The Secrets Hidden In The Scars

      It’s about eight o’clock. Raquelle and Terrence came back home. The man managed to call the girl after a few calls and expressed a wish to meet her. Of course, the girl was very happy that the man decided to take her away from the last shooting today. But it surprised her. As well as the fact that he looked excited enough and refused to explain the reason for it. On the way, she thought about all the possible variants, but hoped to hear just something after coming back home.       When the young people barely come to the living room after the girl locks her car, the man takes her hand and leads her after him. They go upstairs quite quickly and go to their room. Terrence closes the door, while Raquelle slowly goes further, puts her purse on the table, and looks at him questioningly.       “So, will you explain what’s going on?” Raquelle asks, squinting her eyes slightly. “You said you’d tell everything at home. So, I’m listening to you…”       Terrence comes to Raquelle, softly takes her by the shoulders, and pushes her to the bed, saying quietly:       “Sit down, please.”       Raquelle sits on the bed hesitantly, looking at Terrence questioningly, while he joins her. Such a strange behavior of the man makes her very nervous and makes her think something bad is going to happen right now.       “Gosh, Terrence, you’re starting to scare me more and more,” Raquelle says in a shaking voice with a scare in her eyes. “Did I do something wrong if you didn’t say a word on the way? If I’m guilty of something, please, don’t be silent… Say, what’s my fault.”       “No, Raquelle, please, don’t be afraid of me,” Terrence says quietly, takes Raquelle’s hand and caresses it softly. “I swear, I’m not going to do anything bad to you.”       “No, no, honey, if something is not right, speak, don’t be shy,” Raquelle replies quietly. “I’ll get it and try not to do that anymore.”       “It’s okay, sweetie, you aren’t guilty of anything.” Terrence caresses Raquelle’s face softly with his hands and keeps holding it while confidently looking into her scared eyes. “The case is not about you.”       Terrence glances at the closed door of the room and moves closer to Raquelle.       “I just don’t want the servants to know what’s going on,” Terrence adds much quieter. “They know too much, and I don’t want them to know something else.”       “But what shouldn’t they know?” Raquelle wonders, looking at Terrence with widely open eyes.       “The case is that I decided to go to a home with you for a reason.”       “But why did you do it?” Raquelle frowns slightly. “As if something made you go to the shootings and take me away!”       “Yeah, but don’t think I was really made. I did that for your safety.”       “Oh, listen, Terrence, of course, it’s madly nice to me that you decided to make a company for me,” Raquelle smiles slightly. “But it’s weird, you know… You… You never took me away from shootings…”       “As I said, I had the reason. I will show you something, so you understand me.” Terrence reaches a table, which is placed near his bed on his side, and on which some things are placed, and takes a white envelope that he gives Raquelle. “Take a look…”       “Gosh, what’s this?” Raquelle rounds her open eyes full of horror.       “Look, please,” Terrence says quietly. “You should know what’s written in it.”       Raquelle looks at Terrence with mistrust for two seconds, but then takes the envelope from his hands and starts to look at it from all sides. But one second later, the girl opens it with a faster heartbeat, takes a piece of paper carefully wrapped several times, unwraps it, and starts to read what’s written in it aloud.       “I don’t understand…” Raquelle shakes her head, looking at the letter and frowning slightly. “What is this? Who wrote it?”       “I don’t know,” Terrence shrugs and takes the envelope. “There is only my name and this house’s address on this envelope. No name of the sender.”       “So, anonymous letter…” Raquelle nervously swallows up, reads the letter again, and glances at Terrence, frowning slightly. “But how did you get it?”       “Violetta gave it to me today. She said she found it in our mailbox. Daniel can confirm it, ‘cause he was with me and read the letter, as well.”       “Don’t you know who could put this letter in the mailbox? Maybe, you saw someone near our house?”       “No, there was nobody near our house. I would’ve noticed that. And don’t forget, our neighborhood is in good safety, and nobody would get on our territory so easily.”       “Hm…” Raquelle takes it from Terrence’s hands and starts to look at it. “There is really your name and the address of our house… Do you know this handwriting? Do you know the one, whose hand could write it?”       “No, none of my familiar people have this type of handwriting,” Terrence replies confidently.       “My gosh, is this someone’s bad joke? A certain hater decided to mock you and put this letter in the box?”       “I don’t know, Raquelle, but I don’t like it,” Terrence shakes his head. “I’ve got a bad presentiment.”       “Do you have enemies? Did you hurt someone, who decided to revenge or scare you somehow?”       “No, I swear I don’t have enemies! If I had them, you’d be the first one to know it.”       “Think better! Maybe, you said something that hurt someone and made them mad.”       “No, Raquelle, I clearly remember what I say, and I haven’t had conflicts with anyone yet.”       “But someone did send you this letter! They clearly let you know you should be careful.”       “Yeah, but I don’t know who it could be!” Terrence throws his hands up. “I’ve been wracking my brains over that and talking to Daniel about it. But we could think of nothing but the version that one of my haters did it.”       “Don’t you have crazy fans that have ever haunted you?” Raquelle asks and bites her lip slightly. “Or hurt fans that were chasing you after you rejected them?”       “No, sweetie, I don’t have fans like them,” Terrence replies confidently. “There was a girl, who was haunting me when I just started to get popular, not accepting a refusal to be with her and calling herself my wife. But the police quickly solved this problem, and she doesn’t bother me. Now all my fans are quite adequate.”       “You can expect anything from these people…”       “No, it doesn’t have to do with fans’ madness.”       “But who could send you this letter?” Raquelle exhales sharply with closed eyes. “What if Simon Ringer showed up again and decide to bring the case to an end?”       “Simon?” Terrence laughs sarcastically. “If you joked now, I’m sorry, it was not the best joke of yours!”       “What if it’s true? What if some of his pals stayed free and decided to get off you and me by his order?”       “Don’t say stupid things, Raquelle! That man got what he deserved and is now in jail. Moreover, Ringer is confined to a wheelchair and can’t even hold a spoon without someone’s help.”       “But I can’t think of anything else,” Raquelle shrugs. “There is nobody else to hate us so much.”       “We know what a mean and horrible man he is. But believe me, he isn’t dangerous to us now. We can’t expect threats from him.”       “Maybe, he can’t haunt us by himself, but other people may do that by his order.”       “No, no, it’s out of the discussion! Yes, I also thought it was Simon’s trick, but then decided that it was a stupid assumption. And yeah, Daniel also thought Ringer didn’t have to do with this letter.”       “I know…” Raquelle glances aside. “But I wouldn’t be surprised if he kept poisoning our life.”       “Don’t forget, we’re famous worldwide people and have lots of fans and haters. So, you may be right about a crazy fan.”       “I know, Terrence…” Raquelle nods. “But did you make someone so mad that they sent you this letter?”       “I repeat, I didn’t fight with anyone! Anyone could send it… But I can’t even imagine who.”       “But we don’t give our home address to everyone.”       “Having good contacts, you can get any information for a few minutes. Especially, when the whole world knows about you. And actually, you and I are at risk ‘cause we prefer not to surround ourselves with bodyguards and to live in a house that is guarded only by an alarm system and cameras outside.”       “I get it, but I wouldn’t like anyone to follow me and not to let me quietly do my business. And I don’t wanna distance myself from my fans. Security may not let me come to them, but I’m used to talking and taking photos with everyone.”       “I fully support you in it because I don’t like it, either. But I do not mean if we have security or not. I mean, anyone could find out where we’re living if they got a wish. Now there are many ways to do it and too many talkative people, who’d sell any information to magazines for thousands of dollars.”       “So, do you think this letter is from someone we don’t know?”       “Maybe… Someone comes into our lives like they’ve been in it forever. That person definitely knows me. They did know they wanted to send the letter to me.”       “But who needs it? Who got so mad at you that they decided to do it?”       “I don’t know, Raquelle, I don’t… I’ve been wracking my brains over it…” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds and quickly runs his hands over his face. “But I care about something else.”       “What?” Raquelle frowns slightly.       “That’s what…” Terrence takes the letter from Raquelle and shows it to the girl. “Did you see the letter is not full? I mean, it has another part. It starts with ellipses before the first word. And the first sentence has been separated in two. If it’s about some secrets, the first part of the letter says something about them.”       “Did you really get only this letter? Maybe, Violetta lost another?”       “No, she couldn’t lose. She gave me only this letter.”       “Then I don’t know why someone wrote a letter, the meaning of which is half clear.”       “Either it was done on purpose to torture me… Or it was written so quickly that a half of the thoughts was missed…”       “On purpose?       “Maybe, someone rushed to scare me so much that they didn’t check this text.”       “No, Terrence, that person hardly rushed.” Raquelle runs her eyes over the letter that Terrence is holding. “The text is written quite correctly. No mistakes in words, the punctuation is correct… You’d hardly write a letter without mistakes when you rush like crazy.”       “With or without mistakes, but one thing is clear – this letter has a first part that will put everything in the right places.”       “I agree…” Raquelle frowns slightly. “But where do we find another letter that should be an addition?”       “I dunno…” Terrence shakes his head, looking into the distance. “Maybe, we get it later? Maybe, the letter’s author didn’t wanna tell me everything at once. Did they decide to reveal everything slowly?”       “I believe they definitely wanted it… Because the text is properly and conscious. The author knew what to write about.”       “Oh, shit…” Terrence moans quietly, running his hand over his face and putting it on his forehead. “Having another problem would be too much. I don’t know what to do to the band, which would hardly be saved. Our friends are hiding something… And now letters with threats!”       “Yeah, we have many problems…” Raquelle sighs quietly, looking around the whole room and stopping her eyes on the window that is slightly hidden by a white, transparent curtain. “I mean, you have many problems: the band’s conflict, your friend and his girlfriend’s secrets… And now letters that…”       Raquelle thinks a little and calls the memories of the letter she found on the windshield of her car.       “What’s wrong?” Terrence frowns slightly, carefully looking at Raquelle, who rounds her eyes. “Why did you fall into silence?”       “Listen, Terrence…” Raquelle gets straight slowly. “I recalled something… I think I also have something to show you.”       Raquelle sharply jumps from the bed, comes to the dressing table, on which her cosmetics are placed, and starts to look for something in the purse lying on it. The girl needs literally a few seconds to find the envelope found by her. And when she takes it, the girl sits on the bed in front of Terrence and gives him the envelope.       “Read what’s written here, please.”       Terrence takes the envelope from Raquelle, opens it, and gets the same piece of paper as he received. The man quickly unwraps the paper and starts to read what is written on it.       “Damn, what a day it is!” Terrence pronounces excitedly. “They sent something to you…”       “It seems like someone has a grudge against you and me,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully. “They openly say that we will be dead soon.”       “Yeah, hard case…”       “And notice that this letter is supposed to have another part, too.” Raquelle takes the letter from Terrence and shows the man the full text. “While the letter you got has something in the beginning, mine has something in the end.”       “Right… Your letter is also stopped somewhere in the middle.”       “And yeah, they also talk about secrets we don’t know yet. But I noticed the envelope with the letter for me doesn’t have names and addresses. As if someone wasn’t gonna send it here and knew I’d get the letter personally…”       “Listen, Raquelle!” Terrence pronounces with a little open mouth. “I thought… What if…”       While Terrence sharply takes the first part of the letter from Raquelle and takes the second one, the girl quickly gets up from the bed, comes to the man, and takes him by the shoulders. And then they start reading what they see aloud, getting more shocked every second.       “You and those you love will be dead soon. You’ll die of torture. I think there are many secrets you don’t know yet. You can discover some of them by yourself if you know what to do and who to ask about what they probably know. If you try hard, you will probably find out something new about what some people that surround you are hiding. Some of the secrets may get you very surprised, some of them can make you dumbfounded, and some of them will get you so shocked that you will not be able to say a word. And I advise you not to yawl and to look around better when walking on the streets. Because who knows what or who you may meet on your way. Anything may happen… Remember this.”       Raquelle and Terrence look at each other with horror in their eyes, being afraid that something bad might happen very soon.       “My gosh…” Raquelle pronounces in a little shaking voice. “It’s the full letter! Written by the same person!”       “Now we don’t doubt someone has a grudge against us two,” Terrence replies thoughtfully and starts waving the pieces of paper, still looking at Raquelle standing behind him. “So, Raquelle, congratulations! We have another problem added to the exciting ones.”       “I can congratulate you on the same…” Raquelle goes two steps back from Terrence. “Now we’re gonna have to think about how we could harm so much.”       “That person knows us two, surely,” Terrence replies confidently, still sitting on the bed and sometimes looking at the letters and running his eyes over them. “It seems like the author of the letter has known us for a long time and is aware of what’s happening in our lives. And knows what nobody knows…”       “Well, as the letter says about some secrets, I think someone might really know much more than you and me.”       “Hm, I wonder, what secrets do they mean?” Terrence frowns slightly. “What are we gonna discover? We hide nothing from each other and are sure we don’t lie.”       “I’ve been thinking about it since I found this letter. I wanted to show it to you and know what you think of it. But I couldn’t think you’d get another that would be a continuation of mine.”       “You know, I think it’s strange that we can’t understand who it’s addressed to: a woman or a man. If there were names in here, we could know who should be careful. But I can’t even guess who the author means.”       “They probably wrote this letter on purpose,” Raquelle assumes, coming to Terrence and looking into the letters that he reads over and over. “So we’re afraid of something bad.”       “Maybe, a danger really threatens us two?” Terrence glances at Raquelle. “The author is not stupid and would hardly waste time and pieces of paper on writing some bullshit and send it to us.”       “Right… The author definitely knows what they want… The letters say we can discover some secrets by ourselves if we know what to do. They know something we aren’t aware of.”       “And they say if we discover these secrets, we can find out what some people are hiding from us.” Terrence falls into silence for a second and shakes his head sharply. “Bullshit! What secrets are they talking about? What idiot did decide to play with us so cruelly?”       “And yeah, we were also told to be careful,” Raquelle thinks for two seconds. “By the way, is that why you went to take me away?”       “Well, actually, yes…” Terrence confesses, running his hand through his hair. “I got a bad presentiment, and Daniel pushed me to the thought that I shouldn’t have left you alone for your safety.”       “So, I’m starting to understand everything… But thank God, nothing bad happened while I was on the way.”       “Nothing yet…” Terrence reads the two letters again and glances sharply at Raquelle. “Yeah, I forgot to ask! Say, where and when did you find this letter? How could you get it if you were on the shooting all day long?”       “I got it on the shootings,” Raquelle replies confidently and sits on the bed in front of Terrence. “It happened after I finished the shooting in the country. I told you I’d be working with a tiger.”       “Yeah, I remember.”       “So, I talked to Steven about something, and then Deirdre came to me. She’s my assistant, who goes on the set with me and does little things or buys something to drink or eat. And she told me a strange man she had never seen before was walking near my car. Well, I was worried something would happen to my car and ran to it. As it turned out, my assistant was right ‘cause a certain man was really walking there. He was examining my car for a long time and then put the letter on the windshield, got into his car, and left.”       “He saw you?”       “Nope, I was afraid to come to him ‘cause that man seemed suspicious to me. I hide not far and watched him, while he was walking near my car and talking with someone on the phone.”       “As I understand, he did nothing to your car.”       “No, he broke and stole nothing. Just put the envelope on the glass and left.”       “Did you tell someone from your team about that man?”       “I pretended that nothing happened. And I made Deirdre sure that the man had left when I ran to my car. I don’t know if they believed me, but the guys didn’t ask me about it anymore.”       “I believe he could be chasing you if he knew where the shootings took place. Didn’t you see anything suspicious on the way?”       “Erm, nope…” Raquelle shrugs. “I never saw the car, in which that man came and left.”       “Hm…” Terrence frowns slightly. “I wonder if the letters were left by the same person. Or was it done by different people?”       “Well… I don’t remember exactly, but I think I found the letter between two and three hours o’clock.”       “Really? Violetta gave me the letter somewhere at that time. So, it means the letters were left by different people.”       “Maybe.”       “And if we assume someone put the letter in the mailbox, that person knows where we’re living.”       “Honestly, it scares me… We don’t know if it was done by the one to threaten us or their pals.”       “I believe their pals did. Or at least one of them could leave one letter to you or put the one that was for me in the mailbox. And the second one could be the one, who we didn’t please somehow.”       “Yeah, it’s quite possible, too…”       While Raquelle thinks about something, folding her hands in front of her and looking into the distance with sad eyes, Terrence runs his hands over his hair and exhales sharply.       “Oh, it seems like we’re gonna have hard times when we’re shaking and worried about our lives,” Terrence says tiredly. “I don’t wanna say it, but sadly, I have no choice… These letters don’t let us doubt that someone wanna destroy us.”       “I’m afraid it might have to do with me more than anything,” Raquelle confesses with anxiety, slightly grabbing her throat. “If I’m guilty of that, I don’t know what I’m gonna do to me.”       “No, Raquelle, don’t even dare to think about it!” Terrence gets horrified, looking at Raquelle with his widely open eyes. “I do know it doesn’t have to do with you.”       “But a threat didn’t pass by me! I may be in danger, too! And it might happen that everything will be ruined because of me again. As it happened when Simon ruined our lives.”       “No, no, please, don’t blame yourself and take the blame for what you didn’t do,” Terrence softly takes Raquelle by the shoulders and shakes her slightly. “We know nothing and can’t blame someone earlier.”       “I know…” Raquelle pronounces quietly. “But I’m afraid to think it has to do with me.”       “Stop thinking about it.” Terrence embraces Raquelle tenderly but tightly and softly caresses her head, while she rubs her cheek against his shoulder and looks into the distance with sad eyes. “You’re guilty of nothing! But if even someone was threatening us to annoy you, I wouldn’t leave you this time. I swear, I’ll do my best to help you get saved from your offenders and wouldn’t let anyone hurt you.”       “I know, sweetheart… I do…”       “Don’t even dare to blame you, hear me,” Terrence, caressing Raquelle’s cheek softly, kisses her cutely on the top of her head, while she just presses herself to him closely and puts her head on his shoulder. “I’m sure when we know everything, we’ll be sure you don’t have to do with it. Anyone may have to do with it, not you.”       “Terrence, don’t get mad at me for what I’m gonna say…” Raquelle steps back slowly from Terrence and looks at him a little hesitantly. “But I thought… What if Natalia and Edward’s problems are connected… Connected with threats from these letters?”       “Natalia and Edward?” Terrence asks, looking at Raquelle surprisingly. “What do they have to do with?”       “What if their problems and these threats are connected with one another, and something might threaten not only us but also them?”       “Oh, no, no!” Terrence sharply gets up from the bed and turns on Raquelle. “Sorry, Raquelle, but you’re crazy. I didn’t even think of this stupid thought.”       “I don’t think it’s a stupid thought! Maybe, that’s why they’re silent about their problems and want to say nothing to us.”       “Yeah, tell me they wrote the letters and decided to defeat both of us. No, my darling, it’s nonsense! We would’ve guessed it if we’d recognized the handwriting. But it’s not the handwriting of our friends.”       “But, Terrence, why are you categorical? I don’t even dare to say they wrote these letters! But what if those two really have to do with all of this?”       “I won’t believe Natalia or Edward could do that even if I’m under a gun,” Terrence says confidently. “That girl is too kind and sensitive to become a scumbag, who threatens her friends. And I do know my friend wouldn’t hurt a fly. I don’t even wanna think they have to do with it.”       “I don’t say it’s true!” Raquelle exclaims. “It’s just an assumption! So many events couldn’t happen at the same time.”       Terrence silently looks at the whole room with an indifferent gaze and, exhaling quietly, crosses his arms over his chest.       “Alright, explain why you came up with such a stupid thought,” Terrence says quietly.       “First, it’s not a secret for us that Natalia and Edward have problems with their relationship, even if they say nothing and pretend it’s not true,” Raquelle replies confidently. “Second, Natalia has been hiding something from us for a long time. I don’t doubt it’s very serious, probably has to do with a criminal. Third, the letters say that if we know what to do and who to ask, we will know what people around us are hiding. It’s a clear hint at the fact that the key to the answer is both of them. And lastly, Natalia and Edward are behaving like they’re afraid of something or someone scared them. Yes, maybe, they really have relationship issues. But something that has to do with threats to us is an addition. And I'm still waiting for some bad trick from Lockhart and am not going to strike him out of the list of suspicions.”       Raquelle crosses her arms over the chest with her head proudly raised, looking at Terrence, who definitely thinks about what he heard.       “So?” Raquelle arches her eyebrows. “What are you gonna say, honey? Still think my thought is stupid? Yes, maybe, I may be wrong, but there’s at least a part of the truth about my words.”       “Erm… I… Am gonna say… I’m a little surprised.” Terrence sits on the bed next to Raquelle and looks into the distance. “Why didn’t I guess it before? What if these threats really have to do with the fact that Edward and Natalia have some secrets hidden from us? They’re definitely silent not only about the problems in their relationship…”       “Maybe, the fact that their relationship got worse has to do with all of this?” Raquelle assumes. “I don’t believe what’s happening is a coincidence.”       “Alright, let’s assume you’re right… But what are Edward and Natalia supposed to get into to make someone threaten us? What should they have done?”       “I guess something very serious.”       “I wonder, could they get something like this if they really have to do with it?”       “I think the only way to find out everything is to ask our friends if they have to do with a criminal case. Maybe, that’s what the letters hinted at! If we know what to do and who to ask, we may discover many secrets. That will get us surprised and dumbfounded…”       “Yeah, do you think Natalia and Edward would tell us everything?” Terrence arches his eyebrows amazingly. “No, Raquelle, it won’t happen! Our first attempt to talk to them was a failure. I’m not even gonna try to talk to them this time ‘cause it’s worthless.”       “But how do we find out the truth?” Raquelle throws her hands up and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Natalia and Edward are the only people, who we could ask about something! Nobody else could tell you what we don’t know yet.”       “But if they don’t have to do with it, we have nobody to ask about it.”       “Nevertheless, if they have to do with it, their problems are very serious. As if we got these letters, we might have to do with that somehow. I don’t know how, but it all might be connected somehow. Or we don’t have to do with it, but someone just wanna scare Natalia and Edward. If you don’t do what we need, we’ll be threatening your close people.”       “Damn, what could those innocent and fluffy guys get into? What has made Natalia say nothing for five months? And what about Edward, the man, who always looks hesitant and is kind of afraid of something?”       “I don’t know…” Raquelle sighs quietly. “Unfortunately, we don’t have so many ways to solve this problem.”       “It’s the worst thing…” Terrence thinks for a few seconds, looking into the distance. “I don’t know what to do. How to find out who the author of these letters is, and what they need from us.”       “Me too, sweetie… Me too…”       Raquelle slowly gets up from the bed and comes to the double door that leads to the small balcony. After standing near the one for two seconds, the girl opens one door and goes to the balcony in a slow step, leans on a little cold silver, metal balcony railing with her hands, and starts to look into the distance with sad eyes. The weak wind blows up her long, little wavy hair that she did not brush up, and raises some strands at times. It got dark outside a long time ago, and the first little stars showed up in the sky, up to which the brunette raises her eyes at some moment. A wide, large balcony is lighted up well thanks to the light that is turned on in the room of Terrence and Raquelle. It’s placed the way it’s possible to see a few houses far from here, in which the light is turned on, and the large night city full of different colors is located thousands of miles from here.       Raquelle stands on the balcony for some time all alone and looks at the beauty she sees. And then Terrence slowly comes to the girl, silently throws a short, sad look at her, and leans on the cold metal railing with his hands, setting his gaze into the distance and thinking about something. The girl does not move her eyes on the man and keeps watching the view of the night city, which does not make her smile, but which she likes much. And then she slightly turns her head on her fiancé and looks at the almost six-foot man standing next to her.       “How long is this gonna happen?” Raquelle asks quietly. “When will they stop chasing us and trying to kill us, harm us and get us to fight with everyone?”       “Unfortunately, life sometimes consists of problems we can’t solve,” Terrence replies, still watching the view of the night city and sighing quietly. “When you’re born, you get some problems that you don’t wanna or can’t solve. Because you don’t know how to do it.”       “I know… But I still can’t believe someone is chasing us again. I thought everything was over. But these letters let us know our quiet life was over.”       “It’s also hard for me to believe someone wanna revenge us for nobody knows what. Moreover, I have too many problems and don’t know how to solve them. Everything seems so hopeless, and I’m starting to think I won’t solve the problems that I got.”       “I’m sorry that I can’t help you… And you can’t help me solve my problems. Sadly, we’re powerless and can do nothing.”       “And it’s very hurtful… I didn’t think everything would go too far, and there would be no solution. I couldn’t assume my band would be about to be disbanded… And I didn’t think your friend and my friend could have conflicts… Not only in their relationship…”       “But I didn’t think I’d have to be worried about my life someday and feel weak and unprotected.” Raquelle sighs heavily and looks into the distance with sad eyes, tightly grabbing the metal railing. “I thought I was a strong person and could take anything, no matter how hard it was. But after what has happened over the past two years, I doubt what I’ve been trying to make myself sure about for a bigger part of my life. And I’m not sure that I really follow the slogan, which I advise my fans to follow.”       “Do you really think you’re so weak?” Terrence asks, moving his eyes to Raquelle and frowning slightly.       “Am I not right?” Raquelle shrugs and slowly glances at Terrence. “I couldn’t quietly take everything that happened to me and broke down shortly.”       “Anyone would be surprised by how you actually stayed strong and didn’t lose your belief in yourself.”       “Yeah, but when I got problems, the best thing I could do was to run away. To my aunt first, and my grandfather later. I naively thought everything would get solved by itself. But I was wrong…”       “Gosh, Raquelle, what are you talking about? Do you really think you wouldn’t overcome what’s gonna happen to us this time?”       “I spent all my energy on it when I was trying to get off Ringer. And I cried an ocean of tears from despair and offense…”       Raquelle sighs heavily and glances down, thinking of the horrible period when she felt much worse than she had ever done. Terrence watches her for two seconds with sadness in his eyes, then puts an arm around the girl’s neck, hugs her around the shoulders, and presses her closely to him.       “No, sweetie, don’t think about it,” Terrence says softly and kisses Raquelle tenderly on the top of her head, caressing the back of her head. “Together, we’ll overcome anything. Whatever happens to us. We’ll do our best to get our quiet life again.”       “But I doubt I’d overcome another shocking thing,” Raquelle replies in a little shaking voice. “I haven’t come to myself after the horrible story of Ringer, and then another one started. That will probably be much worse…”       “You’ll overcome it, I know it. You’re strong and tough and can take anything. You’ve had to overcome so much… All this time, you’ve been holding on and fighting ‘till the end. But I think only a truly brave fighter could toughly tolerate these difficulties. Many of which were very dangerous and could’ve defeated you. For example, you could’ve been killed two times.”       “I was ready even to die to save my close people I could’ve lost. If I’d had to, I would’ve been killed by Eleanor Woodham when she wanted to get off my aunt Alicia. Or Simon Ringer, who got insane from his love for my mother and could’ve hurt any close person of mine.”       “Since you didn’t get scared of being under a pistol two times, it’s a wonderful proof of the fact that you’d easily give your life for anyone dear to you.”       “You’d do the same if one of your close people was in danger,” Raquelle steps back from Terrence and looks into his eyes with a slight smile. “I’m sure if you had to save someone by sacrificing your life, you wouldn’t think much before doing it.”       “Of course, I could die for my close people.” Terrence falls into silence and thinks for two seconds. “Just like I did when I decided to do my best to save you from Ringer. And if I’d know what happened to you and your aunt, I would’ve come to help you.”       “I know,” Raquelle smiles a little wider. “But I’m terribly horrified at the thought that you consciously decided to risk. You did put yourself in great danger, Terrence. I could’ve lost you if something horrible happened. If Ringer had… Shot you…”       “I’d die for you.” Terrence takes Raquelle’s hands softly but tightly. “If that stinker had killed you, I would’ve had no meaning to live. I almost went crazy when Simon dragged you with him, and you two fell off the roof. Although we were in a fight and wanted to break up, I was always worried about you and couldn’t let Ringer do anything to you. So, the decision to help you get off Simon was out of the discussion, and I was absolutely sure I was doing that right.”       “I know,” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds. “I’ll always thank you for what you did to me. Although you know it, it won’t be hard for me to remind you that I was madly happy you came to help me and did your best to protect me.”       “I wouldn’t have forgiven myself if I’d refused to go somewhere and let Ringer kill you. And I’ll no longer leave you in trouble. Never, my sunshine.”       “Who knows what would’ve happened to me if you hadn’t been there,” Raquelle sighs heavily and glances aside for a second, thinking about something very bad with sadness and scare on her face. “Ringer would’ve tortured me before death. When I think of him getting crazy and starting to accost me, I’m starting to shake from fear. And when I think about how I almost died after falling off the roof, I wanna fall into hysteria.”       “No, sweetie, don’t think about it,” Terrence says confidently, softly grabbing Raquelle’s face and caressing her cheeks tenderly. “It’s in the past.”       “I don’t even know what got me more horrified: when his pistol was a few millimeters away from my head, or when he was looking at me with crazy eyes and trying to take my clothes off me and feel me up. Or when I almost fell from the height of twenty or thirty meters and magically grabbed some construction not to crush myself.”       “I completely understand what you feel. But you shouldn’t think about that horrible event. Just forget it and pretend that it’s never happened.”       “I’m trying, honey, but I can’t… At least now… I dunno… After reading these letters, I got suddenly obsessed with the memories of what Simon wanted to do to me. And I get horrified, you know…”       Raquelle feels like she starts to breathe much heavier from excitement and shakes slightly, inclining her head slightly. But Terrence raises her face softly by the chin and makes the girl look at the man with her gray, sad eyes that get wetter because of her wish to cry.       “It’s okay, my sweetheart, don’t think about it,” Terrence says quietly and moves some strands of Raquelle’s hair off her eyes. “It’s all over, and we stayed alive and overcame that hell, which got us much closer. And made us realize we wouldn’t find anyone closer.”       Raquelle tenderly touches Terrence’s cheek with a slight smile, running the back of her hand over it, and softly caressing it, as she looks into his eyes.       “It’s true,” Raquelle pronounces, grabs Terrence’s face with her hands, and caresses it tenderly. “I would’ve been an idiot if I’d lost such an amazing man and hadn’t let myself become beloved and happy. I would’ve never forgiven myself for the terrible mistake that could’ve deprived me of my happiness.”       “I can say the same about you,” Terrence smiles much wider.       “Aw, my sweetheart…”       Raquelle kisses Terrence tenderly on the cheek, making him smile shyly. And two seconds later, the man takes the girl in his tender hug, tightly wrapping her waist with his arms and putting his hands on her back. She answers him with great pleasure, confidently putting her arms around the man’s neck, snuggling her nose in his shoulder, and running her fingers through his hair on the back of his head. Sometimes she makes quite sobs and shakes slightly, while Terrence tries to calm his fiancée down, tenderly caressing her head or cheek, running his hand over her hair, or kissing her on the top or back of her head or her temple.       Some time later, the girl calms down a little and stops shaking and making sobs. The feeling of calm she gets thanks to her fiancé, whose strong but tender arms are pressing her to the warm masculine body, Which is as trustworthy as a brisk wall. Touches of his soft hands let her relax a little and fully enjoy the closeness of this man. Who silently lets her know that everything is going to get better.       A few seconds later, Terrence and Raquelle step away and slowly move their eyes to each other. Then they are not able to move them aside. They keep looking into the eyes until Terrence touches Raquelle’s face tenderly with his warm hand, caresses her neck softly with his hands, and runs his fingertips over its curves. She smiles wider and wider, feeling a slight, madly nice shake after every single touch of the man’s fingers on any part of her face, and understanding her heart misses a beat.       All this time, the young people stay too close to each other – literally a few centimeters away, but they make this distance much smaller a little later. Raquelle moves her hands on Terrence’s shoulders, while he is holding her by the waist with one arm, caressing tenderly her face and neck with his hand and running his fingers through her long, wavy hair. He chuckles kindly when the girl glances aside for a moment and looks into his eyes with a slight blush and a tender smile.       And a few seconds later, Terrence shortens the distance slowly between him and Raquelle, tenderly grabs her face, and gives her a cute, shy kiss on the lips. And seeing her reaction is positive, he smiles shyly and gives her another, more continuous one that gets more confident every new second, running his fingers through her hair and caressing the back of her head. She keeps her hand on his shoulder and holds him by the nape of his neck, but later moves one of them over the whole arm and softly grabs him under his elbows. The lovers do not care that the slight wind is nicely blowing their hair and caressing their faces, their skin gets covered with goosebumps from the coldness, and their hearts tremble nicely.       Some time later, Terrence and Raquelle step away very slowly after a tender, continuous kiss, looking into each other’s eyes and sharing a true, shy smile. Their gazes pointed at each other are full of tender and true love, and their eyes get less sad and even get a gloss. At some moment, their foreheads contact one another for a few seconds, and they tightly take each other’s hands, feeling a little uneven breath of each other, and the sound of the heart beating fast that makes them smile much wider.       They keep looking at each other for some time, saying no word and sharing a slight smile and tender touches of their hands. But later, Terrence breaks this kind of long silence with a slight smile on his face, tenderly caressing Raquelle’s cheek and moving some strands of hair off her eyes, while she keeps her hands on his tough chest and pressses herself to him as close as possible.       “I think it got a little colder,” Terrence notices. “Maybe, we go inside?”       “Yeah, it’d be great,” Raquelle replies shyly with a slight smile and rubs her cold hands. “I feel a little cold…”       “Let’s go then, I’ll warm you up.” Terrence hugs tightly and presses Raquelle closely to himself, caresses her head softly, and kisses her tenderly on the cheek. “I’ve got a lot of love and warmth that I can share with you.”       “I wouldn’t mind getting some warmth and pressing myself close to the tough masculine body,” Raquelle smiles mysteriously and kisses Terrence tenderly on his chin, wrapping his waist with her arms tightly. “But when I warm up, I can play with you a little.”       “It would be an incredible end to this hard day,” Terrence says in a lower voice, smiling much wider. “Now I really need to be in good company. The company of such a charming beauty.”       “In this case, I’m all yours for the rest of this evening and maybe even night,” Raquelle replies in the same low voice, biting her lip slightly.       Terrence smiles mysteriously, raising his head a little with a sense of pride. Then he puts an arm around the neck of Raquelle, who hugs the man with pleasure and presses herself against him with a shy smile. When the man gives the girl a cute kiss on her temple, they come to the closed door of the balcony, every single one of which they open, enter their room, and close them after themselves.       Then Raquelle puts her arms around Terrence’s neck and takes him in a touching but short hug, while he tightly hugs her by the waist and runs his hands slowly over her back up and down. The lovers do not hold down their wish to give each other another tender kiss on the lips, going to spend the rest of the evening well, forget about their problems, and think about still having each other.       

***

      It’s a new day. It’s about twelve o'clock. Anna and Natalia are at the home of the latter and have the pleasure of spending time together. Of course, spending time with her friends does not change Natalia’s mood, and she still looks depressed, especially after her fight with her mother, Letitia. But the girl accepts Anna at home and has the pleasure of spending time with her.       “C’mon!” Natalia exclaims with a little open mouth, sitting on the bed with her legs bent under herself. “You saw your parents?”       “I did,” Anna nods, sitting in the office chair in front of Natalia and putting one leg on another leg. “It happened a few days ago, but I forgot to tell you and Raquelle about it.”       “But how? How did it happen? Where did you meet them? Tell me everything!”       “I saw them not far from the café where Daniel and I were and drank coffee. But a little later, we decided to go home…” Anna tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “And when we left the café and stepped away from it, I saw a familiar car, a man, and a woman. After looking at them better, I realized they were my parents.”       “Are you really sure they were? Maybe, those people were just similar?”       “No, they were.”       “And how was your meeting?” Natalia asks, starting to wrap a strand of her hair around a finger. “They were probably unhappy when you met them and began to swear at you? And did your handsome guy suffer, too?”       “No, thank God, they didn’t see me,” Anna smiles shyly. “When I saw them and told Daniel that, we hid, so they didn’t see us.”       “So, didn’t your father and mother notice you two?”       “It’s amazing, but they didn’t. I was praying to all the Gods that they didn’t see me.”       “And… How long were you hiding with Daniel?”       “Well, we were there for some time. We saw them fighting because of something, talking on the phone, and shouting at someone they talked with.”       “Was it something serious?”       “I dunno…” Anna shrugs. “We couldn’t hear their talk from afar. I guess, they had different opinions about work.”       “And how was everything over? How didn’t you get caught by your parents, being two meters away from them?”       “It’s all thanks to Daniel. If not for him, I wouldn’t have done anything and would’ve gotten caught by them after something that literally stopped my heart.”       “What?” Natalia frowns slightly.       “At some moment, my parents went where Daniel and I were hiding,” Anna says thoughtfully, starting to finger over. “I thought Father and Mother would get me back home by force. But later, they turned around and moved their eyes to their phones, and Daniel decided it was time to run. So, after choosing a good moment, he took my hand, and we ran away from there.”       “I believe Perkins just got scared of meeting your father and mother and decided to get out of there,” Natalia laughs shyly.       “Yeah, he was dumbfounded for a long time,” Anna chuckles kindly. “Anyway, I’m madly grateful to him for helping me avoid something bad. If my parents had noticed me on that day, they would’ve gotten me separated from my sweetheart and banned me from meeting my friends. But I want this less than anything.”       “But how did it happen that they ended up there? Were they going by? Or waiting for someone?”       “I don’t know. But I was surprised when I saw them, ‘cause they had despised those places,” Anna runs her hand through her hair. “That café was just small and low-priced, but Father and Mother don’t usually go to those places.”       “Maybe, they are having bad times?” Natalia assumes, tucking a strand of her hair that she was wrapping around a finger behind her ear. “What if they don’t have money to go to low-priced places?”       “I don’t think they have problems with money ‘cause their job gives them much money, thanks to which they can live in luxury. When my parents aren’t home, they go to fabulous, expensive restaurants where they spend lots of money for an order. And give good changes to waiters.”       “You know, anything may change: today you’re rich and powerful, but tomorrow you have only two dollars, for which you have to live one more week.”       “You’re absolutely right, but I think they still have money. They were probably waiting for someone ‘cause they were talking on the phone with someone.”       “Well, I don’t know then,” Natalia sighs quietly. “As you’ve always said, they hate low-priced cafés, I personally think it’s amazing.”       “Right, but anyway, it’s none of my business. I’m surprised, but not very interested in how they ended up in a low-priced café.”       “Aren’t you afraid you might meet them again?”       “Of course, I am,” Anna replies confidently and moves a strand of hair off her eyes. “If they see me somewhere, they’ll make me come back home. So, it means my quiet life will be over.”       “But you should know you’d have to meet them and explain everything, early or late.”       “I know, but I wouldn’t like it. I walk on the streets with a fear that my mother or father are standing on the corner and being ready to grab me by the collar, take me to their home, and lock me in my room.”       “They’re probably still trying to find you and aren’t gonna give up.”       “I’m sure Father and Mother went to the police and wanted to report my disappearance.”       “Do you think the police would accept the report from those, who say their daughter left home at her wish and said she didn’t wanna live by their rules in her goodbye note?”       “You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if they actually reported Daniel,” Anna says confidently. “And if it happened, he’d have great problems.”       “C’mon, friend, the police would hardly have a reason to work on this case. Even if your parents decided to get you separated in such a radical way, they’d need the proof, so Daniel gets arrested. But what could your father and mother say? You left to live with your sweetheart at your wish? He suggested his help, and you agreed? An officer would just turn them around and tell them not to meddle in your life ‘cause you're an adult!”       “I know, but they can say nothing about Daniel being my boyfriend and make him literally a maniac that wanna kill me. My parents aren’t stupid to say it to an officer. They’d find what to say to make the police sure my boyfriend is dangerous to me and must be immediately arrested.”       “Stop, Anna, I think you watched too many shows and have a too rich imagination. Nobody will hurt Daniel, calm down. At least because they know nothing about him, and they have no familiar people that know him.”       “But Father could describe his appearance ‘cause he saw photos of him and me, and then the police would put an APB out and question people if they saw the one to be similar to Daniel.”       “It won’t happen, stop thinking about it!” Natalia replies confidently. “Idiots don’t work in the police. They should know if an adult girl left home, she could decide so. Your parents wouldn’t prove that Daniel is allegedly dangerous for you.”       “I don’t know what to be afraid of.” Anna sighs heavily. “Anything might happen and ruin my relationship with Daniel.”       “There is no barrier to true love. If your parents get you back home and lock you, it won’t mean your relationship is over. I’m sure your handsome guy would find a way to see you secretly from your father and mother.”       “But it can’t be happening forever. My relationship with Daniel mightn’t take this load, and he might get sick of living and fearing my parents, who could do anything. Even put him in prison by blaming him for what he’s never done.”       “Honey, to blame someone, you need proof. Daniel wouldn’t be put in prison if there were no proof that he did something.”       “Yeah, but you can find false proofs and make them real.”       “Stop thinking of bad things, friend,” Natalia smiles shyly, taking Anna’s hands. “Maybe, your parents have good, familiar people, but they aren’t so powerful to put anyone in prison or make someone’s life worse.”       “I’m afraid Father and Mother will ruin my relationship with my sweetheart someday, and Daniel will leave me,” Anna replies in a little shaking voice, looking her eyes down.       “Gosh, Anna, why do you think so?” Natalia softly caresses Anna’s hand with a slight smile on her face. “Daniel loves you too much to give up on his relationship with you. He’s always treated you very tenderly and doesn’t get sick of showing his care. That’s just a boyfriend of a dream! Any girl wants to have such a caring and loving man, who she would be happy with.”       “I know, but I can’t stop thinking about it… I’m living with the fear that my parents will find me and marry me off to the one I don’t love. And with the fear that Daniel would leave me and find another girl, parents of who would accept and love him.”       “Friend, how did you get these dark thoughts?” Natalia grabs the handles of the office chair, in which Anna is sitting. “Stop being afraid! Or you wouldn’t be able to enjoy your relationship.”       “I’m enjoying it,” Anna smiles shyly with sadness in her eyes. “I just love that man too much. Daniel has become a meaning of my life that I can’t be happy without. I wouldn’t have thought I’d meet the man, who I would love more and more every day.”        “Trust me, Daniel won’t leave you,” Natalia says confidently, softly caressing Anna’s shoulder. “Do you think you’re the only one to feel happy with him? I do see he literally blossoms when being with you! And I still remember that Daniel looked at you with admiration when Raquelle and I were at your home.”       “I don’t even dare to doubt his feelings,” Anna sighs heavily and looks around the whole room. “I’m just madly afraid he’d leave me because of a reluctance to get in touch with my parents and a fear of being put in jail for nothing.”       “Don’t be afraid, sweetie, it’s gonna be okay,” Natalia softly caresses Anna’s hand to make her smile. “Daniel won’t run away and got tightly attracted to you. And I’m sure he won’t get off you anymore.”       “No, I won’t let him go so easily,” Anna laughs shyly. “If I have to fight for our relationship, I’m ready to do anything for us to be together.”       “That’s right!” Natalia exclaims cheerfully. “Your boyfriend loves you so much that he wouldn’t think of a breakup with you from the groundless fear.”       “I hope, friend…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which the friends just share a slight smile. And then Anna looks at Natalia’s sad face better, while the blonde has her legs down from the bed and moves closer to its edge.       “Hey, I think you’re kind of sad,” Anna notices with sadness in her eyes and softly caresses Natalia’s hand. “Something happened?”       “Well…” Natalia sighs heavily. “I just fought with Mother yesterday when she called me from Mexico.”       “You fought with your Mother?” Anna rounds her eyes. “But why, Natalia? You’ve always been very close to her!”       “She just said I was hiding a secret… And she got mad when I began to deny it and said everything was fine.” Natalia looks at her hands with sadness in her eyes. “In the end, she said she didn’t wish to talk to me anymore, and only my father would call me if he didn’t get sick of my lie. And then she turned off the call…”       “My gosh…” Anna shakes her head, looking at Natalia with sadness in her eyes, remembering Raquelle’s hint that they would not better talk to Natalia about what happened to her. “I’m so sorry… I do know how close you’ve always been to your mother.”       “I really feel very bad because she got mad at me,” Natalia confesses in a little shaking voice. “Two hours later, after our talk, I tried to call her and ask her not to get mad at me, but she didn’t answer me.”       “Poor girl…” Anna bites her lip slightly, looking at Natalia hesitantly. “Listen, maybe, you share what you’re worried about with her? If you don’t wanna say it to your friends, let your parents know it. They should know what’s happening to you.”       “Ah, Anna…” Natalia sighs tiredly and runs her hand over her face. “I’m no longer a little girl and can’t come to Mom every time I have a problem. But it’s madly unpleasant to lie to her, ‘cause we’ve always been close and never hidden anything from each other.”       “So, do you have problems if you confess you’re lying to her?”       “You shouldn’t care about it.”       “Why shouldn’t I care? Natalia! I am your long-time friend, almost your sister! I have the right to know what you’re worried about, and how I can help you.”       “Sorry, honey, but you don’t have to do with it,” Natalia replies hesitantly, tightly locking her fingers. “I’m an adult and can solve my problems by myself.”       “But knowing you and your character, I’m sure you won’t solve any problems. And you can easily make something out of nothing and get everyone excited because of a stupid thing.”       “Your character gets tough when you run into difficulties and often get over them. If you’ve never run into problems, always hidden in your cocoon, and relied on others, you can’t get over it.”       “I doubt it helps you. As long as bad things happen to you, you’ve been worried, can’t forget it, and think your life is over.”       “I know, but I’m really trying not to take everything too seriously. But I can’t do it well. I may first be worried for weeks, then forget for a while and later recall it and thinks about it for one or two more weeks.”       “I think there is something serious that you can’t solve by yourself. I don’t ask you to tell me everything, but at least let your parents know it. If you keep being silent, your father may also get mad at you and let you decide everything on your own.”       “Dad won’t get mad. He loves me too much to leave me in trouble.”       “Which he knows nothing about. Natalia, if you keep hiding everything from your parents, they will turn their backs on you. No matter how much they love you, it won’t stop them from letting you solve your problems by yourself. Sorry, you’re kind of guilty of getting your mother mad at you. It seems like she’s gonna kill you if you say what you’re hiding. I am sure your parents would understand you and do their best to help you.”       “No, Anna, I doubt they’d understand me. Unfortunately, I lost their trust.”       “But, darling…”       “Don’t think about it, please,” Natalia puts on a false smile and softly caresses Anna’s hand. “Better think of your personal life, enjoy your freedom, and do your best for Daniel to be happy. To get the same answer from him.”       “I am happy with him, don’t worry,” Anna smiles shyly. “Despite worrying about the situation of my parents. But I can’t be indifferent to everything that’s happening to you.”       “I truly appreciate your care. But I swear, you have no reason to worry about me. I will explain everything to my parents and do my best for them not to get mad at me.”       “Please, Natalia…”       “Erm, listen, let’s talk about something yet?” Natalia suggests hesitantly, biting her lip slightly, and glances aside for a second. “For example, about Terrence’s band! Huh?”       “Erm…” Anna frowns strongly, making much more sure that Natalia has problems. “Well, yeah…”       “Do you know what’s going on? What did their manager say?”       “Ah, Natalia, George shook them up…” Anna sighs heavily, looking at the whole room. “He swore at them, shouted at Peter and Daniel, ‘cause it was all their fault. And eventually gave them two weeks to decide what to do: looking for a new drummer, bracing themselves and starting to work, or saying goodbye to the studio and fame and paying much money as liquidated damages.”       “Looking for a new drummer?”       “Yes, their manager said so.”       “Is everything so bad that they might kick Peter outta the band?”       “George thinks Pete is the only one to blame. But Terrence openly blamed Daniel for everything and wasn’t afraid to tell him what Raquelle, you, and I said to him.”       “But now we know both of them are partly guilty: Daniel annoyed Peter with his jokes about girls, and Peter started a fight, during which he blamed Perkins for all sins and attacked him with fists.”       “Right… Withdrawing the charges on one of them would be wrong. And now Daniel doesn’t deny his fault so hard and doesn’t blame only Peter for everything.”       “Yeah, finally, he doesn’t call himself innocent,” Natalia says thoughtfully. “Maybe, Raquelle, you and I impacted him… Maybe Terrence literally pressed him to the wall.”       “I think it’s one of the reasons. But it may not be the only reason. There’s something else that has to do with Peter.”       “Something serious?”       “Erm, you know…” Anna leans back in the office chair. “Daniel said when Peter showed up in the office of their manager, Terrence and he didn’t recognize him. He looked horrible. Red eyes, big circles under them… And there’s no need to say anything about his depressed mood. Daniel even thinks Peter became too skinny, and the muscles on his arms are gone. He had been a slim and fit guy, but now his legs and arms are thin.”       “My gosh…” Natalia, shaking her head, closes her mouth with a hand. “Did he really get so skinny?”       “Sadly, I can’t confirm it ‘cause I haven’t met him for ages. I tell you what I know from Daniel, who was shocked by his horrible appearance. He even noticed the blond didn’t take care of his hair for a long time, ‘cause it was dirty and poorly brushed.”       “Wow… But why did he change? Why does Peter look so badly?”       “Nobody knows,” Anna throws her hands up. “But Daniel thinks he and Terrence must find a friend of Peter, who talked to the manager of the band and told him he should’ve come to the studio.”       “Friend? Does Peter have a friend?”       “Daniel briefly mentioned her somehow and even met her. But he doesn’t have contact with that girl.”       “Are the guys sure that girl may know something?”       “Not quite, but now she’s the only one to be able to say just something. They’ve always been very close.”       “What if Peter doesn’t tell her anything?”       “The guys don’t exclude it, but wanna find her anyway.”       “And how are they gonna do that?”       “I dunno… But the guys want to know something as soon as possible, to know the reason for the terrible condition of Rose and find a way to help him.”       “I think if that girl wants, she’ll find Terrence or Daniel by herself. If Peter really feels so bad, that girl will surely wish to find the guys and try to find out something.”       “I think it would be easy for her to do it, ‘cause she could easily recognize at least Terrence. He’s our famous man and a favorite guy of all girls in the world.”       “I do mean it. I think she knows Terrence plays in a band along with Daniel and Peter. So, she’d find him if they met somewhere on the street.”       “We have to hope on that.”       Anna thinks for a second or two, and Natalia glances aside.       “You know, Natalia, I’m so sorry about Peter,” Anna says with sadness in her eyes. “What if there is really a reason that makes him grieve so much?”       “I’m very sorry for him, too…” Natalia sighs quietly. “And I’m much more sorry that nobody can help him ‘cause he doesn’t wanna say anything.”       “Yeah… It seems like his condition is so horrible that Daniel couldn’t stay indifferent. Even though he was ready to kill Peter before. He said he gave in after he saw the blond.”       “I’m glad he started to understand it. He did think about the situation after Raquelle, you, and I talked to him. And Rose’s appearance made him think much better.”       “He would’ve hardly agreed to unite with Terrence and help him find out what happened to Peter.”       “I hope Daniel will realize he did a terrible thing when he started to mock Peter so openly. He does see what his jokes led to.”       “Yeah, the educated talk was worth it,” Anna smiles slightly.       “I believe so.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Natalia strokes down her little matted hair brushed up with a hairpin, and glances at the window.       “Hey, I hope you aren’t gonna turn into someone like Pete, lock yourself at home, and stop talking with everyone,” Anna frowns slightly.       “Nope, I’m not gonna…” Natalia pronounces quietly without emotions. “I’m not sitting home all the time…”       “Aha, if you don’t get kicked outta the apartment, you won’t be pleased to go somewhere. I bet Raquelle had to get you outta home before yesterday by force.”       “She didn’t get me out. When Raquelle said she wanted to go to you and suggested joining you, I agreed with pleasure.”       “Then let’s go somewhere together? Go to stores, buy something, go somewhere to drink and dance… Spend a cool time! Like we did before!”       “That time was wonderful,” Natalia glances aside. “I was much happier than I am now.”       “Let’s go somewhere and have fun then? Why are you feeling bored here alone?”       “Don’t you wanna spend time with Daniel? You often went somewhere with him!”       “We still go on dates when we have time. Daniel just spends a lot of time with Terrence, and they talk about how to save the band and help Peter. And try to write a couple of songs. Of course, they aren’t sure they’ll need it. But still…”       “Their band would hardly be the same if they found a new drummer. I always notice that when bands’ members change, their styles may become different. And it doesn’t always make music better.”       “I believe we’ll have to accept changes. You can think that Peter has left the band ‘cause he told the guys he would no longer stay in it.”       “What?” Natalia arches her eyebrows amazingly. “Peter left the band? Himself?”       “Yup… After talking to George, Terrence and Daniel talked to Peter before he said goodbye to the guys and left.”       “But why did he wanna leave the band?”       “Pete believes it would be better for the band… Because he’s kind of guilty of everything, and he should do something to fix it. So, Rose decided to leave at his wish… He believes everybody wanted it.”       “What? Show me at least one person, who wants it! Not saying about that hysterical George, nobody wants Peter to leave ‘Against The System’!”       “Exactly!” Anna exclaims. “Only George definitely dreams of getting rid of the one, who he thinks is guilty of everything. Nobody else wants it! Neither Terrence nor even Daniel! And nobody thinks he’s talentless and worthless.”       “Talentless? Peter is one of the most talented people I’ve ever met! Nobody else could play the drums as brilliantly as he can. And when he starts to sing, all the girls start to shout as loudly as they do when they see our handsome Terrence.”       “But Peter thinks he can do nothing and shouldn’t have actually been born. He lost his belief in himself and his wish to work in the music business, and he definitely wanna just lie on the bed and stare at the ceiling.”       “Hm, it looks like depression…” Natalia frowns slightly.       “You think?”       “Yeah… As I know, a person with depression sometimes takes it out on someone and believes nobody needs them. They’re sure they’re worthless…”       “Listen, what if true?” Anna rounds her eyes full of horror. “What if Peter’s case is hopeless? If he really got depression, we could explain his indifference to what he loved so much. Peter was dreaming of fame and recording his own music, but now he forgot it and said he’d leave the band.”       “If it’s true, there must be a reason for that.”       “And it’d be great to know it to help Peter before it’s too late.”       “I can’t assume what we could do, but I hope the guys will do their best not to let Peter bring himself to the hole.”       “Let’s believe the guys will help him in time. I don’t want anything to happen to Peter. He’s a very good guy and doesn’t deserve it all.”       “Not only you, Anna. We all don’t want to lose Peter.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Anna frowns slightly, looking at Natalia questioningly and not noticing how skillfully her friend avoided the answer to her suggestion about going somewhere.       “Hey, I didn’t notice you avoided the answer to my suggestion!” Anna exclaims.       “Sorry, Anna, but I don’t wanna go anywhere,” Natalia shakes her head with sadness in her eyes. “At least today.”       “Are you gonna be stuck in four walls and grieving because of something forever?”       “No, of course…”       “Don’t worry about the fight with your mother. You’ll see, she’ll calm down a little and call you. Mrs. Rochester loves you too much to forget about her daughter.”       “I dunno…” Natalia sighs heavily, glancing aside. “I’m afraid she was serious and got too mad this time.”       “My God, you will make peace, don’t worry! When you tell her what you’re worried about, everything will get better.”       “I hardly believe it…” Natalia sighs heavily again and glances down.       “Alright, friend,” Anna says confidently in a command but soft voice and gets up sharply from the chair. “You will dress up, brush your hair, do makeup and go with me.”       “What?” Natalia pronounces hesitantly. “Where? Where do you wanna drive me?”       “I dunno. Gonna decide it on the way.”       “But…”       “I don’t accept refusals!” Anna takes Natalia’s hands and pulls her on herself. “Get ready! If nobody kicks your ass, you will become as depressed as Peter is and, heaven forbids, do something to yourself.”       “Oh, Anna…”       “Get up, I said! I won’t let you fall into depression and bring yourself to the horrible condition.”       Natalia, moaning quietly, rolls her eyes up and lazily stands up from the bed with the help of Anna.       “Come on, come on, get ready!” Anna orders confidently, clapping her hands, and comes to the door that leads to the dressing room. I won’t let you spend all your life in these walls, which will make you sick soon. So, put these clothes on, brush your hair and put some pounder on your face, so you don’t look like a zombie.”       Natalia has nothing but put on a t-shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a black leather jacket that Anna gives her. And when she gets her hair more or less down and brushes it up, she is going to leave the apartment along with her friend, who is very determined to distract her friend from sad thoughts. So, not being able to resist her too cheerful friend, Natalia takes her purse and phone and leaves her apartment, locks the hall door with a key, and follows Anna silently.       

***

      It’s about two o'clock. Edward decided to visit Rebecca to spend some time with her and try to let her know softly that she and the familiars of her son should be careful. He does not stop thinking about it while driving on the free roads in his car and carefully watching the road.       “Damn, I hope that woman won’t guess anything if I start talking about danger,” Edward thinks, tightly holding the steering wheel. “The danger that is threatening everybody because of that old bastard, who must burn in hell for everything he has done.”       Edward sighs quietly and changes the speed with a gearbox.       “I need to ask Mrs. MacClife about everything, so she doesn’t suspect anything and doesn't start to ask questions,” Edward frowns slightly. “Terrence has told me many times that she feels when he doesn’t say something. That she sometimes keeps insisting on what she wants until she gets it.”       Edward spends ten more minutes on the way and keeps reflecting on how to solve this situation, not paying attention to the thick forests he is going by in his old car. But later, the man finally comes to the right place and goes to the well-maintained territory that is under great protection.       He easily goes by the security because they have memorized him well. After getting through the face control, Edward stops his car in front of Rebecca’s house, where there are a few free places for cars. He stays in it for some time, but then the man leaves it, locks it with a key, and confidently goes to the entry of the woman’s house, looking around and noticing nothing but an adult man and an adult woman, who are definitely living in one of the further houses.       Some time later, Edward rings the doorbell and starts to wait. When the door opens, the man sees Rebecca on the doorstep, who is nicely surprised by a sudden but nice visit from her younger son.       “Edward?” Rebecca pronounces. “My gosh! What a surprise!”       “Hey, Mrs. MacClife,” Edward greets with a shy smile. “I was going by and decided to visit you… Find out how you were doing…”       Rebecca takes Edward in a touching hug with a wide smile and steps back from him after he kisses her cutely on the cheek.       “I’m so glad you decided to visit me,” Rebecca says amicably. “I see you decided not to forget me.”       “Yeah, I’m trying to fix it and visit my close people as often as possible,” Edward smiles shyly. “I kinda forgot about you.”       “Your words warm me up,” Rebecca caresses Edward’s cheek softly. “Okay, go to the living room, don’t be shy.”       Rebecca steps back from the doorstep and invites Edward to come in with a gesture. He smiles shyly at the woman and slowly comes into the house. While the woman closes the door, the man goes to the living room, looks at everything he sees, and gets delighted by the beauty of this house. He gets so busy looking at some things that he does not notice Rebecca coming to him later and touching his shoulder softly, saying amicably:       “Hey, did you come here alone?”       “Yes, I came alone,” Edward replies, turning on Rebecca.       “That’s how… Sorry… I thought Terrence would love to visit me, as well.”       “He would’ve come, but Terrence is now solving the problems of his band.”       “Nothing changed?”       “Nope, but if only everything didn’t get worse…” Edward puts his hands in the pockets of his old, shabby coat. “Now it happens that everything won't be solved soon, or it will never get better.”       “What do you mean, honey?”       “Well… Yesterday, Terrence and his bandmates just had to go to a meeting with their manager. Who shook everything out of them.”       “Manager? The one, who Terrence always complains about, and who annoys him with calls?”       “Yeah, that’s George Smith… Not the best man… I’ve spoken to him a couple of times and heard him talking to the guys. And I made sure that man cares only about money and the result of work.”       “Did Terrence tell you about the meeting?” Rebecca softly takes Edward’s hand and leads him to the sofa, on which they sit together.       “Yes, we talked on the phone… Wanted to meet, but he was waiting for his bandmate at home. They were gonna talk about the situation and reflect on what to do.”       “My gosh…” Rebecca shakes her head. “Did their manager get the whole band together?”       “Yes, he did. He just told them to go to the agency that is promoting the guys, and said he’d go to their home if at least one of them didn’t come.”       “And what did their manager say?”       “Oh, don’t better ask…” Edward exhales quietly and looks around the whole living room with a tired look. “George was yelling at them, insulting, and letting them know he cared only about work. Well, as the guys didn’t know what to do, their manager suggested three ways. They have two weeks to decide: looking for a new drummer, working as if nothing happened, or saying ‘goodbye’ to fame and much money for one show because a contract with the label will be canceled. But it will be canceled anyway if the guys don’t make a decision within two weeks. In this case, the guys will have to pay liquidated damages for not following the terms.”       “Gosh, how hard everything is!” Rebecca shakes her head with horror in her eyes.       “Yeah… The situation is really very hard.”       “And what do they want to do?”       “Their opinions are different…” Edward leans back in the sofa. “The drummer wants to leave the band and has lost interest in music and his life. The bass guitarist believes they need to try to start to work, and he’s ready to forget all the offenses on the drummer for work… Well, Terrence… Terrence thought they would’ve better found a new drummer to save the band and make his dream come true.”       “But why does Terrence think so?” Rebecca rounds her eyes. “Does he wanna kick his friend out of the band for fame?”       “The problem is not about it. My friend just soberly rates the situation and doesn’t try to keep up illusions. Terrence wanted to kick the drummer out before, but now he doesn’t want it and is ready to do his best to get that guy back in the band.”       “No, Terrence can’t make the same mistake twice and sacrifice his friend for his career. He someday almost lost Raquelle for the same reason.”       “I don’t think he’ll do that. The appearance of the drummer got Terrence and the bass guitarist to the bottom of their hearts. I don’t know how horrible everything is, but Terrence said it was horrible to look at Peter, their drummer.”       “You say, he doesn’t care about the band and has lost interest in everything?”       “Yes, the guys were shocked when they saw him,” Edward shrugs. “That guy looks quite bad: he lost much weight, definitely stopped sleeping and eating well, and doesn’t even wanna wash my head. He gave a damn about him and looks like he doesn’t wanna live.”       “Oh, Jesus Christ…” Rebecca gets horrified, closing her mouth with a hand. “What happened to that guy?”       “Nobody knows. But Terrence and Daniel, the bass guitarist, have an assumption that there is a reason why Peter is behaving like that. And it might be very serious.”       “It seems like he’s getting depression,” Rebecca sighs heavily. “Everything starts from it… If only he didn’t have to go to doctors to get the help he needs.”       “I don’t know if everything leads to it, but the situation is very hard,” Edward replies with sadness in his eyes. “Sadly, I haven’t met Peter for ages and can’t say how horrible everything is. But I prefer believing Terrence, who says it’s terrible.”       “I think the lads need to talk to that guy and persuaded him to tell them everything. Maybe, they’ll help him and distract him from bad thoughts. In this case, he must not keep everything inside, because he will have to go to get therapy.”       “They completely understand it. But the guys can’t talk to him, and Peter refuses to explain something. They tried to talk to him after meeting George, but it didn’t bring them to a good result. No disputes and fights – only indifference and reluctance to reveal his soul and confess everything.”       “In this case, they must not leave their drummer alone, because he may fall into such a strong depression that his friends wouldn’t help him. And it’s very important not to press on him and to let him know he can trust them. I’m sure if your friend and his friend do everything softly and carefully, they will reach that guy.”       “I think you’re right…” Edward scratches the back of his head, glancing aside for a second. “Moreover, Peter has a friend. And the guys believe she could know something and talked to George when he was calling the guys and telling them to come to him.”       “Didn't the drummer answer himself?”       “Yes, he didn’t want to talk to anyone and asked that girl to answer the call.”       “That girl probably knows something. But there’s a very small chance, knowing that guy has withdrawn himself from his friends. He doesn’t probably say anything to his friend.”       “I think it doesn’t make sense, ‘cause the guys wouldn’t find that girl and have no contacts with her. The bass guitarist has seen her a couple of times and knows she’s the drummer’s friend, but he doesn’t know her personally.”       “Oh, how complicated everything is…” Rebecca sighs heavily.       “Agree… Now they only have to talk to Peter and look for a key to what he has inside. But it’s gonna be hard ‘cause that guy has definitely been hiding something not for the first day.”       “I hope he’ll realize that silence won’t lead to anything good, and he will tell the guys everything and let them help him.”       “I hope so… And I’m sorry about not being able to help. Peter is a good guy, who it’s easy to talk to and fun to spend time with.”       “You’d better support him. Go to his home, talk to him… Maybe, you’d get on well with him and help Terrence get him back to the band.”       “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it… Maybe, I’d suggest my help to the guys and try to talk to him, but I ain’t sure I could change something.”       “But you need to try,” Rebecca replies confidently. “The more people support him, the higher the chance that Peter reveals his soul and lets you get him out of the hole.”       “I know, Mrs. MacClife,” Edward smiles slightly. “I do…”       Rebecca caresses Edward’s hand softly while silence settles in the air for two or three seconds. And then the woman glances somewhere aside and then looks at the watch hanging in the living room and saying it’s almost half past two.       “Oh, alright, why do we talk about others?” Rebecca pronounces with a slight smile. “Better tell me how you’re doing. I got so busy talking about your friend and didn’t ask about you.”       “I’m fine,” Edward lies as confidently as possible, smiling falsely and feeling a little depressed. “Nothing happens to me… I’m living, working at times when I get something good, going somewhere to have fun…”       “Haven’t you decided to move into my house?”       “Erm, I’m still thinking about it…” Edward replies a little hesitantly, nervously fingering over. “I haven’t made a final decision…”       “And when will you do? I said you wouldn’t bother me, and I would be happy to accept you here, at least for a while. Until you have good finances and find your own place.”       “Believe me, I really wanna live with you, but I’d feel embarrassed if I lived on your account, in your house. The house of the strange person. I wanna be independent and live in my house, but sadly, I have no chance to.”       “Come on, Edward, don’t say stupid things. You’ll always be one of the wanted visitors that can stay here as much as they want.” Rebecca takes Edward’s hands with a slight smile. “You’re like my son, my child, who I madly love and wouldn’t kick out if he wanted to live with me. I promise, if you agree to move in here, I will not kick you out and will let you live here as much as you want.”       “I know, Mrs. MacClife,” Edward smiles shyly. “I just don’t wanna bother anyone.”       “You won’t bother me. Vice versa, I often need something that only a strong young man could give me.”       “I’d help you with pleasure if you needed it. Just let me know it, and I’ll do my best.”       “But I need to call you and wait for you to come. Instead, I’d just go to your room and say I need your help.”       “Aw, Mrs. MacClife, you make me smile,” Edward smiles slightly.       “Honey, tell me the truth…” Rebecca moves closer to Edward and hugs him softly around the shoulders. “Don’t you wanna move to my home because of that woman? Do you love her so much that you can’t say goodbye to her so easily?”       “Of course, I madly, strongly love that woman and will be grateful to her for what she’s done to me forever. Thanks to her, I didn’t live on the streets with homeless people, didn’t sleep on the dirty asphalt, and didn’t eat what people threw off. Mrs. Richardson has done too much and easily gave me much of what belonged to her or her late husband. For example, a car… That was his thing, but she gave it to me… I kind of needed it more…”       “I know it’s gonna be very hard for you to say goodbye to her. And I will not insist if you don’t wanna move. But you should know you’d have to leave her early or late, at least when you find your own place.”       “It’s true. I got attracted to that woman and love her like my second mother.”       “But you wouldn’t say goodbye to her after leaving. You can always visit her and help her with something. I’m sure that woman doesn’t have other helpers except for you.”       “Even if I decide to leave, I’ll never forget her and will visit her as often as possible. Maybe, I’ll introduce her to you someday. I hope you’ll spend time together, and she won’t feel lonely with a TV turned in her room.”       “I know, sweetie.”       “Is it probably unpleasant for you to hear it?” Edward asks, looking at Rebecca a little guiltily.       “What’s unpleasant to hear?” Rebecca rounds her eyes. “The fact that you love and respect the woman, who gave you a home? No, my dear, I’m not hurt! That’s very good you respect those, to whom you must be grateful. You shouldn’t forget what people do to you and pretend that you owe nobody.”       “No, I never forget what people do for me, and don’t stop thanking and respecting them.”       “That’s right, my sweetie. Don’t forget that woman, for whom you became almost like a son. I think you replaced her children that she doesn’t have, sadly.”       “Don’t think that I love her much more than you. It’s not true! You know I love you very much and got tightly attracted to you for the past few months.”       “I know, Edward, I do,” Rebecca caresses Edward’s cheek softly, making him show his charming smile, which the man has lately, rarely had on his face. “Sadly, I did not manage to share my love with my second son, but I can give it to you.”       “Please, don’t hope of meeting your younger son. It will happen for sure one day.”       “Thank God, at least one child was growing with me, If I hadn’t had Terrence by my side, I would’ve died of grief. He was the only reason to my happiness all these years. I stayed all alone and could count on nobody.”       “Sometimes things we’re expecting much less happen to us,” Edward notices with a slight smile.       “I don’t hope on anything, sweetie. I only have to pray that my sonny is healthy and living a happy life.”       “I’m sure he is.” Edward takes Rebecca’s hand and smiles shyly with sadness in his eyes. “Think that your son got a job, met a girl, got married to her, and became a father of a wonderful baby.”       “Now it’s hard for you to understand parental love. But when you have your own children, you’ll love them as much as I love you and Terrence.”       “Of course, I’m gonna love my children with all my heart. They’ll never be deprived of a father’s love. That I didn’t get…” Edward moves his sad look aside.       “Listen, Edward…” Rebecca pronounces thoughtfully, putting a finger on her lip. “You said your father kicked you out of home when you were seventeen.”       “Erm, yup…” Edward replies hesitantly. “He kicked me outta home when he saw me in his office and getting through his things. And holding something that got me interested.”       “Say, why did you actually go there? Getting through someone’s things without permission is bad!”       “I dunno… I was just curious about what he had there. Why my father banned me from getting close to the office.”       “Was he always so cruel to you? Did he even raise a hand?”       “Not always, but quite often. For him, I was always an empty shell and meant nothing to him. Sometimes I thought Father hated me because I reminded him of something from his past. I don’t know… For example, about my mother and their relationship… I always thought I was a mirror, in which he saw what happened a long time ago.”       “Do you think he really never loved you?”       “Most likely. I’m sure that Father would’ve kicked me out of the home much earlier. He would’ve kicked me out of home or actually sent me to an orphan house. So I didn’t meddle in the life of him, my stepmother, and their common children.”       “Didn’t she let him do that?”       “That woman could hold him down and make him not show too much aggression toward me. I’d say I’m grateful to her for that. If not for my stepmother, my father would’ve beaten me every day.”       “No, my boy, don’t say it about your father,” Rebecca softly caresses Edward’s hand. “You exaggerate.”       “But I wouldn’t be surprised,” Edward glances aside and swallows up nervously. “And I'm going to say more: Terrence is doing the right thing by ignoring his father and not wishing to talk to him. Because that man is really not an angel.”       “No, sweetie, don’t say it.”       “It’s true, Mrs. MacClife.”       “I remember how his father looked at his newborn babies with tenderness. He was truly happy with their birth and couldn’t wait for the doctors to bring them to my room to take them in his arms.”       “While I was a baby, he looked at me with tenderness and love…” Edward throws gloomily, crossing his arms over the chest. “But when I grew up, I became a burden. That’s good he didn’t make his humble servant, who would’ve been running from one side to another to make his wishes come true.”       “Don’t you remember him showing his love and care for you?”       “Vaguely… Yes, I don’t deny that he rarely showed some father’s feelings toward me when I was a kid. But in fact, he treated me like he never loved me and thought I shouldn’t have been born. I don’t remember Father talking to me about problems and experiences and taking care of me at my teenage age. But sometimes I really wanted to come to Dad and talk to him about something… Complain about my problems, tell him about a girl I was in love with, and ask him for a piece of advice for something. If he was indifferent, I had to hide my emotions and feelings and ask my older friends for a piece of advice.”       “Did he treat you so terribly when he was working and when he was home?”       “Sadly… But even if Father didn’t work, he did something at home. I remember I came to him somehow and wanted just to talk, but that man literally kicked me out and told me not to bother him with ‘my stupid questions’.”       “And when did you get mad at him?”       “Actually, I don’t have a strong offense on him.” Edward exhales sharply and looks at his hands with sad eyes. “But it’s hurtful for me to know the sons from a second marriage are more important to him.”       “Did they get much more love from your father?”       “Yes, he was much kinder to them. I actually felt like nobody needed me at that house… I thought all of them would’ve felt better if I hadn’t lived there.”       “Sometimes people don’t show their feelings and hide them deep inside. Even if your father treated you badly, he loved you very much anyway. You could just come to him at the wrong time.”       “Yeah, but I would’ve understood it if Father had just talked to me. But instead, he just pissed me off rudely and didn’t wanna even see me.”       “Your father is kind of similar to Terrence's father. A hard person. But deep inside, he is actually very tender and caring. Jamie is just embarrassed to show his feelings. He follows the rule that a man must be discreet and show no emotions. But I saw Terrence’s father forgetting about his principles and becoming different. For example, when your friend and his younger brother were born. He was literally crying from happiness.”       “His father was happy, mine wasn’t…” Edward runs his hand sharply over his hair. “I didn’t need him to constantly hug me and say words of love. I just wanted to talk to him and get some experience from the man, who had lived enough in this world. If Father had just talked to me and supported me, I would’ve been madly happy. But I was always mainly like a stray cat that walked everywhere and did everything I wanted.”       “But how tender was he with his children from the second marriage? Do you wanna say your father took care of them and talked to them about all the problems and teenage issues?”       “Well…” Edward stutters, scratching the back of his head. “Honestly, I never saw Father praising them, showing his great love to them, and literally covering them with kisses. But he always held them up as an example and said that my brothers would’ve never done that ‘cause they were smarter and more educated when I did a bad thing.”       “You see, even those guys didn’t always get enough love from their father. Fathers don’t actually always show their feelings, and many men prefer hiding them. But sometimes mothers also hide their feelings.”       “But if he loved me, why was he insulting, humiliating, and even raising a hand on me? I swear I never did anything bad to make him regret being my father! Sometimes he punished me for nothing. And every time I tried to tell him the truth, that man shouted and said I had no right to talk to him like that. But you know, I could forgive him for refusing to talk to me and share his experience with me. Not all of his insults, humiliations, and slaps… I didn’t deserve it…”       “Edward, when people are excited or nervous, they could easily take it out on anyone. Even those they love. Remember the situation of your friend when Ringer told Terrence that Raquelle was allegedly cheating on him. He believed that, got enraged, and began to behave terribly toward his fiancée. So much happened… And Terrence regretted nothing because he was terribly mad and hurt. But when your friend calmed down, he began to understand he had done terrible things and could’ve done much more.”       “Yeah, but it was one situation, but I had different.”       “It doesn’t matter. I just wanna say a person may sometimes lose control of themselves and take it out on those, who are dear to them if someone stands in the way,” Rebecca shrugs. “Maybe, your father had a reason why he was always mad and didn’t want to show tenderness and love.”       “Do you wanna say that my father was mad because of something when insulting me?” Edward frowns slightly.       “Yes, Edward,” Rebecca replies confidently as if she knows something. “I don’t doubt that your father had problems that made him nervous and mad.”       “You know, sometimes I’m surprised I didn’t become similar to him. I’m quite a quiet man and don’t have hysterics for no reason. But if someone makes me mad, nothing will stop me.”       “But Terrence took after Jamie. He is a very impulsive man and can easily lose his temple. I’ve made sure that he has a hard character many times. When he was a teenager, he often had problems. I’ll be honest, I got exhausted when he was growing up. And his hard character made everything harder.”       “But he can at least be caring… If Terrence loves someone, he doesn’t hide it, and he shows it. I’m sure he’ll sacrifice his life for someone to be close to him.”       “Yeah, Terrence has always been caring and loved his close people,” Rebecca smiles shyly. “But when Raquelle came into his life, I noticed he began to show those emotions more frequently. Any other girl couldn’t impact him as much as she. My boy fell in love with her completely.”       “Gotta agree. I don’t doubt his love for Raquelle. And after their reconciliation, Terrence began to appreciate that girl much more.”       “Maybe, their relationship was full of passion first. But it was clear that they were destined for each other. If they tried hard, they’d have a very strong relationship. I’m so happy they understood it. Glad my son chose such a good girl.”       “I like Raquelle, too. She’s a wonderful and very caring girl that fits Terrence so well.”       “But don’t think I dislike your girlfriend,” Rebecca smiles shyly, caressing Edward’s head and embracing him. “Natalia is also a wonderful girl, who is always so sweet, feminine, and soft.”       “Yeah…” Edward purses his lips. “Sure…”       “And remember, if there are problems in the relationship of you and Natalia, you should solve them together, not by one. This is how you can learn to appreciate each other and show mutual support. Don’t forget that relationships can’t exist without fights. And in some cases, – you’ll be surprised – fighting is even good.”       “I know…” Edward pronounces very quietly and looks at Rebecca with sad eyes. “Whatever happens, we’ll solve our problems.”       “If you need a piece of advice, you can always come to me. I’d never refuse to help you if I could do it.”       “Thanks a lot, Mrs. MacClife…”       Edward smiles shyly when he caresses softy Rebecca’s cheek, which he also kisses, while she holds his free hand.       “Hey, did you find out some information about your mother?” Rebecca asks. “Is there something that can help you find her?”       “Sadly, no,” Edward shrugs with sadness in his eyes and bites his lip slightly. “And I don’t know… How to find her…”       “Yeah… I can’t find my younger son, but you know nothing about your mother…”       “Interesting coincidence…”       “Listen, have you really never had a wish to come back to your father’s home? Couldn’t you just live somewhere for some time but then come back home and talk to your father about all the problems?”       “Nope, I’ve never thought of coming back there,” Edward says confidently. “I'm even glad I left his home. If I’d stayed there, who knows what would’ve happened to me.”       “You and I will have to meet your father early or late, You can’t run away from him all your life.”       “I wouldn’t like it…”       “Edward…”       “My father never told me about my mother or brother. He avoided answering to my questions about something that was connected with them. And I don’t understand why that man wanted to hide it all from me. It seems like I didn’t deserve it.”       “Well, I don’t know, honey…” Rebecca shrugs. “I think your father is the only one to be able to answer this question. I don’t know him and can’t say anything.”       “Erm, ask my father?” Edward rounds his eyes, getting sharply straight and being really determined.       “Yes, who else!” Rebecca smiles shyly. “If you and Terrence agreed to meet your fathers, you could find out very much.”       “Excuse me for my curiosity, Mrs. MacClife, how long ago did you talk to Terrence’s father? And how often do you communicate with him? And how? Personal meeting or phone?”       “Well…” Rebecca pronounces thoughtfully. “I talked to him two days before you and Terrence went to my home and stayed for dinner.”       “And hasn’t he called you and said anything to you again?”       “No, nothing…” Rebecca purses her lips. “But why? Why are you so interested in it?”       “Well…” Edward shrugs. “I was just wondering… Wondering to know how tight your connection with that man is.”       “To be honest, we haven’t talked too much lately. Jamie is very busy now. He has some important business to od.”       “Business? Work?”       “I dunno, maybe.”       “Hm…” Edward frowns slightly. “I got it…”       “But you don’t think anything. Our meetings can’t be called dates. These are just meetings of loving parents of their children. We talk about how to make Terrence reconcile with his father.”       “I must confess that I’m surprised that you speak so well after you got divorced with a scandal,” Edward notices thoughtfully.       “You know, Edward, sometimes there are things you can forgive and forget,” Rebecca says a little hesitantly, locking her fingers tightly.       “Do you wanna say you really forgive Terrence’s father for what he did to you?”       “Do you mean Terrence’s theory about his father beating me?”       “Actually, yes… And if Terrence tells the truth, why do you speak to him? Why did you forget what he did to you? My friend still can’t forget it, but you’ve been trying to make him good and innocent for about ten years.”       “Erm…” Rebecca’s scared eyes start to run from one side to another. “I… I don’t want to talk about it…”       “But why? I don’t ask you to tell me the full story of you and your husband. I just wanna understand why you forgave him so easily!”       “It’s in the past, my boy,” Rebecca says softly. “Why would I think of what happened? We’re living in the present and don’t look back.”       “Is that so hurtful for you?”       “Yeah… For me, it’s terribly unpleasant. I prefer not thinking about what gives me strong pain.”       “So, there’s something true about my words said to Terrence about the possibility that he could be deceived in childhood,” Edward frowns slightly. “No doubt, Rebecca knows something. A woman wouldn’t let the one to beat her get closer to her. MacClife’s mother forgave his father for such horrible things too easily. Either everything isn’t what I think, or his mother is too kind and can’t be mad. Or she just loves her ex-husband like crazy and believes that he really became different.”       “Well, okay…” Edward shrugs. “If you don’t wanna say, I won’t insist.”       “Maybe, someday, I’ll find the courage to tell everything,” Rebecca says quietly. “But not now. Now I’m not ready to talk about what still hurts my heart.”       “I get it… I won’t make you do it if it’s so hard for you.”       While Rebecca caresses his head softly and fixes his hair slightly, Edward holds her hand and smiles at her shyly.       “Oh, listen, my sweetheart, let’s not talk about bad things,” Rebecca suggests. “Don’t you wanna drink a cup of tea with me and talk about something nice?”       “Sure, with pleasure,” Edward shrugs with a shy smile.       “I should’ve probably suggested it earlier, but I got too busy with a talk. Sorry…”       “It’s okay, don’t worry. I came to you to talk to you and spend time with you.” Edward laughs shyly. “Not to get your refrigerator empty, as my dear friend loves to do.”       “I spare nothing for my beloved son. If he wanna eat everything, it’s okay.”       “I won’t use your kindness and will just agree to drink a cup of tea.”       “Alright, my sunshine, I’ll do it now. The kettle boiled some time ago and hasn’t gotten colder yet. And I’ll find something sweet specially for you.”       Rebecca kisses Edward cutely on his temple, quickly gets up from the sofa, and goes to the kitchen to make a cup of tea for her and him. The man watches the woman with a slight smile until she hides somewhere. And then he leans back in the sofa with a much gloomier gaze.       “Interesting woman…” Edward thinks. “She is defending the one, who doesn’t deserve it, and trying to make him good for Terrence and me. She excuses his actions with something that could make him mad. But what did she wanna say? Did he really have such an important reason why he gave a damn about his son and ran away with his second child?”       Edward frowns slightly and exhales quietly, crossing his arms over his chest.       “Why did he actually need it? I don’t understand… Anyway, the stories of Terrence and Raquelle and his parents have something common. And Rebecca surely has something to say about what happened before she broke up with MacClife’s father. My words about Terrence being possibly deceived are not groundless. I may be kind of right. Yes, I understand that it’s hurtful for her to talk about what Terrence’s father did to her. But I don’t understand why she forgave the one, who beat her, so easily.”       Edward raises his head and closes his eyes for two seconds.       “Damn, I haven’t still let Mrs. MacClife know that she must be careful because that old bastard wanna harm all the people in my circle. I need to think about how to do it… How I don’t betray myself… I have some time to think about everything and decide what to do in this situation. But one day, my efforts will be worthless. When all those people guess something or find out something and want to reveal me.”       Edward exhales slowly, grabbing his throat with a hand and looking around the whole living room quickly.       “The most important thing is that he doesn’t find my real mother and my brother…” Edward thinks with anxiety. “I haven’t heard that the old bastard knows how to find them or about his plans to defeat them. And he didn’t say anything about their meetings. But it seems like there’s nothing impossible for that scum. He’d get anyone out of the ground. If that bastard destroyed my father, he’ll get rid of someone else. But I can’t imagine who might become his next victim…”       Edward has to distract himself from his thoughts because he feels his phone starts to vibrate in the pocket of his coat. The man, tearing his back off the sofa, takes it and turns on the screen, on which he sees a notification about an incoming message. After opening it, he sees a short text that makes him feel his heart misses a beat.       “The time has come. It’s time to do what I have dreamed about for a long time. And I will remind you again that you will not stop me from doing what I want. No matter how hard you protect your close people, they will be dead soon. Remember this, my boy.”       After reading the message and putting the phone in his pocket, Edward exhales slowly and looks into the distance.       “The time of childish games has gone, the time of a cruel fight, has come,” Edward thinks with sadness in his eyes. “That man wants to fight for death. And I am ready to accept this challenge. For my close people, I am ready to fight with him alone. I will find a way to save everybody from what happened to my father. I’ll think I’m revenging for the death of my close person. Despite what happened between us, I’ll never forget my father and will love him.”       Edward leans back in the sofa again.       “I will destroy that scumbag, Father,” Edward thinks confidently. “I swear I will revenge him for your death and save all my close people. He will no longer dare to hurt anyone. Or he will have to pay a great cost. Maybe I didn’t do anything that would’ve made you proud. But this time, I shall do it, make you believe in me, and make you stop regretting being my father. I promise…”       Some time later, Rebecca enters the living room, holding a couple of cups with plates on trays and a small plate with fresh cookies. After putting the plate on a coffee table, the woman gives Edward a cup that he takes carefully.       “Thanks,” Edward thanks with a slight smile.       “I’m lucky I have some cookies,” Rebecca says confidently, putting the plate of cookies on the coffee table. “You can eat as many as you want.”       “Great!”       While Edward takes a couple of soft cookies and eats them, Rebecca sits on the sofa next to him, grabs a second cup of tea, takes a few sips, and closely watches her sad son.       “By the way, you look too sad,” Rebecca notices.       “Erm, me?” Edward pronounces hesitantly, holding a cup in his hands.       “Maybe, something makes you worried? Don’t you wanna tell me what you’re worried about?”       “Erm… No…” Edward takes a couple of little sips of tea. “It’s okay…”       “Did you get so upset because of the talk about your father?”       “Nope… I just… When you began to talk about him, I thought about the years spent at his house and the way I dreamed of growing up and leaving it as soon as possible.”       “I completely understand it, my sunshine. But I am sure that all of that has a reason.”       “You don’t know the situation. You don’t know what that man was doing to me.”       “Sometimes we love to exaggerate everything. And the fantasy of hurtful people may be too wild. You say it just because you can’t forgive him. But if you didn’t have an offence in your heart, you would say different things.”       “I know that you’re a very kind and generous woman. But trust me, not every person deserves forgiveness.”       “I just don’t wanna poison my soul with some offences and keep the anger inside me. I don’t like carrying this burden with me.’       “That’s good, of course, but nasty stinkers will never appreciate it.”       “I don’t need anyone’s approval. I’m doing this for myself only.”       “So, did you forgive Terrence's father just because you didn’t want to keep the offence inside?”       “Not quite. Even regardless to our breakup, I still love that man.”       “Mrs. MacClife…”       “Yes, at first, people don’t notice your shortcomings when they are in love with you. And when the truth comes to light, not many people are ready to accept it and accept their partner the way they are. But I am not one of them. I always knew about the hard character of Jamie, but I always accepted him like this and never tried to make him a quiet and shy man. He is what he is – hot-headed, determined, and confident.       “In this case, I stand by the side of Terrence, who doesn’t doubt that he should not expect anything good from that man.”       “If he needs the answers to some questions, Terrence should bite the bullet, overcome his pride, and meet him.”       “Is it so interesting?”       “He would be interested,” Rebecca takes a couple of sips from her cup.       Edward frowns slightly and drinks some tea, thinking about the words of Rebecca, who does not deny that she knows something but wants Jamie to reveal all the cards.