know, they’ve known each other since childhood. They kind of studied together at school.”       “It’s okay that he didn’t at least take nobody the hell knows who to his home! He could’ve met a lady from a whorehouse or somewhere else and brought her here.”       “By the way, did you hear her insulting Raquelle?” Blair asks. “She was calling her a prostitute and even blamed her for allegedly attacking her, beating strongly and ripping her dress.”       “Yes, yes, I heard!”       “And Terrence didn’t definitely like it. But it didn’t stop Rachel, and she kept humiliating his ex-girlfriend and insisting on their breakup.”       “It’s clear why.”       “Yeah, but he said that he wasn’t gonna marry her.”       “Yeah, that’s what happens when you’re a handsome and rich man!” Christiana exclaims. “When some girls found out that Terrence ended his relationship with Raquelle, they surrounded him from all the sides.”       “Anyway, that insolent gal already got rejected.”       “But the question is, did it stop her?”       “I think, yes! I was doing something in the kitchen and heard her shouting at him in the whole house and threatening to ruin his career and life. Terrence tried to calm her down, but Rachel couldn’t stop at all.”       “So…” Christiana strokes her chin. “Either he woke up and realized that gal would surely establish her rules here and get him exhausted… Or our dear Mr. MacClife still feels something for his former girlfriend. He spent two weeks with her and realized that he would not find a better girl than our beloved Raquelle.”       “Rachel will never become the new Raquelle,” Blair replies with sadness in her eyes. “Terrence was never truly happy when seeing her. He was taking her and didn’t want to hurt her when she kissed and hugged him.”       “That’s right! It seems like he wanted to make Raquelle get jealous and started an affair with that lady.”       “The bright fire he had when living with Raquelle faded away. Even when they were fighting, Terrence was much more alive and not so dumbfounded. But when seeing that girl, he changed much and doesn’t feel the way he did before.”       “Agree…” Christiana agrees thoughtfully and steps back from Blair. “Although their relationship was by far from perfect, that girl gave him the emotions he wanted to get. But when she left, and he preferred the other girl over her, the fire in his eyes faded away. Now he takes everything indifferently.”       “He probably realized he would get these emotions Raquelle gave him from nobody but her. Terrence tried to find them about Rachel, but he got nothing…”       “Yeah, but don’t forget what he did to her. Terrence slapped Raquelle in the face. And I think it’s the reason why she left home.”       “Most likely. She was standing his shouts and charges for a long time. But when he slapped her, Raquelle lost her patience and left.”       “No girl would take anything like that. Even if Raquelle also looks for bright emotions, she will not take a man, who dares to raise a hand on her.”       “So, even if Terrence wants to get Raquelle back, he will have to give his everything to get her to trust him again. But after the hell that happened here, she’d hardly love to be connected with him.”       “But you just look at him!” Blair exclaims with pity in his eyes. “He is always unhappy and devastated! He was replaced! It seems like Terrence is dreaming of running away somewhere not to let anyone see him.”       “Excuse me, Blair, but Terrence is the one to blame for bringing everything to that. If he hadn’t behaved so disgustingly and hadn’t scared the people with his behavior, Raquelle and he would’ve saved their relationship and avoided a breakup. They should’ve just had a wish that none of them had.”       “Do you think their relationship could’ve been saved?”       “Sure! If they’d thought of each other and taken a break from their work for a while, their feelings hadn’t fallen deeply asleep. And I warned both of them about it many times. But they didn’t listen to me and thought everything was fine. Even if I’ve gotten enough experience after many years of marriage with my husband.”       “Do you think they had them?”       “You know, everybody thinks they are connected only with passion. But I’m sure they did have some feelings. Maybe, they had little feelings, but they had them.”       “It’s hard to believe, honestly. They didn’t look like they were truly in love.”       “They just didn’t try to wake them up with mutual care and true love. They believed having only psychic affection would’ve been enough. And they made a great mistake.”       “Maybe…”       “But I think none of them is guilty. Nobody just explained to those people that a relationship is something more than just sex. Nobody explained that real love is not how handsome and attractive someone’s body is for you.”       “And do you think a few dates with that gal, Rachel, helped Terrence realize that he still loved Raquelle?”       “Maybe, not only that…” Christiana smiles mysteriously.       “Huh?”       “I briefly heard about a meeting. That is the reason why Rachel started such hysteria. She said something about him hugging and kissing Raquelle and literally having sex with her.”       “Erm…”       Blair thinks for two seconds and clicks her fingers, saying:       “Right! I called the memory about something that has to do with yesterday.”       “What?” Christiana asks.       “When Rachel came to Terrence and decided to wait for him to go down, she was talking on the phone with a girl for a few minutes about him meeting Raquelle at the club. She thought something happened between them.”       “Interesting…”       “She suspected that he went not to fight with her because Raquelle allegedly pulled her hair out and ripped her dress. Rachel thought they were snugging instead of that.”       “You know, Blair, I’m kind of sure it’s the truth,” Christiana frowns slightly. “Didn’t you hear that Terrence confirmed he was really hugging and kissing Raquelle? They almost brought everything into intimate contact!”       “Really? No…”       “She got really wild because of that. I thought she would love to destroy the whole living room in anger.”       “I don’t know… I probably went to the bathroom or the back of the house and didn’t hear what they talked about.”       “Something tells me it has to do with what’s happening… Terrence’s depressed look, Rachel’s scandals, and threats to destroy him… Everything had been fine before yesterday: he was smiling at her, kissing and hugging her, and she was shining from happiness and often pressing herself against him.”       “If it’s the truth, I’m starting to understand why Terrence is like down in the mouth. He says nothing to anyone and doesn’t almost wanna talk to someone.”       “Yeah, he didn’t even want to go down to Rachel and talk to her. He asked me to kick her out. But she refused and insisted that Terrence accepted her.”       Christiana comes to the exit from the kitchen, looks at what's happening in the living room, and then sees Terrence, who looks very devastated and is sitting on the sofa all alone, running his hands through his hair and doubling over.       “And it seems like he’s really regretting what he did,” Christiana notices quietly. “He’d hardly be so depressed because of that if he didn’t care. If he had a chance to fix everything, Terrence would probably make everything different.”       “It’s all Simon’s fault,” Blair throws gloomily, takes the knife in a hand, and continues to slice the vegetables that she has not sliced yet. “If he hadn’t shown up, all of this wouldn’t have happened. And there was a chance that everything would’ve been fine between Terrence and Raquelle.”       “Yes, Simon is a real scoundrel!” Christiana replies confidently and also begins to do her work, taking the mop and starting to wash the floor. “I don’t actually understand why he decided to take revenge again. So cruelly!”       “I don’t also understand why he wanted to hurt her so much. She lived a quiet life and did what she wanted. But that man decided to turn her life to hell.”       “Oh, my God…” Christiana thinks about something with sadness in her eyes for two seconds. “I'm so sorry about that poor girl… She’s guilty of nothing of that stinker, who gets her so exhausted.”       “I agree…” Blair pronounces thoughtfully and sighs quietly. “Poor girl… What did Simon decide to do to her this time? Torture her until she wants to kill herself?”       “He is just manipulating Raquelle! Haven't you got it? Simon is doing his best to make her believe she’s helpless and has a hopeless situation. He managed to turn her friends and Terrence, who literally forced her to leave home, against her. And we heard how they shouted at each other when we were in Violetta’s room.”       “I thought he was gonna kill her there, ‘cause his loud shouts were heard in the whole house. And then Raquelle wasn’t leaving her room until he left somewhere.”       “Agree, they never had anything like that. Later, I wanted to go to Raquelle to ask if she was fine, but the door of her room was locked, and she didn’t react to my question. So, I decided not to annoy her and left her alone.”       “I must confess that I was a little afraid of Terrence when he was so mad. And I tried to run into him as less as possible, I thought he could easily do something to me.”       “Oh, I was also terribly afraid of him and even wanted to quit the job at some moment out of harm’s way. But after Raquelle left home, he calmed down a little. And began to spend time with Rachel, who probably put him through the wringer. Judging by the fact that he became indifferent to everything.”       “Anyway, I never thought Terrence would do that. He never looked like a crazy psycho. But that happened…”       “Oh, who knows what that man has on his mind…” Christiana exhales sharply. “But I surely know one thing: Terrence finally started to realize what he did. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he had to pay for that somehow.”       “Well, he definitely lost a good relationship with Raquelle,” Blair shrugs slightly. “And Rachel wouldn’t love to communicate with him after that… So, who’s gonna be next? Someone of his friends, who’d judge his disgusting act and turn their backs on him?”       “I believe Rachel could be so mad that she could really do her best for everybody to hate Terrence and find him as crazy as Raquelle’s friends thought about her because of Simon.”       “I agree. Women may be very vengeful. And I wouldn’t be surprised if she lied a little to get a one hundred percent effect.”       “It’s probably gonna happen.”       Christiana sighs quietly and shakes her head with sadness in her eyes, still doing what she should do and washing the floor in the living room.       She and Blair fully support Raquelle and pray that she finally solves all her problems. And they also judge Terrence for not very good actions. However, the fact that the man is truly sorry for what he did definitely makes them happy.       Unfortunately, the servants cannot say it to the man because they might get fired. So, Christiana and Blair keep their mouths shut under the pretense of their boss, always keep a neutral position and just do everything he tells them. Even though the servants whisper behind his back and discuss everything he does. Terrence guesses it but says nothing and does not do anything to stop it. Either he does not care about it, or he understands that he cannot prove that’s not the truth.       

***

      Time is getting closer to lunch. After a short walk in the city, Natalia decides to go to visit Anna, who is ready to leave her home once and forever tonight to finally move into the house of her mysterious admirer, who became a boyfriend of her some time ago.       “I'm ready, friend,” Anna says confidently with a slight smile, sitting on the bed along with Natalia. “I will leave this place tonight and never come back to the home of my parents.”       “Are you sure you wanna leave it?” Natalia specifies.       “Yes, I’m absolutely sure about it. And nothing can change my mind.”       “What if your parents find you and make you come back home?”       “Even if my parents find me, I will not agree to come back to them.”       “Are you gonna leave silently? Or are you gonna leave a letter for them?”       “I’m gonna write a letter. Explain why I did it and ask them not to worry about me.”       “Okay, that’s better.”       “I already agreed with my sweetheart about everything. Tonight, he promised to take me out and help me drive my stuff to his home.”       “So, if you decided to run away, I have nothing but to wish you luck,” Natalia replies with a slight smile.       “Thanks a lot.”       “Would you give me your new address to visit you?”       “Yeah, but a little later. But nobody would bother us there. You would be able to visit me whenever you want and stay even ‘till the late night.”       “It would be great… I wanna spend much more time with you without being afraid that your parents will see me here.”       “Don’t worry, honey, I won’t let them hurt you. And be quiet, ‘cause they won’t hurt you. They will give all the claims to me. But I already learned not to pay much attention to their lectures and not to worry about what my mother and father think.”       “Yeah, but I don’t want them to swear at you because of me. You shouldn’t suffer because of me visiting you at home almost every single day.”       “Don’t need to worry, I’ll get over it. And tonight, everything will finally be over, and I’ll be able to live the life I’ve chosen myself.”       “So, may God help you do what you want,” Natalia replies with a slight smile.       “I don’t doubt it’d happen,” Anna smiles shyly.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, and then Anna breaks it with a mysterious smile:       “Okay, I told you about me, now tell me what’s happening to you. What about Edward? Are you gonna have something?”       “Everything is okay so far,” Natalia replies thoughtfully. “Tonight, we wanna go to the cinema. And maybe, we’ll go to a café to eat.”       “M-m-m… Cinema… Probably, the last line… To get space…”       “Anna!”       “What? People go to the cinema to do that!”       “We’re going to watch a movie, not kiss and hug each other. Besides, we’re just friends.”       “Who suggested going there?”       “Him. I was actually planning to go to the cinema alone. I wanna watch a movie that I’ve wanted to check out for a long time. But while I was going to your home, Edward called me and asked me about my plans.”       “Which you told him about?” Anna guesses with a sly smile.       “Yup. And after listening to me, he suggested going to watch the movie together. He said he wanted to watch it, as well. And I agreed.”       “Great! So, as I understand, you won’t have to be bored tonight.”       “Oh, yeah, tonight, I’m gonna have one more incredible evening spent with that guy.”       “I wonder, did he wanna watch the movie or spend time with you so badly?” Anna asks herself.       “Who knows… But the important thing is that he doesn’t forget me.”       “That’s how…”       “Yeah…” Natalia says nothing for two seconds with a shy smile. “You know, sometimes I’d like to invite him somewhere.”       “So, what’s your problem?” Anna wonders.       “I am afraid to be importunate…”       “Seriously?”       “Yeah… I…”       “He does often invite you somewhere and is definitely interested in you. And today, he asked you to take him to the cinema with you. And next time, you invite him somewhere.”       “But where?”       “Find out what he’s interested in and try to find what he’d surely love.”       “You think he’ll agree?”       “Huh, of course, he will!” Anna exclaims. “What does he like?”       “Erm… I don’t know, honestly… I didn’t ask him about his hobbies and told him much more about me.”       “Have you never asked him about anything?”       “I don’t know what.”       “Come on, friend! People go on dates just to know more about a person! Don’t be shy about asking questions. Vice versa, that’s how you show your interest in that one.”       “But I’m letting him know more about me. He asks me questions, and I answer. Edward was so interested in it that he didn’t almost have time to tell me something about him.”       “Then you ask him about something!”       “Okay, I will.”       “Let me tell you something about my sweetheart. He somehow said he dreamed of flying on a helicopter and seeing the city from a bird's-eye view. And I thought a little and organized a two-hour flight above New York for us two with a very good pilot.”       “Come on?” Natalia wonders. “Did you get into a helicopter?”       “I did. My boyfriend was so overwhelmed when I invited him on a date and showed my surprise that he literally kissed my whole face in happiness.”       “And didn’t you get scared of heights? You said you feared flying on airplanes and helicopters!”       “You’d do anything for your beloved person,” Anna shrugs slightly. “I don’t deny, I was a little nervous. But at first, my boyfriend was with me and helped me calm down with just one look. And second, a very experienced pilot took us out.”       “Where did you find them?”       “That’s an acquaintance of my parents. But they’ve never used his service as a helicopter pilot. But I checked their notebook, found his number, and agreed about everything.”       “But how did you pay for the trip?”       “I was thinking about it. But that pilot said he would take me out for free because he treated my parents with respect.”       “Wow… You’re lucky!”       “And you know, I liked that trip, as well. I got so busy with admiring perfect views that I actually forgot about my fear.”       “M-m-m, look, friend, you’re probably gonna start to skydive if your boyfriend wants it,” Natalia laughs shyly.       “Anything for him,” Anna smiles widely.       “You’d do much for love!”       “So, Rochester, think up something for Edward, as well.”       “But what? I’ve got no ideas!”       “Okay, since you don’t know about his hobbies, what’s his type of character?”       “Very soft and tender. Quiet.”       “Then find something quiet.”       “Quiet… Erm…”       “Hey, what sort of movie are you gonna watch? Drama? Comedy? Fantasy?”       “A comedy. My favorite actor, who acted in just something for the first time in a few years, plays a starring role in it. I didn’t see him anywhere before.”       “And does he like someone in that movie?”       “He didn’t say. He just asked if I minded taking him to my company for tonight’s film show, got very happy after I agreed, and promised to meet me right at the cinema.”       “Listen, friend, don’t you think that guy isn’t indifferent to you?” Anna smiles mysteriously. “What if he doesn’t actually know what sort of movie that is or prefers something different but went with you just to spend some time with you?”       “Sometimes I wish it was the truth. But on the other hand, I don’t wanna comfort myself with illusions. I’m just enjoying the time I spend with him.”       “It’s all very interesting, friend… Interesting…”       “Anyway, I feel very good with that man. I would save any business for later to spend at least two hours with him.”       “I get it. And I advise you to take a note of it. And don’t be surprised that the guy expresses such great interest in you. In the case of Edward and you, everything is the same as it was about me and my boyfriend, who invited me on a date many times before confessing his love.”       “I don’t wanna guess anything,” Natalia smiles shyly and embraces Anna with one arm, while the red-haired one shyly looks down. “I’m gonna just spend time with that man and get pleasure.”       “But it would be cool if you had such a wonderful boyfriend. You say he’s very soft and tender. And I think that’s what you need.”       “Maybe, maybe…”       Silence settles in the air for two or three seconds, which Anna breaks, looking at Natalia with sadness in her eyes, while the blonde glances aside.       “By the way, have you not reconciled with Raquelle?” Anna asks hesitantly.       “No, I haven’t done it,” Natalia replies with sadness in her eyes as she shrugs. “And I doubt it would happen…”       “So, is there no chance that you’d reconcile?”       “At least, I’m still not sure if we can continue to be friends.”       “And wouldn’t you forgive her even if she apologized to you for what she did to you?”       “I think I would not. Even if I want to try to start it all again, I think of that fight and understand that I can’t forget what I had to hear on that day.”       “But, Natalia, you’re guilty of nothing,” Anna notices with pity in her eyes. “Why wouldn’t you try to talk to her and let her know you didn’t do what she blamed you for?”       “Is there a meaning to prove something to that headstrong donkey? Who went insane because of Simon! She believes him more than her close people!”       “But now Simon is hardly a threat to us. He thought that he had managed to turn everybody against Raquelle and leave us alone. Now there’s not a danger of meeting a horrible accomplice of Ringer, who would press us to the wall, try to strangle or go much further and, for example, try to… Rape us.”       Natalia sharply moves her eyes down, swallows up nervously, and starts to get restless while sitting on the bed, thinking about something not very nice that makes her mood get worse, while her eyes get full of fear. Anna quickly notices these strange changes in her friend’s behavior and frowns slightly, looking at her much better.       “Natalia, are you okay?” Anna expresses anxiety, putting a hand on Natalia’s shoulder.       “Yeah…” Natalia puts on something like a smile. “It’s… Okay…”       “You became so scared and gloomy too suddenly…”       “I just got goosebumps on my back because of your words…” Natalia says quietly.       “About being raped?”       “Yup…” Natalia pronounces hesitantly and exhales sharply. “I don’t know… I’d probably die of fear if… Something like that happened to me…”       “I would die, too. But thank God, it doesn’t threaten us. And I personally have a wonderful man, who would tear anyone for me.”       “I’m sure it’s gonna happen. I wish I got the same amazing boyfriend someday.”       “Don’t worry, honey, you will be happy,” Anna calms down, softly caressing Natalia’s hand with a slight smile.       “I hope, Anna…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds again, during which Natalia cracks a smile but keeps being a little nervous and thinking of something not very good.       “Say, is there really no hope that you and Raquelle will become friends again?” Anna asks with sadness in her eyes.       “Hardly,” Natalia pronounces quietly.       “I don’t wanna tear myself between you and have no opportunity to spend time with you two. If you don’t reconcile, I won’t be able to meet you at the same time. I don’t wanna choose anyone between you.”       “I’m afraid to take the first step…” Natalia confesses hesitantly.       “I understand. But it can’t be happening forever.”       “You know…” Natalia glances aside. “I think she’ll never forgive me…”       “And it means we’ll not be able to become best friends again.”       “Do you think you can’t?”       “Nope…”       “Why? You’re guilty of nothing!”       “But she thinks it’s not the truth!”       “If it’s so, you’ve got no reason to worry. You know you’re not guilty, and Raquelle will understand it someday.”       “No, Anna, she won’t do.”       “Listen, I don’t say Raquelle would forgive you shortly after you apologize to her. But you at least try to take the first step toward peace between you! Just talk to her!”       “I know I’m not guilty…” Natalia replies hesitantly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear as it gets on her face. “But she won’t be listening to me.”       “Tell me honestly, do you want to reconcile with her?”       “I want, but I can’t make myself forget what happened. I’m not sure if we can pretend that nothing happened and keep speaking as if nothing happened.”       “Ah, Natalia…” Anna sighs heavily with sadness in her eyes. “Raquelle and you are hurting me much.”       “You know I didn’t want it and didn’t even think of fighting with her. She went to my home and attacked me with charges and fists.”       “I know it’s always hard to take the first step, but sometimes you have to do this. You shouldn’t make Raquelle think you really wanted to revenge on her and allegedly helped Simon find all her close people. She should know she was deceived!”       “Sorry, friend, but I can’t get over myself… And Cameron is not going to make peace.”       “But at least promise me that someday you'll find the courage to talk to her…” Anna says with sadness in her eyes, shaking her head slightly.       “When I realize I’m ready, I’ll surely try to talk to her…” Natalia replies with a slight smile. “If she doesn’t mind and wants to do this, as well.”       “I do believe she’ll calm down and wish to talk to you soon.”       “I would like to believe you.”       Anna does not hide that she is upset by the situation of her best friends, who had a big fight and refused to reconcile with each other. She does her best to change their minds and make them sure at least to talk, but it does not give her any result. That’s why the girl is seriously worried that she will have to tear herself between her friends and not to let them meet. However, Anna truly hopes that Natalia and Raquelle will reconcile someday. Cameron would finally understand that Rochester has never done what Simon made her sure about.       

***

      After lunch, Terrence is going to the studio “Whisper Records…” No, not to start rehearsing with the band again after a few days of not working with them and hiding it from Rachel too hard. The man just decided that he wanted to have nothing with the father of the girl, his studio, and Rachel herself, whom he, saying softly, pissed off, confessing that she was a toy in his hands.       Entering the building of the studio quite confidently, Terrence quickly goes down the familiar hall, goes up to the latest floor in an elevator, takes some distance down another long hall, and comes to Albert’s office a few seconds later. The man hesitates for a while and then quietly knocks at the door of the office.       “Yes, come in!” Albert pronounces at once.       Terrence opens the door and enters the office, where he sees Albert working on some papers. Rachel’s father did not really expect that he would see this man and looks at him a little amazingly.       “Mr. MacClife?” Albert pronounces surprisingly.       “Good afternoon, Mr. Sanderson,” Terrence greets quietly. “Excuse me for coming without warning, but I need to talk to you about one…”       However, Terrence does not say everything because Albert stops him:       “Let me, young man, know what is that?” Albert slightly fixes his glasses on the bridge of his nose. “Can I ask you why you have not come to rehearsals for a few days? Why have you not been pleased to explain a reason?”       “I am really sorry,” Terrence apologizes with true pity in his eyes and sits on the sofa while Albert looks at him gloomily. “I had some family circumstances… I know I should’ve warned you about it…”       “Family circumstances?” Albert rounds his eyes and hums quietly. “Yeah! My daughter told me what kind of ‘family circumstances’ you had.”       “Mr. Sanderson, please, listen to me…” Terrence tries to take a word.       “And after what I had to hear from her, I am really disappointed in you.”       “The case is that I came here for one important thing,” Terrence says quietly. “I would like to talk to you about my future in the band.”       “You know, young man, I'm ready to turn my back on the fact that you have missed so many rehearsals and ignored my calls and the calls of the guys from the studio on purpose. And Rachel did not even know you were not here… But I’m not ready to forgive you for what happened some time ago.”       “Erm…”       Terrence bites his lip slightly, kind of understanding what Albert is talking about and guessing that Rachel already told her father everything that happened yesterday.       “I know what you mean…” Terrence says thoughtfully.       “She told me you shamelessly told her that you played a great love with her and pretended that you loved her,” Albert says confidently, crossing his arms over the chest.       “It’s the truth,” Terrence nods, seeing no meaning in denying something.       “Were you afraid she would reveal your secrets to the entire world? Were you afraid that your career would be ruined? Your fans would hate you?”       “I can explain everything…” Terrence pronounces much more excitedly.       “Don’t need to explain anything, Mr. MacClife,” Albert raises his hand. “I do know everything you did to my daughter. About what a mean thing you did to her, how cruelly you deceived her, and how you played with her feelings. Real feelings, just saying.”       “It’s true, but…”       “Moreover, there is one thing, which is the reason why my girl suffered. I mean the fact that you met your ex-girlfriend yesterday when you went to the club with my daughter. And Rachel told me that the lady attacked her with fists and said such terrible things that I got my hair standing.”       “Yeah, but…”       “But my girl did nothing bad to her and was doing what she needed to do. As far as I know, that lady scratched the face of my daughter to blood, ripped her expensive dress, which is the reason why the whole club laughed at her, and almost strangled her in the restroom where there was nobody, who could take that psycho girl away from her.”       “Yeah, it’s all the truth…”       “Your ex-girlfriend threatened Rachel and could have killed her if my daughter had not run away from there.”       “I completely understand it.”       “But I could understand her. She was jealous of you and Rachel and saw you kissing my daughter. Alright…” Albert clears his throat quickly. “But I was upset by the fact that you did not protect my daughter when she told you everything. Instead of showing where the place of Raquelle Cameron is, you went to her to have, excuse me, sex.”       “No, that’s not the truth!” Terrence protests. “I told my ex-girlfriend everything I thought about it and got wild when Rachel told me what happened.”       “And today, you told Rachel you really made out with your ex-wife with no shame.”       “Listen, Mr. Sanderson…”       “What is that?” Albert resents. “Huh, Mr. MacClife? Why did you the hell let it happen? You must have saved my daughter from that psycho, who must get therapy. But Rachel got nothing but ignore from you.”       “It’s not true! I comforted her and…”       “The servant said my girl went home yesterday. When she was asked what happened, she said nothing and went to her room with tears in her eyes. She refused to have dinner and ate almost nothing for breakfast.”       “I’m very sorry about what happened,” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes.       “Yeah, I see how sorry you are.” Albert clears his throat quickly. “Today’s morning, she thought you calmed down a little and decided to visit you. However, Rachel ran into disrespect from you and your servants, and you also refused to accept her and told them to kick her out. And when she insisted, you showed aggression toward Rachel and refused to talk to her.”       “That’s wrong!” Terrence protests. “I wasn’t aggressive toward her when she came!”       “So, do you want to say Rachel lied to me?”       “I just asked the servant to tell her to come later and let me sleep a little after a sleepless night. And they did what I told them to.”       “Yeah, but my daughter told me the different version.”       “I was not rude to her!”       “Besides, she said everybody in your house was very rude to her.”       “It’s a lie.”       “Who are your servants to talk to my daughter like this? They are nobody! They're just service personnel that must do their work. But you do not react to their absolute disrespect of them and refuse to kick them or actually fire.”       “Don’t think I’m rude, but I shall decide who I should fire, and who I should give claims to. That’s my house and my servants, who I will have a deal with.”       “Also, I want to notice your disgusting behavior towards my daughter. And the fact that you gave her such strong pain by rejecting her feelings and giving a damn about them.”       “I could not keep being a part of this show anymore and decided to stop it all.”       “Tell me, Mr. MacClife, are you not ashamed of that? Were you not ashamed of doing that to the innocent girl?”       “Of course, I am ashamed.”       “Yeah? I don’t think you are ashamed! You thought only of yourself and your well-being! You saw that my daughter loved you and decided to use it. You thought she was a stupid idiot that would do anything for you.”       “I didn’t have a bad thought about it.”       “Do you actually know Rachel came back home in tears? And I was at home and was going to leave, but at first, I tried to ask her what happened yesterday and today in the morning. And then Rachel told me everything you just heard.”       “I’m very sorry.”       “The servants did their best to calm her down and make her sure to stop crying. It was hurtful for me to watch my daughter like that!”       “Excuse me, Mr. Sanderson, but your daughter exaggerated everything,” Terrence says confidently.       “What are you talking about?”       “My servants weren’t rude to her, and Raquelle didn’t attack her first.”       “Ah, do you want to say Rachel provoked your ex-girlfriend?”       “I didn’t say it.”       “Do not play the fool with me, Mr. MacClife,” Albert says coldly. “I am older than you and have lived much more than you. It means I have much more brains, experience, and wisdom.”       “She made me a beast for you. Even though I am not the one. Yes, I’m not perfect, but I’m not horrible.”       “No, Mr. MacClife, you are the beast,” Albert throws with contempt in the eyes. “The senseless beast that is not ashamed of treating the girl like that. The girl, who has been in love with you since school. Who believed you would be with her. And when she believed she got a chance, she had to hear that you lied to her to revenge on your ex-girlfriend and your musical career that you could not start.”       “It’s true, but…”       “And you dare to blame my daughter for lying! She never lies, and she always tells everyone the truth! Remember that!”       “I do not say she is lying to you, even if Rachel is a real fibber.”       “Do not get me mad, young man!”       “Rachel told you the truth about that situation but added something that never happened. But I swear it did not happen. And actually, not my ex-girlfriend beat her, but your daughter. Even if Rachel pretended that Raquelle attacked her allegedly. She wanted to turn her against me.”       “How do you dare to say it about my daughter?” Albert resents loudly, clenching his hands into hard fists. “How could you actually do it to my daughter and bring the poor girl to hysteria? She has been suffering from her love for you since a teenage age, but you made her suffer much more by rejecting her cruelly.”       “I said I was sorry.”       “Yeah…” Albert exhales sharply. “I was so happy my daughter found happiness with you. I thought she finally got a boyfriend. But I was deeply wrong when I believed Rachel and thought you were a worthy man. You are actually a selfish egoist, who thinks of himself and about how to cover your fucking ass.”       “Listen, Mr. Sanderson…” Terrence replies quietly, folding his hands on the table. “I do not deny that it all happened, and I do confess that Rachel is really suffering because of me. I am really sorry that your daughter suffered and became a victim of this situation. But please, believe me, I did not want to hurt Rachel. I played love with her to forget my ex-girlfriend. And I thought I would really love your daughter. I really felt very good with her and spent time with her with pleasure. Pretending wasn’t something like torture to me.”       “Do not try to excuse your disgusting act, Mr. MacClife. You have already made me really mad by daring to hurt my only daughter. My beloved daughter, for whom I would tear anyone.”       “I’m asking you for forgiveness with all my heart for doing that to Rachel. And I’m apologizing to you on behalf of my ex for her behavior towards your daughter and that terrible situation. Raquelle did not want to hurt Rachel. She just…”       Albert stops Terrence sharply by raising his hand in front of himself slightly:       “But she did hurt her, didn’t she?”       “Yeah, but try to understand her,” Terrence excuses with sadness in his eyes. “Although we broke up, we still have feelings that will not be gone for one day.”       “It does not excuse what you and your ex-girlfriend did. In case Raquelle has mental problems, as Rachel said, she must get therapy and keep herself far from people. But you are mentally healthy, and you completely understood what you said and did. So, I am making a conclusion that you humiliated my daughter on purpose and did not try to stand up for her when your ex-girlfriend beat her and scratched her face to blood.”       “My ex-girlfriend is not crazy and completely understood what she was doing,” Terrence says a little colder. “Even if Rachel said that to you, it doesn’t mean you should believe her. Because she lied to me about the fight in the dressing room.”       “Stop the hell slandering my daughter now!” Albert explodes, hitting his fist against the table and getting up slightly.       Albert falls into silence for two seconds, exhales slowly, and folds his hands on the table, while Terrence rounds his eyes, looking at him surprisingly.       “Oh…” Albert shakes his head. “Listen, Terrence, I completely understand that you and your ex-girlfriend have by far not the easiest period in your life, and you are worried about it. I know everything.”       Albert clears his throat quickly.       “But I cannot trust my daughter to you if you cannot protect her from attacks by your mentally ill ex-girlfriend,” Albert adds quietly.       “But I didn’t stay aside!” Terrence exclaims. “I came to Raquelle and told her everything I thought of her behavior. She did not do a very good thing – I don’t deny it. And I don’t defend that girl.”       “Maybe, you shouldn't have started it all, given Rachel false hopes, and used her to make your ex-girlfriend mad? My daughter has suffered too much because of you and her love for you! And then my girl had to get through that betrayal!”       “I completely understand it,” Terrence says with pity in his eyes. “Forgive me and my ex-girlfriend again. I do not deny my fault and confess that Raquelle did a disgusting thing to your daughter. Our actions were mean… Very mean.”       “Yeah, Terrence MacClife…” Albert pronounces thoughtfully, shaking his head slightly. “It’s impossible to say you are such a stinker… At first sight, you are a good man, who dresses up well and takes good care of himself… But when someone looks into your soul, they see everything got rotted…”       “I’m not so bad!”       “You know, I think the rumors about you being terrible and egoistic and thinking of yourself were spread for a reason. Now I see that people had a reason to doubt your decency.”       “My God, are you making conclusions about who I am, judging me only for one act?”       “Do you think i will believe you?”       “To your information, everyone makes mistakes! Nobody is perfect!”       “But not everyone does such disgusting things you do.”       “Mr. Sanderson…”       “I examined the situation of rumors about your character and noticed you always excused yourself and made shows to deny that. And people saw your good actions made allegedly with all your heart and believed you were an angel. When someone wants to say something bad about you, you pretend to be innocent.”       “Think what you want about me,” Terrence throws coldly. “I’m not going to prove something to you.”       “Prove it to anyone except me.”       “And actually, I came here not to talk with you about the situation with Rachel and rumors about my character. And I will surely tell you what I want.”       “You know, young man, your insolence starts to make me irritated. And I already regretted getting in touch with you.”       Albert fixes the collar of his shirt and starts slowly rubbing his hands, saying:       “And I should tell you that our collaboration is open to question due to the current situation. I would say it is impossible!” Albert takes a black pen that he starts wrapping in his hands. “Undoubtedly, you have a great talent that gets me overwhelmed. You sing incredibly and play the guitar excellently. And I am going to be honest with you, the guys and I even thought of starting to work on your solo career personally. We were ready to say goodbye to any artist. Even Marty, Peter, and Daniel, your bandmates. Anything to promote you as a solo performer. Having a talent like this, you would go far.”       Albert clears his throat quickly.       “But unfortunately, you made me really disappointed,” Albert confesses. “You ignored my calls and refused to rehearse at the studio. I am also mad at you for everything you have done for my daughter. And I am not ready to work with such egoistic people that don’t know what respect and decency are.”       Albert puts the pen aside and locks his fingers tightly.       “So, I made a decision about your future,” Albert says quietly and glances at his hands. “It was very hard for me to do it. And it’s madly unpleasant to say it to you. But since you did such a disgusting thing, sadly, I have no choice but…”       Albert moves his eyes to Terrence.       “But to say you are no longer a member of the band 'Heart Of Fire,' from now on,” Albert says confidently. “You are stopping working at the studio today, and I’m starting to search for a new guitarist.”       “Leaving?” Terrence specifies quietly.       “I’m really very sorry to say goodbye to you because you have a talent that must be discovered. But due to the latest events, our collaboration is no longer possible. Between you and Rachel, I am choosing my daughter and her well-being. And I will do my best for you to never get closer to her.”       “Alright. I got it.”       “So, you can do your matters and no longer come here. If you don’t tell the guys about it, I will tell them that you left the band. We well have no problems with the contract because we did not sign it. You were, so to say, on probation. So, you should not pay any money to the studio. And I do not need your money. I do not need anything from you.”       Although a singing career is his long-time dream that is probably going to keep being just a forbidden fruit, Terrence does not get upset and quietly accepts what Albert said.       “You know, I do not mind your decision!” Terrence says confidently, sharply getting up from his place. “Yes, I do not mind! Because I did come here to do it.”       “That’s how!” Albert wonders.       “Yes. Mr. Sanderson! I wanted to tell you that I no longer have a wish to play in this band and want to leave it. But since you decided to kick me out of the band, I’m happy with it.”       “Hm, so, did you naively believe I would not know what happened to Rachel and decide to get out sooner than I would find out everything?” Albert asks gloomily. “You got scared I would kick you out and decided to do it at your wish.”       “I’m leaving the band not because of that, but because of different reasons. And first of all, they have to do with my relationship that I still want to save from getting ruined.”       “However, on the other hand, I’m happy you decided to do it at your wish. I would not have let you stay in the band after what you did.”       “I’m going to be honest, I always felt uncomfortable in the band. Even if two of the three members treated me well.”       “I do not care about it,” Albert throws coldly. “From now on, you’re absolutely free.”       “Alright, thanks.”       “But remember, if I see you next to my daughter again, you will have to regret it,” Albert threatens Terrence with a finger. “I do not ever want to see you next to her! You got it?”       “I doubt we will be communicating after that.”       “I hope we understood each other.”       “Anyway, I can thank you for giving me this opportunity and even thinking of my solo career. I appreciate the short time I spent in your band, got some experience, and learned something new. But now I understand that I want to solve my problems and keep moving on.”       “All the best, Mr. MacClife. I am not holding you anymore.”       “But this time, I will be doing it by myself or with the help of people, whom I trust at one hundred percent. Not counting on someone and not pretending to be not me for someone to sell their soul.”       “Leave, young man. I do not want to see you. And never come back here again.”       Saying no word, Terrence confidently comes to the exit from the office but stops not far from the door and turns on Albert.       “Excuse me for stealing your time,” Terrence apologizes with sadness in his eyes. “And forgive me and my ex-girlfriend for what happened to Rachel… Goodbye, Mr. Sanderson!”       Terrence leaves the office, sharply closing the door, while Albert gloomily watches him. It was hard for him to make this decision because he sees a great musical talent that must be discovered by the world. But the man loves his daughter Rachel too much and is not ready to prefer even such a talented man over her.       “So, if you want to do it, that’s fine,” Albert says quietly and takes off the glass that he puts on the table. “Honestly, I didn’t hold you! And I was sure you would not stay in the band for more than a week. Just like those, who had joined the band before you…”       Albert chuckles quietly.       “But I must confess that you’ve got a great talent,” Albert notices. “And I was really thinking of working on your solo career because I really liked the way you played guitar. But when you sang for the first time, I was overwhelmed! Your vocal is very strong! If you worked with a teacher, you would sing much better.”       Albert slowly throws his hands up.       “But since you exchanged your career with your relationship that was over a long time ago, I don’t mind,” Albert adds. “I have too much work and many talented artists, who I should promote. And you keep thinking of that model! Who, by the way, is called an arrogant princess by everyone as she got too obsessed with her career.”       Albert strokes his chin.       “But something tells me you would hardly be together, judging everything Rachel told me,” Albert assumes. “You two should get some therapy. And think of your character. And change it before it’s too late.”       After he sighs with disappointment and thinks about something for a few seconds, Albert decides to get these thoughts out of his mind and keep working on everything he should do, moving his eyes to tons of papers and starting to examine every single piece.       

***

      After leaving the office of Albert, Terrence quickly goes down to the first floor, going by some people, who are doing something. The man is about to leave the building of the recording studio “Whisper Records” once and forever, never come back here again, and strike Rachel and her father out of his life.       But when Terrence goes outside, he runs into Peter and Daniel near the doors, who are laughing at something or someone loudly. But when they see their former guitarist, they stop smiling instantly and look at MacClife gloomily, with some kind of contempt.       “Oh, hey, guys,” Terrence pronounces amicably with a shy smile. “Sorry, I didn't notice you…”       However, Peter and Daniel do not welcome Terrence, do not smile at him, and look at each other at first and then at the man with great contempt.       “You just look at him,” Peter smirks contemptuously, crossing his arms over his chest. “He still keeps pretending to be an innocent angel. It’s so pathetic…”       “Erm, excuse me, what?” Terrence gets a little confused, rounding his eyes.       “You know, MacClife, of course, we suspected you were a motherfucker,” Daniel replies coldly. “But we didn’t think you’d go too far.”       “Guys, what are you talking about? I don’t understand you!”       “Are you not ashamed of everything you are doing?”       “Or did you hear the word ‘shame’ for the first time?” Peter asks. “Huh?”       “Damn, lads, what bit you?” Terrence wonders. “Why are you looking at me as if I’ve become an enemy of everyone?”       “You do know what you did!” Peter throws contemptuously. “And you will no longer hide what we already know about.”       “Yeah, don’t dare to dare everything,” Daniel adds with his head proudly raised.       “What did I the fuck do?” Terrence raises his voice a little. “I’m done with talking with some people today! I’ve heard enough bad things about me!”       “You deserve it, scumbag!”       “We know why you actually broke up with your girlfriend,” Daniel says coldly. “We know how terribly you treated her. And we are aware of what you did to the daughter of Mr. Sanderson.”       “Yeah, we didn’t expect you’d be such an insolent, selfish stinker,” Peter shakes his head. “But you were pretending to be good very well! We believed you!”       “Bravo, pathetic actor! We appreciated your talent!”       “Wait, guys, I don’t understand it!” Terrence jabs a little excitedly, looking at Daniel and Peter, who are looking at him with contempt in the eyes and crossing their arms over the chest, with a scare in his eyes running from one side to another. “What are you actually talking about?”       “Listen, MacClife, stop pretending that you know nothing!” Peter throws loudly and rudely. “Rachel told us what happened between you and your ex-girlfriend yesterday and why you decided to break up. She told us how you, scumbag, used her and pretended to be in love with her.”       “Yes, we know everything!” Daniel confirms coldly.       “No…” Terrence shakes his head.       “She accidentally overheard the talk of your servants in your house a few days ago. Three servants of yours discussed you strongly slapping your girlfriend in the face.”       “So, did she tell you everything?”       “Everything! Moreover, you did not aim to hide anything and told Rachel how you were mocking your ex. About how you were beating her strongly, insulting her shamelessly, and giving her strong slaps in the face.”       “What?” Terrence rounds his eyes full of horror. “I beat my ex-girlfriend?”       “No, Peter and I did!”       “And you believed her?”       “Of course, we did!” Peter throws coldly. “We can’t believe the bastard that almost brought the poor girl to death. And felt no shame when telling Rachel everything as if it was right.”       “But it seems like you regretted it later and began to play a love for the poor girl,” Daniel adds confidently. “To make her bring you to her father and help you build a career, and not to tell anyone about what you did.”       “It’s a lie!” Terrence protests without hesitation. “I’ve never beaten Raquelle!”       “Violators always lie! And they would never confess that they bring their victims to a wish to kill themselves or give them such great traumas that they might not survive.”       “Damn, guys, did you really believe that bullshit?” Terrence wonders. “Did you believe I was violating my former girlfriend?”       “So, are you going to say Rachel lied to us?” Peter wonders. “You’re kind of our innocent, sweet and fluffy boy, and the poor girl slandered you and hurt your dignity!”       “She did lie to everybody! She lied to me about Raquelle, told a lie to her father about me, and washed your brains. Wake up, guys, she just wanna revenge me for the fact that I’ve never loved her and will not marry her.”       “She is a liar! A fibber! Who lied to everybody insolently! She lied to me about Raquelle, told her father some bullshit about me, and washed the brains of yours.”       “The one, who is a liar is you!”       “Wake up, guys! She just wants to revenge on me because I’ve never loved her and would never marry her. Rachel just got mad and is now telling everyone a lie. To make everyone turn their backs on me!”       “Listen, Terrence, stop pretending to be a poor lamb,” Peter demands coldly. “There is no meaning in denying something. We are aware of all your tricks that we will not even call.”       “When did you find out everything?”       “Today,” Daniel pronounces coldly. “We met Rachel at a café where we went to have lunch. She was crying and looked very devastated. And her face was covered with scars your ex-girlfriend gave her… And seeing her feeling so terrible, we couldn’t dare to leave her alone and made Rachel sure to tell us what happened. Saved our plans of having lunch for later.”       “Poor Rachel was crying bitterly and saying how much she hated you. She hates the scumbag, who has no shame or coincidence.”       “Yeah, she literally wished you to die!”       “Daniel and I barely calmed her down because she couldn’t stop crying. And then she told us what happened. Starting from your confessing in mocking your ex-girlfriend and ending with your statement about your feelings that were fake because you wanted to cover your fucking ass.”       “First, we had some doubts because we thought you were a decent and good enough man. But we could not stop thinking you had something to hide. But Rachel told us everything. She told us you went to fuck Raquelle instead of defending that girl from attacks from your ex.”       “Erm…” Terrence stutters while his eyes are running from one side to another.       “That’s how you are defending a victim and showing a guilty person where she belongs!” Peter smirks evilly. “The poor girl was literally beaten to half-death and terrified, but you went to your ex and suggested fucking in a bed.”       “Holy shit, Rachel told you nonsense…” Terrence shakes his head.       “So, are you going to say you didn’t fuck her?”       “I didn’t force Raquelle to sleep with me against her wish! It didn’t actually lead to sex! And even if it’d happened, she wouldn’t have minded.”       “Of course, you also say you didn’t try to strangle her, didn’t mock her, didn’t beat her, and didn’t kick her outs of home,” Daniel hums with his eyes rolled up.       “I never beat her!”       “Stop, MacClife!” Peter yells. “You will excuse yourself for your parents. Of course, if they believe in your innocence and want to speak to such a bastard like you.”       “I confess that it all happened, and Rachel knew everything well. It’s the truth… I won’t deny it. But I never beat Raquelle and didn’t try to make her sleep with me against my wish.”       “Of course…” Daniel throws coldly.       “I swear! I’m not a violator and don’t get pleasure from mocking women.”       “Do the servants in your house always know everything, yeah?” Peter asks coldly, crossing his arms over his chest and still looking at Terrence gloomily. “It’s impossible to hide anything from them. I don’t personally doubt that they’re talking about you not in the best way and think you are a shameless asshole.”       “I don’t care. They can say whatever they want. It’s their right.”       “How could you do that to her?” Daniel wonders irritably. “How? You did know it’s a mean thing for any man! People judge those stinkers, who behave the way you do, and never forgive them! If you slap once, you will keep beating a poor girl.”       “We would never do that,” Peter says confidently. “And we hate those, who raise a hang on girls. It’s clear you weren’t taught to do it. So, you grew up into such a nasty bastard.”       “I slapped her just once!” Terrence exclaims. “It was the first and only case!”       “Maybe, you will stop lying?”       “I didn’t want it!” Terrence jabs with pity in the eyes. “I swear it happened accidentally. I… I was just really mad!”       “We doubt you did not really want it,” Daniel throws gloomily.       “Yes, I slapped her, I don’t deny it. But I swear, I’m really ashamed! I still want to be swallowed up by the ground! And I will always be ashamed of looking into her eyes after everything that happened.”       “When we asked you why you broke up with your girlfriend, you got off the answer skillfully,” Peter recalls coldly. “It seemed to me kind of questionable. I cocked my ears up and thought you had something to hide… As it turned out, my intuition didn’t betray me…”       “Yeah, MacClife, you did betray yourself when you started to say terrible things about Raquelle and threatened to ruin her career and bring her to a mental hospital,” Daniel adds confidently.       “It all happened in anger…” Terrence excuses himself with pity in his eyes. “I just have a hard character! I can’t control myself when I get wild. And I can do and say anything.”       “You speak beautifully, man, and very touching,” Peter hums contemptuously.       “Please, don’t take everything you heard seriously.”       “Oh, fuck, I’m gonna cry now…” Peter sniffs falsely. “And I’m gonna feel sorry for you, poor and unhappy boy.”       “Listen, I completely understand you’ve known Rachel for a very long time and trust her much more than the one you met some time ago. But understand, I know that girl very well, too. Sanderson has always been a fibber, and she can say so much that your hair would be standing.”       “We also got our hair standing,” Daniel replies confidently. “After everything we heard about you.”       “First, she wanted to turn me against Raquelle not to let me come back to her, but then she got mad because of my confession and decided to tell you what’s never happened.”       “Don’t you want to confess it?”       “Please, guys, don’t believe that girl… I know her much better… Sometimes she might exaggerate to make an effect stronger.”       “We could believe you,” Daniel says coldly. “But remembering all the terrible things you said about your ex-girlfriend and the way you skillfully avoided an answer to our questions, hiding something definitely, we don’t doubt that Rachel was absolutely right.”       “Yes, I don’t deny I hid the truth…” Terrence exhales sharply. “You think someone would like to tell everyone they shouted at a poor, unprotected girl and raised a hand on her? Nobody wants to get ashamed of others!”       “You just wanted to cover your fucking ass and not to let the whole world know that the rumors about Terrence MacClife’s disgusting character were true. You were afraid that people would start ignoring you after finding out everything. Start calling you a bastard, who loves nobody but himself, and having no wish to see you on the screen or on the scene.”       “Besides, we actually doubt you wanted to start affairs,” Peter adds coldly. “You felt good! Many girls that were drooling over you and ready to become slaves of yours, great fame, much money, compliments from everyone…”       “You two don’t know who I really am,” Terrence replies. “You are judging me only by what you saw before and what happened between me and Raquelle.”       “Listen, stop trying to excuse yourself and make us sure you’re kind of innocent,” Peter cuts off coldly. “You’ve lost our trust and good relationship with us… And you will not get it back.”       “But, lads…”       “You know, Terrence, I thought you were a good man, who wasn't have a star-struck. But unfortunately, you are a schmuck. The bastard that can raise a hand on a girl. The motherfucker that went nuts because of his career and his good name.”       “Aha, and you said something about your ex!” Daniel smirks evilly, crossing his arms over his chest. “She was kind of obsessed with her career!”       Daniel looks at Terrence from head to foot with contempt in his eyes.       “Ha, you care only about yourself and your fucking career,” Daniel adds confidently. “And the perfect reputation that you’re worried about like kid gloves.”       “Listen, Daniel…” Terrence tries to say something.       “But it’s alright, MacClife, it’s alright. Soon, people will know everything, and nobody will the fuck need you. And your image of a certain benefactor will be ruined to the fuck.”       “I’m not as horrible as you think!”       “Such bastards like you better get a very strong hit in the face,” Peter says coldly. “Yes, of course, it would hardly teach you something, but still.”       “I would never dare to slap a girl!” Daniel says confidently. “Never! It’s taboo for me! No matter what she is, I will never give her even a slight slap in the face!”       “And I, unlike you, do respect girls! I know I have no right to mock them as well as you did to Raquelle.”       “I was not mocking Raquelle!” Terrence protests loudly.       “Are you really not ashamed? Were you not ashamed of treating the girl like that? How would you look into the eyes of her family, her fans, and her friends? How?”       “Listen, Peter…”       “Do not explain anything!” Peter stops sharply, raising his hand with his palm to Terrence. “I do not have a wish to listen to you.”       “Please, don’t be so rude to me,” Terrence begs with pity in his eyes.       “Just don't excuse yourself for us and pretend to be an innocent lamb,” Daniel says rudely, crossing his arms over his chest. “Everyone does it to try to excuse themselves.”       “I am not excusing myself!”       “I cannot stand it and hate when people do a bad thing and then try to cover their ass by excusing their actions with the fact that their mind suddenly got clouded.”       “But that’s the truth! I was so mad that I stopped understanding what I was doing. And if that fight had gone too far, I would’ve strangled Raquelle with my own hands because she was disgusting to me to death.”       “I did not expect that from you, Terrence MacClife…” Daniel shakes his head. “I did not…”       “Let me explain everything!” Terrence tries to take a word. “I’m not such a bastard as you think. And I never beat Raquelle! Rachel thought it all up!”       “You were told not to explain anything!”       “I just gave her a slap in the face. But I swear that was the first and last case.”       “Stop!” Peter yells irritably. “Stop explaining something to us!”       “Guys…” Terrence pronounces with pity in his eyes.       “Alright, we are done with you! We no longer want to waste our time listening to your stupid stories and some excuses like ‘I lost control of myself!’ From now on, we do not want to work with you! And we want to know nothing about you.”       “Yeah, working with such bastards like you is the thing none of us would ever do,” Daniel adds coldly.       “That’s why Daniel and I will go to Albert right now and tell him to kick you out of the band and never get you back, no matter how talented you are.”       “In case Albert refuses to give up on us, Peter and I will leave the band. If that man appreciates us and loves his only daughter, he will not choose you.”       “Forget that we knew you somehow! Forget that you were in our band, in which you did not stay even for two weeks.”       “No, guys, don't do this…” Terrence shakes his head.       “Let’s go, Daniel!” Peter says coldly, glancing at Daniel and making a gesture to call him. “There is no meaning in staying here and wasting our time on this idiot.”       “Yes, and do not try to find us to explain everything,” Daniel adds rudely, while Peter turns around and leaves. “We really give a fuck about you!”       “You’re unfair to me,” Terrence pronounces with pity in his eyes.       “Goodbye, MacClife! I hope life will make you pay for your disgusting act that only the worst motherfucker could do.”       Daniel turns around sharply and follows Peter, leaving the confused and shocked Terrence alone, while MacClife watches them until they hide somewhere.       Anyway, the man completely understood that something like this should have happened early or late. He knew people would find out everything and start to judge him. They would not accept the fact that Terrence did it against his wish just because his mind was really clouded. They would not be interested in listening to his explanations and would make conclusions by themselves.       Nevertheless, this situation got Terrence upset. He got used to Daniel and Peter and understood that he had very much fun with these guys, who could always joke about something. He even thought that he felt much better with them than with any other friends that he had. Communicating with the blond and the brunet was not torture for him.       At some moment, Terrence thinks about something and suddenly makes a conclusion that fate has decided to punish him for leaving Raquelle at a hard time. Everybody is finding out what he did and turning their backs on him. It seems like the girl’s words are starting to come true. He remembers she said something about a boomerang and wished him to lose everybody he loved.       “Be sure, someday everything will be back to you as a boomerang! People will start turning their backs on you! And you will never become a successful actor and will be needed by nobody as a musician. Nobody will need your stupid songs! NOBODY, HEAR ME! NOBODY!”       “Be careful, because it might be back to you as a boomerang. I do believe that bad things you do will happen to you, early or late.”       “I wish someone did the same thing to you that you did to me. I wish everything you’ve done came back to you like a boomerang. I wish you, scumbag, suffered as much as I do and stayed all alone. I wish everyone hated and cursed you… Wished you to burn in hell… For you to have no friend… I wish your own mother turned her back on you… I want you to be alone until the last day of your life. I wish you died all alone.”       These words are getting obsessed with Terrence’s mind and making him sure that it’s his time to pay for his mistakes. And suffer as hard as Raquelle, who kind of knew that fate would love to teach him a lesson early or late.       After Daniel and Peter hide somewhere in the corner, Terrence chuckles quietly, still not stopping to watch where these two went.       “No meaning to go to him,” Terrence whispers quietly. “I already asked Albert to do it.”       Terrence sighs quietly.       “However, he was solidary with me about this decision,” Terrence adds. “And I’m glad I got off what made me feel uncomfortable… I’m gonna solve my problems and keep looking for a way to get into the musical world. Moreover, Albert and his squad didn’t make me trust them, to be honest.”       Terrence thinks about something for a few seconds. And then he leaves the recording studio, goes to his car, gets into it, starts the motor, and goes on the road, deciding to go nowhere and to come back home. Even though the man has lately felt terribly uncomfortable being at his own house because almost everything reminds him of the day when his more or less quiet life came to an end. Anyway, Terrence is starting to believe fate kind of decided to show him what the poor Raquelle is getting through after she lost the support of those she loved and became the one to have mental issues for them.       

***

      Peter and Daniel are determinedly going to Albert’s office, not hiding their disappointment in Terrence, who seemed good and decent to them. After they found out what happened between him and Raquelle and believed Rachel, who lied to them and her father a little to turn them against the one she madly hates, they forgot they treated MacClife well and realized they were right about their suspects.       “Yeah, Pete, you were right when you said he had something to hide,” Daniel says confidently, going to the right place down long halls along with Peter. “This man really had some demon.”       “I realized it quickly when MacClife evasively answered the question about the reason for his breakup with Raquelle,” Peter replies, quickly following Daniel and being close to him. “It gave the first sign that he had something to hide.”       “And how skillfully MacClife avoided that talk and refused to call the reason!”       “Yeah, he didn’t really want us to find out everything.”       “But now everything is clear! That man just wanted to be good for us and make us feel sympathy. Because his relationship with Raquelle Cameron is over, that girl didn’t appreciate him, and he suffered from it very much.”       “And he dared to say many bad things about that girl. She is crazy, she is egoistic, and something like that.”       “Of course, she is not an angel if she attacked Rachel with fists, but MacClife is much worse.”       “Maybe, he will stop turning up his nose and acting like an arrogant star? Everybody often says that the man sometimes acts like a king and demands treating him specially. And there are rumors about him having not the best character. He is kind of a real psycho.”       “I believe these rumors were spread out for a reason. Now we see that the stinker was just pretending to be an innocent lamb. But he actually turns his nose up for those he works with, thinks he is irresistible, and believes everybody owes him. He’s kind of a celebrity!”       “Huh, Dan, what sort of celebrity he is!” Peter chuckles quietly. “MacClife is known only thanks to only one movie, the story of which is as banal as the stories of half of the movies about something similar that have been filmed in the past few years. And I personally can’t understand why he got famous thanks to that movie.”       “Oh, who the fuck knows what’s going on in the show business,” Daniel waves his hand sharply. “Maybe, MacClife got so famous shortly after he slept with an actress or a model. So, as people don’t usually say it to the public, he was told to pretend that he got famous after playing a role in ‘American Love Affair.’”       “I think you’re right…” Peter agrees thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t be surprised if people knew about his act very soon and started discussing the disgusting thing he did. Or if an actress or a model he slept with for fame revealed it to the whole world and told people how MacClife seduced her, and she opened the door to the world of celebrities.”       “That’s fine! I’ll be glad if that asshole is brought to clean water, and everybody knows what a piece of shit he is, who turns up his nose, acts like a prince with blue blood, and raises his hand on the unprotected girl. And blames his ex-girlfriend for having mental problems.”       “Huh, MacClife himself is a hysterical girl! He must get therapy in a mental hospital! I will never believe Raquelle may be mentally ill, even if she attacked Rachel.”       “But we can’t defend her and say she’s good.”       “No, no, I don’t defend her! And I think she did a bad thing. But if you think soberly, nobody would be able to quietly watch your ex-boyfriend making a show for you and passionately kissing another girl.”       “Agree with you. Despite nothing, I’ve personally liked Raquelle. She’s always been real. Unlike MacClife, who turned out to be totally false and just pretends to be an innocent angel.”       “Exactly! And I think people should know what a scumbag he is, and how he actually managed to get famous.”       “I’m sure after what happened, Rachel won’t leave him alone and will surely ruin his career and life. Of course, she’s a friendly girl, but Sanderson is gonna get mad and take revenge on him for betraying her like that.”       “Don’t worry, Daniel, it’s gonna happen,” Peter replies confidently. “So, since you and I just pissed MacClife off, we’ll also have to do with letting people know what an asshole he is.”       “I can’t wait to see his face when someday he reads newspapers and sees such terrible things about himself that will surely defame his name.” Daniel smiles slyly. “I’ll be laughing at that pathetic star, who should’ve gotten his ass kicked a long time ago. To show off much less.”       “And I wanna see him trying to excuse himself for everyone for his act and making people sure that he would be slandered,” Peter rubs his hands. “If Rachel tells everyone about him, and Raquelle confirms her ex-boyfriend is really so, Terrence will not avoid it and become sweet and fluffy again.”       “After that? Huh!” Daniel simpers loudly. “After that, he’d have only to take his things and get out somewhere. Somewhere in taiga or an island not to let anybody find him.”       “Nobody would be worried about him.”       “Right!”       Some time later, Daniel and Peter come to the door of the office they need, and the blond quietly knocks at the one and gets the reaction from Albert instantly:       “Who is out there? Come in!”       Wasting no time, the friends open the door and look into the office a little hesitantly, where Albert is still spending time and sorting out some bunches of papers placed on the table, but pays attention to Daniel and Peter.       “It’s us, Mr. Sanderson,” Daniel pronounces quietly.       “You have a free minute?” Peter asks. “We need to talk to you and discuss the band business.”       “Oh, Daniel, Peter, that’s good you’ve come,” Albert says confidently, putting a little bunch of papers aside. “I want to tell you some news. Come in the office and sit down.”       Peter and Daniel, wasting no second, enter the office, and the brunet closes the door. And then they sit on two free chairs placed against the writing table, which is full of papers, folders, and some other things.       “I’m sorry that Marty is not at the studio because it has to do with her, too…” Albert says thoughtfully. “But it’s alright! I will tell her everything when she comes here. And I want to talk to you right now.”       “Mr. Sanderson, we would like to ask you to replace our guitarist, Terrence MacClife,” Peter starts speaking confidently. “Right now.”       “Yes, Peter and I no longer wish to work with him and want you to kick him out of the band,” Daniel adds not less confidently. “We do not care who to work with. Anyone except that man.”       “Okay, okay, guys, wait, wait,” Albert says quietly and puts a bunch of papers he is holding in his hands aside. “Don’t jab, please. I didn’t understand anything from what you said.”       “Daniel and I want you to kick our guitarist out of the band,” Peter says confidently.       “That’s how… Do you want me to replace Terrence MacClife with someone else?”       “Yes, Mr. Sanderson, we are insisting upon getting that man kicked out of the band,” Daniel replies confidently. “Yes, it may be a hard decision for you. But we’re asking you to kick a guitarist out of the band by our pleas for the first time in a while.”       “And what caused this wish? As far as I know, you managed to get on well with him. Do you have a conflict with him?”       “We just do not wish to work with the one, who pretends to be an innocent lamb, thinks he is the center of the Universe, turns up his nose, and behaves just disgustingly,” Peter says confidently, with some coldness in his voice.       “MacClife was just pretending to be good, but actually he is a real scumbag,” Daniel adds coldly. “We thought our new guitarist was good, but today we found out that he was not what he wanted to be.”       “Not what he wanted to be?” Albert rounds his eyes.       “Exactly!” Peter exclaims. “So, that’s why Daniel and I want you to kick that man out of the band.”       “Wow… You never asked me to kick someone out of the band. Even Marty, who you two have not a very good relationship with.”       “Trust us, it would be much better for you and our band.”       “We don’t want to get you upset, but there’s something you should know,” Daniel confesses a little hesitantly.       “The case is that Terrence MacClife used your daughter to make his ex, Raquelle Cameron, wild. You thought he started to love her, but it was not true. That man was never interested in Rachel and used her for his own interest.”       “And you know, he did it!” Peter notices confidently. “Rachel told us how MacClife’s ex attacked your daughter and almost pulled her hair out. And Terrence did not want to defend the poor girl and didn’t get mad at Raquelle for what she did to her. Instead of that, he went to make out with her and persuade her to have sex with him… That man did say everything to Rachel without shame.”       Peter falls into silence for two seconds.       “I mean the fact that he played love with her,” Peter specifies. “Used her to take revenge on his ex-girlfriend and his career in our band, and confessed shamelessly that he wanted to sleep with Cameron instead of explaining something to her.”       “It’s true!” Daniel confirms. “Your daughter is now devastated, and we barely calmed her down when we met her at the café. Rachel was crying and couldn’t calm down and stop shaking. The poor girl thought she got lucky in love, but MacClife cruelly lied to her and did just a disgusting thing to her.”       “That’s how…” Albert pronounces quietly, tightly locking his fingers.       “Why are you so quiet?” Peter wonders. “Mr. Sanderson! That man hurt your daughter, but you’re reacting like this!”       “So, do you know everything?”       “Erm, did you know it?” Daniel rounds his eyes.       “Yes, I did! Rachel told me everything.”       “Told you… Hm… She didn’t say it to us!”       “She was at Terrence’s home this morning and wanted to support him after the scandal that happened yesterday at the club where they went and met Raquelle. But that man ignored my daughter, rejected her, and let her know that he never loved her and would never do it. He confessed he used Rachel to make his ex-girlfriend angry and build a career as a musician with my help.”       “We know,” Peter nods with sadness in his eyes. “Rachel is very depressed because he rejected her like that. She knew she shouldn’t have hoped on something, but at some moment, she stopped being careful and thought Terrence finally paid attention to her.”       “I get it…” Albert rubs his forehead with a hand. “At some moment, Terrence just started expressing by far not amicable feelings for Rachel and kind of began to look at her not as a friend. So, my daughter lost vigilance. She started to think she’d get him this time. But it was by far not the truth. That man didn’t even think of falling in love with her.”       “It was just an act for his own benefit,” Peter says confidently. “Rachel was a toy in his hands. Sadly, that girl became a victim of him.”       “That’s why I had to make a hard decision due to what happened.”       “Would you kick Terrence out of the band?” Daniel asks with hope in his eyes. “Yeah?”       “The case is that I already kicked him out.”       “Already?” Daniel and Peter wonder.       “Yes. I mean, he came here and said that he would leave. Along with that, he confirmed everything Rachel said: what happened yesterday, what happened today, and what a disgusting thing he did to her.”       “Wow…” Peter pronounces thoughtfully. “He wanted to get out quietly with the thought that you would know nothing?”       “Exactly! Well, as he decided to do it, I didn’t mind. And I don’t want to work with such insolent and arrogant scumbags, who dare to do that to my beloved daughter.”       “Excellent then!” Daniel exclaims. “Minus one problem!”       “You know how that man got me mad? He sometimes showed insolence and looked like he regretted nothing. And he also tried to find some excuses.”       “We just met him near the entrance to the studio, and he tried to excuse himself for us and said it all was a lie. He tried to make us sure that Rachel lied to us.”       “He tried to make me sure about it.”       “By the way, didn’t your daughter tell you the real reason why he broke up with his girlfriend?” Peter asks.       “No, she didn’t. And I don’t care about it…”       “Sorry!”       “But why?” Albert frowns slightly. “Do you know something about it?”       “MacClife was beating Raquelle all the time they were together,” Daniel says coldly.       “What?” Albert rounds his eyes full of horror immediately and stares at Daniel and Peter surprisingly. “Terrence was beating his ex-girlfriend?”       “He was insulting her, humiliating her, giving her slaps, beating strongly, and trying to strangle…” Daniel confesses.       “Trying to strangle?”       “Yes.”       “Rachel told you that?”       “She did. Your daughter heard how the servants working at his house were talking about it. Those women are well aware of what happened between them.”       “But why?” Albert wonders. “What did his ex-girlfriend do that he dared to raise a hand on her?”       “We don’t know, Mr. Sanderson,” Peter throws his hands up. “But we’re sure he could be a cruel tyrant.”       “Yeah, one of those, who beat a girl shamelessly, while nobody sees, but pretends to be good in public,” Daniel adds.       “So, we do not doubt that he was pretending to be good. He was aware of how people treated those who raised a hand on a girl and especially beat them. But MacClife was terribly afraid of being judged and pretended to be an angel for all of us. He thought we would know nothing.”       “And we’re sure he would do that over and over,” Daniel adds confidently, crossing his arms over his chest. “But someone else might become a victim… And… I don’t want to scare you, but… Peter and I are worried that your daughter could’ve become another victim. Who knew all of that very well.”       “Oh, gosh…” Albert gets horrified. “I can’t believe it…”       Albert takes his glasses off, puts them on the table, and runs his hands over his face.       “Gosh…” Albert shakes his head. “Did my daughter almost get in touch with the one, who could make violent actions? For whom slapping a girl is very easy! Did Rachel get in touch with that stinker at her will, even if she was aware of what happened?”       “I think she loved him too much and was ready to pay no attention to that,” Peter assumes.       “Damn… If I knew it, I would not let her come to her!”       “And Terrence used it well and pretended to be in love with your daughter not only for his career and revenge on his ex-girlfriend but also for making her keep silence about showing aggression towards Raquelle.”       “Yeah, he also tried to make Raquelle crazy and often said he would do his best to ruin her career and bring her to a mental hospital,” Daniel adds confidently. “You know, his dignity got hurt! His ex-girlfriend did not shower him with compliments, did not admire him, and did refuse to have intimate contact with him. So, MacClife got wild and started mocking the poor girl like that.”       “Of course, she is not perfect, but she is much better than the stinker, who did such a bad thing to the innocent girl.”       After hearing these confessions, Albert gets much more horrified and tightly clenches his hands into hard fists with anger in his eyes.       “Bastard!” Albert throws with anger. “If I’d known it before, I would’ve squashed him! And I will do this if that asshole is next to my daughter again!”       “Mr. Sanderson, we are literally begging you to save Rachel from that man,” Daniel begs with sadness in his eyes. “He may be very dangerous for her. We wouldn’t be surprised if she did a bad thing, and that man got mad and beat her to death. Everyone knows everything starts with something. An allegedly good person slowly turns into a real bastard. That only one girl knows. For other people, they would be an angel that came from heaven.”       “Daniel is absolutely right, Mr. Sanderson,” Peter agrees confidently. “Don’t let Rachel talk to Terrence if you don’t want her to suffer much more. If that man raises his hand on her and starts beating her, it will be very hard for her to come to herself. It’s much harder to do it than after a breakup or a betrayal. And you will not be able to protect her if you let her go and give her to that man.”       “I understood you, guys,” Albert nods confidently and puts on his glasses again. “Don’t worry! From now on, my daughter will no longer talk to Terrence. After what you told me, Rachel will not dare even to look at him. I will not let my daughter talk to the one, who has the sighs of a real violator and dares to raise a hand on a girl.”       “I don’t understand how Raquelle was actually taking MacClife all the time and didn’t try to run away from him before,” Daniel gives his opinion. “Did she think she would change him? But did she leave when she realized it was worthless?”       “It probably happened. As far as I know, Terrence dated that model for about one year. I guess that girl began dating him because of her blind love. But when she woke up and realized what he is made of, she regretted it.”       “But the fact that she almost hurt your daughter may say that model still loves MacClife,” Peter assumes. “If Raquelle didn’t love, she would not have started that scandal from jealousy. She wouldn’t have cared who he was or where he was.”       “Maybe…” Albert slightly fixes his glasses. “But you know, although I’m not happy with what she did to my daughter, I feel sorry for that girl. Because she got in touch with such a selfish stinker as Terrence. She is not guilty of loving that man and having to take all of that.”       “We don’t judge that girl…” Daniel says thoughtfully. “She’s not the one to blame. But since Raquelle decided to break up with him, she did an absolutely right thing.”       “I hope the whole world will know about what he did and about what an insolent liar and pretender he is,” Peter expresses hope coldly. “And I would personally wish his friends and fans knew who MacClife really is and turned their backs on him.”       “It will happen, guys, believe me,” Albert replies confidently. “When one rumor is spread out, everybody will be discussing it. And some people would love to confirm or deny these guesses. I’m sure many people from the show business know about Terrence’s disgusting behavior but say nothing about it. But this time, they would surely like to speak, bring that man to clean water, and tell everyone who he actually is.”       “We will see what MacClife will say when he is pressed to the wall,” Peter simpers quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.       Albert also simpers quietly and drinks some coffee from a cup placed on the writing table near him.       “Alright, let’s let him solve his marriage problems and bring his good name back by himself,” Albert suggests confidently. “I’ve already told you Terrence MacClife is no longer a part of your band from now on. And if it’s so, we are starting to look for a new guitarist again.”       “Do you know someone, who could be the one?” Peter asks.       “Yeah, I know a couple of people, for whom we will be auditioning. We will call them and invite them to come here.”       “You say, he showed a wish to leave the band?” Daniel specifies.       “He did. Terrence went to my office, confirmed everything that I said before, said he would leave the band after I did it first, said goodbye, and left.”       “Alright.”       “So, as he wanted not to load us and my daughter with problems, it’s alright. I did not hold him and was sure he would not stay in the band for a long time.”       “Since he decided to do it at his will, we will just wave a hand at him,” Peter shrugs.       “But I want to tell you that it wasn’t hard for me to say goodbye to him.”       “Don’t be sorry, Mr. Sanderson. You will find a good guitarist.”       “Yeah, but no matter what, Terrence has a special talent. I really liked the way he played guitar and was just overwhelmed by his incredible signing. He actually has a very strong and clean voice and can take notes in quite a wild range.”       “Well, he can really play guitar well,” Daniel agrees. “Much better than those, who played with us before.”       “We were even thinking of working on his solo career and helping him make his dream of getting famous come true. But this situation made me disappointed in that man and hate him… There might be no talk about getting him promoted.”       “Now he has lost any hope to make his dream come true. Because nobody would love to work with him. And nobody would need his freaking songs.”       “I would not care about it if he insulted and humiliated me. But he did the holiest thing – my daughter! When someone hurts Rachel, they hurt me, too. You both know I would tear anyone up for my child. She is my only close person. I have no one else. Only my daughter. Who is getting more similar to her late mother every day. And it’s one of many reasons why I'm so attracted to her. I loved my wife with all my heart and still can’t believe she was gone.”       “We know, Mr. Sanderson,” Daniel nods.       “So, Daniel and Peter…” Albert locks his hands tightly placed on the table. “I had a choice: promoting Terrence MacClife as a solo artist or the happiness and quiet of my daughter. And I sacrificed the incredible talent of that guy for my beloved Rachel.”       “You made the right choice,” Daniel says confidently. “No matter how talented Terrence is, you must not let him go too far. Peter and I also consider him a very talented guitarist, and he really plays guitar well. Besides, we’ve heard him signing a couple of times and think it’s much better than the way we sing. But the decision to tell you to kick him out was made because of the principles. We can’t stand those, who raise a hand on girls and believe Rachel doesn’t deserve to be treated like that.”       “We really tried to accept Terrence, help him get used to the new collective, and be nice to him,” Peter adds. “We treated him the way we treated those, who were in our band before. But due to the situation, our work together is impossible. And we say nothing about friendship.”       “Yeah, he is guilty of what happened.”       “I believe you already got close to him,” Albert notices with sadness in his eyes. “I saw you often going somewhere together, talking, laughing, and working together well.”       “We can’t deny it,” Peter says quietly. “We got on well with Terrence. But he has lately kind of ignored us. We just met him today.”       “It’s probably hard for you to realize all of that and accept the fact that Terrence is such a bastard.”       “It’s a little hard, but we can take it.”       “It’s okay, Mr. Sanderson, we aren’t too upset,” Daniel confirms confidently. “Yes, we got on with Terrence well and helped him get used to the collective and understand his business. But… We weren’t such good friends… Well, that idiot left at his will – so, goodbye! Good riddance! We will be working without him.”       “That’s right…” Albert nods confidently. “The fact that he left the band will not change anything, and you’ll keep rehearsing along with Marty. And when I find a new guitarist, you’ll be working much harder and getting ready to record new songs. I want to work with your band seriously and agree about performances at larger arenas.”       “Yeah, we’ll keep working,” Peter nods energetically with a slight smile. “Nothing has changed. It seems like MacClife has never been a part of the band. We rehearsed with him several times for two weeks that he was a part of us.”       “I think so. You all rehearsed for a few hours per day. But Terrence came here only two or three times and completely ignored all my calls and bad messages.”       “Yeah, he thinks he is a king, who does not want to work hard…” Daniel shrugs.       Silence settles in the air for some time, after which Albert frowns slightly and starts stroking his chin, looking at Peter and Daniel sitting in the chairs, leaning back in them and keeping their legs a little spread.       “And yeah, guys, I have a thing to ask you about,” Albert says thoughtfully. “Please, do your best to help Rachel come to herself after the shock she got. You two get on with her well, and I trust you completely. So, try to spend a lot of time with her and distract her from a wish to talk to Terrence if she gets it. She must not see him. The sooner my daughter forgets him, the better. You got it?”       “Don’t worry, Mr. Sanderson,” Daniel pronounces confidently. “We’ll do our best for Rachel to forget about the betrayer and that stinker.”       “You do know how well we treat your daughter,” Peter adds amicably. “She can always ask us for help, advice, or just a plea to listen to her or comfort her. We love Rachel and think she is an amazing girl.”       “Thanks a lot, guys,” Albert smiles shyly. “I knew I could count on you.”       Daniel and Peter smile shyly at Albert, who answers them back, truly hoping these men would really do their best to help Rachel forget everything that happened to her and save her from such a terrible and dangerous, as they think, man like Terrence MacClife.       

***

      Meanwhile, Alicia had a good rest after arriving in New York a few hours ago. Now she wants to start to find out everything is thinking about what to do while still being in her room in the hotel and standing in front of the window, through which she can see an amazing view of a part of the city.       “What do I do?” Alicia wonders. “What do I do? Where do I go? I’ve gotta find out everything that’s happening here. To find out if Amelia was right about her suspects.”       Alicia steps back from the window and starts to slowly walk in circles around the whole room.       “I need to understand what I should cling for,” Alicia thinks. “I don't know the addresses of Raquelle's friends and shall not manage to talk to them. And they hardly know where I could find my girl because Mr. Cameron said she fought with Natalia and doesn’t talk to Anna. So, asking them for help would make no sense…”       Alicia sighs heavily.       “It seems like I’ve got one thing to do – to go to the MacClife’s house,” Alicia thinks. “What if the servants know something that’s happening there? Or maybe, even the respectful Mr. MacClife himself would show a wish to tell me something! Explain what he did if Raquelle wants to know nothing about him and ended her relationship with him.”       After thinking a little, Alicia decided to go to Terrence’s house and question everybody if it is possible.       “Yeah, I’ve gotta go there,” Alicia decides. “Right now. That’s good nobody knows I’m here. So, even if Terrence wants to avoid a talk with me, I will not give him this sort of pleasure.”       Alicia nods.       “I’ve decided!” Alicia thinks. “I’m going to the house of MacClife. To find out everything that has happened here for almost one year since the beginning of their affair. Luckily, I’ve got the address. If I say it to the driver of a taxi, they will quickly drive me there.”       Alicia quickly looks in the mirror to make sure she looks good. And then she takes her purse, mobile phone, and keys from her room. When she quickly looks around it, the woman locks the door, goes down in an elevator, gives the keys to the reception, and goes outside. Two minutes later, she catches a taxi, gets into it, calls the address of Terrence’s home, and silently waits for the car to come to the place she needs.       After twenty or thirty minutes of being on the way, Alicia finally arrives in the neighborhood where Terrence’s residence is located. When she pays for her trip, the woman leaves the taxi, closes the door, and places her purse above her shoulder. She confidently comes to the security post, explains to the guards that she wants to visit MacClife, and quietly keeps moving on when they open the gates for her.       When she comes to one of the houses she needs, Alicia looks at this one from up to down and silently notices that it looks very beautiful.       “Wow, it’s a very beautiful place,” Alicia notices with sadness in her eyes. “I’ve never been here before, and I see this house for the first time. And I really love it.”       Alicia sighs heavily.       “My God, how hurtful it is that it happened like this,” Alicia thinks. “Is everything really so hopeless? Shouldn’t have I been happy that the life of my girl got better, and she finally met a good man?”       Alicia, barely holding down tears that come to her eyes, thinks about what’s happening in the life of her niece, who seemed so happy, for a few seconds. But then she calls the memories of the reason why she came here, decides not to waste time, and confidently comes to the house of Terrence. When she comes to the hall door, the woman presses the doorbell placed near it two times and waits for a reaction. A few seconds later, the door opens, and Blair shows up on the doorstep, holding a little panicle in her hands.       “Hello,” Blair greets gently. “Who are you? Who do you want to see?”       “Hello,” Alicia replies quietly. “Sorry for bothering you, but I need to talk to Terrence MacClife or Raquelle Cameron? Is it possible?”       “Erm…”       Blair bites her lip slightly, glances aside, and shrugs, saying:       “I’m sorry, ma’am, but Mr. MacClife is not here now,” Blair says hesitantly. “And it’s been a long time since Ms. Cameron has not lived here.”       “She does not?” Alicia rounds her eyes.       “Sadly.”       “Do you know how long ago Raquelle left and where?”       “Well, she left about two or three weeks ago… But nobody knows where she went! She took her stuff and left this house, saying nothing to anyone.”       “So, can nobody even assume where she could go?”       “No, nobody thought about it,” Blair shrugs.       “Oh, this is how everything’s happening…”       While silence settles in the air for two seconds, Blair frowns slightly and looks at Alicia much more carefully.       “Excuse me, have you been here before?” Blair asks hesitantly. “Who are you for Ms. Cameron or Mr. MacClife?”       “Oh, sorry…” Alicia smiles shyly. “I should have probably introduced myself and then explained what I wanted.”       Alicia clears her throat quickly.       “My name is Alicia Middleton,” Alicia introduces herself. “I’m an aunt of Raquelle. I came here from London to support her. When I found out that she got problems, I decided to come here and support my niece.”       “Raquelle’s aunt?” Blair frowns slightly. “Ah, you are an aunt of her… You could say it first.”       “Sorry,” Alicia pronounces shyly.       “It’s alright! Moreover, I was sure someone from her family would come here someday to find out everything.”       “That’s how!”       “Since you’re her aunt, I think I can tell you something that you would be interested in. And maybe, probably, get excited.”       “Really?” Alicia rounds her eyes.       “Yes!” Blair steps out from the doorstep and invites Alicia to enter the house with a gesture. “Come in, please.”       “Thanks,” Alicia thanks politely.       Alicia enters the house and waits for Blair to close the door after the one, who just came here and goes to the living room along with her.       “Don’t you know when Terrence will come back?” Alicia asks.       “Mr. MacClife is supposed to come back soon,” Blair replies hesitantly. “You can wait for him if you want.”       “Of course, I shall wait for him. I have something to talk to him about.”       “Sit on the sofa, please,” Blair suggests, pointing at the sofa with a gesture. “Don’t be shy.”       Alicia looks around first, then sits on the sofa in the living room and puts her purse near her. Meanwhile, Blair puts her panicle aside.       “Maybe, you want to eat or drink something?” Blair asks gently.       “Erm, no, no, thanks!” Alicia replies with a slight smile. “No need.”       “Oh, alright then…” Blair shrugs.       “So…” Alicia bites her lip slightly. “Do you say you have something to tell me about my niece?”       “Yes, I do…” Blair shyly sits on the sofa next to Alicia and folds her hands in front of her. “Do you probably know what happened to your niece?”       “I would say so,” Alicia replies quietly. “But I think I don’t know everything. And I came here especially to find out something.”       “I think you did the right thing.”       “Do you know something about Raquelle?”       “Yes, I do.” Blair glances at her hands. “Servants always know everything that happens to those they work on.”       “Good, then tell me everything you know,” Alicia says quietly.       “No problem. I’m ready to answer all your questions.”       “Tell me the whole story from the beginning. When my niece got problems.”       “Alright.” Blair clears her throat a little to clear her throat. “It started when your niece ran into a man named Simon Ringer about one month ago. I think I do not have to explain who that is.”       “Don’t do it, I know,” Alicia says softly, raising a hand.       “So, somehow, Simon caught her in a deserted place. At first, he frightened her to death and then attacked her with fists.”       “What are you talking about?”       “It’s the truth. But thank God, Raquelle didn't suffer. Ringer just slightly scratched her face.”       “Alright. What happened next?”       “Next, Simon began to threaten her and those, who were close to her. He promised to revenge on her for what happened to him somehow and everything he had to get through.”       “Why?”       “Well, first of all, for being showered with mud by everyone when they found out that his words were a lie.”       “I got it. Keep telling.” Blair sighs heavily. “The situation started getting worse and worse little by little. First, Terrence, who promised to help your niece, suddenly changed his behavior… A very difficult period in his relationship with Raquelle started and is still lasting.”       “Is that true they didn’t get on well before?” Alicia specifies.       “I would say they did not care about each other. They lived like neighbors and talked for five minutes in the morning and five minutes in the evening. But it was much better than what was happening after Ringer came into Raquelle’s life.”       “Oh, Jesus Christ…”       “So…” Blair sighs quietly. “Some time later, Simon started to threaten Raquelle’s friends. He told them your niece was allegedly, mentally ill and very dangerous for them.”       “What did you say?” Alicia rounds her eyes.       “It’s the truth, Mrs. Middleton. Ringer began to make them sure that Raquelle was mentally sick. And it seems like he managed to make her sure about it. Because… As far as I know, she behaved in the way Simon wanted. I mean… She was letting everybody know that man told the truth.”       “Oh, how awful…”       “In short, those girls got scared and stopped communicating with her. And Raquelle actually fought with one of them very much. Because of Ringer. He turned her against her own friend by saying that she allegedly wanted to take revenge on her because her life was more successful.”       “How do you know it?”       “I heard Terrence talking about it. Somehow, he invited that girl here while your niece was not at home… So, they talked about it.”       “Alright.”       “And later, I accidentally heard a talk between Terrence and his mother. I heard she told him Simon threatened her, too. He brought her to the moment when she needed the help of an ambulance. Her blood pressure went up…”       “Oh, my God…” Alicia shakes her head. “Poor Mrs. MacClife…”       “But thank God, everything was over well… She is kind of fine now, and Terrence often calls her and asks how she’s feeling.”       “Wow…”       “And after that, Terrence got much more enraged. He was so aggressive that everybody started to be afraid of him. And Raquelle tried to keep herself far from him. She was afraid to come to him… But they did not fight less.”       “Wait, how did Simon know how to find Mrs. MacClife?”       “The way Simon got the numbers and addresses of those, who surrounded Raquelle is still a mystery to us.”       “So, could he know my address?”       “I guess he did…”       “Alright. How was everything over?”       “It lasted for some time… And someday, they fought so hard that Terrence…”       Blair falls into silence and looks at Alicia with a scare in her eyes, not knowing if she should keep telling about what might get the woman shocked.       “What?” Alicia jabs excitedly. “What did he do?”       “The case is…” Blair pronounces hesitantly. “The case is…”       “Speak! What happened?”       “The case is…” Blair exhales sharply and looks at Alicia with sadness in her eyes. “Raquelle got a strong slap in the face from Terrence…”       Alicia getting immediatedly pale closes her mouth with a hand with her widely open eyes, not being able to believe what she had to hear.       “What?” Alicia cannot believe it with horror in her eyes. “Did he… Slap her?”       “Yup…” Blair nods.       “But… How do you know?”       “All the servants heard them fighting and that fatal slap. We were sitting in the room of one of them all together. Hiding from Terrence…”       “Did you hear everything so well?”       “How could we not hear? They were screaming like crazy! It seemed like their nearest neighbors could hear them.”       “Wow…”       “We thought Terrence would really kill Raquelle. He was definitely wild and could not control himself.”       “Stinker…” Alicia resents. “Bastard…”       “We did even hear a crush and thought they could destroy their room. I don’t know what they were doing, but we were all really frightened. So frightened that we were much more careful and tried to stay far from Terrence.”       “But why did he slap her for?” Alicia wonders. “What did Raquelle do to make that man dare to raise a hand on her?”       “The servants and I think it kind of has to do with his mother and father.”       “His mother and father?”       “Terrence gets wild when someone mentions his father and says bad things about his mother.”       “Did Raquelle insult his mother somehow?”       “No, come on! She respects her and was worried when she found out that Simon brought her to half-death.”       “What about his father?”       “It’s a dark story. Mrs. MacClife has been trying to make Terrence talk to his father for ages, but he refuses to do it because he is mad at him after he beat his mother.”       “That’s why…” Alicia pronounces thoughtfully. “His father was a violator, and his sonny decided to take after him!”       “That’s what we know. Who knows what actually happened.”       “So, do you want to say Mr. MacClife forgave Terrence’s father after he did that to her?”       “She is a too kind woman and can’t be mad at anyone. Terrence always swears at her because of that and says he must have at least a little bit of pride.”       “It’s strange…” Alicia frowns slightly. “Even if she was beaten, she was supposed to run away from him like fire. But she forgave him! And she’s trying to reconcile her son with his father.”       “Who knows what actually happened. But Terrence refuses to meet his father and gets wild when someone mentions him.”       “So, did Raquelle talk about him?”       “Yeah, she did,” Blair nods. “And after that, their relationship got worse. But she just wanted to find out why he didn’t love that man so much. However, Terrence screamed at her. And she got scared to death and ran away from the room. And we heard it… And Raquelle complained to me…”       Alicia says nothing for a few seconds and tries to accept everything she just heard.       “My poor girl…” Alicia pronounces in a little shaking voice, shaking her head slightly, and closes her mouth with a hand. “My God… How much she has had to get through…”       “It was really very hard for her,” Blair replies with sadness in her eyes. “Everybody left Raquelle. She had to get through that all alone. And Simon constantly washed her brains.”       “Yeah… I did not think the former boyfriend of my niece would be such a scumbag. And now I understand why she ended the relationship with him.”       “We were shocked, too.”       “He did it after he swore to love and take care of her. Do his best for my girl to be happy.”       “You know, I think they would have broken up early or late,” Blair confesses hesitantly. “Raquelle and Terrence were always too busy with themselves and their business. They never went anywhere together since they moved in here and did not spend hours talking before sleep. There was already a coldness between them. As if they did not have love. Did not have any kind of attraction.”       “Do you think they did not love each other?”       “Raquelle did not really do. She told Terrence that when they had a fight. And he… Maybe, he felt something first. But he got cold some time later.”       “By the way, do you know something about Simon’s calls to Raquelle’s grandfather?”       “Raquelle’s grandfather?”       “He has recently called him and said his granddaughter would be dead soon, and nobody from the police would believe him if he went there.”       “Erm, no… Unfortunately, I can say nothing about Mr. Cameron because he has not been at this house since your niece moved in here. And they did not talk on the phone. Raquelle did not talk to him, and he did not call her.”       “My God, how did Simon get his number?” Alicia wonders. “Raquelle is not stupid to give her grandfather’s number to him!”       “I’ve already told you about it. And I forgot to add that Simon made Raquelle sure that her friend, whom she fought with, helped him. She gave him all the numbers of her friends and relatives and told him what was happening. Helped him find her weaknesses…”       “And did my niece believe that scum?”       “Sadly.”       “Gosh, how she could do!” Alicia wonders. “She’s got such amazing friends! Yeah, Natalia could be called a chatter, but she says nothing bad that would hurt someone.”       “We don’t believe him, either. And Terrence is sure she could not do that. But Raquelle believed him and wants to hear nothing about her friend.”       “Doesn’t she still communicate with the second one?”       “Anna? It seems like no! I didn’t hear them talking, and she has never been here.”       “Wow…”       “By the way…” Blair glances aside. “Terrence spent so much time with Natalia to comfort her and support her after her fight with Raquelle that your niece began to think they started an affair.”       “Simon made her think so?” Alicia asks.       “Who knows. But Raquelle is sure her friend always had a crush on Terrence and was jealous of the fact that your friend got him. But we clearly see that those two are just good friends. There is no love between them.”       “Well… Knowing what happened here, I wouldn’t be surprised if he really decided to cheat on Raquelle with her own friend in anger,” Alicia smirks contemptuously. “And then he got sick of her, and Terrence decided to meet another girl.”       “By the way, about another girl, Terrence has lately spent a lot of time with one lady.”       “One lady?”       “Yeah, quite a beautiful blonde.”       “Ah, yeah! Mr. Cameron told me that Simon called Raquelle somehow and told her that her ex-boyfriend was kissing a blonde.”       “It’s true,” Blair nods confidently. “We saw that girl. She was definitely dreaming of making Terrence marry her as soon as possible and getting thoughts about Raquelle out of his head. But today, they fought very much, and she swore to ruin his life and left this place with tears.”       “Hm, interesting…” Alicia frowns slightly. “Could you tell me more about that girl and what she needed from him?”       “She wanted to become his wife – that’s what she needed. That lady got attached herself to him like a leaf. She tried to seduce him and literally pronounced herself a lady of this house.”       “Definitely insolent!”       “She is! The servants and I were overwhelmed by how insolently she behaved towards us. That girl often complained to Terrence about us and demanded to get us fired. But thank God, he has not done it yet.”       “She was acting like she had already become a lady of the house.”       “Oh, God must not let her move in here!” Blair exclaims, putting a hand on her heart. “That lady is too spoiled and wants everybody to do everything after her first command. But the servants and I were hired to do Terrence’s commands. If he told us to do something, we would do it. But that blonde is nobody! She is just a guest.”       “Wow…”       “And what terrible things she said about Raquelle! She insulted her too hard! I don’t even want to call all the words she said.”       “Is Terrence really in love with her?”       “Hardly! Yes, she made him pay attention to her. But there was no fire and gloss in his eyes that he had when looking at your niece. We thought he just tolerated her or tried to make himself sure that he loved that insolent girl.”       “That’s how… Alright…” Alicia bites her lip slightly and glances aside. “However, I don’t care who he is dating. After what he did to my girl, I shall not let her stay with him. And I shall not let her come back to him if Raquelle dares to forgive that nasty stinker.”       “No, no, Raquelle is absolutely sure they should’ve broken up,” Blair confesses confidently.       “Moreover, I will make him explain his disgusting act. And if I know everything was much worse, and my niece had to take something much harder, I will sue him. I swear I will ruin his life and career. He will pay me and Mr. Cameron for what he did.”       “Many people do threaten to ruin his life and career. Raquelle, that lady, you, Mr. Cameron…”       “He is guilty of that! Guilty of the fact that he does not have brains. Or he has brains, but that man doesn’t know how to use them.”       “Oh, yeah, I almost forgot!” Blair exclaims, putting a finger on her lip. “Somehow, Simon sent a letter to Raquelle.”       “A letter?”       “Yes. And Raquelle read it with my pretense.”       “And what was written in it?”       “A promise to revenge and ruin her life. A long text, but the same meaning.”       “That’s how…”       “Listen, I do have it!”       “Really?”       “Yes, I have it in my room. I haven’t thrown it off yet.”       “I would like to read it. Could you show me that letter?”       “Sure, I will give it to you now! Wait for me here.”       Blair gets up from the sofa and quickly goes to her room to find Simon’s letter. And Alicia stays in the living room and tries to accept what she just had to hear.       “My God, everything is much worse than I thought,” Alicia thinks with horror in her eyes. “My niece fought with her boyfriend, and he dared to raise a hand on her.”       Alicia shakes her head.       “I came here for a reason,” Alicia thinks. “That’s why my heart was bleeding and hurting when thinking of my girl… I wanted to leave everything and go to the USA.”       Alicia sighs heavily.       “And until everything is finally solved, I will stay here and help Mr. Cameron take care of Raquelle,” Alicia decides. “I will not leave until the life of my girl gets better, and she gets away from that stinker Ringer. If my visit is gonna last for a long time, I will talk to my bosses. They will understand me…”       One or one and a half minutes later, Blair returns to the living room and is holding the envelope with Simon’s letter in it.       “Here's it!” Blair exclaims and points the letter at Alicia.       Alicia takes the envelope from Blair.       “First, Raquelle read it,” Blair confesses. “And then Terrence did. Then he asked me to hide this letter in my room. He thought we would need it. And… I think we needed it now.”       Alicia gets the letter out of the envelope, opens it, and starts to read what is written in it with a little sloppy but quite clear handwriting. And every single word gets her much more horrified, and she shakes her head with her mouth closed with a hand.       “I read this letter,” Blair confesses with sadness in her eyes. “And I know everything is written in it. I was shocked. As shocked as your niece was.”       A few seconds later, Alicia stops reading the letter.       “My God, how such bastards could live in this world!” Alicia resents. “Such bastards that went out of the mind!”       Alicia exhales quietly and takes her glasses off.       “How could that stinker dare to do that to my niece?” Alicia wonders. “He has no shame or coincidence!”       “And it seems like that man will not stop until he gets what he wants,” Blair assumes quietly.       “As if he really wants, heaven forbid, bring her to death. And if that scumbag keeps doing what he is doing, Raquelle will not take it and will probably, easily kill herself.”       “No!” Blair rounds her eyes. “Jesus Christ! Don’t say that!”       “I think that’s what he wants.” Alicia shakes her head and puts on her glasses again. “I hate you, Simon Ringer. I wish you burned in hell, bastard! I would kill you if you stood in my way, before my eyes.”       “It hurts that all the close people of Raquelle believed that stinker,” Blair says with sadness in her eyes. “It’s hurtful that Raquelle succumbs to his provocations. She does know everybody loves and respects her, but she believed she was surrounded by betrayals.”       “And I don’t understand why everybody believes him! How could he believe my niece had mental issues?”       “I’ve already told you he made her sure about it. He definitely knows all the weaknesses of Raquelle and presses on her too hard, making her break down and bend under him.”       “My God, how it’s mean and cruel…”       “Say, didn’t Simon call you?” Blair asks hesitantly. “Didn’t he threaten you?”       “He did not, but his friend did.”       “Really?”       “He tried to make me sure that my niece was sick and dangerous for people. And he told me everything that was written in the letter.”       “I see…”       “But if Simon decides to call me personally, I will piss him off. And I will do something that will make him leave his ideas. I would tear anyone up for my niece! No bastard will dare to hurt her! No bastard!”       “I hope that man will get what he deserves and go where he belongs,” Blair expresses hope with sadness in her eyes. “Your niece doesn’t deserve to live in this hell… She did nothing bad to anyone.”       “That scumbag will pay me for everything he’s done to my Raquelle,” Alicia says confidently. “I shall give my everything to bring him to prison. I swear Simon Ringer will not be free and will keep poisoning the life of my niece and turning her close people against her.”       “I hope you did not believe that bullshit?”       “I will never believe it! Because I know Raquelle too well! I was raising her literally since she was a newborn baby, and I know who she is. Even if other people don’t understand it, it’s fine. So, they are not such loyal people if they believed Ringer, not my niece.”       “You’re right.”       With these words, Blair nods with sadness in her eyes. Silence settles in the air for a few seconds. And then she and Alicia hear the hall door in the living room opens. Terrence enters the house, closes the door, and goes to where Raquelle’s aunt is waiting for him. When he sees the woman in front of himself, the man gets sharply frozen with his widely open eyes and understands that his heart stops for a moment.       “Alicia?” Terrence pronounces in a little shaking voice.       “Yes, Terrence!” Alicia exclaims, gets up from the sofa, and looks at Terrence as if she hates and despises him with all her heart. “It’s me.”       “Erm, hello…”       “Hello.”       “I…” Terrence stutters. “Didn’t think… You would come…”       “But I came.”       “Why did you not say that you would do?”       “Wanted to make a surprise,” Alicia replies coldly with her arms crossed over her chest. “So, I said nothing.”       “And…”       Terrence bites his lip slightly, shifting his weight from one foot to another and getting much more nervous. As if he suspects that Alicia already knows everything, seeing that she looks at him with contempt.       “Why did you come here?” Terrence asks hesitantly.       “We need to have a serious talk,” Alicia says coldly and confidently. “And I am going to do this right now, no matter if you are busy or not.”       “Erm… A-alright… I will t-t-talk to you.”       “You would have no choice!” Alicia moves her eyes to Blair, who has become silent. “Excuse me, could you leave us alone?”       “Yes, of course,” Blair nods. “If you need something, I'm near.”       Blair turns around and quietly goes to do her business, while Alicia and Terrence stay alone in the living room. Tension settles in the air, which makes both of them nervous. To be clear, the man is much more nervous because the woman keeps looking at him contemptuously and kind of lets him know that she hates him for what he did.       However, Terrence breaks the silence some time later:       “Erm… Let’s… Sit down…”       First, Terrence sits on the sofa, and then Alicia does the same.       “I think you understand what we will be talking about,” Alicia assumes confidently.       “Listen, Alicia, I would like…” Terrence pronounces hesitantly.       “I will not talk to you about everything that Simon Ringer has done to my Raquelle. I will talk to her. Even if I already know everything.” Alicia crosses her arms over her chest. “But I want to hear your explanation for your disgusting actions. Your actions towards my niece.”       “Erm…” Terrence stutters with his widely open eyes.       “I really want to hear what you would tell me now. And see how you would excuse yourself and try to lie to me.”       At this moment, Terrence's eyes full of a scare start running from one side to another, and he, getting sharply white, is terribly afraid to get Alicia mad because she definitely knows everything and is resentful of what he did to her niece.       “I…” Terrence pronounces hesitantly. “Erm…”       “So, MacClife, you have nothing to say?” Alicia simpers quietly. “Or do you think of a lie you could tell me?”       “No, I…”       “You can’t lie to me! I am an adult woman! I have lived enough to understand when someone lies to me or tells me the truth.”       “I…” Terrence shakes his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”       “You do know everything!” Alicia cries, literally holding her anger down, as well as a wish to strangle Terrence with her own hands. “Do not pretend to be an innocent lamb and pretend that you know nothing!”       “But…” Terrence pronounces in a little shaking voice, looking at Alicia with his widely open eyes.       “It’s not going to work with me, Terrence. You can lie to anyone with a wish to keep being innocent and good, but not me.”       “Listen, Alicia…”       “Are you not ashamed? Are you not ashamed of behaving towards the innocent girl like that? Huh, MacClife?”       “I did not…”       “How could you raise a hand on Raquelle?” Alicia asks loudly. “You, shameless beast!”       Terrence says nothing and swallows up nervously with a scare in his eyes.       “How could you actually dare to do it?” Alicia resents.       “Alicia, let me explain everything…” Terrence says hesitantly.       “Do not explain anything!” Alicia throws sharply, raising a hand with her plate turned on Terrence. “I already know everything!”       “Please, listen to me.”       “And I know only about one slap. I would not be surprised if you always beat my girl. Behaved like a real violator!”       “No, Alicia, I swear I didn’t beat her!” Terrence jabs excitedly. “It’s a lie!”       “Yeah? Violators never confess it! They always pretend to be angels for other people and say they take care of a girl. But when they stay alone, they start to cruelly beat their victims and terrify them somehow. I made sure about it personally.”       “I’m not a violator!”       “I would not be surprised. I would not be surprised if Raquelle hid the truth about how you behaved from fear of literally dying because of you.”       “You have a very bad opinion about me.”       “Do I have to think you’re a wonderful man, who my niece should not have left? Do I have to think that girl made a mistake by breaking up with the one, who allegedly loved her much more than anyone else?”       “Listen, Alicia…”       “I really thought so. I thought you were good. I was sure you would make my niece happy. But a few months later, you showed the disgusting side of yourself. You did your best for Raquelle to break up with you and run away from you.”       “Yeah, she left, but…”       “What did Raquelle do that you did that to her? What? Did she really deserve it?”       “I didn’t want to do it, I swear!” Terrence exclaims with pity in his eyes. “I didn’t want to raise a hand on her!”       “But you did!”       “I… I didn't know what I was obsessed with! I was mad! Raquelle and I fought so hard that I stopped controlling myself.”       “So, are you blaming Raquelle for everything? She kind of made you like that?”       “No, I didn’t say it!”       “What are you talking about?” Alicia throws coldly.       “It’s the truth, Alicia! I swear!”       “What a nasty asshole you are, MacClife.” Alicia crosses her arms over her chest. “The real bastard. Who I hate!”       “Yes, I’m not going to argue with you,” Terrence says quietly. “I’m a stinker.”       “If I had known you were such a jerkoff, I would’ve done my best not to let you date my niece. I would not have let her suffer because of you.”       “I didn’t beat her regularly. That slap was the only one.”       “Stop lying, Terrence!”       “My God, why does nobody believe me when I say I did not do it on purpose?” Terrence wonders. “Why does everybody think I was constantly beating my girlfriend and terrifying her?”       “You are guilty of everything! The problem is you! Your mind! And you better get rid of your demons before someone dies because of you.”       “No, don’t say that, please…” Terrence shakes his head.       “Your servant told me everything that happened here. She told me you were mocking Raquelle, screaming at her, insulting her… She confessed that everybody heard you slapping her in the face. They heard you almost destroying the whole room.”       “I’m not such a horrible beast!” Terrence protests in despair. “Why does everybody think I am a violator? I am not the one! Not the one!”       “It’s clear that people started to understand what an asshole you are! And I would not be surprised if the whole world got mad at you and wished you to burn in hell. If they knew how you treated your ex-girlfriend, your career would be dead. And you would stop being an innocent angel that you’ve been pretending your whole worthless life.”       “No, please, Alicia, don’t say it,” Terrence begs with pity in his eyes.       “So, don’t you like to hear the truth? Don’t you want to lose the love of your fans? Don’t you want to stop hearing compliments about yourself? Don’t you want to lose the admiration of all the girls that dream of being with you and don’t know what a bastard you are?”       “I swear on my mother, I have never beaten Raquelle and raised a hand on her only once. It was the only case that would never happen again.”       “So, is this how you’re defending your mother and hating your father?” Alicia asks coldly. “Who you took after! If the words of the servants about him are true!”       “No!” Terrence sharply cuts off. “I am not him! Don’t compare me with him!”       “I think you are! You took after him!”       “That man constantly beat my mother! But I raised my hand to the girl just once. And now I’m really sorry about it.”       “Just because you did not get the brains to ask Raquelle not to talk to you about your parents in a good way? Did you not get enough brains to tell her all the truth!”       “Yeah, I didn’t talk to her about it…” Terrence moves his eyes down. “And I never even thought about it. It’s a painful thing for me. It’s hurtful to remember the one, who was mocking my mother, but then came to her on his knees and began to ask for forgiveness. That I will never give him.”       “Fine!” Alicia throws gloomily. “You did not make your brains work better and started to take it out on Raquelle.”       “Actually, that’s not the reason why we began to fight,” Terrence confesses quietly.       “No?” Alicia wonders.       “I got mad at her not because she asked me about my father. And if not for one case that had happened before Raquelle asked me about that man, I wouldn’t have started that conflict.”       “What actually happened then?”       “The case is…” Terrence falls into silence for a second and exhales sharply. “On the day Raquelle and I fought for the first time, as you think, because of my parents, I had gotten a call from Simon. He told me she was secretly seeing another man. The policeman named Hunter Lynwood.”       “What?” Alicia rounds her eyes. “Raquelle? Seeing another man?”       “Yes. At first, I didn’t believe it and thought it was not the truth. But… Simon was speaking too confidently… He gave me too great arguments to prove it. And… I eventually believed him.”       “Does it have to do with the fact that Raquelle was cold to you and, as she said, never loved you?”       “I could say so.” Terrence glances aside. “I believed it because everything fit. Raquelle was always indifferent to my matters and didn’t aim to spend just a little time with me. She was kind of ignoring me. And when Ringer said she was cheating on me and noticed that girl worked too much and kind of had no time for me, it made me doubt her loyalty.”       “Actually, Raquelle has always been loyal to those she loves,” Alicia says confidently. “Even if she did not love you as much as she should have done, my niece did not even think of cheating on you.”       “Simon has always been able to make people sure about what he wants. He is really incredible at talking to people. He can say so much that you would not notice how you would agree to do anything he wants.”       “Alright, I got it. Tell me what happened next.”       “So, next, I called my mother to find out if she was alright.”       “Being excited?”       “Yup. And Mother got me much madder when she started talking about my father and tried to make me meet him. After I ended the call, everything was burning inside me. I was madly wild because of Simon’s statement and thought of my father, whom I hated to death.”       “Why did you the hell call her if you were mad? And you probably knew she would surely remind you of your father!”       “I just couldn’t wait to make sure that she was fine. I was worried Simon could do something to her.”       “I see.”       “I didn’t know Raquelle heard a part of my talk with my mother. She found out that my relationship with my father was too far from perfect.” Terrence sighs quietly and runs his hands over his face. “So, Raquelle went in the room and asked why I treated my father so badly. But I refused to say. I didn’t actually want to see her. Because I literally wanted to kill her in anger.”       “So, didn’t you tell her Simon blamed her for cheating?” Alicia specifies.       “Nope… I didn’t want to say. And I was holding my anger down so hard. I asked her to leave me alone for some time. But… Raquelle did not leave. She kept insisting on telling her the truth about my father. And it was getting me madder and madder. I could not hold myself down anymore. And your niece did not literally hear me and refused to leave.” Terrence swallows up nervously. “And eventually, I did not take it and shouted at her. I told her to get out of the room. That’s when she left. And she got really mad.”       “And did you not apologize to her?” Alicia asks.       “Nope. I was too wild. I was getting more obsessed with the thought that she had betrayed me. The thought about her having someone else except me made me angry and subdued any wish to come to her and apologize.”       “Fine! I have nothing to say! You could’ve fixed everything, but you made the situation much worse.”       “Moreover, the way she treated me had to do with it. Everything that was happening between us in the past few months. Her indifference to me and refusal to spend time together made me much more that Simon did not lie, and Raquelle met another man and thought of breaking up with me.” Terrence sighs quietly and glances aside, nervously rubbing his hands. “However, I had already begun to think of breaking up earlier. Because I could not take the way she treated me. I wanted to love, but I did not get even a little part of it.”       “Alright,” Alicia nods.       “So…” Terrence moves some of the strands of his hair off his forehead. “So, I tried not to run into Raquelle and always went somewhere. Walked somewhere… Went anywhere not to see her. But I didn’t get better. And I got much madder when somehow my mother called me and said Ringer called her and terrified her. And then she got excited, her blood pressure got higher, and it was impossible to get stable on our own… I had to call an ambulance… That’s good everything was fine. But she could not calm down for a long time.”       “And did you think Raquelle was guilty of everything?” Alicia asks coldly.       “Yes. I started to believe that Raquelle was guilty of all the problems more and more… And I openly blamed her for that.”       “Yeah, as if Raquelle called your mother and told her nobody the hell knows what!”       “I know… Now I’m regretting thinking about it.”       “You would’ve been sorry then. And you would’ve better thought before doing something!”       “Moreover, I had been too nervous before this story started,” Terrence confesses quietly, looking at his hands. “Not only because your niece didn’t pay attention to me. The problems with my career also made me nervous. I got one failure after another… Nobody has offered me to play a role in a movie for a long time, and trying to get into the music business does not give me any good result.”       “Did you think everything would be so easy?”       “No, I didn’t. But I did not think anybody would literally need me. I didn’t think I wouldn’t have someone to support me and my wish to reach something. And… Even if I reached something, I don’t think it would give me pleasure. Because a lack of motivation killed any wish to reach my dream.”       “Trying to pity me?”       “Telling you all the truth.”       “Of course, that’s really awesome, but you had no right to raise a hand on her,” Alicia says confidently. “You could not treat her like that!”       “I know…”       Terrence falls into silence for two seconds and exhales sharply.       “When I realized what I did, I wanted to take a gun and shoot myself,” Terrence confesses in a much lower voice, nervously rubbing his hands. “From shame… My heart was squeezing when I saw Raquelle sitting on the floor, grabbing her cheek and crying bitterly. But I did not show it. I did not show that I wanted to be swallowed by the ground. Word by word, I actually forgot about any kind of pity and began to hate her again. Raquelle literally wished me to die and became much more aggressive.”       “Did you think she would kiss your hands for everything she had to take?” Alicia wonders.       “No… And I didn’t get surprised when I was back after meeting my friend and found out that she left this house with her stuff… And… I’m not going to hide… I was madly happy that I got long-awaited freedom… I actually wanted to kick that girl out of home personally. But I did not have to. So… I was not worried and decided to keep living as if I never had a girlfriend…”       “Did you start to date another girl?”       “Yes…” Terrence sighs heavily. “I thought I would forget her if I tried to start a relationship with another girl… And I was lucky to meet my ex-schoolmate, who was in love with me.”       “That’s how! Schoolmate…”       “Did you think I would look for a girl somewhere in a whorehouse?”       “Who knows!”       “I wasn’t actually looking for anyone. Rachel, the girl I mean, came into my life at a very good time. And I thought she could help me start a new life. And at some moment, I believed I had met the one I could love. That girl showed me care and love that I never got from Raquelle and persuaded her father to admit me to the band as a guitarist. And then she supported my wish to reach my dream. It definitely bribed me…”       “That’s how… You gave many compliments again, and you ran to that girl. If another girl told you much more good things, you would choose her.”       “Yeah, you’re kind of right. I really lacked good words. I needed a feeling that I was still attractive and worth something. Sadly, I forgot what that was for the time Raquelle and I lived together. And… I stopped feeling the same.”       “You are running from one girl to another! The one to praise you more is going to be your sweetheart! While Raquelle was praising you, you were with her. When she stopped doing it, you met another girl.”       “I was never in love with her!” Terrence exclaims. “I was pretending to be in love with her! Pretending that I started to forget Raquelle and was ready to start a new relationship.”       “That’s how…”       “Somehow I did a stupid thing when telling my friend what I did to Raquelle. When I realized it, it was too late. I was worried she would love to betray me and tell everyone Terrence MacClife was a violator. A shameless beast that dared to raise a hand on the girl.”       “Is that why you decided to use that girl?”       “Yeah… I realized I couldn’t leave Rachel so easily. So, I made myself play love with her, using the fact that she would do anything for me.”       “Did you like it? Did you like the lie?”       “At least, I didn’t feel disgust. Moreover, I was sure I would stop pretending someday and get true love for my friend.”       “Weren’t you afraid that girl would realize that you were lying to her?”       “She knew nothing until the very end. Rachel was too in love with me to notice that. And when that girl believed that I was allegedly in love with her, she lost her vigilance. She literally obeyed me and promised to say nothing about what I did and impact her father if I needed something from him.”       “So, did you also lie to that poor girl?” Alicia asks gloomily, crossing her arms over her chest.       “I didn’t want to hurt her and get her involved in this game that I started. But fear got a win. The fear of being humiliated before the whole world… A wish to build my career, to prove to Raquelle that I’m still worth something, and she lost very much, and to get what I really wanted. And I gave a damn about the fact that I could hurt the innocent girl and use her for my benefits.”       “Yeah… As it turned out, you are much worse than I thought. You hurt my niece and betrayed that girl. Yes, of course, I’m not defending her and can even call her a homewrecker. But she is not guilty of the fact that you are such an asshole. That girl loved you and wanted to be with you. But you used her feelings.”       “I can’t say I was pretending from start to end. I really felt good with her. I was happy to spend time with her and believed that I would feel true love for Rachel someday… But yesterday proved to me that I could not do that…”       “What happened yesterday?”       “Erm…” Terrence glances aside and rubs his hands nervously. “Yesterday, my friend and I went to the club where Raquelle came, as well. She saw me kissing and hugging that girl… Got jealous of me and fought with her when she found her in a restroom.”       “Raquelle?” Alicia rounds her eyes. “My Raquelle fought with that girl?”       “Yes. Rachel came back to me with scars on her face and a ripped dress. Which is the reason why almost all the men at the club were laughing at her. I made her sure to tell me what happened, and she confessed everything. However, she didn’t forget to lie a little to get me really mad and turn me against Raquelle.”       “So, what did you do?”       “Went to find her. I wanted to get her cool a little. But the talk went wrong from the beginning. We started to blame each other for all the sins. And at some moment, I said she was cheating on me with the policeman, Lynwood. Raquelle tried to excuse herself and prove that she did not even think of having another man, but I didn’t believe her and blamed her for a betrayer that Simon made me sure about.”       “You did it too late.”       “I know.”       “What happened next?”       “Nothing special,” Terrence bites his lip slightly. “We were shouting at each other for a long time, but then Raquelle said she got sick of listening to me and left.”       “That’s how…”       “Anyway, that talk literally woke me up from Ringer’s hypnosis. Under which I did so many things that I could’ve fixed somehow. Yes, we had relationship issues and got cold for each other after we moved in here. But now I understand we could’ve avoided it if I had behaved differently. Yes, Raquelle is also guilty of that, but the wall was broken because of me. It was standing somehow… Shaking, but didn’t fall.” Terrence falls into silence and moves his eyes to his hands, trying to hold down the tears that are coming to his eyes so hard. “So, Alicia, that’s the story… Now you know everything.”       Although Alicia is still mad at Terrence and cannot forgive him for raising a hand on Raquelle, Terrence’s story got her a little softer and made her get some sympathy for the man. Something tells her that the man is truly sorry. Moreover, everything is written in his sad eyes, which he often tries to hide, as if he is afraid to look at the aunt of his ex-girlfriend. As if he is ashamed of everything he did under the influence of anger and hatred.       “Yeah, Terrence…” Alicia shakes her head. “I’ve got nothing to say… Nothing to say…”       Alicia falls into silence for two seconds.       “My God, how could you?” Alicia wonders. “How could you believe that delirium? Why did you easily believe everything Simon told you?”       “I don’t know why I believed him…” Terrence replies quietly.       “You do know well that it’s a lie!”       “Simon has a talent to make people sure about what’s important to him… And he uses it.” Terrence sharply runs his hands over his face. “That scumbag knows everything about everyone. You can hide nothing from him!”       “Since you knew it very well, you should’ve known Ringer could lie to you,” Alicia says confidently. “Moreover, you must have told him to give you real proof. Instead of believing him just because my niece was ignoring you.”       “I didn’t want to believe, but I had to. That girl said she never loved me. She used me. Do you think it was nice for me to hear something like that? Hear it from the girl I really loved. For whom I was ready for anything! And I did not stop loving her. Yesterday helped me realize it. So to say, I woke them up after my feelings were sleeping deeply inside me.”       “No, Terrence, you love only yourself. You care only about your, excuse my language, ass. You would frame anyone to save you. And the case of that girl, your friend, proved it. You were ready to hurt her to save your reputation.”       “I’m not an egoist! I appreciate my close people.”       “If you appreciated at least someone, you would behave otherwise.”       “Please, Alicia…”       “As my niece said, you blamed her for egoism. You blamed her for thinking only of herself,” Alicia smirks contentiously. “You are not better! Or maybe, you are even worse!”       “Not true!” Terrence protests in despair. “I am not terrible!”       “You are pretending to be a victim! You were not loved, not praised, not appreciated, and something like that!”       “Would you love a man, who would not pay attention to you and would always think of his work?”       “You would better think of yourself and analyze your mistakes. It’s good to blame someone for something that you are doing!”       “I do know all my mistakes!”       “Tell me, why did you start to date her? Why? You felt very good without her!”       “I wanted to date her and was ready for that!”       “No, Terrence, you were not. You were obsessed with passion and physical attraction.”       “Do you think I didn’t know what I was doing?”       “I doubt. Someone hardly explained to you that people date and get married when they are ready to take care of a beloved person. But you needed my niece for different things.”       “But I really loved her and wanted to take care of her! Yes, I don’t deny that my psychical attraction was way stronger than the feelings I was supposed to have, but I had them. They would’ve been stronger if Raquelle and I had worked it out. If we’d given each other attention and hadn’t tried to avoid spending time together.”       “So, you didn’t want it too much. If you had really aimed to do it, you would’ve been much more headstrong.”       “I tried to fix the situation many times!” Terrence says confidently. “I did my best to save our relationship, which could’ve ended in the first months after the beginning of it.”       “You know, my sweetheart, when people want, nothing can stop them. As I understand, you did not care about her much and weren’t afraid to ruin your relationship.”       “No, Alicia, don’t say that! My relationship meant very much to me. And I’m sorry that Raquelle didn’t share my opinion with me. She cared about building her career much more than taking care of me.”       “Well, I can agree with you. Raquelle did the wrong thing. If she started to date you, she should’ve taken care of her man.”       “But I didn’t claim anything special. Only love, care, and support. But I didn’t manage to feel it… Because she preferred her career over me.”       “I don’t defend my niece, but I don’t want to caress your head,” Alicia replies quietly. “You two are guilty of ruining your relationship to some extent: she has claims to you, you’re not happy with her.”       “I have real reasons for that.”       “I think you two should’ve said that to each other and found a solution for this situation.”       “Oh, said…” Terrence pronounces gloomily, glancing aside. “We didn’t almost talk to each other. We were working for a whole day: she was on shootings, and I was trying to get into the musical world, giving interviews and acting in unpopular movies. Even if we met at home, we just said goodbye or welcomed each other in the mornings or in the evenings because either we two got terribly exhausted and wanted to sleep, or Raquelle just refused to talk to me, even if we had time. We didn’t almost have heart-to-heart talks. And because of that, I felt kind of lonely and could talk only to my friends. Or my mother when I visited her at home…”       Terrence sighs quietly.       “But she knew nothing about what was happening between us,” Terrence confesses. “Mother thought everything was fine, and I was happy. I had to tell her all the truth when Raquelle and I began to have conflicts.”       “You did a disgusting thing, Terrence,” Alicia says confidently. “Your actions cannot be excused. This time, you showed the worst side of you.”       “I know…” Terrence moves his eyes to his hands. “I’m very sorry it happened.”       “At least I’m glad you understand everything,” Alicia puts her hand softly on Terrence’s shoulder. “I’m glad you’re recognizing your mistakes. As they say, better late than never.”       “I can recognize my mistakes if I know I’m guilty,” Terrence confesses quietly.       “That’s good.”       “But my confessions will not help me make amends somehow.” Terrence exhales sharply and runs his hands over his hair. “Raquelle will never forgive me and will not come back to me, even if I do thousands of actions for her. My friends… I mean, my former friends and those, who surrounded me, will always remind me of my actions. They will always judge me for what I did.”       Terrence shakes his head.       “Because of this situation, I’ve lost so many friends,” Terrence confesses with sadness in his eyes. “Who didn’t even want to listen to me and added me to the list of stinkers, who always raise a hand on girls and are able literally to beat them… And my friend swore to ruin my life after she heard about my betrayer. And she started by telling her father and some friends of mine what happened and added much false information that they believed. That’s why they told me so much that I felt depressed and humiliated…”       Terrence sighs heavily and glances aside.       “Sometimes I think fate decided to teach me a lesson and kick me for everything I’ve done,” Terrence assumes. “Raquelle’s words are coming true. She said everything would come back to me like a boomerang. And now I’m suffering. I’m losing my close friends and becoming a beast for everybody.”       Alicia says nothing for a few seconds, just looks at Terrence with sadness in her eyes, and breaks the silence, saying thoughtfully:       “You know, Terrence… Originally, I was coming here to tell you everything I thought of you. When I got a bad presentiment, I started to think of coming here. And I decided to leave everything after my friend pushed me to do that. I arrived here to support Raquelle. And when your servant told me about that slap, I was ready to strangle you with my own hands.”       “Everybody wants it,” Terrence pronounces without emotions.       “But I see you’re regretting it and would like to fix your mistake.”       “I just want to be swallowed by the ground from shame and pay for nothing.”       “Do you understand how terrible your actions are?”       “I do,” Terrence nods. “And I know I don’t have a too good character and can get wild at times. But… I never behaved so disgustingly to make my close people turn their backs on me.”       “Are you admitting your guilt?”       “I am. I understand I am guilty of what’s happening. And I think I should pay the cost I need to pay.”       “Good…” Alicia thinks about something for two seconds and then smiles shyly. “Maybe you did a disgusting thing, but I can understand you. I think if my niece had treated you otherwise, nothing would’ve happened. And Simon wouldn’t have turned you against each other.”       “Do you think she really doesn’t love me?” Terrence looks at Alicia with sadness in his eyes. “Do you think your niece really started to date me just to make you stop annoying her?”       “No, my sweetie, I kind of think that Raquelle loves you, after all.”       “But she said she never loved me.”       “My girl doesn’t know anything about love and can’t figure her feelings out. I’m sure someday she will realize she made a mistake when she refused to be a real girlfriend of yours.”       “Sadly, she cared about her career much more. She could lose anything except for that.”       “Don’t forget you were thinking much about it. You two got busy with your business after you moved in here. As if nothing changed in your life.”       “I just wanted to make my dream come true and should’ve done something.”       “Sometimes we have to make a hard choice: one or another thing. You can’t get too obsessed with it. You should find a balance. Nobody makes you quit your job and refuse to make your wishes come true, but you could schedule everything to get time to give attention to your family and your career.”       “Oh, it’s too late to talk about it…” Terrence waves his hand. “Too late. Raquelle and I broke up.”       “I’ve already said she may regret losing you. But I want to make you a little upset: it doesn’t mean Raquelle would easily forgive you and wish to give you a chance, at least to make our relationship more amicable.”       “I know. We can’t stay friends after what happened between us.”       “The only way to get her a little softer and whitewash yourself for my girl is to help her get off Simon. Save her life, which is now in a danger.”       “I don’t understand him…” Terrence sighs quietly. “I don’t understand why Simon decided to get your niece exhausted until the very end.”       “I can’t also answer this question,” Alicia replies with sadness in her eyes. “But I hope everything will be over very soon.”       “And first, it would be great to find out where your niece is now hiding. Nobody knows where she went after she took her stuff and left my house.”       “Don’t worry about it. I shall try to find her and support her. You think about what we could do to Ringer.”       “Sadly, I don’t know what to do.”       “Anyway, Raquelle needs my support right now. And I shall do my best to help her.”       “Yes, help her, please.”       “Moreover, I owe her. Because she saved me somehow when something bad happened to me. So, I want to pay her back.”       “By the way, do you have any assumptions about where she could go?”       “Assumptions?”       Alicia calls the memories of Frederick and instantly guesses where Raquelle could be hiding. The woman decides to go to the apartment of the grandfather of her niece right now but does not want to tell Terrence about it.       “Listen…” Alicia pronounces thoughtfully. “It seems like I know! I know where she could be!”       “You know?” Terrence rounds his eyes.       “And I will go there right now. Because I am sure she is at the place that I’m thinking about.”       Alicia sharply gets up from the sofa and takes her purse, which she places above her shoulder.       “Where are you going?” Terrence asks.       “I shall tell you if I find out something about her,” Alicia promises. “Now I have to say goodbye to you.”       “Alicia…” Terrence also gets up from the sofa, moving his eyes to Alicia. “Alicia, wait!”       But Alicia leaves the house and closes the door so quickly that Terrence does not manage to catch her.       “Damn…” Terrence pronounces quietly. “She’s left…”       Terrence sharply sits on the sofa and thinks about everything he was talking about with Alicia for a few seconds.       “Of course, I had wanted to help Raquelle before the talk with Alicia,” Terrence thinks. “But that woman made me much more sure about my wish to do it. The only way I can make amends to Raquelle somehow is to help her do away with that bastard Ringer.”       Terrence thinks for two seconds.       “But how do I do that?” Terrence asks himself. “What could I do? How do I stop that asshole? Moreover, I don’t even know what’s happened for the time we haven’t communicated. I mean, I know she doesn’t speak to Anna and actually fought with Natalia. But what if something else I don't know?”       Terrence shakes his head and stops his eyes on Simon’s letter that Blair gave Alicia to let her read it.       “I don’t know…” Terrence thinks. “I need to think… But I must find a way to make that bastard pay for all the bad things he’s done. And I will do this. Even if I have to do all of that alone. Even if I stay all alone and have nobody to wish just to support me with a good word.”       After he sits on the sofa and thinks about what’s happening for some time, Terrence gets up from it with the letter and the envelope in his hands, slowly goes upstairs to the second floor, and goes to his room to have some rest and sort his thoughts out as there is too much in them.       

***

      Meanwhile, Raquelle is sitting at home and trying to come to herself after yesterday’s talk with Terrence. More specifically, their conflict, which almost led to intimate contact. At the moment, Frederick is out and left for some time, but he promised not to be late and to be back soon.       And while he is walking somewhere, the girl, sitting on the floor near the sofa, cannot stop thinking of the events of the last night with tears in her eyes. And she asks herself what she did if fate is testing her again and again and giving her some bad surprises.       “My God, am I really repeating the life of my parents?” Raquelle wonders. “Am I gonna live the same life as they lived? Meet a man, get married, get divorced, and… Maybe, even die? Very soon… I feel Simon is gonna get me so exhausted that I may get a wish to go somewhere and not be able to drive a car… Or I would love to kill myself. Because I have less and less strength to take it all.”       Raquelle sighs heavily and shakes her head sharply, kind of trying to get these dark thoughts out of her head.       “No, no, I don’t want it,” Raquelle thinks. “No… I don’t wanna die! No… I wanna do very much yet. It's too early for me to die. Not that! Not that! I shouldn't give up! I’ve gotta solve my problem as soon as possible and get out of here to the fuck. Where I would be able to live a quiet life.”       Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds.       “I must get rid of Simon…” Raquelle thinks. “First of all, I must get off him and do my best for him to leave me alone. That scumbag must pay for what he did to me… For ruining my relationship and my friendship with those I loved. Who knows what else he could do to all those people… He’s already threatened everybody… And he called my grandfather some time ago….”       Raquelle shakes her head.       “My God, I don’t want someone else to suffer because of me,” Raquelle thinks with pity in her eyes. “Alright, stop! I don’t wanna know that stinker would threaten someone! I don’t want!”       Raquelle makes a quiet sob and slowly moves her eyes up to the ceiling.       “If only something bad didn’t happen to Grandfather and Aunt!” Raquelle silently begs. “If something happens to one of them, I won’t take it and will blame myself for what happened until the end of my life. Blame me for not saving them. Please, God, protect them. Protect those I know.”       Raquelle sighs deeply and closes her eyes for two moments. At some moment, while she keeps thinking about something not very good, someone suddenly rings the doorbell. It makes the girl shake slightly and be afraid of what might happen after she opens the door.       “My God, who is that?” Raquelle frowns slightly. “I'm not waiting for anyone! If only it wasn’t Simon or someone from his friends. I won’t take it…”       Raquelle quickly gets up on her feet and goes to open the door. And then the girl does not see Frederick, who is supposed to be back home. She sees her aunt, Alicia. The appearance of whom gets her truly surprised.       “Auntie Alicia?” Raquelle pronounces surprisingly.       “Raquelle!” Alicia exclaims with a wide smile.       “My God, I can’t believe it… You’re here!”       “I was sure I would find you here.”       “Oh, Auntie!”       Raquelle takes Alicia in her amicable hug with a wide smile, feeling a great relief because one more close person of hers decided to support her at such a hard time. When she steps back from her aunt two seconds later, the girl takes her hands and pulls her to let her cross the doorstep.       “My God, Auntie, how did you know I was here?” Raquelle wonders. “I didn't tell anyone where I would be!”       “I always know where to find you,” Alicia replies with a slight smile, tenderly caressing Raquelle's shoulder.       “Grandfather told you?”       “Actually, yes, I talked to your grandfather on the phone literally two minutes ago, and he said you were really living with him.”       “He went for a while to buy something,” Raquelle says thoughtfully. “But he’s gonna be back soon.”       “I know. He said he would quickly go somewhere else and come back home.”       “Good.”       “So, while he is out, I will be with you and support you.”       “Thank God, I still have those, who could support me.” Raquelle sighs heavily. “In such a hard situation.”       “You know your grandfather and I would never leave you. Whatever you do. Whatever people say.”       “I know,” Raquelle smiles slightly. “Thanks a lot.”       “I know what happened here,” Alicia confesses quietly. “And I know why you left that house.”       “You know everything?”       “Yes, sweetie.”       “I see…” Raquelle moves her eyes down, but then raises her head up and makes a gesture to invite Alicia to come to her room. “Erm, come in, please. I will explain everything now.”       “Thanks, sweetie,” Alicia thanks.       Alicia confidently goes further, looking around with interest, while Raquelle closes the door. Then they go to the room of the girl together and sit on the bed.       “Maybe, you want to eat or drink something?” Raquelle asks amicably. “I can quickly get something for you.”       “No, thanks, honey,” Alicia refuses softly. “I already had lunch at the hotel.”       “Hotel?” Raquelle frowns slightly. “Did you stop at the hotel?”       “Yes, I stopped there after the recommendation of the driver of the taxi, who drove me there.”       “Alright…”       While Raquelle looks at her hands with sadness in her eyes, Alicia glances aside and frowns slightly.       “By the way…” Alicia pronounces thoughtfully and points at something with a finger. “It seems like the coffee table was placed at that place… A glassy one… Where is that?”       Raquelle calls the memory about being so mad that she turned over the table that was eventually broken into thousands of pieces, which she and Frederick had to throw for a very long time.       “It…” Raquelle pronounces hesitantly. “It broke.”       “Broke?” Alicia wonders truly.       “Yeah… I mean, I broke it. Accidentally. I stepped over it. And it turned over.”       “That’s how…” Alicia frowns slightly at first, but then waves her hand with a slight smile. “Well, okay! It’s not a big deal! You can always buy a new one if you need it.”       “Yes…” Raquelle cracks a slight smile. “Sure…”       Raquelle falls into silence and moves her eyes somewhere aside for two seconds.       “Ah, my sweetheart, it’s been so long since we met,” Alicia says thoughtfully and takes Raquelle’s hands. “You forgot about your auntie, who missed you very much, in case you didn’t know.”       “I missed you very much, too, Auntie,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “I’m sorry about not calling and texting you. I had so much to do that I didn’t have time to call you and Grandpa…”       “I must admit that I’m a little hurt. You didn’t let me know about you for a few months.”       “Forgive me, I’m really sorry…”       “Anyway, I’m very glad you and I met.”       “How happy I am! You can’t even imagine!”       “Remember, I shall stay here for a long time and will do my best to support you.”       “By the way…” Raquelle frowns slightly. “When did you come to New York? I didn't know you wanted to come here, and Grandpa Frederick said nothing to me…”       “I’ve come here in the early morning,” Alicia confesses. “And I told nobody that I would come here.”       “Nobody?”       “Yeah, I wanted to make a surprise.”       “That’s how!”       “To be honest, I wanted to come here a week ago, but I had some problems. That’s why I have come here today.”       “So, what made you leave everything and go to the USA?”       “A bad presentiment. My heart was squeezing from thinking something wasn’t right about you. I was guessing for a long time but decided to stop it and found money to buy a ticket. I wanted to make sure you were fine.”       “Wow…” Raquelle cracks a slight smile.       “First, I decided to have some rest and sleep because I didn’t do this on the airplane that left at night, but then I went to find you.”       “I see… And did you come here at once? Or you had gone somewhere before?”       “Erm, not quite, sweetie,” Alicia replies a little hesitantly, biting her lip slightly. “First, I decided to go to where you used to live. But a young servant told me you didn’t live there anymore. So, that’s why I…”       Alicia does not say what she wants because Raquelle stops her without emotions on her face:       “Did you see him?”       “Who do you mean?” Alicia rounds her eyes.       “You do know who I'm talking about.”       “Erm…”       “The one, who betrayed me. And left me when I needed him so much.”       “Yes, I talked with him,” Alicia nods. “And to be honest, I wanted to talk to him and find out what happened between you.”       “I doubt he told you something good.”       “Moreover, not only did my bad presentiment make me come here.”       “Really?”       “Yes.” Alicia falls into silence for two seconds and bites her lip slightly. “Do you remember my friend Amelia, who you visited to find out something about Eleanor?”       “Amelia?” Raquelle asks.       “Yes. She was also pregnant. Expecting a girl.”       “Huh! Amelia! Of course, I remember her. I do.”       “Do you remember she was reading your palm?”       “Erm, yeah… I remember…”       “So, someday, Amelia dropped a hint that she saw a threat on your palms and hard tests in your life.”       “It seems like her forecasts are coming true. Amelia was right when saying that I would not live a quiet life at the nearest time.”       “We talked very much about what she saw on your palms. And the more my friend said, the more I wanted to leave everything and come to you.”       “So, as I understand, do you know everything? Don’t I have to tell you everything from start to end?”       “Yes, Raquelle, I know everything. I know what Simon is doing to you. I know he deprived you of the dearest things you have. I know how easily he made you fight with your friend… I know how…”       “Yes, Auntie…” Raquelle sniffs quietly. “It’s all the truth… Simon deprived me of my closest people… They all turned their backs on me because of him…”       “I know, my sweetheart, I know.”       “God, why do I have to take it? Why?”       Raquelle starts crying quietly, closing her face with both hands. Seeing her niece being in such a terrible condition and understanding how her heart is squeezing, Alicia embraces the girl and presses her to herself.       “Quiet, quiet, honey, don't cry,” Alicia pronounces quietly with pity in her eyes, softly caressing Raquelle’s head. “Your auntie is here. It’s okay.”       “I stayed all alone…” Raquelle says in a very shaking voice. “Alone, Aunt.”       “No, my sweetheart, don’t say that. You’ve got your grandfather and me.”       “Simon liked mocking me! He likes hurting me again and again.”       “Don’t cry, honey, don’t cry. Be strong. Not for someone, but for you…”       “I can’t do… I have no strength!”       “That man shouldn’t think he broke you down. He must not think he got a win.”       “But he already broke me,” Raquelle makes a loud sob. “He got me so exhausted that I don’t want anything now.”       “Listen, Raquelle…”       “He wants to destroy me, Aunt. Revenge for what I’ve never done! Even though I’m guilty of nothing. I swear, I didn’t do anything bad to him. Nothing!”       “I know, sweetie, I know.”       Alicia shakes her head, tenderly caressing Raquelle's head.       “I know how cruel Simon is,” Alicia adds with sadness in her eyes. “I know everything.”       “I don’t understand…” Raquelle pronounces in a little shaking voice, holding Alicia tightly. “What does he want from me? What does he want? Why is it me?”       “I can’t also believe he dared to do all of that, wishing to torture you as strongly as possible.”       “You can’t imagine how bad I feel,” Raquelle makes a quiet sob.       “No, my girl, I can imagine. I completely understand you.”       “A streak of bad luck started for me again. At first, Simon showed up and swore to take revenge on me. Then he started to threaten me, my friends, and my close people. Then I found out that he decided to literally bring me to death, and then… And then everything got much worse!”       Raquelle starts sobbing much harder than before, closing her face with both hands, while Alicia is still comforting her.       “I know, honey, I know…” Alicia says softly with pity in her eyes. “You can say nothing, I know absolutely everything…”       “And that nasty stinker…” Raquelle pronounces in a shaking voice. “That selfish peacock that I hate to death. You cannot even imagine how much.”       “I already know what I did to you.”       “My God, I’m really regretting agreeing to date him. If I had known he would be such a beast, I would’ve pissed him off. I mean, I knew he was a jerkoff. But I succumbed to emotions and turned my brain off. That’s what happened then!”       “Honestly, I never thought he could do something like what he did. He always seemed to be very sweet and gentle.”       “Seemed, Auntie, seemed! And I swear, I will never forgive him for what he dared to do to me.”       “When his servant told me what happened to you, and I learned about that slap, I wanted to strangle him with my own hands.”       “So sorry that you did not do it!” Raquelle throws coldly. “I wouldn’t be upset. And I would even be grateful to you for saving me from that bastard.”       “But you know, but I want to tell you something. I'm gonna say I’m not defending him and haven’t forgiven him. But when I was talking to that man, I realized he was really ashamed of what he did.”       “What are you talking about?”       “It’s the truth, Raquelle. I saw it in his eyes. You can say anything, but your eyes will always give you the right answer. The answer to any question you’re looking for.”       “Ha, ashamed!” Raquelle smirks contemptuously. “Afraid of getting ashamed of the whole world and becoming the one people would mock!”       “Who wants people to point at them with a finger? As if I wanted people to point at me and say that it's the killer of Gilbert Woodham.”       “You know, if someone says something terrible about him someday, I will be happy. Because that stinker will get what he deserves. And his career will be ruined!”       “Raquelle…”       “I do want someone to press on his greatest weakness and destroy his reputation to the hell.”       “Sorry, darling, but you’re afraid of it, too. Remember how much you were afraid that people would start believing the lie that Ringer told. You were so worried that you’d get ashamed of everyone and get no more work that it seemed just a paranoia.”       “Yeah, but I did nothing bad! While that scumbag has something to hide. When you give a reason, you’ll see people starting to tell everyone about that egoistic peacock that behaves like a freaking king and reveal his real character. And make everyone believe he’s got mental problems. He must get therapy in a mental hospital, not me. Like Ringer tried to make all my close people sure, who turned their backs upon me.”       “Not all of them, Raquelle, not all of them. Your grandfather and I do know who you are and would never believe a scoundrel, who chose you as his victim.”       “That stinker left me after he swore to be by my side, despite nothing! He broke his promises and dared to raise a hand against me.       “Mr. Cameron and I don’t defend Terrence and excuse his action. He behaved disgustingly. Not like a real man.”       “And I’ve already broken up with him. Once and forever. And even if you and Grandfather try to change my mind and say being single is bad, I will not be back to him.”       “No, no, we will not change your mind.”       “One day, I already succumbed to you and began to date that man. But it gave me no happiness. I got only disappointment.”       “Sorry, Raquelle, but you were not also a perfect girlfriend. You were thinking about yourself and your career much more. You forgot about your boyfriend. As if you didn’t have him.”       “Didn’t he do it?” Raquelle wonders loudly. “Didn’t he think only of starting a musical career?”       “You should’ve supported him.”       “Why should I have supported the one, who always gave a damn about me?”       “Terrence did his best to give enough attention to you, but you always ignored him.”       “He would’ve better given me attention when I wasn’t tired after a long, hard day.”       “When were you not tired? You were working like crazy, as if you were ignoring your boyfriend on purpose. Who eventually got sick of this. Do you think he liked that life? Do you think he will stand your indifference forever? No wonder that Terrence easily took his words back and believed Simon, who blamed you for cheating.”       “My God, Aunt, are you defending that stinker?” Raquelle wonders loudly. “Do you still want me to live with him even after everything that happened?”       “No, honey, I’m not defending him. But after talking to him, I got a little softer, and I think I made him think about what he did. Even if Terrence said he started to understand that he was very sorry about all his actions. And he understands he is guilty of the fact that your relationship was ruined.”       “No, Aunt Alicia, he lied to you,” Raquelle says a little louder with tears. “Don’t believe any of his words! Such a nasty scumbag like he would never get ashamed of his actions. He would never recognize his fault.”       “But he did. He said he shouldn't have raised a hand to you and left you at such a hard moment.”       “That betrayer was just pretending that he cared about me and what was happening to me. And when Simon showed up and began to turn everybody against me, MacClife found a reason to get out, blaming me for cheating and literally kicking me out of his fucking house.”       “Honey, I’ve lived much enough time in this world and can differ the truth from the lie. If Terrence had insolently lied to me, I would’ve felt that. But he denied nothing, told me all the truth, and proved that he really regretted what he did.”       “He would rather take his stuff and get out as far as possible! Everybody would be better off without him! Nobody would care about him! Even his mother would realize he is a bastard and turn her back on her sonny.”       “No, sweetie, I’m sure his mother would love Terrence, despite nothing. Even if he becomes a shameless violator.”       “Sorry! I would watch him if he stayed all alone and became the one the whole world would be mocking.”       “Raquelle, my girl…”       “I wonder, how long the shabby cat that he preferred over me would stay with him. When would she realize she got in touch with the selfish peacock without brains?”       “I know about that girl. But Terrence actually never loved her.”       “What are you talking about?”       “He said he played love so she was silent about his slap that he told her accidentally about. He wanted to do his best for that girl to do anything for him.”       “Wow…”       “Yes, he did a very bad thing to her, but that man does not care about her. And he would hardly love her truly.”       “Oh, that scumbag told you stupid things!” Raquelle smirks contemptuously. “MacClife is such a fibber!”       “It’s not a lie, honey. It’s the confession of Terrence himself.”       “If he told me all the same, I would surely slap him in his insolent face…”       “Raquelle, what are you talking about?”       “Yes, Aunt! With great pleasure! And I would never regret that.”       “A girl cannot raise a hand on a man. No matter what he is!”       “It’s alright, Aunt, it’s alright…”       Raquelle sniffs and shakes her head with a look full of tears and despair.       “Thank God, we broke up a long time ago and can live our lives,” Raquelle says in a very shaking voice. “And that scumbag will be happy with that dyed otter. While I am gonna solve my problems and wait for the day one more asshole named Simon decides to bring me to death.”       “Anyway, don’t worry about that girl,” Alicia says quietly. “Terrence still loves you and nobody else.”       “What are you talking about?”       “That man said he didn’t want to be with anyone except you.”       “He told you a great lie!” Raquelle raises her voice. “I did see that cheater kissing her!”       “That was an act of him.”       “And after he snuggled with that plucked chicken, he went to kiss me and feel everything about me up.” Raquelle growls irritably with her eyes rolled up. “If he hadn’t literally tied me up, he would’ve really gotten a hit in the face. Or better, a couple of hits between his legs…”       “Listen, girl, I completely understand you’re jealous and still feel something for him deep inside,” Alicia says softly. “But trust me, what you saw is not actually the truth.”       “Am I jealous? No, Aunt, you’re deeply wrong…” Raquelle smirks nervously. “Ha, come on… Get jealous of the horndog that used me as a toy for fun.”       “Even his servant noticed he became depressed, and fire in his eyes faded away after you left him.”       “Who does he try to pity? Me? You? Servants?”       “People aren’t blind, honey, they see very much. If you were indifferent to Terrence, you wouldn’t even move an eyebrow when seeing him kissing that girl.”       “I don’t actually care about him!” Raquelle exclaims excitedly. “He can snuggle with anyone he wants! Nothing connects me with that horndog!”       “Raquelle…”       “That idiot never loved me! And he got out quickly when I got all these problems. He didn’t want to get his tender hands dirty! He was afraid that he would suffer. So, he decided to cover his precious ass. Make me solve all of it by yourself, sweetheart, and don’t count on me.”       “He just succumbed to the words of Simon, who found very good arguments to make him believe in your non-existing betrayal. Moreover, you also gave him a reason to doubt your loyalty.”       “I never cheated on him!” Raquelle protests. “But I would've better done! I should’ve gone on a couple of dates with Hunter, whom Ringer said I had an affair with.”       “Terrence is really regretting believing him. He says he’d make everything different if he had a chance to fix his mistakes. And he confessed that even if his passion was very strong, he loved you anyway somewhere deep inside.”       “But I never loved him!”       “You’re lying to me.”       “Not at all!” Raquelle says with her head proudly raised. “I used him to make you and Grandfather get off me.”       “You would not do that. I know you too well. You’re not so bad.”       “So, you know me badly.”       “No, Raquelle, I would never believe it. I would not believe you could really do this to Terrence.”       “Please, Aunt, I’m begging you… Don’t pronounce the name of that betrayal with my pretense. That man doesn’t exist for me. Alright, he died! When he dared to raise a hand on me.”       “But…”       “I was ready to forgive him for anything. I was ready to keep living with him, even if I didn’t have any love for him. But I swear, Aunt, I will never forgive him for daring to slap me, betray me and exchange me with a pathetic prostitute that he was kissing and hugging right before my eyes.”       “I’ve already told you they can have nothing but friendship.”       “I don’t care! He can live as he wants!”       “Listen, sweetie, I understand it’s hard for you, and you’re madly jealous of him. But trust me, he doesn’t feel better now. He’s truly sorry about not letting you know about the lie that Simon told him before.”       “Please, Aunt Alicia…”       “His sad eyes full of tears that he tried to hold down so hard spoke for him.”       “My God, it’s so easy to deceive you. How easy it is to make you believe any lie!”       “Yes, maybe, he had a mist before his eyes. But how Terrence is awake and realized all his mistakes.”       “Don’t forget that he is a very good actor,” Raquelle says confidently with tears. “For him, playing a role is too easy! All these men’s tears and sad eyes are a total lie that he uses to make your heart melt.”       “Just because I believed him doesn’t mean he is forgiven. Doesn’t mean I forgave him for what he did.”       “I didn’t feel his allegedly true regret when he was shouting at me, treating me like a doormat, and almost dragging me by the hair. And me to feel too ‘good’, MacClife strongly slapped me in the face and started a love affair with that dyed otter, who dresses like a slut.”       “Do you think I can lie to you and make you sure he’s very sorry to make you come back to him immediately and live with your boyfriend?”       “I hate that bastard,” Raquelle hisses through her teeth. “I hate! I wish he was never born in this world! Everyone would feel much better! At least, my life would be much better if I didn’t have that scumbag in it.”       “Oh, Jesus Christ…”       Alicia sighs heavily and decides not to talk about it anymore because she understands Raquelle is too mad to hear her and understand something.       “Okay, let's not talk about it anymore,” Alicia says quietly, softly caressing the head of the crying Raquelle. “Now it doesn’t matter. Now you should care about how to do away with Simon. You will sort out your relationship with Terrence later, but that nasty bastard must pay for all his dirty business as soon as possible.”       “Don’t worry, Aunt,” Raquelle pronounces confidently through tears. “I will be fighting with him until the very end. I swear, Simon will pay me for everything I have had to get through. For all the tears I cried because of him. You know I’m not a vindictive person, but this time, I have to forget it and do something without pity. Moreover, I haven't forgotten everything I had to get over one and a half years ago.”       “So, what are you gonna do?”       “I don’t know. I’m just waiting for his call. Next commands. He told me to sit and wait.”       “But you can wait for him forever!”       “Yeah, but what can I do?” Raquelle shrugs. “I can do nothing now.”       “Are you sure you can get off him?”       “I am.”       “Hardly, sweetie. You can expect anything from that man. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he went much further than just threatening.”       “No, Aunt Alicia, I will do it! Whatever he came up with! Even if I have to meet him face-to-face, I will do my best to make him get off me,” Raquelle sniffs quietly. “Since nobody wants or can help me, I will do everything by myself. Now I’m counting only on myself and my strength.”       “Ah, Raquelle…” Alicia sighs quietly. “I would really like to help you so much, but I don't know how… I think your grandfather and I can do nothing to help you somehow.”       “No, you can help me… And you would do it if…”       Raquelle steps back from Alicia and thinks for two seconds.       “If you lived with me for some time, as well,” Raquelle adds shyly and takes Alicia’s hands. “Please, Auntie, stay with me at least for a while. I need you so badly! I won’t take all of this alone… Even having Grandpa’s support wouldn’t be enough to survive in this hell.”       “Raquelle, sweetie, I came here especially for that – for helping you and taking care of you,” Alicia replies confidently with a slight smile, caressing Raquelle’s cheek. “Did you think your aunt would leave you in trouble?”       “At some moment, I thought…” Raquelle moves her tear-stained eyes down for a second and then looks at Alicia again. “You and Grandfather turned your backs on me, too. You forgot me after I began to date MacClife. Simon washed my brains, saying my relatives wanted to get off me, and that’s why they wanted me to get married so badly. And I believed it… I believed you really wanted to get off me.”       “My God, Raquelle, how could you think so?” Alicia gets horrified with her widely open eyes. “Your grandfather and I left you? I would rather lose my job or friends than do that to you!”       “And you know…” Raquelle smiles slightly. “I got a little better after I told you everything that I’m worried about now.”       “You can tell me anything you want, and I will support you.”       “I had been so lonely before I got the support of Grandpa Frederick and moved to him. I had nobody to tell all of that because everybody left me. Sadly, I couldn’t come to someone, cry and tell them what was happening inside me. That’s why I was suffering…” Raquelle sniffs quietly. “But now, when you and Grandpa Frederick are near me, I feel much better. Now you’re the only people I have. And I really want you to be by my side.”       “It goes without saying, my girl!” Alicia exclaims. “I will stay here with pleasure. I promise I will not leave until your life gets better.”       “Really?”       “You will not be alone anymore, Raquelle. I promise.”       “I’m even ready to pay for your room in a hotel. Just stay with me.”       “I will not stay in the hotel and will move to your grandfather.”       “Wouldn’t he mind?”       “Nope, he doesn’t mind. Moreover, he suggested that I didn’t spend money on the hotel and moved into his apartment.”       “Oh, thanks a lot, Auntie!”       Raquelle presses close to Alicia and takes her in her hug, which the woman accepts with pleasure.       “Thank you…” Raquelle thanks in a little shaking voice. “What I’d do without you…”       “Aw, sweetie…” Alicia says.       Alicia steps back from Raquelle and starts to look at her, frowning slightly.       “Yeah, you don’t look good,” Alicia notices thoughtfully, fixing Raquelle’s little matted hair. “Have you been so anxious because of this hell that you stopped pitying yourself?”       “Well, yeah, it’s been a very hard time…” Raquelle replies hesitantly, deciding to hide that she has had a slight indisposition on purpose and believing it’s just strong stress caused by what she has gotten through. “You do know how much it means to me. That’s why I am worried…”       “You don’t have to get yourself so exhausted, honey. It wouldn't lead you to anything good. I don’t want you to get sick with something. I don’t want you to go to doctors and be in a hospital for weeks or even months.”       “Don’t worry, Aunt, I’m gonna be okay,” Raquelle smiles slightly.       “I would like to believe…”       There is something that makes Alicia suspect something bad about Raquelle's behavior, but she cannot understand what. However, she sees that the girl clearly seems to be exhausted, and her eyes are red and sad not only because she's worried about what’s happening… Anyway, the woman decides not to make her explain and just wants to be next to her niece and support her at such a hard time.       “Alright, sweetie, excuse me, but I’ve gotta leave you for a while,” Alicia says thoughtfully. “I shall take my stuff from the hotel, check out of that one, and move in here. I’ve already agreed with Mr. Cameron about living here.”       “Sure, go,” Raquelle nods with a slight smile. “I will be waiting for you…”       “Don’t worry, I will leave you for some time. And then I will be back, and you and I will talk about everything much longer.”       “If you want, you can take my car… Not to spend money on a taxi…”       “Can I do?”       “Of course, you can!” Raquelle smiles shyly. “The keys are on the table near the hall door.”       “Thank you so much, Raquelle. You’re very nice to me.”       “And actually, use it whenever you need it. I don’t mind.”       “Alright, my sweetheart. As you wish.” Alicia cutely kisses Raquelle on the cheek. “I will be back soon. Don’t be bored without me. But I think you wouldn’t have to be alone for a long time because your grandfather promised to be back soon.”       “You go, but I will close the door.”       Alicia caresses Raquelle’s cheek, takes her purse and the keys from her niece’s car, and closes the hall door after she leaves the apartment. A few seconds later, the girl slowly gets up, goes to the living room, and locks it. Then she slowly comes to the sofa and sits on it, setting her dead eyes into the distance.       “It seems like Amelia’s forecasts really work,” Raquelle thinks. “If she really told Aunt I’d have to get through hard tests, it’s the truth. But that woman said nothing to me about my relationship, which would come to an end. I would run into the horndog that would meet a slut and snuggle her from head to feet.”       Raquelle sighs heavily and runs her hands over her hair.       “Anyway, I would be happy to talk to Amelia,” Raquelle thinks. “I would ask her about my destiny. Maybe, I make her sure to tell me much more than I found out when I visited her for the first time. Or do I ask my aunt to send photos of my palms to that woman and tell her my email, so she can tell me much more about everything? Oh… I dunno… I don’t wanna know my destiny. But… Maybe, I find out whether I’ll stop getting through hard things at the nearest time. When I’d start to live a quiet life and stop suffering somehow.”       A little later, Raquelle starts calling the memories of her talk with Alicia, during which she told her about meeting Terrence. Whom the woman began to defend in her way, even if she knew what he did. Of course, she could dream a little and imagine all the words the man said to her aunt were true. But the brunette does not want to comfort herself with unreal dreams and suffer from her own illusions.       “My God, why did my aunt easily believe MacClife and his empty words?” Raquelle wonders. “Why does she defend him so hard? Does she want me to come back to him and take his terrible attitude toward me? How do I explain to her that if he hadn’t wanted to do that to me, he would’ve never done that? It’s okay he didn’t give me much attention after we began to live together – I’m ready to take it. But I am not going to forgive that idiot for leaving me at the worst moment, slapping me in the same and blaming me for cheating that never happened.”       Raquelle simpers quietly and contemptuously, crossing her arms over her chest.       “Ha, what kind of fucking betrayal!” Raquelle thinks with evil in her eyes. “Actually, he was the one to cheat on me with that fucking pipsqueak! I was always loyal to that bastard. I didn’t even think of meeting another man. I didn’t care about it! And he dared to blame me for cheating on him… Ha, it’s said by the one, who was kissing and hugging that whore before my eyes as passionately as he did it to me. After he kissed her enough, he went to snuggle with me.”       Raquelle glances aside.       “He probably thinks he could still feel everything about me up and force me to have sex that was the reason why he was running after me,” Raquelle thinks. “No, filthy horndog, I’m not a sex toy for you! Better go to fuck that blonde chicken that got you. Let her please you and do anything you’re dreaming about.”       Raquelle exhales sharply and calls the memories of her conflict with Rachel, during which they told each other many bad things and dragged each other by the hair.       “Oh, so sorry that I didn’t beat the face of that pipsqueak better and pull some of her hair out,” Raquelle thinks gloomily. “What she got wasn’t enough for me. I should’ve dealt with that bitch right there! I should’ve strangled her with my own hands. I had such a wonderful chance! There was nobody in the restroom. Nobody would’ve found out what happened to her. Ar-r-r, I wish that fucking whore was cursed and…”       Raquelle suddenly feels a strong weakness again and understands that everything is a little blurry before her eyes. It seems like she is about to faint. She really wants not just to sit down, but to lie on something.       “Damn, this terrible feeling again…” Raquelle whispers, doing her best to breathe quietly and subdue the feeling of panic that is getting stronger and stronger. “Oh… Now I feel worse than I felt before…”       But no matter how hard Raquelle tries to calm down, she is getting worse and cannot literally breathe.       “Damn, everything is blurred before my eyes…” Raquelle pronounces, closing her eyes and trying to breathe deeply. “I feel dizzy… Sick… Oh… It seems like I need a little to faint right here…”       Raquelle leans back in the sofa with a quiet, painful moan and puts her hand on her forehead, closing her eyes and exhaling very slowly.       “Maybe, I take some sedatives?” Raquelle asks herself. “What if there’s something good for me in Grandpa’s aid kit? If he doesn’t, I can go to a pharmacy and buy something… I’ve gotta do something… Or these panic attacks are gonna drive me crazy. I can’t control them… It’s very hard to calm down… Damn…”       After sitting on the sofa for some time, Raquelle slowly lies down and keeps breathing as deeply as possible to let as much oxygen as possible get into her brain. At some moment, the brunette moves her eyes to her thin wrists and notices her hands are slightly shaking, and she cannot help it.       “Oh, my hands are shaking…” Raquelle thinks. “And I feel sick… I do wanna go to the dressing room and never leave the restroom. Because I’m about to clean my stomach… I feel it… Damn… I feel bad… Ar-r-r…”       Understanding that there is nobody that would help her, Raquelle does her best to keep her condition under control somehow and do her best to stay awake and realize what’s happening to her.       “Oh, if only it didn’t ruin my plans to get rid of Ringer…” Raquelle sighs tiredly. “Now I have a very important mission – to get off Simon and put him in prison. And when I do this, I will start to live a quiet life that will have no place for MacClife. The life that I lived before these two stinkers turned everything upside down.”       Raquelle decides to lie on the sofa for some time in the hope that it will help her get her condition a little better. Moreover, she does not want to tell Frederick and Alicia about what’s happening to her because of her reluctance to make them worried about the girl, who has to get over some bad things over and over.       

***

      Simon is still hiding at his home but has lately communicated with Richard very much as he is helping him make his plans come true. They planned even the smallest things and are now just waiting for a good moment to start to do something. Ringer does not hide his happiness caused by the fact that everything is happening very well, and does not doubt that the last but very important steps will help him make his great dream come true.       “So, everything is ready and planned very well,” Simon notices confidently. “Our plan is ready to come true.”       “And when are you going to make all your dream real?” Richard asks with a mysterious smile.       “I don’t know yet, I don’t want to rush.”       “Why? You would quickly deal with it all and get happy!”       “No, boy…” Simon shakes his head with a sly smile. “I can get off Raquelle even tomorrow. No problem! But I don’t want to do this yet.”       “Do you want to torture that gal with suspense as long as possible?”       “Exactly! I want to torture that gal a little and bring her to a much worse condition. Moreover, nobody can stop me from it. I already got everyone, who could ruin my plans, out of my way. That gal stayed alone as everyone turned their backs on her. So… We are supposed to have no problems.”       “What about her grandfather and aunt?”       “They are not a problem for us. Those people can prove nothing. I’m not afraid of them and don’t think they could be a threat to me.”       “Are you sure?”       “Absolutely. Don’t worry about them.”       “Could those old people really do nothing?”       “No-thi-ng,” Simon pronounces with a sly smile.       “So…” Richard shrugs slightly. “If you’re so sure about it, I can’t say a word against you.”       “So, Richard, we will start making our plan come true very soon.”       “That’s awesome!”       “Ah, I’m already looking forward to this sweet taste of a win… I feel how happy I will be when my revenge comes true.” Simon rubs his hands happily with a slight smile. “I cannot wait to put an end to this story. I can’t wait to get revenge for all the bad things.”       “Of course,” Richard nods.       “Your time to pay will come very soon, Raquelle Allison Cameron. Your death is very close.”       “Yeah, Simon, you are as close to your goal as you’ve never been!” Richard exclaims with a wide smile.       “Yes, like I’ve never been.” Simon looks at Richard with his head proudly raised. “They say revenge would not give anyone happiness, but I am sure I am going to be very happy when I finally get away with that girl.”       “When your revenge is wanted, it always gives you pleasure,” Richard notices amicably.       “And you know, Richard, maybe, I’ve already accepted the fact that I would not get famous and gain worldwide respect and love from people. But I will be very happy to know my enemy is finally defeated.”       “A wanted revenge is much better than any career.”       “You’re right.”       “You must be proud of the fact that you’re about to get off the one that dared to humiliate you like this.”       “And I will surely do it! You will see. Even if that girl begs for mercy, I will not listen to her. I will just tell her the movies for my actions and kill her. Quietly and silently.”       “Excellent…” Richard smiles widely.       “Oh, honestly, I’ve never loved Raquelle,” Simon sighs tiredly and starts slowly walking in circles around the whole room. “And I don’t understand her merits. I don’t understand why she was literally made the idol.”       “Oh, I don’t understand it, either, and I’ve never been admired by her.”       “She is an empty shell! She has nothing attractive! She is as flat as a board! No boobs, no ass… Nothing that would make her body truly feminine.”       “Yeah… She is a girl. She is sympathetic. She has a good body, even if she has no sexual curves: no breasts, no butt – nothing… She has a model height. Her face is not ugly. But she does not have a zest.”       “It’s clear she was promoted for what she did not deserve. Or a sugar daddy promised to make her very famous if she slept with him. She was happy and pleased and instantly became a celebrity!”       “That’s right! I don’t see anything memorable about Raquelle. If she wasn’t a model, I would never come to her on the street and notice that flat board.”       “I absolutely agree with you. She has nothing special.” Simon sighs quietly and shakes his head. “Ah, what did that fool, Terrence, like about her? Why was he caught in her trap if he lost his mind after meeting her?”       “I don’t know…” Richard throws his hands up. “Maybe, that is gal a witch and put a smell on that man?”       “Maybe… Only a bewitched one would go insane over a girl SO much and even date her. Date the girl, who does not actually need him.”       “Yeah, I don’t understand him… There are so many chicks around, but MacClife got a crush on that anorexic lady.”       “That’s right. But I'm happy he finally woke up and realized what kind of mistake he made when he started to date her. Moreover, we learn from mistakes – if you do something wrong, you will not do it next time. Terrence met another beauty and is completely charmed by her.”       “Oh, yeah, I saw them together again a few days ago,” Richard smiles slyly. “And they were very happy.”       “Come on!” Simon truly wonders.       “Yeah! It seems like Terrence really fell in love with that girl, who also goes crazy for him and literally dances attendance upon him.”       “Excellent… That’s so great he’s with her now. He wouldn’t surely stand in my way and try to prevent me from revenging his ex-girlfriend.”       “No, don't worry about him. That man would do nothing to you.”       “You know, I usually don’t like all these couples and love things, but now my heart is truly happy for him and that blonde.”       “At least, she’s a beauty,” Richard notices confidently. “Unlike Raquelle. That blonde has a cool body and something to grab. That’s what I love.”       “I really hope it will be enough for her to get Terrence to fall in love with her and get married to him.” Simon smiles slyly. “I would even be happy to attend their wedding if they had it someday. And I would be rejoicing because of the failures of my Raquelle, whose charms stopped working on him.”       “Be sure, soon, all the newspapers will be full of news about their breakup and Terrence’s wedding with that blonde,” Richard says confidently with a slight smile. “I mean, someone has already published something about their breakup. But people think it’s rumors and believe the life of the couple MacClife-Cameron is just perfect.”       “Yeah, perfect…” Simon simpers evilly. “It got ruined to the fuck! And soon, people will be very disappointed when they find out their favorite couple ended their relationship, to their sadness. And they were actually never as happy as it seemed.”       “You’re absolutely right, as always…”       Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which Simon and Richard glance at different sides with a sly smile, looking at a little bunch of trash placed somewhere in a corner of the dark room. And then Ringer looks at his friend and notices that the guy seems a little tired.       “Are you okay, Richy?” Simon asks. “You look kind of tired.”       “Nope, I’m fine…” Richard says tiredly, scratching the back of his head. “Yesterday, I just went to hang out in a club and was there until the morning.”       “Club?”       “Yeah. Although I got terribly exhausted after that hangout, I didn’t fall asleep. I was too excited.”       “Decided to drink some alcohol and relax?”       “Yeah, but I didn’t drink to the hell – only one or two glasses.” Richard smiles mysteriously. “And I spent an amazing time with one sympathetic girl that came out there.”       “M-m-m, is she really so sympathetic?” Simon smiles shyly, finding something at a small table and starting to wrap it in his hands.       “Yeah, she’s a cute girl. She came there with her friends, who met some guys and hung out with them until the morning. And I spent some time with her and thought she was quite an interesting persona.”       “So, is there a chance that you may get a girlfriend soon?”       “No, come on! It doesn’t mean anything! We just talked a little, drank a couple of cocktails, and spent a great time with each other.”       “But why… You’re not an ugly but quite sympathetic guy. Girls are supposed to pay attention to you.”       “Come on, Simon,” Richard throws gloomily, waving a hand. “I’m not going to find a permanent girlfriend.”       “What about that girl?”       “She was just very pliable, and I hung out with her a little…” Richard exhales sharply. “Well, okay, I will not hide that at some moment, we didn’t feel a thing because of a couple of drinks. And we went to a dressing room for some time, where we managed to fuck.”       “Oh, that’s how!” Simon smiles mysteriously. “Was it an impulse of passion when being drunk?”       “Something like that. But I vaguely remember what we were doing. Anyway, I feel that was cool.”       “I see…”       “But then some big guys came there and kicked me out of there because it was the restroom. And some gals saw me there, ran away from there with squeaks, and complained to the main one in that club.”       “So, didn’t you feel bored?”       “Nope.”       “Ah, guy, I understand you very well…” Simon sighs with a slight smile. “I remember myself going to clubs along with my friends and hanging out with beautiful girls until the morning, until we got our legs weak from tiredness. And not only in clubs. There were very many ways, in which people of all ages can have fun…”       “And did you also lock yourself and them in a dressing room and spend an unforgettable time together?”       “Oh, I did, kid! But somehow, when I was too young, one gal wanted to call the police after getting me caught with another girl in the restroom and started yelling like crazy as if she was about to be raped.”       “And what?”       “Almost everyone, who was near us, came, and I barely understood everything because I was a little drunk. But then I barely calmed the people down and quickly got out of there out of harm’s way.”       “There are those, who may go to the men’s room. I remember one girl, who went to the men’s room to make out with a man. My buddy was there and told me how other men started literally eating her with their eyes. And she yelled and made all the visitors of the club and the administration come up.”       “Yeah, everything happens…” Simon laughs shyly. “But I remember much worse and funnier things that happened in my life.”       “Would you tell me?”       “Oh, now it’s hard for me to remember everything. But I promise I will surely share everything I’ve managed to see and get through with you.”       “I would listen to your stories with pleasure.”       Simon says nothing and just smiles slightly. Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which Richard fixes his little disheveled hair a little and one of the sleeves of his black coat.       “Oh, alright, let’s stop talking about it,” Simon says confidently. “Let’s better talk about it when I finally get revenge on Raquelle for everything I’ve had to get through because of her.”       “Don’t worry about it, boss,” Richard replies confidently. “Your genius plan will come true very soon, and this gal will be destroyed. I give you an honest word from Richard Stalker! The man, who never lies and talks to the wind!”       “Yeah… You’re right…”       Simon, keeping his head proudly raised, confidently looks at Richard with a sly smile, while the boy does not stop encouraging the man and praising him for anything about the plan of his revenge that they are going to make come true at the nearest time.       

***

      The time is getting closer to the evening. Terrence MacClife’s house. Blair and Violetta are currently cooking dinner in the kitchen, while Christiana went to a shop to buy something for the house. And along with cooking food, the servants are discussing MacClife’s sudden changes in his mood that have lately happened to him.       “I think he's kind of strange,” Violetta confesses, slowly slicing the onion on a carving board. “He either gets depressed and overwhelmed and talks to nobody or goes somewhere like crazy…”       “Yeah, but after the talk with that woman, he felt into his thoughts much deeper and became much gloomier than before,” Blair says, mixing something in the pans placed on the electric cooker, in which something is simmering.       “What woman?” Violetta frowns slightly.       “You didn’t know?”       “What?”       “Today, at lunchtime, the aunt of our dear Raquelle came here.”       “Raquelle’s aunt? Come on? She is living somewhere in England!”       “She came here from London just to find out how Raquelle was doing. I mean, that woman got a bad presentiment and came here to find out everything.”       “Hm…” Violetta thinks for two seconds, putting a finger on her lips. “Alright… But as far as I remember, that woman never came here before.”       “Yes, it’s true,” Blair nods confidently. “As well as her grandfather.”       “So, what did that woman say?”       “So, while Terrence wasn’t at home, I quickly explained everything to Alicia. And when Terrence came back, he had a long talk with Raquelle’s aunt, who was very mad at him after I told her everything that happened here.”       “Wow! And what happened next?”       “I left but heard a part of their talk. Alicia was angry because Terrence raised a hand on Raquelle and almost strangled him with her own hands.”       “I understand her.”       “He tried to excuse himself and calm the excited woman down, but she raised a voice at him.”       “Did Terrence deny everything?”       “No, he denied nothing. He told all the truth and recognized his fault.”       “That’s how…”       “He said he didn’t want it.”       “Didn't want?” Violetta puts the knife aside quickly and frowns strongly. “If he hadn't wanted that, he wouldn't have done that to her!”       “At least, he didn’t look like he lied to that Alicia,” Blair notices thoughtfully.       “So… He’s trying to make that woman softer…”       “By the way, I believe he told her about that blonde that he always brought here.”       “About the blonde? That insolent and annoying Rachel?”       “Yup. But something tells me she’ll no longer come here.”       “Why do you think so?”       “Terrence and she fought to the hell! He told her he never loved her and was pretending to be in love to forget Raquelle and get something from her father. I didn’t understand what, but it seems like that man could give him something very important.”       “What a twist!” Violetta wonders truly.       “Rachel got wild and swore to ruin Terrence’s life and career.”       “It means, would that girl no longer come here?”       “I think so.”       “Oh, thank God!” Violetta sighs with relief. “Of course, he did a very disgusting thing to her, but I’m very glad this story ended, and she would no longer come here.”       “Yeah, I’m happy, too. Thank God, she wouldn’t move in here and set up her rules.”       “I didn’t really like that lady! She was pretending to be a certain queen or princess.”       “You see, she got used to the fact that servants at her house would do anything after her first command and never go against her.”       “So, may they work for her then! We’re working only for Terrence and doing what he wants.”       “Exactly!”       “I’m gonna make it clear, my hate for Rachel doesn’t have to do with my love for Raquelle or the fact that I miss her. That lady didn’t just make me feel any positive emotions.”       “Christiana and I think so… And we would be madly happy if she really never came back to this house again.”       “God must not let!” Violetta begs. “I would not be able to stand that lady!”       “She would give us a hot.”       “And we would be able to do nothing.”       “You’re right.”       Violetta thinks about something for two seconds, and at some moment, Blair stops doing her business and turns on her.       “Hey, Violetta, do you remember the day Terrence talked with his mother and then fought with Raquelle for the first time?” Blair asks.       “Yeah, I remember,” Violetta shrugs. “But why did you ask?”       “So…”       Blair starts trying to speak as quietly as possible, almost in a whisper:       “Terrence said Simon called him before that talk. That man said Raquelle was dating her acquaintance from the police.”       “Come on!” Violetta wonders, closing her mouth with a hand.       “First, Terrence didn’t believe that bullshit, but Ringer somehow made him sure about it and made that man believe it was the truth.”       “Wow…”       “And after that talk, MacClife called his mother, who added fuel to the fire by starting a talk about his father that he cannot stand.”       “Simon is such an asshole!” Violetta resents. “How could Terrence believe it? Raquelle never cheated on Terrence and didn’t even think about it! We all know she was loyal to that man.”       “He probably thought her indifference to him meant she had another man.”       “My God, I would say he cheated on her, spending a lot of time with that dyed blonde, who always got stuck on him like a leaf.”       “Yes, but a fact is a fact. Simon managed to turn Terrence against Raquelle and ruin everything they had.”       “Although not everything was fine, they lived more or less well. And they could’ve fixed everything if they had really wanted.”       “You're right.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Blair and Violetta look at different sides.       “By the way, do you know how she is doing?” Violetta asks.       “I don't know, I haven't talked to her…” Blair shakes her head. “And where do I find her? Nobody knows where she went!”       “Sorry…”       “Yeah! I would really like to talk to her. About something. Something good…”       “Yeah, I’m starting to miss her so much as well as the time when Raquelle lived in this house…”       “Me too, but sadly, she will no longer be back here. Her relationship with Terrence is over.”       “Oh, my God…”       “But I’m very sad ‘cause that girl won’t be back. I got attracted to her. And… Sometimes I forgot I was working for her. I could say we were like friends.”       “She was like a friend to all of us. When Raquelle lived here, this house was full of bright light. I was happy to go to work because I knew I would feel good here.”       “I was also happy to work here when Raquelle lived in this house.”       “She was never too arrogant. She demanded nothing impossible. She was happy with what she had.”       “I agree. She is not what Rachel is. That lady would not definitely be a friend of her servants. She thinks they are something like dirt and would never deny it.”       “And Raquelle never thought so and was happy to talk to us like common people.”       “There’s no need to deny, when Raquelle lived here, we all felt good,” Blair sighs with sadness in her eyes. “But now it’s kind of sad here… The house got empty, the light went out… The atmosphere is less nice and relaxed.”       “Agree…” Violetta sighs quietly, shaking her head slightly. “Ah, it would be great to find out where she is hiding and visit her. Just to talk to her, give her our support… Let her know that we would not believe any word from Simon…”       “You’re right…” Blair agrees. “It would be great…”       Blair thinks for two seconds and then moves her eyes to Violetta with a slight smile.       “You know, Violetta…” Blair pronounces thoughtfully. “Of course, I’m not quite sure about it, but I could assume where she may be hiding.”       “Where?” Violetta expresses interest.       “Think yourself!” Blair smiles mysteriously. “There is only one place where she could go. Not saying about an opportunity to buy a ticket to London and go to her aunt.”       “The apartment of her grandfather?” Violetta frowns slightly.       “Exactly!”       “Do you think Raquelle may really be there?”       “I'm almost sure about it!” Blair replies confidently. “I didn’t also understand everything at once… But at some moment, I thought Raquelle could only go there. Because she has nobody, who she could live with. You know about her relationship with her friends. And you know that she fought with one of her friends because of Simon.”       “That's right…” Violetta pronounces with a slight smile and thinks for two seconds. “Right! You’re absolutely right! Raquelle really moved in there!”       “There is no doubt!”       “My God, why didn’t we guess about it before?”       “Yeah,” Blair laughs shyly. “I am surprised that we were so stupid…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, and then Violetta fixes her hair with sadness in her eyes, saying:       “You know, I also got attracted to her. I got a true love for her. I was so happy I was working for her.”       “I get it…” Blair nods with sadness in her eyes. “Raquelle could always get on well with people and talk to anyone. I’ve always thought she’s very smart. She knows what to advise in any situation.”       “Although I never asked her for advice, I’m sure she would say something good.”       “Yeah…”       “Ah, Blair…” Violetta sighs heavily and thinks with sadness in her eyes. “How I wish she was back in this house and brought the light with her again. Since she left this place, it’s been so sad…”       “It would be great if they reconciled and started to live together again,” Blair confesses.       “I don’t know, maybe, Terrence’s mood is one more reason why we all feel sadness. A mood may be a very contagious thing.”       “Maybe… Anyway, our wishes will never come true. Terrence and Raquelle ended their relationship because they would hardly be together after what happened between them.”       “Sadly…”       “Since they weren’t married, they have nothing to share.”       “Right… They weren’t married, didn’t make children, and didn’t get joint property. So, they aren’t supposed to have problems.”       “Oh, that’s so good it happened. Or I would be very sorry for their children. It would be very hard for them if their parents filed for divorce and were fighting to live with their children in court.”       “In this case, a breakup is the only right decision. It would be better for both of them. Terrence will meet another girl, who will appreciate him, and Raquelle will keep building her career and meet a man, for whom she will be ready to sacrifice something.”       “That’s right. So, Violetta, when Raquelle does away with Simon, she’ll start her life over again and forget about having a relationship. And Terrence will hardly do something to change her mind.”       “Yes, he said it…”       “But it’s clear that Terrence doesn’t want to break up. He doesn’t wanna lose that girl.”       “Sorry, Blair, but he’s guilty of everything. They had a chance to fix everything, but his behavior ruined any hopes.”       “I know…”       “It’s all over…” Violetta shakes her head. “Only a miracle would make that girl find the courage to forgive him and wish to start everything over again. I don’t know… I would personally never forgive my sweetheart or husband, who would raise a hand on me or cheat on me.”       “Do you think Raquelle wants to break up?” Blair asks.       “I think so. The case is not only about that slap. She just didn’t love him too much from the beginning and wasn’t ready to take care of him. She didn’t wanna be a good girlfriend.”       “And I thought she loved him. At least because she was terribly jealous of Rachel and him.”       “I think Raquelle is caught in the crossfire. That girl loves Terrence. But her mind says that she should break up with him because he did a very cruel thing to her. The choice is very hard, and she doesn’t know what to do.”       “I think her mind would get a victory. Raquelle is not one of those, who would take a man, who would raise a hand on her and humiliate her. She can stand for her and would determinedly break up with the one, who treats her like this.”       “Right, Raquelle didn’t wait for Terrence to start to beat her regularly and left after that slap.”       “That’s how he deprived himself of any hope to reconcile with her.”       “Anyway, he is really guilty of everything.”       “That’s right.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds. And then Violetta sighs heavily and quickly looks around the whole kitchen.       “Okay, let's save talks for later…” Violetta pronounces tiredly. “We have very little time. But we need to do very much. We’ve barely cooked the dinner…”       “And Christiana hasn’t been back from the shop yet,” Blair says thoughtfully.       “She will be back soon. But now let’s do our business.”       Violetta starts doing her business, which she stopped doing at some moment. And Blair shrugs, looking at her workmate with sadness in her eyes.       “Yeah…” Blair pronounces thoughtfully. “Sure…”       Not wasting time, Blair also starts doing her business in the kitchen and helping Violetta work, waiting for the return of Christiana, who is supposed to help them finish everything they should do, and finally go to their rooms to have some rest.