The Broken Hearts Story

      It's almost midnight, but Terrence is not even going to go to sleep. The man still cannot forget today’s talk with Alicia and Frederick and recalls all the words they said again and again, understanding more and more that if he does not do something, he will not get Raquelle back anymore and even make his relationship with her better. But he understands that it’s going to be very hard anyway because he did just a disgusting thing to her and did not show the best side of him for a long enough time.       Terrence does not stop blaming himself for not being able to hold himself down, forget all the words of Simon and his offense, just sit down and discuss everything quietly. The man is sure that everything could have been fixed if he had been much more discreet and had not forced Raquelle to get much madder and get absolutely cold to him by doing something like that.       “Damn, why was I such an idiot, who ruined everything that was happening between us?” Terrence wonders, pulling his hair out slightly. “If I had been more discreet, everything could’ve been otherwise… Moreover, everything happened at such a hard moment when she needed someone’s help… When she has nobody that could do just something to end this story.”       Terrence exhales slowly.       “I know she’ll never forgive me for hurting her so much and making her suffer,” Terrence thinks with sadness in his eyes. “But now trying to help her is the only chance to prove that I do really care about her and regret what I did. I will have no other opportunity.”       Terrence shakes his head.       “And I give a fuck about what everyone thinks about me,” Terrence thinks. “I don’t care whether people think I’m a hero, who wanna help the poor girl. Or I keep being a pathetic stinker, who wants to fix everything and become good. I give a fuck about my reputation, about my name, about my career… Give a fuck about everything! But one thing… I’m ready to sacrifice anything if I had to do this…”       Terrence runs his fingers through his hair and gets it a little disheveled.       “I must do my best to help her get off that bastard in any way…” Terrence continues to think. “Get off the bastard that is taking revenge on her for nobody the hell knows what…”       Terrence glances aside.       “He probably wanna kill her…” Terrence thinks. “I don’t understand… Is he really revenging her for the scandal that he provoked? Is Ringer really so vengeful? Or is there another reason that nobody knows about yet? I dunno…”       Terrence runs his hands over his face with a sharp exhale.       “And the words of Mr. Cameron and Alicia about them being worried about her health,” Terrence thinks. “They’re really worried… Raquelle’s grandfather is not allowed to get nervous… He might not take it. But I completely understand how hurtful it is for him to see her like this. Anyway, I wanna believe it wouldn’t hurt Alicia or him and wouldn’t bring them to ending up in a hospital someday. Raquelle wouldn’t take it… If she loses them, she will hardly get over this loss… Those people are very close to her… Closer than anyone else…”       All this time, Terrence is sitting on the bed in his room and viewing a polaroid photo. The photo of Raquelle and him. He often views it when there is nobody near him. He calls the memories of the wonderful moments that would always warm up his soul but make his heart tear apart… From the realization of the fact that it’s going to be just his memories.       “Although we didn’t know almost anything about each other, I felt happy with her,” Terrence confesses with sadness in his eyes. “I will never forget that time. The time that seemed wonderful to me… I will remember that with a smile on my face. Even if we never come back together.”       Ah, how much Terrence would like to feel all the feelings and emotions that he got when it seemed that nothing could ruin the idyll. When he felt happy next to Raquelle and got pleasure from spending time with the girl, whom he truly loves. But sadly, the time is gone… It means all these wonderful moments are going to be his memories.       At some moment, Terrence decides to stop torturing himself with these thoughts and think of something else. About the bad condition of Raquelle, which she had had some time before they started a conflict.       “As I understand, she’s hiding her bad condition from everyone…” Terrence frowns slightly. “I don’t exclude that the case might be serious… But why doesn’t she wanna say anything?”       Terrence sighs quietly and runs his hand over his hair two times.       “Ah, Raquelle what are you doing?” Terrence wonders. “You’ve always been strong! Why did you let that asshole break you down? You always went until the end, even if it was very hard, and you were madly hurt. I understand it’s hard, but you should remember it would be over early or late.”       Terrence shakes his head.       “Why don’t you wanna tell your aunt and grandfather everything?” Terrence wonders. “They’re so close to you! Don’t you trust them?”       Terrence thinks for two seconds.       “Maybe, Alicia and Mr. Cameron know something about her but have no wish to say anything to me?” Terrence asks himself. “I don’t believe she really says nothing to them. It’s okay that other people don’t know anything, but her relatives… Those she loves… No… It would be weird…”       Terrence reflects on something for two seconds, but then he hears a sound that his mobile phone makes. Even though it’s late time, the man decides to answer the call, sharply shaking his head, taking his smartphone from the table, running his finger over the screen, and putting it to his ear.       “Hello,” Terrence pronounces quietly.       “Good afternoon, Terrence, it's Alicia…” Alicia says a little excitedly. “I hope I didn’t wake you up?”       “No, no, Alicia, everything is alright. I am still awake… Good afternoon…”       “Sorry for calling you at such a late time, but it’s very important.”       “Erm, yeah, sure, speak. I’m closely listening to you.”       “When we were at the café, you asked me and Mr. Cameron to call you if we knew something about Simon and his meeting with Raquelle.”       “Yes, yes, I remember,” Terrence nods confidently. “Why? Did you find out something?”       “Yes, I’ve got news for you.”       “Speak!” Terrence sharply jumps off the bed and comes to the window, looking at the stars that are showing up in the dark sky. “I’m listening to you.”       “The case is that two hours ago, Raquelle received a message from Simon,” Alicia says very quietly. “It said she would have to meet him after tomorrow at five in the evening.”       “Meet? Did that stinker show up and decide to do what he wanted?”       “He did.”       “So, where would they meet?”       “My niece should go to the outskirts of the city and reach the abandoned place to meet Simon face-to-face.”       “What?” Terrence opens his eyes widely, getting a little white from horror. “Abandoned place?”       “I don’t know where, but he said he would text her again later.”       “Oh, damn…”       “And Simon said if Raquelle took at least someone with her, he would kill all her close people.”       “Which wood did he make her go to?”       “I don’t know, Terrence. But the message said Simon would tell the specific place later.”       “Damn…”       “But I’m shaking from just one word ‘abandoned.’ When I think she’ll have to go there alone, I feel worse.”       “Damn, damn, damn…” Terrence thinks for two seconds, understanding that he is getting more nervous and anxious. “I don’t like it at all… I’ve got a bad enough presentiment about it. This man made her go there for a reason. He thought up something.”       “I don’t like this idea, either,” Alicia confesses.       “It might be a trap. Ringer might decide to kill her where there is nobody!”       “Yeah, I know. But Raquelle is determined to go there alone!”       “What?” Terrence raises his voice a little. “Did she go insane?”       “Mr. Cameron and I tried to change her mind, but she didn’t kind of hear us and naively believed that she would deal with him by herself.”       “No, Alicia, do not let her do it!” Terrence insists confidently. “Hear me, do not allow her to go there alone! Or you will surely lose her! I am more than just sure Simon asked her to meet her there to deal with her.”       “Yes, Terrence, I know it very well,” Alicia replies excitedly. “But you know my niece is a very headstrong girl.”       “I know, but she must not go there alone.”       “I tried to persuade her to take someone with her or call the police, but she wants to hear nothing.”       “Oh, damn…”       “It’s not gonna lead to anything good.”       Alicia sighs heavily.       “I’m gonna lose my girl…” Alicia adds in a little shaking voice. “Simon is gonna kill her… And I will never see her again.”       “No, no, Alicia, please, don’t worry,” Terrence says confidently and quietly. “It’s not gonna happen. I promise.”       “Mr. Cameron and I will not take it if something happens to her. Especially, because of that jerkoff.”       “Don’t forget that you can still count on my help. I did promise I would help you and do my best to help her.”       “Yeah, I remember…” Alicia nods and sniffs quietly. “I remember…”       “As I promised you to protect Raquelle, I will do it in any way. If you trust me, nothing will happen to her. I will not let him touch her, even with a finger.”       “Will you really save her from that scum?”       “Undoubtedly,” Terrence pronounces confidently with his head proudly raised. “If it happened, I will go there with the police. You should find out how to come to that place, and then we will do everything.”       “With the police?”       “Ah, I forgot to tell you that I contacted my friend from the police today and agreed about everything with him. I explained the situation, and the police agreed to help. They’re waiting for a sign of mine.”       “So, will Simon get caught by the police shortly after you are at the right place?”       “Yes, they will immediately get him arrested and take him to the police station, and your niece will go home safe and sound.”       “What If he gets to run away or does something to my girl?” Alicia expresses anxiety.       “He will not run away, I promise you. I talked to the policemen and made sure they would plan everything and not let him run away.”       “I would like to believe…”       “But I should warn you that Simon and Raquelle should not know about something about our plans. We should get him caught in crime and mess up everything.”       “Don’t worry, Mr. Cameron and I will say nothing to her about you. Do what you think is right, but save my girl. You are the only hope for us.”       “Raquelle is going to be fine, I promise. Simon will do nothing to her.”       “Really?”       “The police and I will do our best.”       “Please, do this…”       “Maybe…” Terrence exhales sharply. “I wouldn’t get her back. But I would at least do my best to get off Simon once and forever. Do just something good… To get a little better. And tell people that I wasn’t sitting with my hands folded.”       “I hope you know what you are doing…” Alicia expresses hope. “And understand what one or another action may lead to.”       “Trust me, Alicia. I will do everything I should do.”       “Mr. Cameron and I trust you. And we’re ready to help.”       “Don’t worry, Simon has very little time to stay free and dream of revenging Raquelle for what’s still unclear. He is going to have to pay for everything he has done very soon.”       “Listen, is your acquaintance from the police really trustworthy? Would he really help you get off that sick bastard?”       “Of course, he will!” Terrence replies confidently. “That man is my old familiar guy, who was the one to tell me about his fraudulent scheme. That Mr. Cameron and I were discussing at the café.”       “That’s how…”       “By the way, I even managed to call that policeman, who was an admirer of Raquelle for a long time… What’s his name… Hunter Lynwood…”       “What?” Alicia wonders. “Hunter Lynwood? Is that the one, who suddenly disappeared after promising to help?”       “Yes.”       “Wow…”       “By the way, he is also going to be a part of this operation and collaborate with my friend.”       “That’s how! It sounds like a little relief…”       “Agree, the more people, the better.”       “Yeah, but did you get enough patience to talk to him quietly and not to start a hysteria? You thought Raquelle and he had an affair.”       “Oh, Alicia…” Terrence moans tiredly, closing his face with his hand, definitely burring from shame and wishing not to talk about it and recall the moments when he behaved like a real idiot. “I’ve already explained everything to you… I said Simon washed my brains. I would not have believed in those words, but…”       “Alright, alright, Terrence, don’t continue,” Alicia stops quietly. “Calm down, please. I believe you and completely understand everything…”       “Yeah, I’m going to be honest, it was awkward for me to talk to him. But I braced myself and explained everything quietly.”       “Yes, but how did you get his number?”       “I found his number accidentally,” Terrence confesses thoughtfully. “Somehow, I was sitting in my room and sorting my things out. And then I found a notebook. There were numbers of my friends, acquaintances, and those, who Raquelle knew. She added the numbers of many people to it.”       Terrence clears his throat quickly.       “So, I wanted to check it…” Terrence adds. “And after I turned a few pages, I found the name of Hunter and his phone number. Although I wasn’t sure it was really the man I needed, I thought it was a sign. In short, I decided to call him and ask him to help me solve the problem.”       “Did you do?”       “Nobody answered me for the first time, and I decided to try to call again later. But today, after meeting you and Mr. Cameron, Lynwood answered my call. And then I introduced myself and explained the situation. That man listened to me and said he would help me. And he added that he wasn’t even going to refuse to do it.”       “Don’t you know why he suddenly disappeared, as if Raquelle didn’t ask him about anything?”       “I know. As it turned out, there was a reason.”       “Which?”       “Simon had to do with it,” Terrence replies quietly.       “Come on?”       “Yes, yes! Lynwood disappeared for a long time because Simon did something that didn’t let him contact Raquelle, who he really wanted to call after returning to New York.”       “Jesus Christ…” Alicia shakes her head, being surprised by what she heard. “But how? How did that man know about him? Simon didn’t meet Hunter personally and could know nothing about him!”       “Everything is easy,” Terrence replies quietly. “Simon hacked Raquelle’s iCloud account. That’s a service where you can keep a lot of information. And after he got access to the account, he was able to check all of her contacts, messages, photos, and much more.”       “Come on?”       “There was the number of that policeman. And of course, Simon used it.”       “Wait, everything is getting clear!” Alicia exclaims. “I’m starting to understand how Ringer could get the numbers and addresses of all the familiar and close people of Raquelle. At least, that man could easily get all the numbers he needed.”       “You’re absolutely right! Your niece’s account had the numbers and even addresses of many people: all her friends, acquaintances, colleagues, Mr. Cameron, and you. But as I understand, he decided not to threaten all of them, he chose those, who were much closer to her.”       “Did she keep the data on that service?”       “I think so. She enabled the automatic backup of the information on her phone not to lose her data. And then she forgot it.”       “My God…”       “So, Alicia, I guess you understand that Mr. Ringer must have gotten a benefit out of it and could not miss a chance to threaten everybody that she knew very well.”       “Wait, does that man know so much about computers?”       “No, he wouldn’t do that by himself because Ringer knows almost nothing about technologies and usually spends a lot of time typing the easiest and shortest text on a computer.”       “Do you think he spent hours writing those long emails that he sent her then?”       “Yeah. And because Raquelle deleted her public email, Simon decided to write letters or send messages on her phone.”       “So, did someone help him hack her account?”       “He probably has familiar hackers that could do this for some time.”       “Do you want to say he hacked data on Raquelle’s phone and could take any information from it? Photos, videos, phone numbers, and even persona messages that could contain all of our addresses where all of us lived…”       “Exactly!” Terrence exclaims. “As far as I remember, Simon really had a familiar guy that knew everything about computers and could easily hack any computer or phone.”       “And of course, could Raquelle not guess her data on her phone got hacked?” Alicia asks.       “It’s true! She would not guess her iCloud account got hacked, and her data was stolen from her phone and could be used by anyone in any way.”       “Oh, gosh, everything is so tangled…” Alicia thinks of something, saying nothing for two seconds. “But I must confess that I’m surprised Simon has leaked nothing on the Internet… For example, some photos, videos, notes or something like that…”       “You know, I’m also surprised nothing from her data has been leaked on the Internet,” Terrence says confidently. “I often check the Internet but see nothing so far.”       “Maybe, he will do it later?”       “Or Simon wasn’t interested in that. Moreover, Raquelle had nothing special on her phone that would compromise her. Her photos and videos are decent, and there was nothing about messages… In the opposite case, he would be happy to leak a couple of photos of her if they were able to make people judge your niece.”       “At least, at the present, you can contact owners of sites and demand that they delete something. And they usually give up on you because they don’t want to be sued and made to pay some money. I think Raquelle would have no problems with that and would quickly get any bad content removed.”       “I agree with you…”       “Oh, alright, keep telling me about that policeman. What you agreed with him about.”       “Yeah, sure…” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds, biting his lip slightly. “So, Lynwood said he started to receive some strange calls and messages every day.”       “From Simon?”       “Maybe. But it looked like spam much more. Someone called him and offered nonsense things or something like that.”       “What does Ringer have to do with it? Maybe, it was some fraud, not him?”       “I don’t know, maybe, it doesn’t have to do with him… Maybe, it’s just a conscience. But in the end, Lynwood got sick of those senseless calls and messages that someone began to send him during daylight and nighttime. In short, he had to block his number and change it.”       “Wait, how did you manage to call him if his number was blocked?”       “I called his second number. There were his mobile number and his work number.”       “That’s how…”       “But it seems like Raquelle has only his personal number. In the opposite case, he would’ve had to change the work one.”       “I see…”       “Anyway, Lynwood didn’t actually disappear and didn’t forget about her plea to help her. Everything just happened.”       “Really?”       “Yeah. And by the way, he was the one to tell me about Raquelle’s account getting hacked.”       “How did he know it?”       “He used his contacts. Thanks to his acquaintances, he managed to find out that her account had been successfully hacked. Moreover, the technical support temporarily blocked her account just in case. Until Raquelle unblocks it, Ringer is not able to get into it. And when she changes her password, he will lose access.”       “My God, what a story… How many things people have come up with!”       “Sort of!”       “Yeah…” Alicia sighs heavily. “As it turned out, Simon is more dangerous than we thought… Who knows what kind of surprises he has prepared.”       “You can expect anything from that man,” Terrence replies confidently.       “I don’t have a doubt.” Alicia falls into silence for two seconds. “Yeah, will Hunter really help us? Will he not betray us at the last moment?”       “Of course, he will help us!” Terrence replies confidently. “Lynwood, my friend from the police, his helpers, and I agreed about everything. They needed only a sign from me. And I needed yours. As I understood it, you can leave everything to us.”       “I wish everything ended well,” Alicia expresses hope.       “Think about nothing and don’t be excited. We will do everything we need.”       “I can only wish luck to all of you.”       “Thanks a lot,” Terrence thanks with a slight smile. “And remember, it’s gonna be fine. I will not leave you behind. The police are aware of the situation and ready to organize the operation at any time.”       “Trying to believe it.”       “Yeah, something else… When Simon tells you the address of a meeting place, contact me immediately. We should know specific coordinates to plan everything right.”       “Don’t worry, I think we will know where everything will happen tomorrow. When I get the coordinates, I shall call you or send a message.”       “Deal! I will be waiting for your call.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Alicia decides to finish the talk with Terrence, who glances at the window at this moment.       “Oh, sorry, Terrence, but I think I’d better end this talk,” Alicia says a little hesitantly. “Or Raquelle might suspect something. I have to speak in a whisper, and Mr. Cameron is watching her, so she doesn't come to us.”       “Yes, yes, of course, I get it,” Terrence nods. “Please, keep me aware of everything.”       “Sure,” Alicia pronounces with a slight smile. “Mr. Cameron and I will tell you everything.”       “Good.”       “Good night, Terrence!”       “Thanks. Same to you.”       When the talk ends, Terrence blocks his smartphone and puts it on the table. Then the man lies on the bed and starts thinking about something and looking at the white ceiling with sadness in his eyes, not going to refuse to do what he wants. He is ready for anything to get Raquelle back, or at least make his relationship with her better. Even though the man clearly understands that he will not get forgiveness from her so easily. Or he will actually never get it, no matter how many heroic actions he does. But at least, Terrence would try to help her. And he would do what he should have done when Simon started to threaten all the friends and close people of Raquelle. Moreover, MacClife does not want to refuse to deal with that man, who ruined the life of the girl and his own.       “Everything’s gonna be over soon, Raquelle, I promise you…” Terrence whispers with a slight smile. “Maybe, we’ll never be together. But I will be quiet when I know Simon will no longer dare to hurt you. And when I give my claims to him… I do also have something to say to that bastard. And I am going to use this chance. I’m impatiently waiting for the day I will beat his insolent face enough and tell him everything I think of that bastard, looking into his eyes.”       Terrence exhales sharply.       “I can’t wait for after tomorrow…” Terrence says thoughtfully. “I do want the story of that bastard to be over once and forever…”       Terrence keeps lying on the bed and staring at the ceiling, not even thinking of refusing such a wonderful chance to get off Simon once and forever and finally give Raquelle, the others, and himself such a long-awaited peace that they had in their lives literally some time ago.       

***

      Meanwhile, Natalia is not sleeping, too. The girl is in her room, sitting on the bed and viewing photos of her and Raquelle with sadness in her eyes. The picture was taken somewhere three or four years ago. The girls were so happy and could not assume they would turn from best friends to literally enemies. Nobody would have thought their strong friendship would be ruined instantly because of the tricks of one terrible man.       “Ah, Raquelle, Raquelle…” Natalia thinks with sadness in her eyes, viewing the photo of Raquelle and herself. “Why has everything changed so suddenly? We were so happy when you didn’t know who Simon Ringer and Terrence MacClife were…. When you didn’t have to suffer much… When you were doing your business and enjoying your life…”       Natalia shakes her head.       “But when you met those two people, everything turned upside down in your life,” Natalia thinks. “Problems rained thick upon you! Even calm before the storm after the beginning of your affair was a sign of great trouble. The trouble that would lead to such bad consequences, after which we would hardly come to ourselves at the nearest time.”       Natalia sighs heavily.       “Even though we fought, I still worry about you and feel sorry for you,” Natalia thinks with pity in her eyes. “And I can’t imagine what you’re feeling now… However, something tells me you’d take anything. And you would be rewarded and no longer take such terrible mockeries.”       Natalia glances aside.       “Every day, I pray that this story ends in a good way,” Natalia thinks. “I want none of us to become victims of Simon. Raquelle wouldn’t take it… That girl could take anything but the loss of her close person. If something happens to Alicia or Mr. Cameron, someone will hardly be able to comfort her…”       Natalia thinks of Raquelle for some time and recalls some happy moments they have gotten through together. And some time later, someone calls on her mobile phone. Being surprised by the fact that someone called her at such a late time, the girl puts the photo aside, takes her smartphone, runs a finger over the screen, and answers the call.       “Hello.”       “Hey, friend, it’s Anna,” Anna’s hesitant voice pronounces. “Didn’t I wake you up?”       “Oh, hey, Anna,” Natalia smiles shyly. “No, no, I’m not sleeping… I can’t fall asleep…”       “I can't fall asleep, either. My boyfriend is already sleeping, but I’m walking to the house.”       “Yeah, it seems like today is the full moon that is the reason why don’t sleep. I personally sleep badly these days. I dunno why.”       “No, the case is not about the full moon. I just have very many thoughts in my mind.”       “So, friend…” Natalia laughs shyly. “Do you still have euphoria after moving into your boyfriend's house?”       “Yeah, It’s one of the reasons…” Anna pronounces thoughtfully with a slight smile. “I'm really very happy I moved in with him and finally felt like a free girl.”       “Be happy then! Nobody can limit you to something. And you can meet me more frequently at any time without fear that I will get noticed and kicked out.”       “Of course, I am happy… But…”       “What?” Natalia quickly stops smiling. “What makes you worried? And why is your voice so sad?”       “I just…” Anna pronounces thoughtfully.       “My God, you must be happy that you’re living with your beloved man, who gave you everything for a comfortable life.”       “No, no, the problem is not my movement.”       “Or are you regretting running away?”       “No, come on! I don’t regret it, and I really love the place where I’m living now. I’m gonna say more: I’m not missing my old home at all.”       “But why are you sad?”       “I’m just thinking of our friend, Raquelle…” Anna sighs heavily. “I mean your former friend and my present friend, Raquelle…”       “Ah, you mean it…” Natalia pronounces quietly with sadness in her eyes. “Honestly, I called the memories about her, too…”       “Really?”       “I'm sitting on the bed and viewing photos of her and me. And I'm calling the memories about the happy times when we didn't know Simon and Terrence… Those times when we felt so good. When we didn’t know these people existed… And could spread chaos in our life…”       “Yeah, I'm calling the memories about those happy times when we had fun as a trio,” Anna sighs heavily. “I recently viewed some photos of us on my phone. And when sorting my stuff after moving in, I found some polaroid photos that we took on my camera. And I got obsessed with nostalgia…”       “Me too…”       Natalia says nothing for two seconds and sighs heavily.       “My God, I never thought someday we’d fight so hard that we’d literally become enemies,” Natalia says with sadness in her eyes. “Because of one stinker, who washed our brains so well…”       “Right, he did his best to make us turn our backs on her,” Anna agrees thoughtfully. “But now I completely understand that Raquelle would never behave so disgustingly. She would not do what he tried to make us sure about. I know her too well and am sure that girl couldn’t do that.”       “To be honest, I’m also starting to regret what happened.”       “Really?” Anna gets excited with a slight smile.       “I’m missing her, Anna… Missing the time we spent together.”       “Are you ready to reconcile with her?”       “At least, I wouldn’t refuse to talk to her if she wanted to do the same. Maybe… We’d really work it out and reconcile…”       “I’m dreaming about it more than anything…” Anna says with sadness in her eyes.       “I know.”       “Please, girls, try to reconcile… It’s so hurtful for me to know my two best friends can’t get on well.”       “How hurt is it for me, if only you knew…”       “At least try to talk. Nobody makes you reconcile as soon as possible. Just talk.”       “Sorry, friend, but it depends on Cameron. Whether she wanna speak to me. Whether that girl understands that I did nothing.”       “I got madly upset by your fight,” Anna confesses quietly. “I’m worried, as if I fought with one of you.”       “Just like my parents are. They’re also frustrated because of my fight with Raquelle.”       “I get it.”       “When my mother calls me, she always asks me if I reconciled with her. And Dad suggests I go to Raquelle’s home or invite her to our home and talk about the current situation.”       “It would be really awesome.”       “Yeah, but right now I ain’t ready to talk to her right now. Maybe, I’m much less mad, but it means nothing. I think I need a little more time…”       “You know, I think you shouldn’t contact her until the situation with Simon is solved. Raquelle is very excited because of him and her problems with Terrence. One more fight between you will not lead to anything good.”       “Yeah, but when is everything over?” Natalia throws her hands up. “I know nothing about what’s happening to them.”       “Me too, but I’d like to try to talk to Raquelle or someone from her familiars to find out how she’s doing.”       “Haven’t you talked to her?”       “Nope, I haven’t talked to her for a long time. And I feel kind of awkward. I promised I would call her and even invite her to go somewhere, but I disappeared.”       “When do you wanna call her?”       “I dunno… Tomorrow or after tomorrow… I can’t say. I still should solve some things.”       “I see…”       Natalia gets up from the bed with a quiet sigh, comes to the window, and looks into the distance with sadness in her eyes.       “I’d also like to know what’s happening to her,” Natalia confesses with sadness in her eyes. “Maybe, I even support her at such a hard moment… If she wanted it…”       “I think she’d need any kind of support,” Anna assumes. “And I’m sure if Cameron hadn’t behaved like she didn’t care about Terrence, she would've accepted his support. If he had wanted to support her, of course.”       “Terrence hardly cares about what’s happening in the case of Simon and Raquelle. Why would he be worried about the one, who gave a damn about him from the beginning?”       “Hm…” Anna frowns slightly. “Do you think Terrence knows nothing about her?”       “I think so.”       “How long ago did you talk to him?”       “Erm… Well… I haven’t talked to him for a long time. But I’d like to ask him many questions.”       “I haven’t talked to him for a long time and know almost nothing from what’s happening. I learned nothing new from the latest talk with Raquelle.”       “I think I’ll try to call him tomorrow or after tomorrow. But I doubt Terrence knows something about Raquelle. And he’d hardly wish to…”       “Well, you’re actually right…” Anna shrugs. “Why would he care about the life of the one, whom he fought a lot and broke up a long time ago with?”       “Nevertheless, I’ll talk to him. And try to find out why Raquelle left his home.”       “She definitely did it for the reason. When those two were fighting, she tolerated it and lived with him. But then she quietly took her stuff and went somewhere.”       “Yeah… If Cameron had really wanted, she would’ve left much earlier.”       “Exactly! I’m absolutely sure there was something serious… A girl could quickly run away from a man in case he is a violator, a maniac, or a mentally ill one that could do terrible things to her.”       Because of these words, Natalia gets sharply white, feeling a little nervous and breathing much heavier.       “Erm…” Natalia pronounces in a shaking voice. “Y-y-yeah, maybe… B-b-but I would h-hardly believe it…”       “Erm, Natalia, what’s going on?” Anna frowns slightly, thinking Natalia’s reaction is suspicious enough.       “What’s wrong?”       “Why’s your voice so shaking?”       “Mine? Erm…” Natalia smiles falsely, not knowing what to do to her free hand. “No, friend… Why do you think so?”       “It’s shaking!”       “No! My voice is fine…”       “You know, Natalia, sometimes it seems to me that you’re hiding something…”       “I’m hiding?”       “Yes. You’ve lately been kind of strange. And you change every time I talk about violators…”       “No, it seemed to you…” Natalia pronounces excitedly.       “It seems like you’ve already gotten through something like that and are afraid to run into that again.”       “No, Anna, thank God, I… Have never run into that…”       “Moreover, sometimes I think you’re not with me. Sometimes you’re not where you should be. As if you’re somewhere far in your mind…”       “Me?”       “Something strange is happening to you,” Anna notices confidently. “And I can’t figure out what.”       “No…”       Being quite excited and tense, Natalia starts quickly walking in circles in her room, looking through the window, holding something, or doing something else.       “No, it’s okay…” Natalia tries to lie in a little shaking voice, while her eyes are running from one side to another. “I… I’m hiding nothing…”       “Natalia!” Anna pronounces confidently.       “I swear! If something happened to me, I would tell you everything.”       “But you’re nervous!” Anna notices with sadness in her eyes. “I can feel it!”       “I’m not nervous. I’m okay.”       “No, Rochester, every time I start to talk about something like this, you instantly change and get kind of frightened. When someone mentions violence and maniacs.”       “Erm…” Natalia grabs her throat with a free hand and exhales slowly. “Well… You know that I’m terribly afraid of all those sick people and conservations about violence… When I heard about that, I feel bad…”       “Well, I’m afraid of that, too,” Anna replies softly. “But I’m sure it would hardly threaten us ‘cause we’re surrounded by good people…”       “Yeah?”       “I’ve got the best man in the world, who would undoubtedly protect me. And your sweet guy Edward would stand for you if you were in danger.”       Natalia says nothing and just sighs heavily, moving her little scared eyes to her dressing table, on which there are many cosmetics, hair cosmetics, and some devices.       “What's happening to you, Natalia?” Anna asks quietly and softly with sadness in her eyes. “Why are you trying to hide something so hard?”       “Anna…” Natalia pronounces tiredly.       “Tell me what’s happening to you… Please… We’re friends, and we’ve known each other for ages…”       “I know.”       “If you don’t want anyone to know it, you can have no worries. I promise I wouldn’t tell anyone about it.”       “I know you’re loyal,” Natalia smiles slightly.       “Trust me, friend,” Anna begs with pity in her eyes. “You’re hurting me if you don’t wanna share your secrets with me.”       “You shouldn’t know it.”       “Okay. Just tell me, is there something you don’t wanna talk about? Is there something that you are worried about?”       “There is…” Natalia looks down and sighs heavily. “Maybe, I’ll share what I’m worried about with you someday. But not now. Now I am not ready.”       “So, something happened?” Anna concludes.       “Don’t insist, please. Now I don’t wanna say anything and am not ready for this talk.”       “Does it have to do with violence?”       “Anna please!” Natalia raises her voice a little, sharply shaking her head. “I am begging you!”       “But, Natalia…”       “Stop… I feel very bad because of what’s happening to me, but you make me feel much worse by talking about it.”       “Oh…” Anna exhales sharply. “Okay, okay, sorry! I won't talk about it anymore. I promise.”       “Try to understand me,” Natalia says quietly.       “But when you’re ready, let me know. Okay?”       “Okay, when I’m ready, I’ll tell you everything… I promise…”       “Okay.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Natalia moves her sad eyes to everything that is carefully placed on her writing table.       “Okay, can we talk about your admirer?” Anna asks with a slight smile. “Or don’t you wanna talk about him, either?”       “About Edward?” Natalia specifies, not noticing that she smiles widely. “No, no, I’m ready to talk about him forever.”       “Tell me how you’re doing.”       “Everything is fine so far, and we keep spending time together. But today he went somewhere to do something but promised to be back in a few days.”       “M-m-m, friend, you're probably smiling,” Anna assumes with a sly smile.       “How did you guess?”       “There’s no need to guess! I know everything!”       “Yeah, I’m smiling…”       Natalia smiles much wider while she gets a slight blush on her face.       “Hey, when could I congratulate you on the beginning of a new affair?” Anna asks cheerfully.       “Anna!” Natalia laughs shyly.       “I’m asking you, when will you start dating him?”       “There is only friendship between us at the moment.”       “Oh, c’mon, friendship!” Anna waves her hand. “When you just hear his name, you smile widely and get blushed.”       “Yeah, but we’re just friends so far. The friends, who spend a lot of time together.”       “Didn’t you meet today?”       “We did. Today, we went to the beach, tanned, and swam a little.”       “Beach?”       “Yup. Used the fact that the warm weather came very early this year.”       “M-m-m…” Anna smiles mysteriously. “Did you probably pick up the most beautiful bikini you have? Him to be delighted!”       “I hope he really liked it,” Natalia expresses hope.       “Didn’t you catch him looking at you with admiration?”       “I did. But Edward tried not to show it. Even though I understood that he was staring at me secretly.”       “M-m-m, that’s how…”       “However, I was also admiring his body,” Natalia smiles widely. “That was really awesome.”       “So awesome?”       “Oh, yeah! He’s got such tough arms, such a great six-pack… M-m-m… I barely held myself down not to stare openly. I unconsciously got a wish to caress it.”       “He was probably holding down not to stare at you openly.”       “Yeah, but his eyes were sliding over my whole body.”       “M-m-m, friend… That’s one more sign of the fact that the man is not indifferent to you. He often invites you on dates and tells you many compliments… And now he stares at your body in a bikini…”       “Honestly, it makes me feel wanted and beautiful,” Natalia confesses shyly. “And it was quite comfortable for me to be with him in a swimsuit. I didn’t feel shy when he was looking at me.”       “You know, he knows much about beautiful girls! He is a man with incredible taste. He picked up a girl with a gorgeous body.”       “He didn’t choose me! Don’t dream up!”       “You’ve got a chance to get that man, Natalia,” Anna assumes confidently. “And you must get him.”       “Anna…”       “When you began to speak to him, you changed for the better and began to give your look much more attention. Of course, you’ve always been beautiful and cared about your beauty very much. But now you aim to be much more beautiful and much more attractive.”       “I don’t wanna rush and am just enjoying this time… The time I spend with such a wonderful man, who I feel so comfortable with.” Natalia smiles shyly and sighs dreamily. “Who I could spend hours with…”       “M-m-m, friend…” Anna smiles mysteriously.       “Edward is so careful, caring, and kind… That man makes me feel so beautiful, confident, and wanted that I stop noticing even the smallest shortcomings of mine.”       “You don’t have them!”       “And he distracts me from bad thoughts and never lets me feel sad or bored. Edward is very interesting at talking… I have never felt as good with anyone else as I feel with him. Next to that man, I forget everything in the world…”       “Listen, friend, it seems like you fell in love with him!” Anna exclaims happily.       “I fell in love?” Natalia rounds her eyes.       “Just don’t pretend that you don’t understand me.”       “Well… Erm… I don’t know, maybe, you’re right. Although we’re just good friends, sometimes I think I feel something more for Edward than just friendship.”       “He likes you?”       “Very much…” Natalia sighs quietly with a slight smile on her face. “I’m probably, really starting to fall in love with him…”       “I wouldn’t miss a chance. If you feel so good with that man, it should mean something.”       “You think?”       “What if it’s your fate? What if you’ve finally found the prince that you’ve been waiting for so long?”       “Who knows, sweetie…” Natalia shrugs. “But I wish it was the truth. Because Edward could be an excellent partner. I would say he is the one I’ve always dreamed about.”       “That’s what we should’ve proved!”       “Edward is the only one of my familiar men, who surrounds me with great love and incredible care. And I like the fact that he always cares about how I feel. He wonders to know what’s happening to me… He’s become the one to give me the peace that I’ve lately lacked.”       “So, friend, congratulations!” Anna exclaims cheerfully with a wide smile. “You’re really in love! You’re not indifferent to that man…”       “Maybe…” Natalia smiles shyly. “But I would leave everything to go to walk with him.”       “Everything is clear about you…” Anna thinks for two seconds, slightly biting her lip. “By the way, have you thought about what Edward feels for you?”       “I dunno, Anna…” Natalia replies thoughtfully as she shrugs. “I haven’t done… But I'm trying not to get illusions.”       “Why?”       “You know well how everybody used me. Every time I literally dream of the wedding and the birth of children, they clap me on my nose.”       “Yeah, but what if you’re lucky this time? What if Edward is not what those, who you spent time with, are?”       “No, Anna, Edward will stop talking to me early or late, too.”       “Stop, Natalia…”       “Moreover, he asked me to introduce Terrence to him. But it’s impossible at the moment due to his problems with Cameron.”       “Terrence?” Anna frowns slightly. “But why does he need him?”       “I didn’t understand it, either. But I noticed that Edward has been showing a great interest for Terrence from the beginning. He aims to offer his friendship to him so hard and learn everything about him.”       “It’s weird… What did he come up with?”       “I don’t know, Anna… Lockhart says he just wanna befriend him. But something tells me that something is not right.”       “So, do you wanna say that Edward wanna harm Terrence somehow?”       “There must be a reason why Edward is dreaming of meeting MacClife so badly!”       “Listen, I don’t even know what to say…” Anna says thoughtfully. “I won’t even be surprised if that guy has been looking for a reason to get closer to him for a long time. And he wanna use you for his benefit. As the way to get closer to him without any suspicions.”       “That’s why I don’t hope that something may happen between Edward and me.”       “Do you think when that guy meets Terrence, you’ll go separate ways?” Anna frowns slightly. “Will he piss you off after he does what he needs?”       “Yup,” Natalia pronounces hesitantly and falls into silence with sadness in her eyes for two seconds. “You said what I would’ve never dared to say…”       “Maybe, everything is not what you think?”       “I don’t know, Anna, but I’m really afraid that I might be right. That his interest for Terrence isn’t connected with something terrible. Because I got really attracted to Edward and… I think I will not forget him…” Natalia sighs heavily and looks down for a second. “I don’t know what I’m gonna do when we stop communicating.”       “Maybe, you shouldn't say it so confidently?” Anna asks. “What if that guy understands that he’s got some feelings for you? But I am more than sure he is not indifferent to you. Knowing everything you’ve told me.”       “I don’t know, friend…” Natalia pronounces in a quiet voice full of sadness. “Edward is hardly interested in me like a girl.”       “Why?”       “He needs me just to meet Terrence. That man began to show his interest in me when I said I was a friend of MacClife.”       “Maybe, you are dreaming up?”       “Trust me, friend, when those people meet, Edward will forget me and stop inviting me to walk somewhere. He's gonna use me as well as the previous men, get what he wants and disappear.”       “Do you really think nobody can love you?”       “You do know about all the failures in my love affairs with men.”       “And what? It can’t be happening forever!”       “Everybody I knew before needed only my young, beautiful body. But nobody cared about what I felt.”       “But Edward does not need your body.”       “Right. He needs my help in meeting Terrence. Someone is using me again.”       “Well, even if it’s so, don’t be upset. Someday, you will surely be lucky and meet the one to love you. If you’re not lucky now, you will be later! Why would you give up on you?”       “All the men use me,” Natalia sighs heavily with sadness in her eyes. “Even Edward. Who needs me just to get closer to Terrence.”       “Stop, Natalia, don’t make yourself think so. What if you’re wrong? Edward often invites you on dates and cares about you like this for a reason.”       “Maybe, he’s just playing the fool with me? Trying to please me, so I don’t refuse to help him and don’t have a bad opinion about him. So, that’s why he suggests we spend time together.”       “No, friend, you’re dreaming up.”       “But you know…” Natalia sniffs quietly. “I’ve actually never counted on anything. I just decided to help that guy for my kindness. I couldn’t refuse when he was persuading me to help him… And looking very sad… I felt sorry for him…”       “Erm, Natalia, of course, I don’t want to make you upset…” Anna says hesitantly. “But… What are you gonna do if everything goes against you?”       “Erm… What am I gonna do if my relationship with Edward has no future, and I don't manage to reconcile with Raquelle?”       “Yes.”       “I don’t know…” Natalia falls into silence for a second and swallows up nervously. “I will probably go to Mexico, where my grandmother and mother are now, and help them. Moreover, my father is about to solve all his problems at the nearest time and is able to go there.”       “Do you think it would help you distract?” Anna asks.       “I’d like to believe it. Well, if everything is too bad, I don’t exclude that I might move to Mexico forever. Start a new life and live there. Next to my grandma.”       “I’d feel very sad if you left this place forever…” Anna replies with sadness in her eyes. “I don’t wanna stop speaking to you and lose my best friend…”       “No, no, I promise I will not forget you and will often call and text you.”       “What if you break contacts, just like you did when you went to Mexico for the first time?”       “We broke contacts because we were too dumbfounded by what happened and thought of my grandmother’s health. But this time, it’s gonna be otherwise.”       “You know, of course, it’s your decision, but I hope you’ll go nowhere. You’d get at least one reason to stay here.”       “I wanna believe it, too,” Natalia sighs heavily, understanding tears are coming to her eyes. “But every day, I’m losing my belief in the best.”       “You believe, friend!” Anna advises confidently. “You can’t be on a bad streak forever. Someday, everything must be changed for the better.”       “Ah, my darling, to be honest, I’m starting to disappoint in everything. Even myself.”       Natalia sniffs quietly and carefully wipes off tears under her eyes.       “I can’t catch my luck…” Natalia adds in a little shaking voice. “I can’t…”       “No, Natalia, don’t say that,” Anna protests with pity in her eyes.       “My best friend thinks I’m a betrayal, and men use me and don’t wanna start a serious relationship with me.”       “I’m sure you’d make your relationship with Raquelle better. And don’t be upset because of those guys. They hardly need a serious relationship. They just look for those they could sleep once with.”       “Say, is something wrong with me? Am I not like everyone? Or did I do something bad if I’m so unlucky?”       “My God, Natalia, how could you think so?”       “Maybe, Cameron was right when she called me an idler, who lived on her parents’ account and did nothing? Maybe, I should really start doing something? Go to work? Maybe, I get some luck if I start to do just something?”       “So, I’m also an idler ‘cause I lived on my parents’ account and am now living on the account of my boyfriend.”       “Why am I so unlucky?” Natalia wonders in a little shaking voice. “Why can’t I be happy?”       “Don't be upset, sweetheart. Someday, everything will change for the better. You will meet a decent guy that you will live all your life with.”       “No, Anna, it’s not gonna happen. I already lost my hope…”       “No, don’t do! You’re young, beautiful, and smart! Don’t give up on you.”       “Sometimes I actually wanna make myself accept the fact that I will never meet a decent man, who would really love me. Stop looking for someone… And get ready to spend my life with cats or dogs. Or birdies and fishes in the worst case.”       “Stop, Natalia…”       “If my parents and friends weren’t near me, I wouldn’t be able to take it all.”       “I will always be by your side,” Anna says amicably. “You can always speak out and get my support.”       “I know.”       “Of course, I can’t know everything in the world, but I promise I will do my best to help you or just listen to you and support you.”       “Thanks a lot, Anna,” Natalia thanks with a slight smile through tears. “You're an amazing person and wonderful friend.”       “Said by a wonderful friend.”       “I will never be able to thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me. For supporting me so well at such a hard time.”       “Just be by my side and don't lose contact with me,” Anna laughs shyly. “And then you can think we’re even.”       “Good,” Natalia pronounces with a slight smile. “I will be.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Anna looks at the clock hanging in the living room with a slight smile.       “Oh, listen, it’s late enough…” Anna says thoughtfully. “It’s time to sleep… I should make myself fall asleep somehow, ‘cause I need to get up early tomorrow to do some things. Moreover, I should also change my phone number before my parents start to annoy me with calls.”       “Yeah, sure,” Natalia shrugs. “Not gonna hold you. Good night, friend.”       “Thanks, same to you.”       Natalia finishes the talk and puts her smartphone on the bed next to her, getting some hope that everything will get better. The girl sits and looks into the distance for a few seconds, but then she gets up, comes to the window, and starts watching many stars that are clearly seen in the dark sky.       “I don't know if I can get through all of that,” Natalia thinks with sadness in her eyes. “If I could find the courage to confess everything… If I’m lucky to meet someone, who doesn't dare think of using me, just like those men I have met before… Or am I gonna be a thoughtless cutie that they could allegedly have much fun with until they get sick of it?”       Natalia sighs heavily.       “My gosh, sometimes I actually don't want to be so beautiful not to get the attention of some perverts and those, who find me just a beautiful sexual toy,” Natalia thinks. “When I meet a handsome guy, he is bad and uses me for his interest… Oh… It seems like Anna is right. I’m meeting the wrong guys… Those, who don’t need relationships at all…”       Natalia shakes her head with sadness in her eyes and sighs quietly. But some time later, she understands that it’s quite later, and she better go to sleep. The girl takes the photo of Raquelle and her from the bed, puts it in a drawer of the writing table, turns off the sounds on her phone, puts it aside, puts on a silky suit that contains of a tube top and shorts, switches off the light in her room, and lies in the bed, embracing her pillow tightly, covering herself with a soft blanket, and trying to install herself comfortably and relax to fall asleep as soon as possible.       

***

      Two days later. It’s already morning in New York. At the moment, it’s about ten o'clock. The day has come. The day many people have been waiting for. The meeting of Raquelle and Simon will take place today. Nobody can assume how it will be over. Nobody can guess the end of this story. However, everybody wants to believe the nightmare in the life of the girl will be over in a few hours, and her offender will get what he deserves.       Raquelle woke up a long time ago and is impatiently waiting for the evening to meet Simon and end this story once and forever. Realizing that she is about to meet her enemy face-to-face and get off him gives her some energy. The girl has felt good since the morning. No panic attacks. Just a little excitement. Maybe, she just makes herself think she is fine, but nothing bothers her so far.       The past two days seemed something like eternity to Raquelle. The girl was literally counting down every minute before this day. And it’s finally here. Now she has only to wait for the evening, get into her car, and go where Simon made her go.       “Everything will be over tonight,” Raquelle says confidently with her head proudly raised, looking at her reflection in the mirror. “You will pay for everything you have done to me very soon, Simon Ringer. Maybe, I felt sorry for you the last time and did nothing to you, but this time, I will not be silent and turn my back on everything. I shall make you pay for every second that I suffered. For all your tricks, which are the reason why I’ve been suffering. I forgot nothing, and I will make you pay for everything.”       The last events made Raquelle so exhausted that she barely recognizes herself in the mirror. The girl does not look like the beautiful girl on the cover of a glossy magazine that everyone admired and wished to imitate. Nothing is left of the former Raquelle Cameron. She looks like a housewife, who has been sitting at home for many years, seeing nothing good but homework, and got freaking sick of it. With circles under her eyes, shrunk cheeks, red, lifeless, and little puffy eyes, thin arms and legs, and white skin.       “Brace yourself, Raquelle!” Raquelle whispers, trying to breathe like people usually do in yoga classes and making herself think only of good things. “Brace yourself… You’re strong, you can do this… Remember everything is gonna be over soon, and you will finally live quietly. Remember that… And you can do this. Simon is gonna pay for all his tricks tonight.”       Nevertheless, this type of auto-suggestion helps Raquelle calm down a little and feel much quieter and more confident. And when she makes sure about it, the girl leaves her room and decides to go to the kitchen. Where Alicia is cooking something for breakfast, working with tableware that is placed on the kitchen table. She can feel the magnificent smell of soft cookies with pieces of chocolate that the woman decided to cook. Raquelle realizes it because she has eaten it many times and has always loved it very much.       “M-m-m…” Raquelle smiles slightly while going to the kitchen and enjoying the smell that spreads out of there. “My auntie has always cooked very well. She knows so many good recipes… Anyone to taste her dishes highly appreciates them.”       While Alicia finishes cooking, she is talking about something to Frederick, who is reading a new issue of a newspaper, and takes his glasses that he puts on the table, at which he is sitting.       When Raquelle shows up on the doorstep, Alicia and Frederick move their eyes to her and smile shyly at the girl, while she looks around with interest.       Some time later, Alicia and Frederick notice Raquelle, who comes to the kitchen and looks around.       “Oh, hi, honey,” Frederick greets amicably. “You’re on time. The kettle is boiled.”       “Good morning, sweetie,” Alicia says with a slight smile.       “Same to you,” Raquelle smiles shyly.       “I see you decided to leave your prison.”       “Why do you call my room prison?”       “You used to go somewhere before.”       “Yeah, but you haven't left your room and have refused to walk somewhere in the past few days,” Frederick adds.       “Exactly,” Alicia agrees, carefully wiping the kitchen table with a little sponge. “I would go crazy if I stayed at home as long as you.”       “Aunt, let’s not talk about it,” Raquelle says quietly.       “But it’s the truth, Raquelle,” Frederick throws his hands up. “I would also go crazy if I stayed at home and went nowhere. I do really hate it! For me, sitting at home is like living in hell.”       “Oh, my Gosh…”       Raquelle runs her hands over her face with a quiet moan.       “Alright, let’s not talk about it,” Alicia waves her hand with a slight smile. “Sit on the table, we shall have breakfast.”       “With pleasure,” Raquelle agrees, sits on the table, and looks at the cookies that are beautifully placed on the plate.       “I’ve just made strong coffee for you.” Alicia puts a plate with a few cookies in front of Raquelle and a cup of strong tea. “Drink it with cookies. As much as possible. You need the energy.”       “I know…” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully and slowly moves her eyes to the cup of tea with a slight smile on her face. “Today I’ll finally get peace back. That I've been craving for such a long time…”       “I wish everything ended in a good way.”       After making a cup of tea for herself and Frederick and giving them to him, Alicia takes two plates with cookies, puts one of them in front of the man, and sits at the table next to Raquelle.       “I believe everything is going to end well,” Raquelle says confidently.       “Ah, Raquelle, Raquelle…” Frederick shakes his head with a quiet sigh. “Of course, I like your fighting spirit, but I wouldn’t be so sure that you can do that.”       “Why do you think so?” Raquelle asks, biting a piece of her cookie and drinking some tea.       “You should know that going to the meeting with Simon at that place all alone is a bad idea,” Alicia replies quietly.       “Yes, Granddaughter, don’t you really understand that he wants to make you go there on purpose?” Frederick wonders.       “I know going to the meeting alone is madness,” Raquelle sighs heavily. “But I’m doing that for all my close people. If I took someone with me, Ringer would destroy those I love. But I don’t want anyone to suffer…”       “Yeah, but you could at least go to the police to be safe,” Frederick suggests confidently, taking a sip of tea. “They would go with you and help you if the situation was very dangerous.”       “No, Grandfather!” Raquelle glances at Frederick sharply with exhausted eyes. “I can't risk so much! If I call the police, Simon may hurt someone.”       “But you may become a victim of him!” Alicia exclaims with horror in her eyes. “He’d kill you without moving an eyebrow.”       “He will not kill me, don’t worry.”       “My God, honey, don’t you understand that stinker made you go there on purpose to do his business and stay unnoticed?”       “Sadly, I have no choice, Aunt. I must do everything he wants.”       “Please, sweetie, don’t do that!” Frederick begs with pity in his eyes. “Don’t go there alone! Who would protect you if that stinker wanted to kill you?”       “I can stand for myself and will not let him hurt me.”       “I’m begging you, take someone from the police with you or someone, who is much stronger than you and that scumbag. For God’s sake, don’t meet him alone.”       “I’m worried about you, Aunt, and those, I love much more than me. Those, who shouldn't suffer…”       “Raquelle…”       “I don’t care what that man would do to me. But I know I must at least try to make him sure to leave all of us alone.”       “How?” Alicia wonders. “How are you going to do this?”       “I don’t know, Aunt Alicia… But I will do my best for him to leave us alone.”       “My God, Raquelle, why are you behaving like a stupid, naive girl?” Frederick wonders. “You’re a smart and educated girl! Don’t you understand such simple things?”       “I understand everything, but I repeat, I don’t have a choice.”       “There is always a choice, honey.”       “And actually, I should’ve foreseen it and provided for safety for all of you. I should’ve done my best for Ringer not to reach anyone of you.”       Raquelle sighs heavily and moves her sad eyes to the cup of tea.       “You’re not the one to blame, Raquelle,” Alicia says softly, putting a hand on Raquelle’s shoulder and looking at her with sadness in her eyes. “You couldn’t know Ringer would get the numbers and addresses of your friends and relatives.”       “No, Auntie!” Raquelle shakes her head. “I could’ve understood that thanks to my presentiments. I had been obsessed with them a long time before Simon let me know about him. I… I knew something bad would happen very soon.”       “Yeah, but you couldn’t know what exactly would happen,” Frederick notices confidently.       “I know, but I should’ve listened to my feelings. They’ve never betrayed me. But I don’t always listen to them.”       “Raquelle…”       “But there is no meaning in talking about it. Because I’ve made tons of mistakes…”       “Everyone makes mistakes, honey. Nobody is perfect.”       “I’m not perfect, and I’m a loser,” Raquelle takes a little sip of tea. “I lost everything… My job, my family, my friends…”       Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds and sighs heavily, shaking her head slightly.       “And I lost my boyfriend, too…” Raquelle adds with sadness in her eyes. “I’m guilty of that.”       “You didn't lose your job, Raquelle,” Alicia recalls quietly. “Nobody refused to work with you, and you didn’t say you would quit your modeling career.”       “Yeah, but I’ve got a feeling that people have lately forgotten me. Everyone got sick of me… Because I worked like crazy and showed up everywhere.”       “It’s not the truth, sunshine. You still have very many fans, who call you an idol of theirs. Who imitate you and wanna be as beautiful as you are.”       “I think I’m getting less popular. Because new, much younger models are coming to replace me.”       “Your most loyal fans will always remember you and follow your works.”       “I will not always be successful. Someday, there will be a day when they will piss me off.”       “I personally know many models that work even in old age. They started their career at a very young age but keep working now, when they are forty or even fifty. And they are still very popular.”       “I think my time is going. Yes, I’m still young and beautiful, but… I’m gonna stop being so successful as a model soon.”       “No, honey, don’t say that.”       “Exactly!” Frederick exclaims with a slight smile. “I recently watched a show on the TV where they talked about you.”       “Really?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.       “Yes. They said everyone was worried about you. Because you suddenly disappeared and broke contact with everybody you worked with. They said even your managers couldn’t contact you.”       “I will talk to them later… Now I don’t have a wish to discuss something with them. When I deal with Simon, I will talk to Serena and the others.”       “Anyway, not everything is lost about your career. You should just start working.”       “And you’ve always had and always will have your family,” Anna adds confidently. “Your grandfather and me. We’ll always be by your side to support you in any situation. Whatever you do, both of us will love you with all the heart.”       “Yeah, I know, but what about my friends and boyfriend? I ruined everything with my own hands!”       “Sorry, Granddaughter, but you’re guilty of that,” Frederick says carefully.       “I know…” Raquelle sighs heavily and moves her eyes to a cup of tea, folding her hands on the table. “I’m starting to understand I behaved wrongly. Understand that my relationship was ruined because of me. With my indifference, I forced MacClife to look for another girl. Find ways to feel happy. I could not become a perfect girlfriend… The one I should’ve been.”       “You shouldn't have just placed your career above everything,” Alicia says quietly. “You thought of your work too much and were obsessed with it. You forgot you had a boyfriend, who needed your attention.”       “Maybe, he also gave much attention to his career to stop feeling lonely,” Frederick assumes. “And both of you were eventually busy with you and forgot you were in a relationship.”       “I guess you’re right…” Raquelle nods. “I’m guilty of our breakup… If I had treated him with greater love and care, everything would’ve been otherwise.”       “At least that’s good you understand it.”       “Now I understand very much…” Raquelle leans on the table with an elbow and runs her hand through her hair. “Besides, I'm starting to regret fighting with Natalia. Regret saying so many bad things and even fighting with her.”       “You did a much worse thing to her,” Alicia says confidently. “And I can’t imagine what the poor girl feels after everything you did to her.”       “I know… And I’m starting to make sure she’s guilty of nothing… I understand that girl could not do that to me. She could not become an accomplice of Ringer.”       “Why didn't you think about it before?” Frederick wonders. “You’ve known her since childhood and know what she is, and what she could do.”       “I know…”       “Don’t be mad at me for saying it, but you did a disgusting thing when you went to her home and blamed the poor girl for betraying you.”       “Yeah, but I didn’t understand what I was saying and doing. I was so angry and emptied that I was ready to believe anything and find no proof.”       “Wrong!” Alicia exclaims. “If you’d worked your brains, you would’ve avoided much! But you blindly believed that stinker. You preferred listening to him, not those, who you had known literally for hundreds of years.”       “I trusted him because Simon had the arguments that could really be a reason for her alleged revenge. He said so much that I really believed Natalia was jealous of me and got wild because MacClife preferred me, not her.”       “You’ve always known they’re just friends.”       “If Natalia really had a crush on Terrence, she would seduce him and do her best for him not to even look at you,” Frederick adds.       “Yes, Grandpa, I know,” Raquelle replies with sadness in her eyes. “I realized it when I calmed down a little. I realized Natalia was not vengeful and was actually never jealous of my success or me.”       Raquelle sighs heavily and locks the fingers of her hands tightly.       “Simon slandered her to make me feel lonely and left by everybody,” Raquelle adds. “Natalia would never do that. Maybe, she’s too talkative and can’t always keep secrets. But that girl wouldn’t do such a nasty thing. She’s never said anything that would harm me. That girl could say only something good that was supposed to be a surprise… She can do this… But she couldn’t tell Simon everything that was happening in my circle and give him all the contacts of us.”       “We’ve never doubted that girl,” Frederick says softly. “For Alicia and me, she’s always been a sweet angel. And we wish her only the happiness that she deserves.”       “You did a very bad thing when you went to her home, attacked her with charges, insulted her, fought with that girl, and ruined your friendship with her,” Alicia adds confidently.       “Yes, I don’t deny I ruined our long-time friendship, insulted her, and laughed at her failures in her personal life,” Raquelle confesses. “But I was ready to believe anything.”       “Remember, my dear niece, any charges require proof. Even what you see with your own eyes is not always true.”       “I know, Aunt…”       Raquelle sighs heavily.       “And I'd like to visit her,” Raquelle confesses with tears coming to her eyes. “Explain everything and ask her for forgiveness for being an idiot.”       “I think Natalia would understand you if you went to her home and explained everything,” Frederick assumes.       “I wanna bring my friend back and know that she still calls me her close person.”       “That girl is probably worried because of your fight and wants to reconcile with you.”       “I know, Grandpa…”       “My God, you were friends since childhood. You know her as well as your fingers… But you easily ruined your strong friendship. Because of one sick bastard.”       “I’m really sorry about what happened.”       “So, talk to her then. Say sorry and let her know you want to keep being a friend of hers.”       “I dunno…” Raquelle sighs quietly. “I can’t…”       “Honey, what stops you from going to Natalia’s home and apologizing?” Alicia wonders. “I’m sure that girl would understand everything and agree to accept your apology.”       “I'm afraid to look into her eyes, Aunt. Even if I’m guilty of our ruining our friendship, and I must ask for forgiveness.”       “We understand it, but you can’t leave everything as it’s happening. You should solve this problem.”       “I really wanna solve it… But I can’t find the courage to do this…”       “Okay, sweetie, don’t worry,” Frederick encourages with a slight smile. “I’m sure you will reconcile with her.”       “Yeah, now you should think of Simon and the way to get off him once and forever,” Alicia adds.       “You’re right…” Raquelle nods. “Now I should think only about it. And believe me, I am very determined. And I know I can do this.”       “We’re glad you’re thinking positively,” Alicia replies with a slight smile. “Of course, we still don’t want you to go there alone. But we will be praying that everything is alright.”       “It’s gonna be okay, dear Auntie. Don’t worry.”       “I wish God helped you…” Frederick says thoughtfully with anxiety in his soul.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds.       “Alright, let’s eat quietly and then decide what to do before the evening,” Frederick suggests quietly.       “Okay…” Raquelle agrees.       “Eat, my sweetheart, eat,” Alicia says softly. “I cooked these cookies specially for you.”       “Thanks…”       Raquelle, Frederick, and Alicia start slowly eating cookies, drinking tea, and talking about something that does not have to do with today’s meeting with Simon. The man and the woman would really like to talk to the girl about Terrence and find out what she actually thinks of him. But they decide to save this talk for a better time. Frederick and Alicia completely understand that this talk might hurt Raquelle and weaken his fighting spirit and determination, with which she will go to the meeting with her greatest enemy.       So, that’s why her relatives are trying to support the girl and do their best not to hurt her with some words that would break her fighting spirit. Moreover, Raquelle left her room for the first time in a while, started to smile, and even got pleasure from eating something better than bread and water.       However, Alicia and Frederick do not know how everything will be over, are madly worried about their sweetheart and afraid that something might happen. Time is going much faster for them. The meeting of Raquelle and Simon will take place in a few hours. It means they will have to be on needles very soon and wait for some news. Anyway, the girl’s relatives decide not to think of something bad in advance and try to remember something good not to go crazy from worrying about the one, for whom both of them are living in this world.       

***

      Meanwhile, Simon is sitting at home and looking through a small window with a slight smile and a proud look, even if there is nothing to look at except dry trees. In parallel, he is also getting pleasure from thinking about his plans for the future with the true belief that he will fell much better in a few hours. The man knows luck is going to be by his side and does not doubt his success.       “This day has come!” Simon exclaims with a wide smile. “I will finally defeat Raquelle… Holy shit…”       Simon shakes his head.       “I cannot believe my dreams will come true in a few hours,” Simon adds. “Today, everything will be over… I shall do what I have been dreaming about for many years…”       Simon happily rubs his hands with a sly smile on his face.       “Ah, I cannot already wait to defeat that gal,” Simon says confidently. “And maybe, even her grandfather, aunt, and all her friends… But I shall think about it later. Now my main goal is to get off Cameron. Kill the girl that I hate to death.”       Simon raises his head proudly.       “Ah, Raquelle, Raquelle…” Simon sighs with a wide smile. “So sorry that your short life is about to be over. So sorry that nobody will be able and wish to save you and ruin my plans. Because those, who could help you somehow, are neutralized. And I doubt they would love to stop me. So, my revenge is going to come true very soon… In a few hours…”       Simon laughs with evil, still looking through the window and quietly knocking at a little windowsill with his fingers. And while the man is literally counting down the minutes until such a long-awaited meeting, Richard comes to him confidently after talking to someone on the phone, being at his home since the early morning.       “I think today is freaking great!” Richard exclaims cheerfully. “Is it?”       “Yes, Richard, it is just a wonderful day, even If it’s gloomy outside,” Simon replies confidently with a wide smile.       “Even the weather can’t make our mood much worse.”       “Oh, damn! I have been waiting for this moment for a long time! Waiting for justice to be restored! And that incredible moment has come!”       “I get it, boss, I get it.”       “I cannot already wait to deal with Raquelle. And maybe, her family and friends, as well.”       “Soon, Simon,” Richard smiles slyly. “Soon, all your dreams will come true.”       “Of course, man!”       “Are you imagining how you’re celebrating your victory over your biggest enemy?”       “Oh, yeah!” Simon turns on Richard. “I cannot wait to see that girl suffering before my eyes and begging me to let her go and do nothing bad to her.”       “It’s going to be hard to stay indifferent when she starts doing it,” Richard chuckles kindly.       “Agree! I really have fun while she goes from one extreme to another. Either she pretends to be too sassy or she is shaking like a bunny and begging me to do nothing to her with teats.”       “C’mon, let her show off a little and feel like a heroine. Girls can't always look weak. Let them pretend to be strong.”       “Anyway, she wouldn’t be able to fight with me. I will tell her the reasons for my actions and kill that bitch to the fuck.”       “I can’t wait for everything to be over…” Richard throws gloomily. “I do want to get money for my work and get out of here to the fuck. Forget all those beggars, poor people and some old ladies that do wanna teach me something. You know how sick I am to hear their lectures and get off homeless people.”       “Wait for a while, boy,” Simon replies confidently, clapping Richard on the shoulder. “Soon, all those pathetic people will be begging for others, who have much money…”       “Listen, what are you going to do after you get off Raquelle?”       “First of all, I will take all the money I have and leave this place. Go far from the USA.”       “Wanna run away before the cops get you caught?”       “They will never catch me. First, I don’t leave tracks. Second, when the police are investigating the mysterious murder of the famous model Raquelle Cameron, I will be far from here.”       “What if they find out where you are? Well, go to Interpol, start watching every single street, and something like that…”       “Don’t worry about it. I’m not such an idiot, as you think.”       “I don’t think you’re an idiot. Come on!”       “Believe me, boy, I have everything under my control. I thought up everything so well that Interpol would not find me. Moreover, I have many things, thanks to which I can easily change my look and quietly walk somewhere outside.”       “And do you think they would not catch you?”       “The most important thing is to be absolutely quiet and not to be nervous when you see the police. They start watching you if you act kind of strangely.”       Simon falls into silence for a second and frowns slightly, looking at Richard.       “And yeah, why did you begin to be scared?” Simon wonders. “You’re hiding from the police very well and do your best for nobody to get you caught.”       “I don’t want to go be in that fucking holding tank!” Richard exclaims. “I don’t wanna get stuck with those sick idiots! When I imagine myself getting locked in a prison cell with those dirty and smelly animals, I wanna clean my stomach.”       “Calm down, Richard, you will not go to prison. A little later, I will reveal some secrets of my cloaking, thanks to which nobody has gotten me caught yet.”       “Really?”       “But it will happen after we deal with my curse named Raquelle Cameron.”       “I will be glad to learn something new from you. And I will help you get off that gal with pleasure.”       “That’s wonderful!”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Simon looks through the window. And then he moves his eyes to Richard with a slight smile.       “You know, Richy, I wonder to know what would happen to Raquelle’s relatives if I killed their beloved girl before those people’s eyes,” Simon says thoughtfully. “I’m sure if she died, it would be a great hit for any one of them.”       “So, do you think they still keep loving her and worrying about her somehow?” Richard frowns slightly.       “Even if they left Raquelle and are terribly afraid of having a deal with her due to her alleged mental issues that I made them sure about, they keep loving and worrying in one or another way.”       “Well, if it’s so, I’m ready to bet that it happens. They would die from grief sooner than you would kill that gal.”       “I think so.”       “Knowing about her tragic death would be a great shock to them…”       “And believe me, I will surely make them ‘happy’ with this piece of news when the gal dies…” Simon smiles slyly. “At first, her aunt and grandfather will know everything, and then all of her friends. And in the end, I will tell Terrence everything.”       “Why should he know?” Richard wonders. “He’s probably having much fun with his blonde-haired beauty and gives a fuck about his former girlfriend!”       “I just want to watch his reaction if that idiot knew his former girlfriend is dead. I killed the one that could seduce him for two minutes.”       “Do you think her death would not leave him indifferent?”       “Something tells me it would not.”       “Anyway, those people and he would be able to do nothing. That girl would be dead. They can even curse you or threaten to destroy you – nothing will help them.”       “I’m not afraid of threats and curses. And I do not care about what they say. Nobody would prove anything, and cops would not believe their words.”       “That’s right! Nothing is threatening our plans. Nobody is going to help Raquelle and do something for her. Everybody left that gal and proved that all their words about always being with her were just an empty sound.”       “You may not worry about that, Simon. All the potential heroes are neutralized and cannot be called a threat to the plans of me and you.”       “And I’m very glad. Very glad…” Simon puts a finger on his lips. “Yeah, I hope you have done nothing bad in the past two days.”       “Come on, of course, I’ve done nothing!” Richard raises his hand in front of himself. “You did ask me about that! I do not dare to go against your wish.”       “Excellent…”       Simon nods with a slight smile, while silence settles in the air for some time, after which he gives a start and goes somewhere, saying:       “Alright, boy… Stop wasting time and talking about nobody knows what! We should get ready. The meeting will take place in a few hours.”       “I’m personally ready for that!” Richard exclaims cheerfully.       “That’s good,” Simon says thoughtfully, nodding in approval. “But I need to do something. However, I need your help.”       “No problem! What do I do?”       “I will explain everything now.”       Simon turns around and goes to another corner of the room. And then he stops sharply and turns on Richard, who follows him like a tail.       “Yeah, what about your friends?” Simon asks. “Are they ready to help us?”       “Of course, boss,” Richard nods confidently. “We agreed to meet in two hours at a very good place. And then I will drive them to your home. We can do everything by five in the evening.”       “Well done, Richard, I have always known I could count on you.” Simon puts his hand on Richard’s shoulder. “Anyone could trust even their own life to such a guy like you.”       “You know you can always count on me,” Richard replies with a slight smile.       “I know.”       Simon falls into silence for two seconds.       “Alright,” Simon pronounces confidently and stops sharply smiling. “Stop having tender feelings… We must do very much! We will be sentimental and say words of love when we do what we should do.”       “Supporting!” Richard exclaims.       Simon turns around and goes somewhere confidently with his head proudly raised, while Richard quickly follows him and closely listens to everything he hears from the man on the way.       The guy wants to get out of poverty so much that he is ready to do anything for Simon to pay him the money that he promised to pay. He is really sick of living like a poor boy and having no opportunity to buy something he has been dreaming about for a long time. But he understands he would have to work very hard and do everything Simon wants to get his reward in the end.       But sometimes it seems like Simon is not going to give Richard the promised reward and pay him even some pennies. The boy could not even guess he might be working for Ringer just for a “thank you” and eventually get nothing from what he was promised. Well, as that man made him sure he would generously pay him for his work, the young man literally kisses his legs and dances attendance upon him, silently doing everything the man wants and even asking his friends for help, who might not also get even a little part of what they were promised.       

***

      The time is getting closer to lunch. The meeting is getting closer and closer. Terrence does not stay indifferent and is nervous because of what might happen. At the moment, he is sitting at home, being in the living room, and talking to his childhood friend Benjamin on the phone with the hope that this talk will help him relax a little.       “So, here’s the story,” Terrence says thoughtfully, leaning back in the sofa. “Today, everything is gonna get clear: either everything is gonna back to the right places or everything is gonna be ruined to the fuck.”       “Sorry, man,” Benjamin expresses sympathy.       “Better support. And wish me luck.”       “Of course, I wish you luck. But are you sure you’re doing everything right?”       “Yes, I am,” Terrence replies confidently. “Raquelle's aunt and grandfather keep me aware of all the events and tell me what’s happening.”       “But doesn't Raquelle know anything about your plan, right?”       “Right. She shouldn't know about what her relatives and I came with before a certain moment.”       “Hey, did Simon really tell her to meet him at the abandoned place?”       “Exactly! I guess you understand why that sick bastard made her go there.”       “I do. Is she really gonna go to that place all alone?”       “She is going. Her relatives tried to persuade Raquelle to go to the police and take someone with her, but she wanna hear nothing about it. She naively thinks that Simon wouldn’t kill her and her close people if she went there all alone.”       “So, do you really think that Simon might dare to…” Benjamin asks hesitantly. “Murder her?”       “Huh, I don’t think. I know!”       “Of course, we know what a scumbag he is. But to go so far nobody knows why…”       “Yeah, I didn’t think this cad would go so far,” Terrence replies confidently. “I didn’t think that man would do anything to reach his goal.”       “If it’s so, she must not go there alone. If it happens, and you leave her behind, Raquelle will be dead.”       “No, buddy, I won’t leave her behind this time.” Terrence confidently shakes his head. “Raquelle’s relatives are counting on me, and I have no right to betray them and let them know all my words of regret are an empty sound.”       “So, let’s see if you'll keep your promise.”       “I will do it, don’t doubt me.” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds and moves his sad eyes aside. “Hey, did you know that almost all his money doesn’t belong to him?”       “Doesn’t belong?” Benjamin wonders. “What do you mean? Who does it belong to?”       “It’s very easy! Simon was deceiving naive people for many years by offering them great fame and wealth. Before he decided to get hired as my personal driver, he had introduced himself as someone from the show business and promised to make everyone famous. But he told people to pay him a lot of money. To agree with someone about shootings in movies, commercials, or magazines.”       “Isn’t he supposed to pay money?”       “Right! Simon was supposed to pay money to promote a future celebrity. I mean paying for PR and something like that. But of course, victims didn’t know it and gave their money without questions…”       “And what’s next?”       “Next, Simon received the money he needed, insolently left his victim, and got out somewhere.”       “Wow…”       “This plan had been working for many years. And then he decided that he was done with it. Decided to become someone else. Eventually, Simon became a personal driver of mine. We met thanks to our common acquaintances, and he began to complain to me that he didn’t have enough money to live. Well, I felt sorry for him and decided to give him a job as a personal driver. Yes, I didn’t actually need him, but… I was sorry for the man. Ringer seemed good to me. And I didn’t refuse.”       “What a twist… It seems like you knew that man very badly. You didn’t know you hired a real bastard.”       “You’re right,” Terrence nods. “I found out that the police had a file on Ringer. Almost all of his victims reported the fraud. Yes, they described different people because Simon always changed his look and name, but the police managed to find out that it was all the same man. It was Simon. Since he introduced to one of his first victims.”       “Wow…”       “So, that’s the story. That bastard began a career as a fraud a long time ago and has deceived very many people, who don’t get their money back. And they would hardly do.”       “Listen, buddy, you surprised me!” Benjamin exclaims.       “I know, I also got shocked when I found out that about the person, who I have known for many years…”       “Didn’t you really know about his tricks?”       “No, Ben, I knew nothing about his past. I don’t even know who his family is, where he was born, or something like that. I know only the fact that he is kind of a poor, unhappy man that has to live for pennies.”       “That’s why people are right when they say you shouldn’t trust everyone.”       “I know!”       “When you pitied him, he instantly used it.”       “Right…” Terrence thinks for two seconds and runs his hand through his hair. “But I never had any claims for him. Simon was doing his work very well and was happy with everything.”       “Well, knowing you usually pay very much to those, who work for you, complaining would’ve been a sin of him,” Benjamin says confidently.       “I agree,” Terrence exhales slowly and puts his hand on his forehead. “And I understand him. Somehow, I also needed money so badly. I acted in any movies… I played anyone. Anything to earn just something.”       “Anyway, he won’t be able to get even the worst job in the world with a low payment very soon,” Benjamin says confidently. “Because nobody would love to have a deal with that bastard. Especially, if people know he was the one to spread rumors about Raquelle and wanna literally kill her.”       “I’d like to believe it, buddy…” Terrence sighs heavily. “I wish…”       “Why are you sighing so hard?” Benjamin asks. “Something else happened?”       “Nope, nothing happened…” Terrence replies quietly. “It’s all the same…”       “Ah, I got it… Can't you forget Raquelle? I guessed?”       “It's too hard to forget her…”       “Okay…”       “I'm very sorry that it happened. I will always be sorry and ashamed of what I did.”       “Listen, man, did you start all of that ‘cause you are really regretting what you did?” Benjamin asks thoughtfully. “Or did you just put a tail between your legs for Raquelle’s relatives and understand they’d kick your ass if they knew you betrayed her for the second time?”       “Erm, both reasons…” Terrence admits a little hesitantly. “Her family would eat me alive if I did one more terrible thing towards her. Especially, her grandfather. If Alicia hadn’t been near him, Frederick would’ve killed me with his own hands. So… I can’t screw it up if I wanna get their trust back and prove that I’m really sorry about what happened.”       “Well, next time, you will think better before raising a hand on a girl.”       “Oh, Ben…”       “Did you actually think Raquelle’s relatives would easily turn your life to hell if they knew what you did to that girl? They’d turn their back on a common fight and let you sort it out. But you got them really mad by that slap in the face.”       “I know I shouldn't have taken it out on her. I should’ve sat down and discussed everything quietly. I’m sure she would’ve gotten me… Raquelle isn’t a stupid girl and quickly understands everything… And she is not so vindictive to be mad for months…”       “Sorry, Terrence, but I doubt she’d actually love to talk to you after what happened.”       “I don’t hope she will listen to me,” Terrence says gloomily.       “Just talking to her and apologizing for everything you did won’t be enough. But if you’d talked much earlier than the day you fought to the fuck, I don’t doubt she would’ve understood you. Yes, it would’ve been a very hard and bad talk for you two. But you didn’t probably think you ended up in a tale after the beginning of an affair.”       “Ha, talk… You should’ve heard how she was talking to me at the club when she saw me spending time with another girl…”       “What did you want? I ain’t get surprised by it.”       “I did even discover very much about me.”       “Yay, MacClife, you’re really awesome!” Benjamin laughs quietly. “You barely broke up with one girl but went to have fun with another. And you got caught by your ex, who kicked the ass of both of you.”       “How did I know she would come there? If I had known it, I would’ve stayed far from that club!”       “Couldn’t you wait at least for a while and then start spending time with someone with a clear conscience? You’ve always called yourself a loyal and loving man! I did even see some articles on the Internet that pronounced you a cheater.”       “Oh, Ben, I told you why I started to play love with that girl…” Terrence sighs tiredly.       “Yeah, I know, but still!”       “Believe me, buddy, I felt so bad and lonely that I gave a fuck about my principals. Because I wanted to get some love and care. At least from the one I never wanted.”       “Oh, yeah, you got! From both of them! The first one attacked you with charges, and the other lady slapped you, cursed you, and promised to ruin your life and career.”       “That girl can do what she wants – I don’t care what she thinks about me. Now I care only about one thing – to keep the promise I gave Alicia and Mr. Cameron and help Raquelle get off that bastard, who could easily kill her.”       “Of course, it’s awesome, but don’t hope you’ll turn into a hero for her after that,” Benjamin says confidently. “After what happened between you – and what had happened before that – your relationship came to an end.”       “I know…”       “It’s very unpleasant for me to say it, but unfortunately, nothing can be changed…”       “You’re right… I missed my chance to get everything back and not to let the tale end forever. And I understand my help will change nothing.”       “So, why are you helping her if you understand it doesn’t make sense?”       “I hope I’ll feel a little easier and start to live a quiet life. Without remorse and a wish to burn from shame. Maybe, I apologize to her in this way. And we would say goodbye to each other in a good way. Without a scandal.”       “Hey, what if not everything is lost?” Benjamin assumes. “Maybe, there is a chance that the situation will get better.”       “I doubt,” Terrence pronounces without emotions.       “Listen, I’ve got a feeling that she’s waiting for your help somewhere at the bottom of her heart. Or maybe, that girl does even love you.”       “No, Ben, she doesn’t love me. She said it.”       “A girl can’t be jealous of a man when she doesn’t love him. Raquelle almost killed your girlfriend after she got you caught together for a reason. I ain’t surprised she dragged her by the hair and showered both of you with mud. Because your ex was mad and insulted.”       “Well, if I dreamed about her loving me…” Terrence rolls his eyes for two seconds. “After that passionate impulse, I suddenly thought she had some feelings for me… She threatened to shout at the whole club and blame me for rapping her, but I didn’t do that.”       “Well, maybe, that impulse clouded her mind for a while,” Benjamin assumes thoughtfully. “But later, she recalled everything and got mad at you again for everything you had done to her.”       “If she hadn’t pushed me off and gotten out, I would’ve brought that case to an end.”       “No, buddy, you would not have done. Raquelle would’ve recalled how you slapped her and instantly woken up. Recalled all your insults and humiliations.”       “Sorry… I did really wanna fuck her as hard as possible. No matter if that girl wanted it.”       “Alas, MacClife, it’s gonna be possible only in your fantasies. She won’t forgive you.”       “I know…”       “Besides, let’s recall you threatening to ruin her career and put her in a mental hospital ‘cause you said she was allegedly ill. And please, don’t forget you left her when the poor girl stayed all alone.”       “Do you think that it's nice for me to think about that?” Terrence wonders. “I do wanna be swallowed by the ground from shame! I wanna bury my head in the sand! Not to know everyone is judging me. Not to see my close people turning their backs on me.”       “Ha, did you think people would keep praising you and saying about your awesomeness? No, Terrence, they would not do! I’m gonna say more: when people know that, they will say you are a shameless bastard.”       “I know, Ben,” Terrence replies a little irritably. “I know what a stinker I am. Don’t remind me of that for the hundredth time!”       “They’re gonna recall all the dirty rumors you are denying so hard. They’re lying about you having a disgusting character and behaving like an egoistic scumbag…”       “Oh, I do hear it literally from every single person! And that girl got so angry at me that she lied to some people that I was allegedly beating Raquelle and bringing her to half-death. And they believed it! Even if it’s a lie! I’ve never beaten her.”       “Sorry, dude, but if you hadn’t told everything to me at once, I would’ve believed that. Thinking of the aggressive behavior you’ve had in the past few weeks.”       “But you know I’m not the one.”       “Yeah, but I know your short-tempered character.”       “Yeah, I can’t be absolutely quiet and peaceful. But it doesn’t mean I could be called a violator, who is beating women.”       “Anyway, you will have to apply many efforts to prove that you’re good and innocent. But this time, you will not do this by doing a show for the public.”       “I’ve never done a show for people.”       “But people will think so.”       “Don’t get me excited! I do feel bad!”       “And you must do your best to make amends to Raquelle and her family. And of course, find a way to talk to her about the slap in the face and your betrayer.”       “To be honest, I doubt I could find words to prove my regret to all the people,” Terrence sighs quietly with sadness in his eyes and thinks for two seconds. “However, I think everything is fair now. People are judging me and ruining their friendship with me… And Raquelle is getting more and more love and sympathy.”       “Yeah, did you hear about such a thing as a boomerang? Fate punished you for your egoism and disgusting behavior towards the weak girl!”       “I know…”       “Early or late, you’d have to pay for your mistakes, Terrence. And your time has come.”       “You’re right… I’ve really lost too much. A bigger part of my friends called me a bastard… They turned their backs on me… Even some familiars from the show business started to look at me badly. I recently talked to a couple of people. They were very cold to me. Yes, there were no charges, but I had a feeling they despised me. Even if I don’t understand why. Nobody knows what happened between Raquelle and me. At least we haven’t told the media anything.”       “And when everyone knows about your tricks, you will have no place to hide from insults and humiliations. And you’ll have to forget about your career forever.”       “And knowing that my mother rejected me would be too much… She also judged me and didn’t hide that she was disappointed when she found out Raquelle and I broke up because of me. When I confessed that I slapped that girl…”       “Anyway, life kicked your ass and let you know you should’ve thought just a little before doing something. You do always do something and then think of the consequences. Even when you began to date Raquelle, you didn’t think of what was waiting for you. You were as headstrong as a donkey and did what you wanted.”       “I know… That’s why I’m starting to take what happened…” Terrence exhales slowly with half-closed eyes. “And you know, I think I’d better give up and just let her go after the story of Simon is over.”       “What?” Benjamin wonders. “Give up?”       “After all of that, I actually wanna disappear… Run as far from the shame I got on me as possible.”       “Hey, hey, wait, wait…” Benjamin jabs. “I didn’t get it… Do you wanna run away? Run away like a fucking coward? Not to hear everyone insulting and humiliating you?”       “It will be better for everyone, Ben… Nobody will even remember me. Everyone will be happy if I leave and don’t show up in public.”       “I can’t believe it…”       “For Raquelle, it will also be much better… She will live her own life, and I will try to brace myself and decide what to do. If we’re lucky, someday, both of us will find someone to make us much happier than we felt when we were together.”       “Damn, I can’t believe I hear THAT! MacClife, what are you doing?”       “What’s wrong?”       “Do you think you’ll be better if you hide from people’s anger? Do you think everyone will quickly forget you! Ha! They will be bullying you much harder! They will turn your life into such a hell that you will have to move somewhere on a desert island where nobody will know who you are.”       “So, I would live somewhere on a desert island…” Terrence replies without emotions. “And make everyone think I’m either dead or missing.”       “What?”       “This pressure is too strong. I’m afraid I wouldn’t take it…” Terrence sighs heavily. “I’d rather be dead for everyone than see people pointing at me with a finger and insulting me.”       “I don’t recognize you, buddy!” Benjamin shakes his head, being shocked by what Terrence says. “Dude, c’mon? What happened to you? Where is Terrence MacClife, who has always reached his goals and gotten what he wanted? Where is my best friend, whom I’ve known since childhood?”       “If people know everything, I will be able to change nothing. No matter how hard I try.”       “Fuck, it seems like I am talking to another man! Where is the one, who was so proud of his fame and high status? Where is the one, who is so confident and sure about what he’s doing? Where’s the friend I knew somehow? What happened to him in such a short period of time?”       “Now, I’m sure about one thing – I should bring my case to an end and hide from shame.”       “Damn, you’re really not Terrence! Not him! I’m talking to a coward! The coward that wanna run away from everything! Who would hardly help Raquelle get off Simon if her relative didn’t press him to the wall.”       “I said I wouldn’t leave Raquelle and would do my best for that bastard to leave her alone once and forever,” Terrence recalls quietly.       “Yea-a-ah, I’m shocked…” Benjamin shakes his head. “How much you’ve changed, Terrence… How did you become so irresponsible? A wish to run away from problems! Now you did a bad thing and decided to get out, thinking your disappearance would instantly make everyone love you again!”       “I’m getting out not to make people feel sorry for me,” Terrence replies quietly.       “You never kept your head down when someone insulted and humiliated you! You never ran away from problems! Never raised a voice on a girl and beat her!”       “People change, Benjamin. So, I can’t stay the same forever.”       “What happened to you, man?” Benjamin wonders. “Why did you become the one? Why? You’re letting things happen as they want, running away from your responsibility, and keeping your head down when you’re insulted!”       “I just can’t keep all of that under my control. I can’t make everyone love me again.”       “You know, MacClife, you should also start drinking,” Benjamin says with sadness and disappointment in his voice. “Turn from an important man to a long-time alcoholic to get much worse for me. But I wouldn’t be surprised if you drank at least a couple of glasses per day. Moreover, I’ve already seen you drunk to the fuck after you got problems with Raquelle.”       “I ain’t gonna drink to the fuck,” Terrence protests.       “Why, Terrence? Why have you changed? Why did you do such a disgusting thing to Raquelle?”       “You know everything well.”       “Why did you actually begin to date her? Why? What’s the tip of pretending to be a good boyfriend to the one you literally met several times in the year that you were in a relationship? Why were both of you always busy with your work? Raquelle had shootings for magazines, catalogs, and commercials or walked on a runway while you went to auditions, tried to send your demos to at least one label, gave interviews, and worked on a couple of low-rating shows, in which you played roles that nobody would memorize.”       “I didn’t think everything would be so hard!”       “You should’ve thought! Instead of pretending that your relationship was just perfect. It’s clear you didn’t wanna make her a girlfriend of yours. To fuck a girl, you don’t have to be in a relationship or marriage with her.”       “Actually, I have always dreamed of my own family and never had sex with everyone. Unlike you!”       “But since you started to date someone, you shouldn't have thought of yourself!”       “Do you wanna say I’m an egoist?”       “As if you don’t know it!”       Terrence shakes his head, definitely not expecting this reaction from Benjamin, who has lost his patience and is saying everything he has had on his mind for a long time.       “Ben, are you okay?” Terrence wonders. “Why are you talking to me like this?”       “I am fine!” Benjamin exclaims. “But you are not!”       “Did you hit your head? If you’re saying some bullshit!”       “No, Terrence, you did hit your head,” Benjamin raises his voice a little. “Very strongly!”       “Listen, Ben…”       “Why did you the fuck turn into such an evil and shameless bastard, who thinks only of himself? Before the affair with Raquelle, you were more or less fine, even if you could be arrogant. But after everything happened between you, you went nuts!”       “Fuck… Do you wanna judge me again? Do you wanna join those, who think I’m a bastard?”       “I am not guilty of you being a bastard! A shameless and egoistic bastard, who’s always thought only of himself, his career, and his reputation!”       “What?” Terrence frowns strongly.       “You do the fuck care about it much more than your own family. And I’m really surprised you haven’t betrayed your own mother and rejected her.”       “Parker, are you out of your mind?” Terrence wonders loudly, knocking at his temple with a finger. “How did you dare to think I could betray the one, who raised me?”       “I wouldn’t be surprised if someday your mother said it to someone! If she said you became so arrogant that you stopped respecting even that woman! And all your words about your alleged love for her that you are telling everyone are just an empty sound!”       “No, Ben…” Terrence shakes his head. “Don’t say that! Don’t make me a senseless beast that would even sell his own mother.”       “I say what many people are probably afraid to say to you,” Benjamin says confidently.       “It’s not the truth. I’m not as bad as everyone thinks!”       “You know, I’m done! I’m sick of being silent and pretending that nothing happened.”       “What?”       “I’ve always been against any kind of violence towards a girl and am not going to defend you after what you did to Raquelle.”       “Ben, I…”       “She didn’t deserve what you did to her. And I can’t believe such a good girl could get in touch with such a nasty stinker like you.”       “What you’re talking about! Dude, I’m your friend!”       “No, Terrence, you’re not my friend. My friend would not behave the way you did. My friend is more decent and more educated.”       “You’re hurting me by saying it!”       “You know, that’s good Raquelle and you broke up,” Benjamin says confidently. “That girl would be unhappy and unloved with you.”       “I’ve said many times why our relationship wasn’t perfect. I explained what I needed. What that girl didn’t give me.”       “Just don’t make her the only one to blame. You’re also guilty of the fact that your relationship was ruined to the fuck.”       “I know!”       “Shit… So much time… So much time… So many moments… Was it all a waste of time? Did you really waste your time for nothing?”       “I think so.”       “I thought the affair with that cutie would change you for the better, but everything happened otherwise. You got much worse. You became much more aggressive and began to take it out on people and behave like a coward. You’ve become an egoistic bastard, who’s never been able to control his emotions and could explode for two seconds.”       “Who did I take it out on? What are you actually talking about?”       “But I always thought anyone would change for the better when meeting someone to be able to make them better. Or Raquelle tried to make you better, but you didn’t want to change anything.”       “Raquelle didn’t care about me! She never loved me and used me to make her relatives shut up!”       “Did you love her? Or did you need her just to have sex? Did you need her as a sexual toy?”       “I did love her! And I tried to save our relationship, which was getting worse and worse because she never paid attention to me.”       “Ha, you didn’t also want to give her enough attention and were obsessed with your musical career. You weren’t ready to accept the fact that nobody the fuck needed you.”       “Listen, what do you the fuck want from me?” Terrence asks colder. “What do I the fuck do you to be happy?”       “Think! About your behavior! About what you are doing! About your worthless life!”       “I see no meaning to think! It’s all over! Raquelle will never listen to me and forgive me for betraying her.”       “Because you are a coward! The coward that cannot look into the girl’s eyes and say you were not right.”       “How many times do I have to explain that I can do nothing to get her trust back? And I cannot make people believe I’m not a bastard, who would easily beat a girl and terrify her to death. I cannot do!”       “YOU CAN DO!” Benjamin cries. “YOU CAN THE FUCK DO!”       “Don’t shout on the phone! I am not deaf!”       “You’re acting like a coward! You should be able to tell everyone how sorry you are and how much you are burning from shame. You should also make amends. And get your ass off the sofa and do just SOMETHING and make people believe in your regret.”       “Am I not doing this? AM I THE FUCK SITTING AND DOING NOTHING?”       “First, you do a dirty trick and then quietly run away and hide in bushes, hoping to get off that… But it’s not going to work, MacClife, not going to work! Early or late, you’d have to pay for the bullshit you have done.”       “I am not going to run away from my responsibility.”       “Remember, Terrence, if you leave everything to the fuck, you’ll get known as a shameless, cowardly bastard that wants to be responsible for nothing and dares to raise a hand on those, who are much weaker.”       “Listen, why are you talking to me in this way?” Terrence wonders loudly, not hiding that he is resentful of what’s happening. “How did you get this aggression? What did I do to you if you’re treating me like this?”       “You did nothing to me,” Benjamin throws coldly.       “So, you better close your fucking mouth! I did not ask your piece of advice!”       “Shit, poor Raquelle…” Benjamin shakes his head. “Poor girl… She’s gotten through so much… Probably, much more than other people of her age. Everybody turned their backs on her because of one sick bastard and began to believe she allegedly had mental issues… And her ex-boyfriend dared to raise a hand on her and showered her with mud. He believed she was cheating, even though it was not proved. No photos, no videos, no witnesses – nothing!”       “I do know!” Terrence growls irritably. “I KNOW!”       “And trust me, her family will not let you be with her after what you did to that girl. Her relatives are going to protect her from you so hard.”       “Why do you tell me what I know?”       “Maybe, your coincidence would wake up! Maybe, you understand what that girl is feeling!”       “Do you think I don’t feel sorry for her?” Terrence raises his voice. “NOT SORRY? In this case, I wouldn’t have the fuck started this operation of Simon’s arrest… If I didn’t care and worry about her, I would actually not do anything for her. What’s the tip of doing something for someone you give a damn about?”       “The point is about trying to whitewash you. Do something good and make people believe you are an angel.”       “I am doing this not to whitewash me.”       “Oh, yeah, you’re doing all of that for the love!” Benjamin rolls his eyes.       “Yes, for the love! I realized I still loved her and didn’t want to be with any other girl except her. And I will love her even when we start living our lives.”       “Maybe, you don’t want it. But you don’t try to do anything to make it real.”       “Are you deaf? Or stupid? I did say our reunion is impossible because of everything that’s happened between us!”       “If you wanted, you’d do your best to get her back!”       “I can’t!”       “Or are you waiting for her to come to you and start to beg you to forgive her and come back to her? Huh, MacClife? Are you used to the fact that your fans are ready to die for you and kiss your legs? Did you think that girl was supposed to do the same?”       “I thought nothing!”       “You thought you’d have to do nothing! You’d behave as if it should’ve happened. You’d be like, thank me, sweetheart, for actually agreeing to date you. You must be happy that I stand you. Fucking benefactor!”       “I’ve never behaved in this way!”       “You stopped thinking of others! You think only of your precious ass! About how to cover it and get away from it not to lose your high respect in the show business.”       “It’s a lie!”       “Nobody must serve you, MacClife. And nobody will do just something for the one to become an insolent egoist and not to understand that you should do just something to deserve someone’s love and respect. Or at least change your disgusting character.”       “Parker, what kind of bullshit are you saying?” Terrence resents loudly. “Had you gotten the fuck stoned before you called me?”       “I know it’s always hurtful to admit something like that. I understand you don’t want to see changes and admit that you’ve become a mean, shameless egoist.”       “What?”       “But you’ll have to do it. When you have no one, who would love to support you and continue to be by your side. Maybe, you’ll understand something and start to change yourself. But I doubt someone would love to support you even if you changed yourself.”       “Damn, I can’t believe my best friend says these things about me,” Terrence claps himself on the forehead with a hand.       “I’m just telling you the truth. The truth that you refuse to hear and accept.”       “I thought you’d support me… I wanted to share what I was worried about and get your support. But instead of it, you read me a lecture about what I should’ve done. And you blamed me for all the sins, and you tell me that what’s happening is all my fault. And you’re blaming me for being an egoist…”       “You do know I’ve always wished you the best. And I wanna help you fix just something before it’s too late. Because I don’t want people to start to judge you and shower you with mud. Or do you want to get known as a windbag, who just talks to the wind but wants to do nothing to prove his regret?”       “Seriously?” Terrence simpers evilly. “Is this how you’re wishing me the best? IS THIS HOW?”       “You know that you’re starting to get me more surprised. In a bad sense.”       “You’re surprising me, too. You’ve always said we’re like brothers, but you dare to reproach me for something and talk to me like this. You can only blame, reproach, and give me pieces of advice about how to live.”       “Can you hear yourself?” Benjamin wonders loudly. “Do you understand what you’re talking about?”       “It seems like you know everything about life!”       “Fuck, MacClife, open your fucking eyes!” Benjamin moans tiredly. “Turn your brains on! Think of everything you’re doing! Or did the fame you got in childhood deprive you of your brains and the rest of your coincidence?”       “Fuck, how do you dare to call me a brother of mine after what’s happening now?”       “Imagine, even brothers can judge their brothers. If you had brothers or sisters, they would judge you, as well.”       “Seriously?”       “You’re sick, Terrence! Sick! Sick with star-struck, narcissism, madness, and something like that… And I don’t actually understand how such a wonderful woman like Mrs. MacClife could raise a son like you. Who became a shameless bastard after he got too much attention in childhood.”       “Don’t dare to insult me!”       “Many rumors were spread about you, saying you behaved like a prince with blue blood on shootings. You could easily start a hysteria because of any simple thing. Fewer people tried to calm you down and make you work as well as others.”       “It’s a lie! LIE!”       “No, Terrence, it’s not! And very soon, everyone will make sure about it when your hurt friend tells people what a bastard you are, who dared to deceive her, and gets the support of many people. And if her father really has good contacts, you’ll be turned to dust. You will have to quit your fucking career. You will stop being an irresistibly handsome man with innocent eyes for everyone. Your fans will start showering you with mud, and celebrities will ignore you. No directors will wish to act you in movies, studios will not even listen to your stupid songs, and the hearts of your little fans will belong to someone else.”       “Ha, you’re just envying me!” Terrence says confidently, coldly, and insolently.       “Ha, what?” Benjamin smirks evilly.       “You are jealous that I built a brilliant acting career and got the love of fans around the world. But you were working as a salesperson at a small alcohol store and will get stuck in there until the last day of your life.”       “And what? At least, my mental health is absolutely fine, and I don’t behave like an arrogant egoist!”       “And I don’t fuck all the girls I see! You can only change girls like gloves and fuck any beautiful chick that you’d pick up somewhere at a club or a strip club.”       “It’s my business!” Benjamin throws rudely. “If I want to fuck someone, I fuck someone!”       “And you dare to tell me something about a family man and the good life of a taken man…” Terrence smirks with contempt. “You know the fuck nothing about it! And you will hardly know. Because you care only about one thing – to have sex at least once per week. You care about nothing more!”       “Close your fucking mouth,” Benjamin hisses through his teeth.       “I’m ready to bet you easily leave a girl and her child if she gets pregnant with you and refused to educate them. Even if it was a boy that you wanted so badly.”       “Listen, idiot, are you out of your mind?” Benjamin resents rudely. “Or did you go nuts from thinking that your star faded away a long time ago? Or all these fucking problems with Raquelle and Simon Ringer?”       “Did you have too much sex? Or did you overwork? Selling drinks is such a fucking exhausting thing!”       “I wanted to help you! Make you think and do just something good in your life not only for your well-being.”       “I don’t need your help!” Terrence throws coldly.       “You also say you refuse to go to the meeting with Ringer, lock yourself in your room, and one hundred percent start crying like a girl. Hoping that you, such an irresistible and unique man like you, will be loved and respected.”       “Shut up, you, fucking dog!” Terrence gets wild. “Listening to you is disgusting!”       “No, MacClife, if you betray Raquelle’s relatives after promising them so much, they will do their best for you to never be with that girl. Never!”       “Ar-r-r, how much you irritate me!” Terrence growls irritably. “If you were near me, I would beat your face!”       “You know, I’m also sorry about not being at your home. In the opposite case, I would have much pleasure in beating your insolent face. And washing your brains just a little if you have just something in your empty head.”       “Oh, maybe, you come here and hit me? COME ON, PARKER, GO TO MY HOME AND BEAT MY FACE!”       “No, I don’t want to dirty my hands!”       “So, you are scared?” Terrence smirks evilly. “You are barking like a coward dog, but afraid to show up?”       “What an asshole you are, MacClife… Just an asshole… Fuck… Who have I befriended all this time? I am an idiot…”       “I don’t also understand why I made you a friend of mine,” Terrence throws in a rude, low voice.       “I was sure that you’d show the worst side of you, early or late. Even if I believed you would change something about you… But I was wrong…” Benjamin shakes his head. “I lost my friend… I lost my best friend on the day I heard about his disgusting behavior towards his ex-girlfriend.”       “You know, Parker, I think I shouldn't have told you about my problems,” Terrence says coldly. “Because I heard nothing but blames and reproaches.”       “I am not going to give a fuck about your tricks and defend you, saying you’re guilty of nothing.”       “I thought so… But I was sure I would have at least one trustworthy friend, who would support me anyway. But I was wrong about you… When you got a chance, you betrayed me, too. You joined those, who turned their backs on me and are telling everyone bad things about me.”       “Hear me at last, you, brainless moron!” Benjamin almost shouts on the phone. “AND TAKE OFF YOUR FUCKING MASK! OPEN YOUR EYES!”       “I was wrong when calling you my best friend and calling you my brother,” Terrence says coldly. “You’ve never been the one. You’ve never been a loyal friend of mine.”       “I don’t want to be the one anymore,” Benjamin says confidently. “If you want to get known as an egoist and liar, it’s alright. I will not mind. But remember one thing: when the media publishes at least one article about some celebrities revealing all your dirty secrets and telling people you are an aggressive bastard, you will have to pay very much. You will lose the trust of your friends, relatives, and acquaintances and ruin your career. However, everything has been bad for you anyway. Your star has faded away! You’re losing recognition, fame, and everything you got so easily. But it was shining very brightly a few years ago, and you were madly popular.”       “You know, I don’t also want to be friends with such a mean scumbag like you. I am done, Parker, from now on, I no longer want to see or hear you. You can keep showering me with mud and sleeping with prostitutes that you meet everywhere in the city.”       “WITH PLEASURE!” Benjamin shouts. “I’m sick of wiping off your snot, listening to your whining, and trying to open your eyes for you to see what’s going on. ALRIGHT, MACCLIFE, I’M DONE!”       “EXCELLENT! I will solve everything by myself! I NEED NOBODY!”       “So, stay alone with your problems, scumbag! And do not even dare to come to me. From now on, I am supporting those, who know what a bastard they communicated with and judge all the disgusting actions he has taken all his worthless life.”       “Ha, fuck yourself, scoundrel.”       “SAME TO YOU, JERKOFF!”       Benjamin sharply turns off the call, being mad and disappointed. However, Terrence feels the same, throwing his phone aside after hearing beeps, doubling over, and running his hands through his hair. Nevertheless, at heart, he gets very upset because he lost one more friend, with whom he could talk about what was happening. The only person, who has not turned their back on him is his own mother.       “You are a scumbag, Parker…” Terrence thinks with a quiet smirk. “I thought you’d support me and try to calm me down, but instead of that, I heard a bunch of blames and reproaches from you…”       Terrence slowly runs his hands over his face.       “He called himself a brother of mine…” Terrence thinks with sadness in his eyes. “How did he dare?”       Terrence signs hard and gets sad because he was fighting with his friend for a few seconds, but then he exhales sharply with the thought that he should think of something else.       “Alright, he can go to the fuck,” Terrence thinks. “I have no time to sit and worry because of that idiot. I should think of a way to get off Simon and end this story that we’re gonna see in our nightmares for a long time. I must do it. Maybe… I make amends somehow and feel less guilty of Raquelle and her relatives.”       Terrence sharply runs his hands over his hair.       “I wish this hell ended as soon as possible,” Terrence thinks tiredly. “I really wanna forget everything… I wanna finally do my business and do something for my life. I should decide something. After we go our separate ways. After the end of Raquelle and me ends once and forever. Without a chance to get everything back.”       Terrence sighs quietly.       “I think I should really leave after everything is over,” Terrence thinks gloomily. “It would be much better for everyone. There is nobody, who would be worried about me… I give a fuck about what they would think of me, what they would publish in newspapers, and who would love to tell fellows a lie about me. They can do anything they want – it doesn’t make sense to me. My career was about to be ruined anyway. And my dream of becoming a musician will never come true. No matter how sad it is, this is the end.”       Terrence glances aside.       “And if it’s so, I should take it,” Terrence thinks with sadness in his eyes. “Unfortunately, I have no choice. It’s hard to admit it, but I have to. Simon is going to be defeated, and my acting career and unreal dream of the musical world will be buried forever.”       Terrence leans back in the sofa and closes his eyes, trying to get himself ready for what he is going to do. Somewhere at the bottom of his heart, he does not want to give up on his wishes but feels so devastated that he does not have a wish to keep struggling and reaching his goals. Life without Raquelle became sad and gray. But sadly, the man cannot bring her back because he has made too many mistakes that she will never forgive him for. No miracle can fix everything and help him build a brilliant career and come together with the one, without who he feels much more lonely. Maybe, he did not feel as good as he wanted, but he feels much worse without her…       

***

      Great Britain. London. The weather did not make the habitats of the city happy today. It’s raining hard, and the sky is covered with gray clouds. No changes are supposed to happen at the nearest time. So, Amelia went nowhere today and stayed home with her little daughter, Hailey. A few days ago, the baby got sick, but now she feels a little better and is slowly getting well. That’s what makes her mother very happy…       After feeding up her daughter enough and giving her some medicine according to a doctor’s recipe, Amelia puts her girl to sleep and starts slightly shaking her bed. Luckily, she gets to quickly help her fall asleep because the baby did not almost sleep all the time and always cried because she felt bad.       “So, my baby has fallen asleep,” Amelia thinks. “Oh, thank God… May she sleep a little. The poor girl suffered enough in the past few days…”       Amelia tenderly caresses the head of the little Hailey and watches her daughter for a few seconds.       “Okay, while she’s sleeping, I can try to call Alicia and find out the latest news,” Amelia decides. “She has not thought of me lately. So, I’m gonna call her myself…”       Amelia leaves the baby’s room, goes to the living room, takes the wired phone, quickly types Alicia’s mobile numbers, and waits for her answer, slowly walking from one side to another.       “Hello,” Alicia’s voice pronounces.       “Hey, Alicia,” Amelia pronounces amicably. “It’s Amelia.”       “Oh, Amelia, hello, darling!”       “Don’t I bother you?”       “No, no, not at all. How are you doing?”       “More or less fine. Sitting home. It’s been so raining since the morning that I’ve got no wish to go out.”       “Got it… There is no rain in New York. But today, the weather is gloomy…”       “You’re lucky… I wanted to walk a little… But I can’t do this…”       “By the way, forgive me for forgetting about you and not calling you.”       “It’s okay, darling, I’m not mad at you,” Amelia replies with a slight smile.       “I promised to tell you everything that would happen to my niece, but I…” Alicia waves her hand. “Oh…”       “Come on!” Amelia exclaims. “I’ve been busy, as well. I’ve been home with Hailey all this time. She got sick.”       “What? Hailey got sick? Oh, my God! Is something serious?”       “No, no, she just got a cold. I don’t know how, but she had a high fever for two days.”       “Jesus Christ… How’s she doing now?”       “Thank God, she is fine now. But she is very weak… She didn’t sleep or eat all this time. Suffered…”       “Poor baby… I hope that girl will get well soon.”       “Don’t worry, friend, Hailey is feeling much better. It was hard when she had a fever and refused to eat or drink. Yes, she hasn’t recovered yet, but as they say, the worst is over.”       “Ah, how I wish to look at Hailey…” Alicia sighs quietly with sadness in her eyes. “I haven’t seen your daughter yet, but I really wanna look at her.”       “You know well that Raphael and I are always happy to see you at our home,” Amelia replies with a slight smile. “You can visit and call me at any time when you’re back in London. We would admire my daughter and drink coffee or tea with cookies. Raphael spends hours at work, and I feel bored from sitting home alone for the whole day. And I’ve rarely gotten out of the home. Because I can’t leave my daughter alone.”       “I promise, when I’m back in London, I shall surely go to your home.”       “Alright, I shall be waiting for you then…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, and then Amelia breaks a little hesitantly:       “Erm, listen, Alicia, I called to ask you how you are doing. What about the case of Simon?”       “It seems like there is a little light at the end of the tunnel,” Alicia replies thoughtfully.       “Really?”       “Raquelle is going to meet him face-to-face tonight.”       “What? Tonight?”       “Yeah, but I’m not sure if it would be over well for her.”       “Why do you think it would end badly for her?”       “Simon told her to meet him in the abandoned place.”       “Abandoned place?”       “Judging by the coordinates, it was used to be a factory or something like that.”       “My God…”       “I’m scared, Amelia,” Alicia shakes her head. “I can’t calm down…”       “Oh, gosh… To be honest, I don’t like that, either…” Amelia puts a finger on her lips. “He would get a benefit from the fact that nobody would be around…”       “And Raquelle is gonna go there alone,” Alicia sighs heavily.       “What?” Amelia rounds her eyes. “Alone?”       “Mr. Cameron and I tried to stop her, but it was unsuccessfully. She wants to hear nothing about that and thinks she would deal with that man alone.”       “Oh, she’s doing the wrong thing, Alicia, wrong… Who knows what that man has on his mind. And what kind of trap he could make this time.”       “Everybody completely understands it, except my sweet niece. Who seriously thinks she would be able to get off that man, who wants to meet her nobody the hell knows where.”       “So, what are you gonna do? If Raquelle goes there, she will be dead.”       “I’m a little quieter because Terrence knows about that meeting, as well.”       “Come on? Terrence knows about the meeting?”       “Yeah, and he’s going to follow Raquelle along with the police.”       “But how does he know? Raquelle and he don’t probably speak!”       “Mr. Cameron and I told him.”       “Mr. Cameron and you?”       “Ah, yeah, I haven’t told you…” Alicia falls into silence for two seconds. “You don’t know we had a very serious talk.”       “Did you make him explain the situation?” Amelia asks.       “Yes, on the day I arrived in the USA, I went to his home. At first, his servant told me everything, and then Terrence confessed everything.”       “So, did he tell you everything so easily?”       “Yeah, it’s amazing, but he didn’t deny anything and told me all the truth from start to end. From how Simon came into their life, their first scandal, and everyday fights with Raquelle to his slap in the face and betrayal.”       “Cheating? So, did Terrence really get another girl?”       “Yeah, you were right when you said Raquelle would run into a homewrecker that would love to steal a man from her.”       “Just like I thought.”       “But Terrence said he wasn’t in love with her and did it, as he said, for his good name and saving his reputation.”       “Huh?”       “He had a chance to get into the music business, but it led to nothing. And that girl was aware of his behavior towards my niece and could tell the whole world about it at any time and get his reputation much worse. So, Terrence got scared and decided to play love for her. But later, he got sick of it and confessed everything to his friend, who went wild.”       “Listen, are you sure he told you the truth?” Amelia frowns slightly. “He could lie to you!”       “No, friend, I don’t think he lied,” Alicia shakes her head. “When talking with me, Terrence was quite honest. And he was gentle enough with Mr. Cameron. He confidently recognized his mistakes and spoke very truly. Besides, MacClife didn’t deny he slapped Raquelle after his servant told me that.”       “Oh, my gosh… He slapped her!”       “When I found it out for the first time, I almost killed him. I wanted to strangle him with my own hands.”       “So, did that girl get through the violence from him?” Amelia gets horrified, closing her mouth with a hand with horror in her widely open eyes.       “Luckily, that slap was the only one. It didn’t go too far. But Terrence is regretting it anyway.”       “Are you sure?”       “I thought he was speaking truly. Terrence rarely looked at me when telling me what happened. His voice was shaking, and he was madly nervous.”       “I don’t know… I don’t trust those, who raise a hand on a girl. I’m actually afraid of them.”       “Yes, Mr. Cameron and I treat him suspiciously and can’t count on his help in rescuing Raquelle. But now he is the only one to be able to protect her from that stinker. For that, we have to forget what happened before. We have to do anything for the salvation of our girl.”       “Are you sure he wouldn't give up on her?”       “Anything might happen. But MacClife is keeping his promise and going to go to the meeting after my niece.”       “So, as I understand, does Mr. Cameron know everything?”       “He doesn’t know the main thing – Terrence’s slap.”       “No?”       “Terrence and I haven’t told Mr. Cameron that this man slapped my niece. We had to find plausible arguments to explain the reason for the conflict.”       “He believed?”       “I dunno. But I wouldn’t like him to know it.”       “Are you afraid he might do something to Terrence?”       “One more reason. And we wouldn’t like to make him nervous. Mr. Cameron is too nervous because of my girl and is worried about her. He doesn’t literally sleep at nights.”       “I get it… And I believe he must not know anything.”       “We shall not tell him the truth and shall do our best to hide it,” Alicia promises confidently. “Or Mr. Cameron might get his health worse and also get really mad at Terrence. If he knew about the slap, he would immediately ban him from helping Raquelle and getting closer to her. We can’t let it happen now, because we need the help of that man so badly. Without him, we might lose our girl.”       “Anyway, you should not completely trust him.”       “Mr. Cameron can barely stand Terrence just for Raquelle. In the opposite case, he would tell him everything he thinks of him.”       “How do you think whether Terrence would really help Raquelle or take his words back at the last moment?” Amelia asks hesitantly.       “You know, I think he’s frightened and afraid to get guilty of us,” Alicia assumes thoughtfully. “Afraid to be guilty of us.”       “So, is he doing all of that just because of the fear of you and Mr. Cameron?”       “No, not quite. Terrence is definitely regretting everything he did and trying to make amends to my niece somehow.”       “But how would Raquelle react?”       “She doesn’t know anything about his help. And she will not know it until the very end.”       “If she knew, she would get mad.”       “Raquelle is begging me not to talk to her about that man and even mention his name.” Alicia sighs quietly. “But sometimes I really wanna sit down and ask her about everything she actually feels. What she actually wants to do: trying to forgive him and starting it all over again or putting a dot in a relationship with him and getting ready for a new one.”       “What do you think she is feeling for him?” Amelia asks.       “I think she loves him deep inside, but she can’t admit it. Or she can’t realize it. She is so inexperienced in love things and doesn’t know what love is.”       “Do you think she doesn’t understand?”       “Raquelle was never seriously in love with someone. It’s her first serious relationship. But you understand that you can’t forget your first love. And actually, it’s hard to forget any kind of love for one day. Sometimes it takes years and even a whole life…”       “It’s a case of my grandmother. She got divorced from my grandfather because of a stupid thing, regretted it her whole life, and did not forget her love for him. She got married multiple times, but she never loved anyone as much as she loved him. Even if her men were good and took care of her.”       “It’s a rare thing that sometimes happens.”       “Anyway, don’t really ask her about it now. When the time comes, Raquelle will start talking about Terrence. When she is no longer able to keep her emotions inside…”       “Even if she decides not to come back to him, I don’t want this decision to make my girl unhappy. What if she doesn’t love anyone else… You said she was supposed to get married just once.”       “Who knows, darling. Anyway, it’s her life. Her decision. She is not a child and should be responsible for what she is doing.”       “Ah, Amelia…” Alicia sighs quietly with sadness in her eyes. “How much my girl has had to get through… I don’t even know how she managed to get through all of that.”       “And how much she is going to get through!” Amelia exclaims.       “Maybe, her character is the reason for that? Maybe, hasn’t she gone crazy and given up on holding up because of it?”       “Quite possible…. That girl has a strong spirit and can brace herself for a certain goal. If she understands she must do something, she bites a bullet and goes to do it.”       “That’s what her palms say?”       “Exactly.”       “But she should understand she can’t be a heroine and save everyone and herself all alone. Raquelle naively believes she would change Simon’s mind and make him sure to give up and leave her alone. Mr. Cameron and I say it’s not gonna happen, but she doesn’t hear us.”       “Maybe, that’s good you told Terrence about the meeting. There is a chance that he will not let him do anything to her.”       “He asked me to keep him aware of all the events.”       “That’s how…”       “We didn’t ask him for help. Terrence showed a wish to help. He sent me a message, asked me about a meeting, asked Mr. Cameron and me to tell him everything we knew, and offered his plan of destroying Ringer.”       “Well, as he asked, he really wants to help.”       “By the way, Terrence also told us something about things that Mr. Ringer did.”       “Did he do something else?”       “Yes, as it turned out, Ringer is a long-time fraud!”       “Fraud?”       “He deceived naive people, offering them fame and recognition. But for that, Simon got money out of poor victims to allegedly pay someone for something. But when he got what he wanted, he hid and broke all the contacts with those he got money from.”       “Wow…” Amelia thinks for two seconds. “You know, friend, I suspected something wasn’t right. I was sure that man was by far not the innocent one.”       “He is not innocent,” Alicia nods. “Terrence confirmed everything personally.”       “I see.”       Meanwhile, Alicia thinks:       “I wonder if Terrence really knew nothing about what Simon was doing? Or did he lie to Mr. Cameron and me? I wouldn’t personally be surprised if it was the truth.”       “And I don’t understand why Terrence actually got in touch with him,” Amelia wonders. “Why did he agree to hire him as a personal driver?”       “Who knows, friend,” Alicia shrugs. “Terrence said nothing about it.”       “I wonder, how much money did he pay Simon for his work?”       “I guess enough. As far as I know, Terrence pays enough to his servants that are working at his house.”       “Yeah, likely.”       “I believe Ringer decided to use a moment to save some money to feed his friend, who published all these false articles about my niece by his command.”       “I can’t exclude it,” Amelia pronounces thoughtfully.       “Anyway, nobody even thought of suspecting him for what happened. Somehow, Raquelle mentioned him, but she was sure he was a very good man.” Alicia falls into silence for two seconds and shakes her head. “Nobody thought he would be guilty of everything. Spreading the rumors and sending those anonymous letters.”       “People are right when they say still waters run deep,” Amelia says thoughtfully.       “Right…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds.       “Listen, Amelia, I’m sorry, but I have to do it,” Alicia says thoughtfully. “Soon, Raquelle will go to the meeting. Mr. Cameron and I should support her.”       “Okay, I will not hold you,” Amelia nods.       “We will talk somehow later. I will call you and tell you how everything will be over.”       “I will be impatiently waiting for your call. And hoping everything would be alright.”       “I wish, sweetie…”       “Bye.”       “Bye.”       Amelia presses the button to end the call on her phone and thinks of something with sadness in her eyes, holding it in her hands. But then the woman puts it where it was before and goes to the room of her daughter Hailey to see how she is doing.       “If only this meeting ended well…” Amelia begs. “If only Simon did nothing to Raquelle. My God… I don’t want that girl to suffer…”       When she comes to the baby’s room, Amelia carefully comes to the bed, in which Hailey is sleeping well, and starts shaking it slightly.       “She should not die,” Amelia thinks. “She should not die. Simon Ringer must pay for everything he has done. I want that man to leave the poor girl alone… Stop torturing her like this. Raquelle didn’t deserve it…”       Amelia sighs heavily.       “I wish Raquelle solved the conflict with her ex-boyfriend early or late and made a decision, not being obsessed with anger and emotions,” Amelia thinks. “Breaking up is the same serious thing as getting married or giving birth to a child. You should think of everything better to be sure you really want to do this. I don’t want Raquelle to regret it as much as my grandmother did somehow. Even though she could’ve saved her relationship if she hadn’t succumbed to her emotions…”       Amelia keeps sitting next to Hailey and watching her, silently praying that everybody gets what they deserve. Innocent people do not suffer because of someone and do not pay for those, who are actually guilty. The woman understands she can do nothing and has only to wait and hope the niece of her good friend will get over this hard situation.       

***

      The United States. New York. It’s about four hours in the evening. The meeting of Raquelle and Simon will take place in one hour. Nobody can assume what it would lead to, how it would be over, or whether someone would suffer after it. However, the girl does not want to think about it and is getting ready for this event, making herself think only of positive things. The long-awaited moment has come. The moment when she would end this story and forget it like a nightmare once and forever.       Raquelle is standing in front of the mirror and looking at the reflection of hers, silently making herself calm down a little. The girl is wearing stinkers to be able to run if she has to, old shabby jeans, a dark gray t-shirt, and the same shabby jean jacket, and she gathered her long hair into a ponytail.       Alicia and Frederick are next to her and doing their best to support Raquelle with the hope that it will help her relax a little.       “The moment has come,” Raquelle says with her head proudly raised, smiling slightly at her reflection in the mirror. “I will finally stop suffering tonight. I will end this story once and forever.”       “Yeah, sure,” Alicia pronounces with a slight smile, standing next to Raquelle, and swallows up nervously with a feeling of strong excitement. “Sure…”       “By the way, how are you?” Frederick expresses anxiety, sitting on the bed and looking too tense, even if he does not show that it’s the truth. “Are you excited much?”       “Yeah, very much,” Raquelle confesses thoughtfully, turning on Frederick. “But realizing that everything will be over soon makes me much less frightened.”       “Listen, sweetie, are you sure you want to go there alone?” Alicia asks with pity in her eyes.       “I am sure.”       “You are making a great mistake, sweetie.”       “My God, Aunt, we’ve already talked about it…” Raquelle moans tiredly. “First, I can’t take anyone with me because someone might suffer. And second, it’s too late to change something. The meeting will take place in one hour. There’s no way back.”       “But you can just go to the police and tell them the place of the meeting,” Frederick notices. “And then they would do everything they need.”       “No, Grandpa, no police will go to this meeting. I’m going there alone – it’s out of the discussion.”       Raquelle moves her eyes down and slowly turns her back on Frederick and Alicia, who sits on the bed next to the man and looks at him with horror in her eyes. Both of them sigh heavily with a feeling that everything squeezes and turns upside down inside them from the thought that something might happen to Raquelle. But the girl’s relatives understand it’s really too late to change something. Moreover, they are counting on Terrence’s help, who is supposed to go to the meeting place after the girl and take the police with him.       “Oh, okay, sweetie…” Frederick sighs heavily with sadness in his eyes. “If you think you can do this, your aunt and I have nothing but to pray for you.”       “Anyway, we know you can do this,” Alicia adds softly with a shy smile.       “Thanks a lot…” Raquelle cracks a slight smile. “Your belief gives me great hope…”       “We hope you completely understand what kind of risk you’re taking,” Frederick excitedly expresses hope. “You understand you’re risking your life by going nobody the hell knows where.”       “I know, Grandpa. But for the quiet lives of my close people and mine, I’m ready to take this risk.”       “Remember, your grandfather and I believe in you and will not stop thinking of you, worrying, and praying,” Alicia replies with sadness in her eyes. “We will have you in our mind all the time.”       “Thank you so much for never stopping believing in me,” Raquelle thanks with a slight smile. “Without you and your support, I wouldn’t be able to get over all of that.”       “We will always be by your side, honey,” Frederick says amicably. “You know it well.”       “I’m so lucky to have such wonderful people like you, Aunt Alicia, and you, Grandpa Frederick. Thank you so much…”       “Aw, sunshine…” Alicia pronounces with a much wider smile. “Come to me…”       Alicia comes to Raquelle and gives her a hug, which the girl accepts with pleasure. And then Frederick comes to them with a slight smile, hugs both of them, and then keeps holding only his granddaughter while the woman steps back and watches them with a slight smile, caressing the head of her niece at some moment.       They keep hugging each other for about five seconds before Raquelle steps back from Frederick and cracks a slight smile at him and Alicia. Then the girl looks at the watch in her room, pumps much air into her lungs, and exhales sharply, saying:       “Oh, it seems like it’s time… Time to go…”       “Be careful, darling,” Alicia begs with anxiety in her soul, caressing Raquelle’s shoulders tenderly. “Don’t let that stinker do anything to you.”       “And call us shortly after everything is over,” Frederick adds, fixing Raquelle’s hair slightly. “Your aunt and I will be on the line. Waiting for your call.”       “I promise I will be very careful,” Raquelle says with a slight smile. “And call you shortly after everything is over.”       “Good luck, sunshine.”       “Break a leg, my sweetheart!” Alicia wishes softly, hugging Raquelle amicably again and kissing her cutely on the cheek.       “Dash it!” Raquelle exclaims with a slight smile and steps back from Alicia.       “Go, sweetie,” Frederick nods. “Go.”       Two seconds later, Raquelle takes her purse and goes to the exit from the apartment slowly but confidently.       “I will be back soon,” Raquelle cracks a slight smile.       While Frederick and Alicia say nothing, Raquelle opens the door and closes it after she leaves the apartment. The girl’s relatives look at the hall door for some time, and then, making sure her niece has gone, the woman glances at the man, who nods confidently.       “She’s gone!” Frederick exclaims. “It’s time to call Terrence! Type his number now!”       “Yes, yes, I’m typing…” Alicia replies confidently. “Second…”       With these words, Alicia comes to the table, on which her phone is placed, takes it, and starts typing the number she needs. She gets an answer three or four seconds later, during which the woman has time to turn on a speakerphone to let Frederick hear Terrence.       “Hello,” the masculine voice pronounces.       “Hello, Terrence, it’s Alicia and Mr. Cameron,” Alicia says confidently.       “Yes, yes, Alicia, Mr. Cameron,” Terrence pronounces excitedly. “Hello. I understood it was you… Saw your number on my screen.”       “Hello,” Frederick greets quietly.       “So, did she leave?”       “Yes, Terrence, she has left.”       “Yes, yes, she’s getting into her car and leaving,” Alicia adds.       At the same time, Alicia and Frederick come to one of the windows in the living room and see that Raquelle’s car ends up slowly on the road and goes somewhere straight.       “She went on the road,” Frederick specifies.       “Great!” Terrence exclaims. “We are ready, too! We are going on the way right now.”       “Can you really do that?” Alicia expresses anxiety.       “Don’t worry, Alicia. My friend from the police and his helpers know their work. Moreover, Lynwood is coming with us, too. He is going to help us.”       “Good… We’re quiet, then.”       “We’re united by Simon and the fact that we must get him caught.”       “I know.”       “Please, worry about nothing. You did what I asked you about. Now leave everything to us.”       “Please, don’t let Simon do anything bad to my girl,” Frederick begs with despair. “Please, Terrence, do your best to protect her from that sick jerkoff. We are counting on you.”       “Simon will not do anything bad with her, Mr. Cameron,” Terrence promises confidently. “I promise. Soon, your granddaughter will be back home safe and sound.”       “Alright, we wish all of you luck,” Alicia crosses her fingers behind her back. “Don’t forget to keep us aware of what’s happening.”       “Thanks a lot, I will surely let you know about everything,” Terrence promises.       “We’re always on the line.”       “Good…” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds. “Alright, we have to go. I can’t talk to you longer.”       “Alright, alright, we will no longer hold you,” Alicia says quietly.       “Good luck, Terrence,” Frederick wishes truly. “Call us shortly after everything ends.”       “Sure,” Terrence nods. “Wait for the news.”       “See you later.”       Two seconds later, Terrence ends the call, and Alicia locks the phone.       “Alright,” Alicia exhales sharply with anxiety in her soul and puts her mobile phone on the table, on which it was placed before. “Now we have only to wait.”       “My God, I wish everything ended well…” Frederick begs with pity in his eyes, putting a hand on his heart. “I wish that jerkoff got what he deserved and left my granddaughter alone. My girl has suffered enough… It would be unfair if she suffered much more.”       “I hope nothing will happen to my girl, while Terrence and the police are near her,” Alicia expresses hope. “I’m sure they won’t let that stinker hurt Raquelle.”       “You know, although I’m a little quiet because Terrence is going to go there, I can’t get rid of a terrible presentiment. The thought that something might happen to her.”       “I’m very anxious, as well, Mr. Cameron. But let’s believe everything will end well.”       “Damn, if I didn’t know Terrence would go there with the police, I would personally lock Raquelle in her room and ban her from going to the meeting,” Frederick says confidently in a lower voice. “But his confidence about this case calms me down somehow.”       “She wouldn’t persuade me to let her go where death would be waiting for her if she went there alone,” Alicia nods. “That stinker Ringer can come up with anything. So, I’m really afraid to imagine what he planned this time, making her go to the abandoned factory.”       “Oh, for God’s sake, don’t remind me of that! I start to shake from just thinking she would be there alone, along with that bastard.”       “Me too…” Alicia swallows up nervously. “But thank God, Terrence came to help and protect my niece just in time.”       “That’s right…”       “Of course, I’m still mad at him because of his disgusting act. Nevertheless, I shall be grateful to him if he saves Raquelle from that sick jerkoff.”       “Oh, if only I took all of that…” Frederick pronounces quietly, exhaling slowly and keeping his hands on his chest. “I’ve not lately had very good health, to be honest…”       “My gosh, something hurts?” Alicia rounds her eyes.       “No, no, Alicia, it’s fine. Just a small illness from not getting enough sleep and being stressed…”       “Maybe, you should take some medicine.”       “No, don’t need to. When everything is over, I will calm down, have a good rest and get much better. Don’t worry.”       “Alright, then let’s at least drink some water. You don’t really look too good, and I’m starting to worry about you.”       “Yeah, we could drink water… Maybe, I’ll get a little better… And then we will be sitting and waiting for any news…”       Frederick goes slowly to the sofa in the living room and sits on it, while Alicia goes to the kitchen to take a glass of water for him and herself.       Due to the strong stress, the man’s health has lately gotten much worse, and he is now feeling a little worse than before. His chest gets kind of numb, and it’s getting harder to breathe. Moreover, he feels mild pain every time he tries to inhale and exhale. Although the man understands these symptoms are similar to those that might happen when getting a heart attack, he decides to keep silent about it and say nothing to Alicia, who is also worried so much that something like that might also happen to her.       Anyway, they can do nothing but stay at home, pray about the success, and wait for some news from Raquelle or Terrence. Frederick and Alicia understand that the life of the girl is not in her hands or even the hands of Simon. It’s in the hands of her ex-boyfriend, Hunter Lynwood, James Whitley, and all the policemen that followed the girl. They can do their best for the girl to stay alive after meeting her greatest enemy.       

***

      Raquelle has been on the way to go to the meeting place for about ten minutes, trying to focus on the road so hard. She understands she is very nervous, and her hands are shaking strongly from excitement. She is now obsessed with too many bad thoughts that sometimes prevent her from believing that everything will be alright.       Due to the strong excitement, Raquelle tries not to drive too fast, not too slowly without a wish to get much more problems and, for example, crush someone’s car or make other drivers wait for her to stop thinking of something.       “Damn, I’m really nervous,” Raquelle exhales sharply. “I’m getting more obsessed with the feeling that it might be over in a bad way. What if Aunt and Grandpa were right? What if he really wanna kill me?”       Raquelle takes the steering wheel of her car tighter.       “Their words make me suspect something bad and reflect on the situation,” Raquelle thinks. “It’s weird that Simon decided to tell me to meet him at that place. He wanted to meet me far from the city…”       Raquelle swallows up nervously.       “Shit, what if I’m making a mistake now?” Raquelle opens her eyes widely. “What if I shouldn't have gone there alone? But if I took someone with me, Simon would easily do something to my close people. I don’t want to make it happen… I still worry about them and don’t want them to suffer somehow because of me.”       Raquelle sighs heavily, not moving her eyes off the road.       “I should’ve tried to call Hunter and asked him to give me a piece of advice…” Raquelle thinks. “I’m sure he’ll help me… Even if he wasn’t near me…”       Raquelle sighs quietly and changes the speed with the gearbox.       “By the way, it’s so weird that Hunter disappeared shortly after our talk…” Raquelle frowns slightly. “I’ve heard nothing about him since we talked the last time. Even if he promised to contact me and talk to me about the current situation. Did he change his mind? Or did he have something to do? Something more important than the man, who went insane.”       Raquelle takes the steering wheel much tighter, trying to calm herself down somehow not to make much more mistakes when being obsessed with the excitement.       “Okay, Raquelle, calm down…” Raquelle calms herself down, trying to breathe slowly and deeply. “Get all these things out of your mind. Don’t think about it. Think only about meeting Simon very soon. What if you’re exaggerating? What if everything’s gonna be okay?”       Raquelle changes the speed with the gearbox again.       “Alright, stop thinking about it!” Raquelle decides. “And worrying… I’ve gotta calm down somehow. Stop whining and brace yourself! You must do this… Just meet Simon and do your best for him to leave you alone once and forever.”       It takes a few seconds for Raquelle to calm down and make herself sure everything is going to be alright and calm down a little. But it works anyway. The girl notices she stops shaking, and the tension gets less strong.       “It seems like it worked,” Raquelle thinks. “Okay! I’d better turn the music on. I’ve gotta distract somehow, ‘cause I might go crazy before the meeting. Or I might not actually reach the final destination.”       Raquelle turns on a random radio station on the radio in her car by pressing a button. Beautiful, quiet music starts playing in the salon and impacts the girl and her thoughts in a good way. Thanks to this, she calms down a little bit more and, pressing the gas pedal stronger, quietly continues her way to the final destination that she has almost reached.       

***

      While Raquelle almost comes to the meeting place, Terrence is half away from the final destination along with his friend James, his helpers, and Hunter Lynwood. While some men are following them in one car, the others are in the one they follow. A few policemen are sitting in the front seats and talking about something. And MacClife and the man, who has hopelessly been in love with Raquelle for a long time and is still hoping that she would pay attention to him someday and call him something more than just a friend, are sitting in the backseat.       At first sight, Hunter is about thirty. He has short, dark red hair. The same one that his slight bristle and not very thick eyebrows have. The owner of gray-blue eyes, a narrow face, and light skin. His look is serious and focused. He definitely treats his work with responsibility. Especially, now when he needs to help the girl that he feels very tender feelings for. Who asked him for help somehow. Hunter could not refuse to do this and agreed to unite with Terrence and his old friend James, who is coming with them and could not refuse to help the one that he knew very well.       At the moment, both cars are passing by thick woods and places that people do not usually visit. Where someone would hardly come at their will. At first, they are taking the way in silence that could be broken by the talk of two policemen, who are sitting on the seats of a passenger and a driver. But at some moment, Terrence decides to break the silence a little hesitantly and start a talk with Hunter, for whom he feels awkward because of what Simon told him somehow.       “Erm, Mr. Lynwood…” Terrence pronounces not very confidently.       “Yeah?” Hunter pronounces.       “I… I feel embarrassed for you… Because of the situation with Raquelle.”       “Awkward? For me?”       “Yeah. Because I thought that she and you…” Terrence swallows up nervously. “You see… When Simon told me you and Raquelle… Oh… When you…”       But Terrence does not speak his mind because Hunter stops him.       “Everything is alright, Mr. MacClife,” Hunter stops quietly. “I am not mad at you. And I completely understand it.”       “I feel really awkward for you. I’m sorry about what happened.”       “Do not apologize.”       “I made a great mistake when believing that man. When I believed that there could be something between you and Raquelle. Yes, it could be real, knowing that you are in love with her. But still…”       “Anyway, now you understand that Simon just wanted to make Raquelle feel lonely and unloved. That’s why he got her to fight with those, who meant so much to her. He said many bad things that everybody believed, unfortunately.”       “Yes, I know…” Terrence moves his look to the window. “It’s hurtful that we succumbed to the lie of that liar.”       “Anything happens.”       “He is a master of washing brains. He’d talk you down so well that you would not notice you would do everything he would ask you about.”       “But I’m glad you understood it.”       “And I’m glad her aunt and grandfather decided to support her at the last moment. They would never leave her in trouble. Ringer could tell them anything, but they would not betray that girl.”       “Yes, Raquelle is really attracted to them,” Hunter nods. “Those people literally raised her after that girl’s father and mother died in a car accident.”       “Right… She has nobody to be closer to her than them.”       “She’s lucky to have some relatives. Or she would’ve been growing up in an orphan house. Where she might have been unloved.”       “You are right,” Terrence pronounces with sadness in his eyes. “But you know, I understand her well. Very well. Because I was also growing up without parents…”       “Really?”       “Yes, my grandmother was educating me from an early age.”       “That’s how… Did your parents die, too?”       “Nope, I have a little different situation.”       “What was it?”       “My parents were alcoholics, who could not become normal people.”       “Alcoholics?” Terrence wonders.       “When I was born, they had already been addicted to alcohol. They couldn’t live without vodka or something like that.”       “How could a healthy child be born into the alcoholics’ family? You are kind of… Absolutely healthy…”       “Well, actually, I’ve got some health issues,” Hunter confesses a little hesitantly.       “Serious?”       “I was born prematurely. I had heart issues and fine motor issues. Moreover, I started to speak very late and had very weak immunity. I got sick with everything possible when I was a child. And I can’t remember how many times I’ve gotten a cold. And I haven’t gotten stronger, and I keep getting sick very often. And I should be very careful when doing sports because my organism can barely take great physical activity.”       “Wow…”       “Moreover, I’m still dyslexic. It sometimes gives me very many problems.”       “Dyslexic?” Terrence frowns slightly. “What is that?”       “Dyslexia is a disorder that’s the reason why it’s hard to learn to read and write. But a human is still able to learn something.”       “How is it happening?”       “Letters always jump before my eyes. They disappear, they change… They get blurry. I can’t focus on reading and knowing one letter from another. I had very many problems at school because of that. And trying to read, memorize and write something literally made me have a hysteria.”       “How is it now?”       “Much better, but it’s still very hard to see letters and words. Sometimes I write something on a piece of paper and then cannot figure out what that is. I’m going to say that I have really terrible handwriting because of dyslexia. And some people still laugh at me because of that. They thought I was just a lazy guy, who wanted to do nothing. And trying to explain that I was dyslexic got people mad. They told me I was trying to excuse myself.”       “Sorry.”       “My handwriting, not my disorder. All my colleagues are aware of it, but nobody ignores me. I’m lucky in this case. But I was often bullied by teachers and schoolmates because I was not able to read or write. My scores were terrible, and I always heard that I would never get successful and find a good job.”       “I get it.”       “Sadly, only one teacher understood my problem and knew dyslexia was the one to blame for my bad scores, not my laziness or something like that. He did his best to help get over it. So, thanks to my biology teacher, I barely graduated from school. And then I tried to do it on my own.”       “Are there any special methods?”       “Dyslexics can get over their disorder in different ways. But I do this with pictures and paintings. It’s easier for me to memorize something when I look at them. For example, when I question someone in a police station, I prefer drawing something, not writing texts. Even if I’m not quite a good painter. And I also have a very good memory for sounds. I can memorize what I’m told very well.”       “Interesting…”       “This disorder gives me many problems, but a human can live with it well if they find their own way to accept information.”       “Honestly, I’ve never met people with this sort of problem.”       “But there is someone like me. And sometimes it’s very hard for them.”       “I see…” Terrence glances at the window for a second while the car keeps driving on the road that is located somewhere in the woods. “Excuse me, did you live with your parents, even if they drank?”       “Nope,” Hunter pronounces. “I was supposed to be put in an orphan house after I was born. But my grandmother and grandfather on the mother decided that they would educate me. In the end, Grandmother got all the documents for adopting me, along with Grandfather. He was alive at that time but died a few years later…”       “Wow…” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully.       “I found that out somewhere at the age of five or six. It was hard to accept the truth, but some time later, I accepted that fact and stopped asking my grandmother about something. I was just grateful to her for not leaving me.”       “Are you mad at your parents?”       “Nope, I am not mad at my parents. I’ve never wished them anything bad.”       “Have you ever tried to find them?” Terrence asks carefully.       “I thought of it. I will not deny that I still think about it. But my work is very hard, takes a lot of time, and does not let me find my parents and especially go on a date with a girl or go somewhere with my friends.”       “I see…”       “Although I’m just a sergeant of the police, my colleagues trust me literally much more than a captain or a major. Moreover, I’ve gotten many familiars from the police from other stations. We often work together on one or another case.”       “That’s how!”       “I’ve investigated many cases and caught many crimes. Pupils often come to me to learn everything they should know. Because they know I could do this.”       “Great,” Terrence cracks a slight smile.       “Well, as for my parents…” Hunter falls into silence for two seconds. “I would like to find them. But I think it would not bring me to anything good.”       “Do you think they don’t need you?” Terrence specifies.       “Maybe! What if they rejected me and didn’t want to have a child? So, I wouldn’t like to impose myself on them.”       “I get it…” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes.       “What about your parents?”       “About my parents?” Terrence gets a little tense.       “Erm, well, if you don’t want, you can say nothing…” Hunter says hesitantly. “I just…”       “No, everything is alright,” Terrence stops quietly, looking at his hands with dead eyes. “Honestly, I have wanted to find someone to talk about it for a long time.”       “If you have something to say, I shall listen to you.”       “Well… My parents have been divorced for ages. Since I was a child. I lived my whole life with my mother, and my father married again and is now living with his new wife. They have their children, but I have never spoken to them. And I would not like to see them.”       “Why did they get divorced?”       “My father was mocking my mother, who did not pay attention to that. And some time later, he actually left the family, filing for divorce. He left us on our own… Not thinking about how we would live…” Terrence swallows up nervously. “Mother had to raise me alone. She worked hard to provide for us. Because Father never paid money to us, at least as alimony.”       “Did your mother not sue him to get alimony?” Hunter specifies.       “No, she did not. And he was happy! He would not have had to give his money to those, whom he left for another woman.”       “Wow…”       “He never cared he had a son,” Terrence says in a much lower voice. “He was elated. Because he married a beautiful woman, who gave birth to two more children. They got all the attention. That man forgot about his older son. But when I turned eighteen, my daddy suddenly showed up and offered his help to Mother and me.”       Terrence simpers quietly, glancing aside.       “He was gone for eighteen years, but when his son grew up and began to earn money, he decided to show up,” Terrence says coldly.       “Do you think he needed your money?” Hunter wonders.       “What else? He thinks just because I’m earning money, I will be providing for him, his wife, and their children!”       “So, what did your mother think of it?”       “She didn’t almost mention him for a long time, but never said a bad word about him. But when that man showed up, my mother said my father wanted to meet me and literally insisted that we met. But I did not want to do it.”       “Did your mother forgive your father after what happened!”       “Imagine! She did! And I have not been able to understand it for a long time. I said that my mother should’ve gotten some pride, but she keeps defending him. Sometimes we even fight because of that…”       “Does she communicate with him now?”       “Sure! She often meets him, he gives her some money, things, and something else, and I’ve been ignoring a meeting with my father. Who I hate to death. I hate him for mocking my mother, insulting her, and leaving us on our own.”       “Maybe, you better talk?” Hunter suggests. “This talk would not make you owe someone. You don’t have to get the love for your father. Just talk to him. Find out what he wants from you.”       “No, Mr. Lynwood, I don’t want,” Terrence shakes his head. “I want to know nothing about that betrayal. I’ve lived very well without him all my life and never suffered from having no father.”       “Alright, as you wish. But I would meet him anyway. Just for curiosity.”       “No…” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds. “I have only a mother… Who I love, respect, and will protect from anyone to dare to say something bad about her or hurt her somehow.”       “I see…”       “I…” Terrence glances at the window. “I’m afraid I might become the same as him… But I don’t want it… I don’t want to become a beast that treats girls terribly.”       “Do you mean the situation with Raquelle that you barely mentioned somehow?” Hunter specifies.       “Yes, exactly. I should’ve told her everything. About why I hate my father and defend my mother so hard… About what Simon told me about her and you… But I did not do that and… I paid a lot for that. I could not keep the anger I was obsessed with inside…”       Terrence falls into silence for two seconds.       “However, I was tense before…” Terrence sighs tiredly. “I also had some problems with my career and could not move from the dead point. And I was worried. So, that’s why I got excited… And then a time bomb was activated.”       Terrence swallows up nervously, feeling everything is turning upside down inside him because of the memories of the days that put an end to what could have been fixed somehow.       “And I will never forgive myself for that,” Terrence sighs quietly. “I will not forgive myself for not recognizing my fault. And blaming her for everything… I thought Raquelle was guilty of everything…”       “Simon did a very great job…” Hunter shakes his head.       “Yeah… That situation made me literally go insane… I began to go to bars very often and drink a lot of alcohol. And then I was walking on the streets of the city until the early morning and then went home and behaved as if nothing happened.”       “That’s how!”       “And the funny thing is that Raquelle didn’t notice all of that. Or she noticed but didn’t care about it… She didn’t want to notice. She thought of herself. Of Simon. Of what he was doing…” Terrence takes something he finds in a pocket of his coat and starts wrapping it in his hands nervously and putting it in both of his hands. “If I had told her everything much earlier, none of that wouldn't have happened.”       Terrence falls into silence for two seconds again.       “And now everybody knows it, and I pay a high cost for that,” Terrence confesses with sadness in his eyes. “Everybody judges me… They think I am a stinker… Almost all my friends turned their backs on me because of this situation. I need only to wait for my own mother to turn her back on me.”       “I see…” Hunter pronounces thoughtfully.       Silence settles in the car for two seconds, after which Terrence moves his eyes to Hunter.       “Do you probably also judge me and think I am a stinker?” Terrence chuckles nervously. “Right?”       “I must confess that you did a disgusting thing,” Hunter replies confidently. “But you are regretting that. And it’s a good thing for you.”       “I didn’t really want everything to happen like this.”       “Anything happens in our lives. Everyone makes mistakes. And wise people learn from them and get some lessons.”       “Yeah, but nothing can be changed. After Simon gets what he deserves, Raquelle will start her life over again.”       “Do you think she will do?”       “She will never forgive me for what I did. Even if I help her with something and save her from something hundreds of times… Nothing will be changed…”       “Why are you so pessimistic?” Hunter frowns slightly. “I think she will give you one more chance… Well, or at least, she will agree to listen to you and explain something in case she has something to say.”       “Oh, what do we explain?” Terrence sighs tiredly. “We do know all the claims against each other. And we understand that we are not able to solve our problems. We had an opportunity to do it when our relationship started to come apart at the seams in the first months. But after the fight, we do not have and will not have a chance to reconcile.”       “You know, I have always been sure you need to give someone a second chance to someone. Because anyone may be wrong, and sometimes a human doesn’t want to do something. When I see that someone truly regrets what they do and asks for forgiveness, I can easily give them a second chance to get better.”       “Are you hinting that I might get a second chance?”       “You are doing just something to prove that you are regretting, not sitting in the same place, not being afraid to recognize your fault… Honesty could be a good thing for a person.”       “Sometimes honesty does bad things to me.”       “I think if you help Raquelle get off Simon, she shall thank you and remember that for a long time.”       “I’m doing all of that to prove my regret. And for the duty that I must have given one month ago when everything started. The duty for Raquelle and her relatives, whom I must not disappoint or provoke. If I refuse and let her suffer because of him, I will lose a chance to get the love of that girl back. And Raquelle’s relatives will never forgive me for doing that to their sweet girl. I will get no more chance to get better…”       “Anyway, it all says that you have coincidence,” Hunter notices confidently and smiles slightly. “And you understand you made a mistake.”       “It will not help me.”       “Do not worry, Mr. MacClife, your efforts will be worth it. You will surely get words of thanks.”       “Say, have you always been so optimistic?” Terrence chuckles kindly. “Or did you become like this now?”       “Actually, I always try to make myself think positively. But if something goes wrong, I don’t get upset because of failures and just keep doing what I do. Maybe, some time later, everything would get solved by itself. But I do not usually expect anything. I don’t think I can do one or another thing.”       “Aren’t you upset even because Raquelle has always considered you just a friend of hers?”       “I’ve already accepted it. But I don’t stop hoping Raquelle will pay attention to me someday. I still like that girl very much. I liked her literally at first sight.”       “She rejected many men, who wanted to be with her before meeting me.”       “I know. And I thought I would become the one to change everything. Raquelle would love me and wish to be with me.”       “Who knows, maybe, there would be something between you,” Terrence smiles with sadness in his eyes. “The story of Raquelle and me is over once and forever. So, you’ve got a chance.”       “Anyway, I’m ready to be next to her, even as a friend. I am ready to give her my shoulder and listen to her if she wants to tell me something. Raquelle is a wonderful girl that will always mean very much to me.”       “Do you know her relatives?”       “Only her grandfather. Her aunt is living in London, and I’ve never met her when going to the home of Raquelle. But I’ve heard very much about her. From that girl and Mr. Cameron. Who, by the way, was always very nice to me.”       “He said he liked you. Mr. Cameron didn’t mind the relationship between Raquelle and you.”       “I know. He was even upset that his granddaughter did not want to pay attention to me. I was doing so much for her, but she turned her nose up.”       “Frederick and Alicia were just too obsessed with the idea of getting Raquelle married. They pressed on her so much that the girl wanted to hear nothing about relationships, weddings, or children.”       “That’s right. I think you should be absolutely ready for those things. And Raquelle was probably not ready to make her relatives happy. So, she rejected all the men. She will probably be ready somewhere in a few years.”       “Who knows, Mr. Lynwood…” Terrence sighs tiredly.       “Anyway, I don’t think the fact that my love for Raquelle is one-sided is a tragedy. I’m trying to live my life and doing my business.”       “I'm a little jealous of your optimism…” Terrence confesses with a slight smile.       “It hurts, but you can get through it. If it’s not Raquelle, it’s gonna be another girl. Even if I haven’t met a girl that I would like as much as her. I go on dates, but nothing clicks inside me.”       “Don’t worry, Mr. Lynwood. Everything will be alright.”       “You can call me by my name if you want.”       “Erm… Well… Alright… If you want, you can also call me by my name.”       “So, as you wish, Terrence,” Hunter pronounces with a slight smile.       “Thanks, Hunter,” Terrence thanks.       “It’s going to be alright, you will see.”       “Do not pay attention to me,” Terrence smiles shyly. “I’ve lately found only negative things about everything. I stopped hoping something good would be waiting for me.”       “I understand it. Just believe everything will get better soon.”       Silence settles in the air for two or three seconds, during which Hunter glances at the window.       “So, I think we are going to come soon,” Hunter assumes thoughtfully.       “Oh, Simon found a very good place for a meeting…” Terrence moans quietly. “He couldn’t find a closer one…”       “I wonder if Raquelle has already come? Or is she still on the way? She went on the way much earlier than we did…”       “I think she is supposed to come there…” Terrence assumes thoughtfully. “When I was talking to her relatives, that girl was getting into her car.”       “So, she already must be at the final destination.” Hunter turns around and looks at what’s happening behind him. “So, the others are not leaving us behind.”       “Yeah, they are following us,” Terrence replies quietly, also glancing at what’s happening behind and seeing the police car that is following them. “Everything is alright.”       “Good…”       While going to the final destination, Terrence and Hunter keep talking about the situation of Simon and Raquelle and much more. Moreover, they find some common interests that they are discussing with the hope that they will distract a little and forget what they are going to do after they finally come to where everything is supposed to happen.