***
Two days later. It’s about two o’clock in New York. Natalia decided to leave home and walk somewhere in the city for the first time in a while. The girl still feels depressed and is about to do something bad. But she holds herself down too hard, always thinking of those she should live for. But she completely understands she will be deprived of this energy very soon because something is eating her inside too fast. Slowly walking in popular places in the city and keeping her arms crossed over her chest, Natalia’s mood does not get better. Even the beauty surrounding her does not make her smile. Green thick trees with many leaves on them placed almost on every single corner, little bushes, flowerbeds, a little river that is placed across the asphalt path, on which people are going… Little children walking near their parents and sometimes making happy sounds, dogs obediently following their owners and chasing a crowd of birds or looking at people with interest… The girl keeps being indifferent anyway. And when a couple in love goes by her, she watches them with a sad gaze, dreaming of walking on the streets along with her boyfriend in the same way and press herself to him. She is sure that she will no longer manage to feel beloved in her sweetheart’s arms. Natalia falls into her thoughts so deeply that she does not notice that she accidentally runs into someone. The girl immediately wakes up from a trance, making a quiet “Ouch!” and raises her eyes to the one she ran into. And she becomes dumbfounded when she sees she ran into Edward. The girl shakes slightly and instantly jumps back, looking at what’s surrounding her with scared eyes and starting to breathe heavily from the excitement. Edward himself also shakes slightly, but keeps standing in the same place. His eyes closely look at the girl, whose appearance causes a sense of true anxiety. However, the man does not show it and keeps being indifferent, looking at her confidently, kind of arrogantly. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you…” Natalia says quietly, moving her eyes down. “It’s alright,” Edward replies coldly, looking quite tense, and swallows up nervously. “I fell into my thoughts and didn’t have time to turn aside.” “It’s okay…” “Honestly… I didn’t think I’d meet you here…” “I didn’t do, either…” Putting his hands in the pockets of his coat, Edward looks at Natalia from head to foot with an indifferent look, while she glances at a person with a little dog on a leash. “Erm, how are you doing?” Edward asks hesitantly. “Fine,” Natalia lies in a low voice, crossing her arms over her chest and looking down. “I’m fine. And you?” “Fine. Thanks for asking.” “I’m glad then…” “How long ago did you speak to Raquelle and Terrence?” Natalia says nothing for two seconds, holding down her emotions so hard and wishing to go away as soon as possible not to see Edward, whose pretense makes her finger over nervously. “I recently talked to Raquelle…” Natalia replies thoughtfully. “And I saw Terrence on the dinner, which they invited us on.” “Alright…” Edward purses his lips, feeling a strong awkwardness and not being happy to meet Natalia. “And I haven't seen Raquelle since that dinner…” “Raquelle said Terrence and you were at Mrs. MacClife’s home a few days ago.” “Yes, it’s true. It was the last time I saw Terrence. But I sometimes talk to him on the phone…” “Glad you’re speaking,” Natalia glances aside, still keeping her arms crossed over her chest. “How is Raquelle doing?” “Fine. Living with Terrence well, complaining about nothing… And she recently had a photoshoot, in which she shot along with a tiger.” “A tiger? Interesting! I think it was great.” “She liked it, but felt scared. A wild animal, after all…” “I get it…” “What about Terrence?” “Worried about the band.” “I heard about it,” Natalia glances aside again, still keeping her arms crossed over the chest. “Has nothing changed?” “No, sadly,” Edward also crosses his arms over the chest, unconsciously copying many actions of Natalia, keeping his emotions deep inside and putting on a mask of indifference. “I’d say everything got much worse… The band is about to be disbanded…” “Will they search for a new drummer instead of Peter? Or finish their story that barely started?” “Maybe, yes. But they don’t want to lose Peter and dismiss the band. But due to the problems that guy got and is silent about, it’s impossible to save the band so easily.” “Raquelle said…” Natalia starts to look at her black boots on a little heel, still keeping her arms on her chest and wishing to leave as soon as possible, as Edward’s pretense makes her afraid of something and feel a great awkwardness. “I’m not sure everything will end well. But I really wanna believe the guys will save the band. I’d be sorry if their effort wouldn’t be worth it.” “I don’t want it, either, but nothing depends on me…” Edward replies quietly, sometimes glancing on different sides and nervously shifting his weight from one foot to another. “Terrence and Daniel should save the band.” “You’re right…” Natalia tries to ignore looking into Edward’s eyes so hard. She looks at anything but him. She is ready for anything not to see his eyes full of disgust for her. An awkward silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which the girl still keeps her arms crossed and looks down. Edward looks at her much better. Although there are no emotions on his face that would show his interest and anxiety, he does really care about what’s happening to her, despite the offense he keeps inside. “Are you okay?” Edward frowns slightly. “Honestly, you look bad.” “Yes, I’m okay…” Natalia lies, moving his eyes aside and exhaling quietly. “Why do you care about it? What’s happening to me and why is none of your business!” “Well… Erm… We aren’t strangers to each other… And I wonder what’s happening to you… And has happened all this time…” “Yeah?” Natalia wonders, hiding that it’s nice to know Edward cares about her, but not showing it. “Do you really care about it? You would not even move your eyebrow if you knew something happened to me!” “If something happened to you, you would start crying like a hysterical girl,” Edward replies quite coldly. “Just like you did when I saw the real way you treated me.” “Oh, maybe, you remember what you said after you started that scandal! Huh! Remember what kind of dirt you showered me with?” “You are the one to blame for starting that scandal and ruining what was happening between us.” “Ah, I am the one to blame!” Natalia opens her mouth, hiding her emotions with aggression. “Are you our innocent and fluffy one, huh? You are not such a sweetie, Edward! No matter how much effort you apply, your rotted character shows up anyway. I did make sure about it when you said what I don’t even wanna remember!” “My character is not rotted, Natalia. You acted like an egoist and gave a fuck about me. I gave you a chance to explain everything! But you did not recognize your mistake and confirmed that you lied to me all the time. But you know well that I cannot stand people, who lie to me. I have said it thousands of times! Thou-san-ds!” “And I can’t stand people that try to slander me!” “Oh, who slandered you?” Edward smirks loudly, putting his hands on his hips. “I told you the truth on that day. But I think you refuse to confess that you are an insolent and shameless liar!” “I think you are not going to confess that you lied to me and were pretending to be sweet, decent, and kind.” Natalia looks at Edward with contempt in her eyes from head to feet. “But now I know you are a scumbag. The scumbag that used my naivety and got my trust!” “Unlike you, I have never lied to anyone.” “Oh, come on!” Natalia smirks loudly, rolling her eyes. “You did lie to me to play with me and leave me after getting sick of playing a drama! So, you have no right to hate liars, while you are the one.” Edward exhales sharply, running his hands over his face and trying to control the inside anger that gets stronger and could easily get out of him. “Listen, Natalia, let’s do it without a fight,” Edward suggests in a quiet, little cold voice. “I am ready to understand and listen to you if you wish to give in and stop telling the lie that you try to make the truth.” “Oh, yeah!” Natalia hums contemptuously, starting to behave quite aggressively and speaking in a loud voice. “I will not say anything about my personal life to such a disgusting man. If I had known you were such a bastard, I would not have talked to you on that fucking day we met.” “You know, if someone had told me you were absolutely false and egoistic, I would have kept myself far from you. I’m cursing the day when I talked to you at the café and gave my money for your coffee.” “If only you knew how disgusting it was to stand next to you at the dinner at Terrence and Raquelle’s house. I was counting down ‘till I could finally get out and not see you anymore.” “I regretted agreeing to go where you were many times,” Edward throws rudely. “I could not want to stop having to see such a disgusting liar like you. The pretense of who I can barely take.” “Then I am suggesting to stop pretending that everything is fine, and we still madly love each other. I can go to Raquelle and Terrence’s home right now and tell them you are a scumbag, who did just a disgusting thing to me.” “Would they believe you? If I told them how you deceived and betrayed me, those people would prefer believing me and not doubt that they befriend a false bitch!” “Ah, am I a false bitch?” Natalia wonders loudly, pointing at herself with a finger. “So, are you an innocent guy? A fucking victim! The victim that is trying to pretend to be a good, sweet boy, who everybody must love?” “You can tell your friends what happened between us right now. I’m sure you would make me guilty, so everybody gets mad at me for no reason. You are a professional at it! Lying insolently when looking into the eyes of people is your element.” “My friends do know who I really am. But many of them met you literally one month ago and haven’t found out what demons you have in your mind. But if I really wish to ruin your life and turn everybody against you, I can easily do it.” “Stop pretending nobody knows who!” Edward throws coldly, becoming more aggressive and barely fighting back his anger. “You are a pathetic coward that can only cry when she runs into problems and waits for someone to save her. You are still waiting for your fucking prince on a white horse like an idiot! Ha! You will never have the one! Because you are a false liar!” “Described yourself?” Natalia asks rudely, loudly. “Fits you so well!” “Stop lying, Natalia! You have been lying and pretending that nothing happened for a few months. It’s time to finally tell the truth that you are hiding from me. Raquelle, Anna, Terrence, and your parents. They are waiting for you to tell them something but haven’t heard at least hints.” “I don’t understand you…” Natalia pronounces in a shaking voice, shaking her head. “You don’t know what you are talking about!” “I do know what I’m talking about!” Edward throws loudly, irritably. “I think only the blind wouldn’t see you’re hiding something from everybody. You’re trying to hide it, but you do it terribly. So terribly that you got bitten through shortly.” “Ha, you are also not too talented at pretending. Do you think your pretty face and ability to talk people down and quickly change the subject decide everything? Would you avoid some questions? No, Lockhart, it’s not going to work forever. Moreover, I don’t doubt that our friends bite you through a long time ago.” “Did you probably rejoice, seeing Raquelle and Terrence allegedly forgot about you and stopped being interested in our life? No, my dear, they didn’t do it! They are just pretending and keep watching us and getting the information piece by piece.” “Why do you care if they forgot? They both understand they should not meddle in our business, and we’ve gotta solve them by ourselves.” “Yeah, as if you want to solve everything so badly!” Edward hums loudly, rolling his eyes. “You started all of that, you must end it! Explain to everybody, tell the truth and find excuses for your actions and hysterics!” “I advise you to do the same,” Natalia puts her hands on her hips. “You are afraid someone would reveal your secrets that you’re definitely hiding from everybody. Huh, Edward? Don’t you wanna confess all your business and tell people what you actually want?” Edward gets sharply white and nervous, shifting his weight from one foot to another because he understands Natalia is absolutely right. “What a rich fantasy you’ve got!” Edward hums contemptuously, hiding his excitement so hard, but understanding how fast his heart is beating. “Now you believe I’m hiding something. Start to know reality, girl! You are not living in your dreams!” “What?” Natalia slightly raises her head, looking at Edward arrogantly. “Have nothing to say? Or are you afraid to lose the trust of those, who don’t know you are not the one you pretend to be? I’m sure you’ve been annoyed by those calls for a reason. I remember you got nervous when getting a call and coming back dumbfounded after a talk with some people. It makes me think you got serious problems.” “I don’t know what you mean,” Edward replies coldly, feeling every single muscle is tense. “No, Edward, you understand everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re connected with a crime band and got into Terrence and Raquelle’s life to destroy them. You’re pretending to be so good and decent that everybody loved you at once. I can imagine what kind of disappointment they’d feel if they realized there was a real scoundrel among them.” “You are really mentally sick!” “I can bet who is much more mentally sick. Maybe, you have some demons, because of which you may be way worse than your friend is. So, don’t dare to say I’m lying to you and even sick because you aren’t better than me.” “Stop saying bullshit, you, stupid idiot!” Edward throws rudely, growling loudly. “I have never met such a hysterical, brainless chicken that can only cry and lie to everyone.” “Shut up now, you, fucking scumbag!” Natalia hisses crossly, threatening Edward with a finger. “Or you will make me so enraged that I, scumbag, will ruin your life. You will never be able to look into the eyes of the people, who you insolently deceived.” “I am sick of your attempts to pretend to be sassy, while you’re shaking from fear and wishing to hide from all problems in your hole.” “But I am sick of your attempts to wash everybody’s brains and pretend to be good!” “Your sick fantasy starts to make me more irritated.” “If only you knew how disgusting it is for me to be beside you!” Natalia looks at Edward from head to feet with contempt in her eyes. “Gosh, I can’t believe I could love such a nasty scumbag that revealed his real side that he was hiding so hard.” “I also hate myself for falling in love with such a brainless duck that not everyone can take. There were so many good girls around, but I got a crush on your beautiful face and let myself fall in love.” Edward shakes his head, looking at Natalia with hatred. “I would give everything to fix that mistake and not to fall in love with a hysterical girl that lies to everybody, pretending that she is fine and trying to pretend to be a sassy girl, who is literally ready to save the whole world.” “Better look at yourself, Lockhart!” Natalia hisses, sharply coming closer to Edward, starting to threaten him with a finger and look and looking into his eyes contemptuously. “You are probably afraid of everything, but you are hiding it. Because men would be laughing at you, and girls would never look at you and get a crush on your pretty face.” “There are things that I will never do due to fear. But I would not be afraid of showing cruelty toward you and washing your brains as well as possible. If you have them, of course. People are right when they say blondes are brainless chickens that think only of clothes, cosmetics, and men.” “Holy shit, I never thought you’d be like this… Maybe, your daddy hated you so much and despised you for a reason. Having such a nasty sonny is a cruel punishment for any person. I’m sure he knew what a bastard you were. So, he treated you terribly and made the other sons, who were thousands of times better and more decent than you.” Being furious by what hurt him so much, Edward grabs Natalia sharply under her elbows, making her squeak quietly from a strong pain. He sets his cold and evil gaze full of hate and disgust into the widely open eyes of the girl getting sharply white from fear. “Close your mouth, bitch!” Edward hisses with evil in his eyes. “CLOSE! GOT IT?” “So, did I hurt your feelings?” Natalia smirks contemptuously, trying not to show her fear and looking into Edward’s eyes confidently, a little arrogantly. “You wanted a father’s love, but were hated all your life and got kicked out of your home. I guess it’s your punishment for your disgusting actions.” “Do not make me enraged, bitch, or I will not be responsible for my actions. I’m usually a quiet man, but if someone makes me wild, someone will have to regret it.” “Ha, what are you gonna do, coward? Would you be screaming and waving your hands like a sick idiot? Or take an example from Terrence and slap me in the face as strongly as possible?” “Do not dare to call me a coward! DO NOT DARE, HEAR ME! I AM NOT A COWARD!” “Listen, stop screaming,” Natalia throws gloomily and sharply gets out of Edward’s strong grip. “Or people would think you’re crazy and call an ambulance, so you go to a mental hospital and get your brains washed.” “If you do not close your fucking mouth, I will surely become a psycho and do what you will have to regret,” Edward threatens loudly, looking literally red and wild and breathing heavily with flared nostrils. “AND I WILL NOT REGRET ANYTHING! I WILL NOT FEEL SORRY FOR SUCH A BRAINLESS CHICKEN LIKE YOU!” “TRY!” Natalia shouts, sharply waving her hands. “OR I SWEAR I WILL RUIN YOUR LIFE AND TELL EVERYBODY WHAT A BASTARD YOU ARE!” “Keep working your tongue, Rochester, keep,” Edward looks at Natalia from head to foot with disgust in his eyes. “You can only do this. And talk only about fashion brands, cosmetics, and hairstyles. You are a brainless doll. The brainless, insolent, false, and nasty doll.” Wishing to hide her fear of Edward, who does not watch his mouth and looks like a furious lion that is about to attack a victim, Natalia chuckles quietly. And then she starts laughing nervously, trying to be shy at first, but then laughing loudly. “You should see your red face and wild eyes, while screaming here like a hysterical girl,” Natalia says through a nervous laugh. “Oh, so sorry that I didn’t see Terrence when he was screaming at Raquelle. But I’m sure you outdid him. To prove that you are not actually sassy and not a coward. “Did you go insane?” Edward throws rudely, knocking his fingers at his temple. “Stop the fuck laughing at the whole street!” “Maybe, I find my phone and take a photo of your evil red face and show the photo to your friend? So, he laughs at you and gets mad after I tell him everything you’ve done to me!” “Stop laughing, idiot!” Edward sharply runs to Natalia and painfully grabs her under her elbows with his widely open eyes, making her squeak and wince from the pain. “CALM DOWN NOW! OR I WILL PUT YOU IN A MENTAL HOSPITAL IF YOU WENT CRAZY FROM YOUR PROBLEMS!” “You should be careful not to end up there,” Natalia throws coldly. “The one to need mental health help is you.” “Listen, you, bitch…” Edward strongly grabs Natalia by the yawl and squeezes it tightly, setting his gaze full of evil into her scared eyes, while she shakes slightly from fear and barely holds tears down. “You made me too furious by your lies and your disgusting behavior. Do not make me more the fuck enraged! Or you will not forget what I will do to you.” “If I get you so irritated, why did you start talking to me?” Natalia wonders, not being able to stop laughing and getting Edward mad. “Well, I ran into you – and what? You would’ve shaken something off and kept planning your ‘grandiose future.’ And I wouldn’t have gotten sick from your pretense.” “I’m surprised that our friends can stand such a stupid idiot that has sawdust in her head. Your parents have probably regretted raising such a hysterical and egoistic daughter many times. Who they took care of so much that she can only waste the money of her mommy and daddy and buy something at the stores.” “Shut up, bastard, or you will regret it,” Natalia clenches her hands into hard fists, breathing too heavily from anger. “I am not afraid to tell the truth,” Edward says confidently. “That not everybody dares to say. I don’t know if you’ve been told what an egoistic and false bitch you are, but I am not afraid to say it. Maybe, that’s why men leave you. They know you are a pathetic whore that hangs out on anyone’s neck and is jealous of those, who have a second half. A spoiled, nasty gal that thinks only of herself and is as stupid as a chicken. And I’m absolutely sure you will never meet an idiot that would agree to stand such a hysterical bitch that cries for the reason or without.” Natalia loses her temple and is no longer going to hold down a wish to attack Edward. The girl literally makes a hole on the man’s forehead for two or three seconds and then sharply raises a hand to slap him in the face as strongly as possible. But Lockhart tightly takes the blonde’s hand a few centimeters away from his cheek. The excited Natalia looking literally red from the anger tries to slap him two more times and then just starts to beat him on his arms and resist like a wild cat. However, Edward is much stronger and grabs the girl easily and quickly so that her arms are tightly pressed to her body. “HEY, LET ME GO NOW, BASTARD!” Natalia demands coldly and loudly, starting to beat Edward’s ankles with her legs and the heels of her black boots. “I SWEAR, LOCKHART, YOU WILL REGRET IT! LET ME GO, I SAID!” Natalia barely gets out of Edward’s strong grip and tries to slap him in the face again. But the man reacts instantly again and tightly holds her hands, literally trying to kill the girl with his arrogant, cold gaze. “You know, now I really want to slap you in the face,” Edward says in a low, rude voice. “But I will not make my friend’s mistake. Not because I’m afraid to regret it. Because it will change nothing. I can give you even one hundred slaps and pull some of your hairs out. But you will not get brains and coincidence.” “Why are you afraid?” Natalia asks arrogantly, setting her contemptuous gaze into Edward’s eyes. “Come on, Lockhart, hit me strongly! If you want, you can even beat me to half-death and then happily watch me die! But all of your close people, whom you are deceiving so insolently, will turn their backs on you. And you will no longer hide behind your mommy’s back. She will also turn her back on you after she finds out her younger sonny behaved much worse than the older one. Who HAD coincidence and REALLY regretted everything he did.” “Close your mouth!” Edward hisses with an irritated growl. “Or you will regret being born in this fucking world!” “Ha, what would you do? Make your wish come true and slap me in the face? I don’t think you’d get it off easily. If I have to, I will report you to the police, and you will have to expect unwelcome visitors at your home. You will not scare me, and I will destroy you. Don’t even hope I will be silent! And at the nearest time, I will go to Raquelle and Terrence’s home and tell them we got in touch with a bastard. Maybe, your friend will be disappointed, but he should know the bitten truth about you instead of thinking you’re good and defending you when someone says something bad about you.” Every new word of Natalia gets Edward more furious. His widely open eyes are full of hate and evil, his pupils are pinned, and his body shakes from the tension. He literally makes a hole in the forehead of the girl for two seconds with a heavy, loud breath. And then the man sharply grabs the girl under the elbows and pulls her to the bench, while she shouts loudly and tries to resist but is too weak in front of the anger of this person. Then Edward rudely pushes Natalia off and walks in a couple of circles, not being able to keep his emotions under control. After hearing her loud sobs, Lockhart strongly grabs the blonde by the hair and sets his gaze into her widely open, half-wet eyes. “So, are you happy?” Edward throws rudely, “HAPPY? LOOK WHAT YOU BROUGHT EVERYTHING TO! WHAT YOU TURNED ME INTO! BECAUSE OF YOU, I BECAME SO WILD AND BARELY CAN HOLD DOWN A WISH TO DO WHAT WILL MAKE ME A SCUMBAG FOR THE OTHERS.” “You are a scumbag that loves nobody but yourself,” Natalia cries. “Maybe, I have everything and need nothing, but my parents taught me to love and appreciate my close people. But you had nobody, who would make you remember you could love people for what they are. Not wait for them to become kind fairies and give you just something from what you want.” “If you had told me the truth when we didn’t have a relationship, I would have probably understood you and helped you. But you refused to explain something.” Edward glances aside for a second. “However, I give a fuck about your problems. I will never forgive you for betraying me and being a false bitch, who swore that she was innocent and good but recently showed her rotted character.” “I don’t regret that! Not telling you much more about my life. I SAVED AT LEAST SOME PART OF IT!” “Then look for another asshole that would be pleasing his princess, who put on a crown in an early childhood,” Edward throws rudely. “I will be very sorry for that man. He will not be happy with a brainless, false slut that changes men like gloves.” “SORRY?” Natalia sniffs loudly. “YOU DO FEEL SORRY FOR NOBODY! You are an egoist, Edward! The egoist, who envies those, who are more successful. I’m sure you are terribly jealous of Terrence deep inside because he has everything, but you have nothing. And I am very sorry that your friend doesn’t know he is communicating with a nasty rat.” “Do not forget that he is not a perfect man,” Edward hums and crosses his arms over his chest. “Somehow, everybody hated Terrence for what he did to Raquelle. He turned from God to a nasty bastard. But when he decided to become a hero and save your friend, he came back to Gods again and got a bigger peacock tail. Nobody thinks about what a scumbag my friend was. And I am sure he will not have started a musical career if newspapers had said he raised a hand on his fiancée.” “Everybody forgave Terrence because he REALLY REGRETTED HIS ACTIONS! But you will never do. Your heart will not squeeze when thinking of all your nasty tricks. And you will never be ashamed of your mother and father. Never.” “I am sorry you are not ashamed of your parents for being so false, shameless, and stupid. I think even if someone kicks you on the head, you will understand nothing and will keep being a stupid goose that nobody needs.” “Close your fucking mouth!” Natalia throws rudely with evil in her eyes. “I hate you, cad! HATE! You ruined my whole life! Any other man has not let himself behave as disgustingly as you did! Before meeting you, my life was way better than it became when you came into it. I want to forget the day we met. It would be much better if it never existed.” “I agree with you, at least on something!” Edward hums contemptuously, crossing his arms over his chest. “My life was also much better when I didn’t have you in it. I want to forget the day we met. I am cursing it. I am sorry I fell in love with the one, who did what none of my exes did. I had real feelings for you, but you killed them. Once and forever.” Natalia swallows up nervously, understanding how painful it is for her to hear it, and her eyes get wet from tears that she is barely holding down. “Ha, I have never loved you, bastard! I dated you just because I was afraid to stay single! You can think I used you! I DO NOT NEED SUCH A DISGUSTING SCUMBAG BEING MAD AT THE WHOLE WORLD! I TOLD YOU THE TRUTH THAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR!” These words hurt Edward to the bottom of his heart and make him feel much more depressed and empty. The man did not expect he would hear something like this from the girl he truly loved. He wants to fret, fume, and cry like a girl. And while he does not hide his evil and openly shows it to the girl, but he has to fight back his wish to cry so hard. But Edward does not betray himself and lets his anger get obsessed with him. A tense silence settles in the air, during which Natalia just sniffs quietly with tears in her eyes, and Edward is breathing like a furious bull and tightly clenching his hands into fists. And then the man sets his cold gaze on the girl, slowly getting closer to her and literally making a hole in her forehead. And he sharply grabs her by the throat that he strongly squeezes, while she tries to catch some air and move off the hand of the man, who is probably ready to kill her right here. After coming quite closely to Natalia and feeling her smell that gets into his nose, Edward must confess to himself that he is still attracted to him psychically. He would have great pleasure to kiss her, take off her clothes, and possess her gorgeous body, which he finds madly sexual. The man has to apply much effort to hide these emotions, not wishing just to kiss the girl due to the offense and pride. Natalia also realizes that she is still attracted to Edward, and he makes her breathe unevenly and feel how fast her heart is beating. This man is freaking handsome and sexually attractive. He causes a strong wish to taste his soft lips, touching which has always made her shake strongly. Nevertheless, Natalia immediately forbids herself to think about being ready to give herself to Edward right now. She would not resist him, and she would obey him in everything. Something about his gaze makes her realize Lockhart feels the same and still goes crazy for her sexually. Natalia even gets herself ready that Edward might wish to kiss her by force. But the man gets to control his instincts and keep his emotions inside for a few seconds, during which they look into each other’s eyes. “So, do you think I’ll kiss you, undress you, and possess you right here?” Edward asks in a low voice, setting his icy gaze into the wet eyes of Natalia. “You think I would not have enough strength to get control of myself and not to succumb to this temptation? No, Rochester, don’t wait! I am not going to kiss the false slut that has been kissed and fucked by many men! I will not go so down. My girlfriend MUST be decent and loyal. Never lie to me and tell me the truth. Besides, you did confess that you used me and decided to date me because of fear of staying single. It’s enough to forget you ONCE AND FOREVER.” Edward rudely pushes Natalia off himself and clenches his hands into fists with a contemptuous grin. “SO, GET OUT OF HERE!” Edward screams at the top of his lungs. “GET OUT OF HERE AND NEVER STAND IN MY WAY! GOT IT, BITCH? GOT IT, I AM ASKING?” “Ha, I’ve finally heard it!” Natalia throws rudely. “FINALLY!” “Yeah, get out of here! Go to have fun with some men and fuck them! You’d give them pleasure. Do what you are so good at. Many people love such whores like you. You can even go to work at a strip club and start earning your money by shaking your ass in front of rich men and getting many dollars out of them.” Natalia wants to leave silently and say nothing more, but Edward’s words make her much more enraged. The girl sharply turns around and comes to the man, who squints his eyes, lowers his hands down and looks like he is about to explode, and sets her contemptuous look into his eyes. “Close your fucking mouth, nasty bastard,” Natalia hisses with evil in her eyes. “I am truly sorry that you became such a horrible friend for Terrence. Sorry that Mrs. MacClife got such a strong love for you. But I am sure that you will be bitten through early or late, and everybody will turn their backs on you. And I will not feel sorry for you. Because you deserve to suffer and die all alone.” Natalia gives a start sharply and leaves Edward as quickly as possible, while he keeps standing where he is standing, being overwhelmed by what happened and watching the girl with a cold gaze until she hides in the corner. But when he stays alone, the man lets himself take off the mask he put on. After what happened, Edward feels like he got a few bullet wounds and a few knifes put in his back at the same time. The pain he immediately gets obsessed with is unbearable. He feels hurt because Natalia lied to him and dared to say she used him. After such a great adrenaline release, Edward feels emptied and depressed, not knowing what to do: screaming, crying, beating someone, or doing something else to express the pain that he was hiding so hard during the fight with Natalia. No pain from wounds or hits against something can be compared with the one the man is feeling now. It seriously hurt and insulted him because he thought this girl was really in love with him. She was so happy when he confessed his love to her, and they began to date! It’s hard for Edward to believe Natalia could deceive him so cruelly and use him for a few months. Recalling that moment over and over, Edward starts to feel more split and deceived and barely struggles with a hurricane of feelings and emotions that is about to get out. The man nervously walks in circles for some time, but then slowly sits on the sofa and doubles over, running his hands through his hair and feeling his eyes getting wet from that are coming to them. Edward does not care about what someone could think about him when seeing him crying. The man feels so bad that he cannot keep all these emotions inside. “No, I don’t wanna believe it, I don’t…” Edward thinks with sadness in his eyes and sniffs quietly. “She couldn’t deceive me all the time… I don’t wanna believe Natalia used me and never loved me. Fuck… I don’t want… I don’t want… I never thought she’d be like this.” Edward grabs his hair much tighter, slightly shaking from one side to another, as he is sitting on the bench. “I’d better go insane, hear someone’s voices in my head, and see hallucinations,” Edward thinks with despair. “I really wanna think it all didn’t happen, and I just have a too wild imagination. I wish someone confirmed that I love dreaming everything up. I wanna live in real life that I wanna make better…” Edward raises his head, trying not to cry so hard but meeting a failure as little drops of transparent tears start rolling over his cheeks. “Please, someone, tell me it’s not true!” Edward begs silently, sniffs quietly, and wipes tears off his eyes, understanding he sees everything blurry because of them. “Tell me this fight didn’t happen, and that girl didn’t say she used me. I don’t want to think it’s really happening to me… I don’t want, I don’t want…” Edward shakes his head, not even trying to hide his tears and letting his emotions get out. A little later, the man closes his face with his hands and doubles over, leaning on his laps with his elbows with a little heavy breath. Lockhart understands he is not able to take the betrayal of Natalia. Even though he knows he cannot suffer because of her until the end of his life. Edward has been trying to forget that girl for a long time. But the man keeps reacting even to her name and cannot leave her in the past to keep living with the hope that he will meet the one, who would never do what Natalia did.***
Natalia quickly goes to the quietest location of this place, where there is nothing and nobody but doves walking on the ground, and swans and ducks swimming on a little lake in little crowds. After finding a free bench, the girl sits on it and lets her emotions out, while there is nobody, who could see her like this. Natalia starts to cry as strongly as she has been doing for a few months – since something happened to her. She is shaking strongly and cannot calm down. The girl could hold on somehow, but the fight with Edward struck her down. Because Natalia has not found the courage to tell at least someone what she is worried about, a time bomb is set into motion and might destroy the girl. And all of her close people and her friends might turn their backs on her. Her parents, Letitia and Anthony, have not called her for a few days. And Edward turned his back on her due to the constant lie. If it’s so, Raquelle, Anna, and Terrence will also do it. At least, she thinks so… Natalia is hurt to the bottom of her heart by the horrible insults of Edward, who kind of forgot she was his girlfriend. However, the blonde is sure the man treats her like this for a reason. She does not deny that his charges for lying and betraying are not groundless. It’s not an attempt to hurt and humiliate the girl. Anyway, Natalia thinks it’s too late to change something. And it pushes her to the wish to do something to herself. She understands she will no longer take the nightmare that’s been happening in her life for a long time. The girl madly wants to come back six months or one year in time and live the life that was way better than the one she has to live. But she understands she will never get this chance, and what happened will always stay in the past. There is a barrier in front of her that she cannot get over to let everybody know what’s happening to her. And when she left Edward, tears began instantly flowing. Natalia can do nothing to calm down and forget what happened. Her patience is on the edge. Literally, on a tiny thread. To break down, she needs a little – just one more push that would make her do a stupid thing. She is so obsessed with such a strong depression that she seriously thinks about how to leave this world forever. Even for her close people, Natalia is not ready to overcome what she has to survive. And she, however, thinks they will get mad at her because of her lie and leave her alone. She forgot what happiness was and literally lost the ability to smile and enjoy her life. Her heart is absolutely broken and could hardly be fixed. One knife is put in this one too deeply. To be clear, two knives. One of which is put in her back. The wounds are so deep that even if a miracle happens, and someone does their best to treat them later, a big scar will not be gone. It will always remind her of what happened. “Gosh, I’m so sick of worrying!” Natalia thinks with tears in her wet and red eyes. “I can’t take all of this anymore! I’m on edge! If something else happens to me, I won’t take it and will wish to die! I’m sick of lying to everyone because I would be dead if I opened my mouth. I’d rather let my secret go away with me, so nobody knows what happened to me. My friends and parents won’t be worried. They’ll leave me because of my lie. Just like Mother and Father did… Like Edward did… It’s hurt to hear someone showering me with mud for what I ain’t guilty of. But I can’t tell the truth. I’ll be dead. They didn’t let me do it…” Natalia makes a sob and tries to catch a breath, understanding it’s quite hard for her to breathe, and she literally chokes with tears. “My wounds are too deep…” Natalia thinks, wiping off tears under her eyes. “There are too many of them. They won’t be gone anymore. I wanna die. To stop suffering like this. I’ve suffered too much to keep getting tortured. I can’t be silent about it all my life… Just like I can’t keep lying to everybody and making them think I’m false and deceitful. Edward is absolutely right. I can’t blame him for lying, ‘cause he tells the truth. The truth that he isn’t afraid to say. I messed up everything and did her best for that man to hate me so much.” Maybe, Natalia understands that she should share what she is worried about with someone or just cry on someone’s shoulder. But the girl is sure she should sacrifice her good relationship with her close people. It’s said by someone’s rude voice that always reminds her that she must be silent. Natalia keeps crying bitterly and hating herself more and more for doing such a disgusting thing to those, who wish her the best. Nobody has gone here yet, and the girl is still surrounded by swans and ducks swimming in the lake and doves walking from one side to another. She understands she has only two variants: either telling someone what she is hiding, or leaving this cruel world once and forever and taking her secret away. And no matter how much Natalia wants to choose the first variant, a very annoying voice says that she should keep her mouth shut and keep making people think she is an insolent liar.***
The stranger is still hiding from everyone in almost the quietest place in the city, waiting for a moment to give his enemy a sudden hit on the back and make him pay for all the sufferings. Luckily, he has a trustworthy helper, Victor Johnson, with whom he is now talking on the phone to find out the latest news that someone to be close to the stranger’s offender tells him. “Did you find out something new, Mr. Johnson?” the stranger asks, standing near the window, watching what’s happening behind the apartment where he is hiding and seeing that it’s cloudy and a little cold outside. “Could you make me happy with something?” “Sadly, I don’t have pieces of good news, my friend,” Victor replies. “We can’t move from the same point and choose a moment to make that stinker pay for everything.” “So, is there no hint?” “Even a hint… And I must make you upset by having an unpleasant piece of news that has to do with your family.” “Piece of news?” the stranger rounds his eyes and sharply gets frozen in horror. “But what happened? Did someone suffer?” “Erm, I advise you to sit down in case you are standing. Because you might get excited by what you are going to hear.” “Mr. Johnson, please, tell me what happened,” the stranger begs with pity in his eyes. “Hide nothing from me! I must know literally everything about that fucking scum: what he does, where he goes, who he talks with, and something like that.” “I completely understand you, but, please, keep calm.” “I’m calm, Mr. Johnson, you can speak. I will accept everything you’re gonna say.” “Alright…” Victor sharply exhales and quickly clears his throat. “In short, my informant found out that some people were supposed to get letters with threats a few days ago.” “So, did that scumbag start his plan?” “Yeah, it seems like that man did.” “And how many people were supposed to get letters?” “I know only about two letters for two people. I was told that the helpers of your enemy have already delivered the letters to those people.” “Oh, damn!” the stranger claps himself sharply on his forehead and keeps his hand on it. “So, they’re gonna know a danger is threatening them…” “I don’t think they’ll guess it was your enemy because that man didn’t write his name. I don’t know what he wrote in it, but my informant barely heard that it was written so that it’d be hard for those people to understand who was threatening them, and what they did wrong.” “Hm…” the stranger frowns slightly. “So, anonymous letters… Did his accomplices know where to send the letters?” “Yes, your enemy wrote an address of the home where at least one of the letters was supposed to be delivered.” “And a second one?” “A second one was supposed to be left in another place where someone they needed should have been.” “It seems like that bastard knows where those people are living. Is it a home address?” “Yes, it seems like it’s the address of a residence in the quietest place in the city that is under great protection. I don’t know how his accomplices end up there, but the letter has been sent to the right address by those people.” “Since the address is known, it’s gonna be a double threat for those two. Those stinkers might go there and do something to them.” “Erm…” Victor thinks for two seconds. “It’s not everything. The case is that something else happened.” “Something else?” the stranger steps back from the window and starts to nervously walk in circles in the whole apartment. “You’re starting to scare me, Victor. And I’m starting to think that I lose control of the situation.” “No, my friend, while we know what’s happening in his surrounding, we have the situation under control and have a chance to play some actions.” “Alright… Then tell me what happened.” “The case is that one of the people of your enemy recently committed an attack.” “An attack?” the stranger rounds her eyes. “Who?” “Terrence MacClife. My informant recently told me your enemy ordered that one of his pals scared that guy and let him know that his family would be dead soon.” “What? Terrence?” the stranger shakes his head with horror in his widely open eyes and becomes speechless for two seconds because of the excitement. “That bastard attacked him? Are you sure about it?” “Yes, it’s the information confirmed by my source,” Victor says confidently. “No, no, it can’t be true… I don’t want to believe it…” “But you have to, my friend…” “Say, did he suffer somehow? Did that stinker harm him much?” “I don’t know it. I know your enemy planned the attack along with his pals to let Terrence know danger is threatening him.” “If something happens to him, I don’t know what I’m gonna do… I hope Terrence didn’t let that stinker do something to him and protected himself.” “And yeah, I must tell you that he is one of those, who got a letter with a threat. So, it turns out that Terrence found out about the threat much earlier than he got attacked.” “My gosh…” the stranger closes his mouth with a hand and shakes his head with horror in his eyes. “So, does he also know about me?” “It’s unlikely. That man’s goal was just to tell him that his family got serious problems, and your enemy would destroy him soon.” “Oh, my gosh…” the stranger claps himself on the forehead and exhales sharply. “I don’t like all of that!” “Something tells me that Terrence didn’t almost suffer. Your enemy knows he can stand for himself and wouldn’t let anyone hurt him.” “I have only to hope he really managed to resist that man,” the stranger expresses hope and falls into silence for a second, glancing at the window. “And I hope that I will have the opportunity to meet them and talk.” “I know, my friend.” “You know how much I’m dreaming about it.” the stranger sighs heavily with sadness in his eyes and sits on the chair. “I’m dreaming of seeing my younger son and finding out something about my older one.” “Yes, I know that you don’t lose hope. Even after so many years…” “If only you knew how much I want to let Edward know that I’m madly sorry about what happened.” the stranger runs his hand over his hair. “That I would fix all my mistakes if I could turn the time back upon.” “I get it. But excuse me, I don’t understand why you decided to leave your wife. You loved her with all your heart and still do! People get divorced when they don’t love each other, and it’s disgusting for them to be in the same room. Although you and she often fought when being nervous, you had tender feelings.” “Mr. Johnson, I swear I didn’t really want it. I’m madly sorry about losing my family because of my terrible act and not being able to live with my wife and our children.” “You knew well that if it was hard for you to take care of your children when they were kids, you could always have the help of my wife and me. Lydia and I would have watched them with pleasure.” “I know… But we didn’t want to load you with our problems and make you watch our children. You had a daughter, who you should’ve raised. Moreover, we lived in your apartment because we had no money for our own one. We were literally dependent.” “Come on, we’re long-time friends! For us, it wouldn’t have been a problem. We would’ve been watching Diana and the children of yours. Sometimes you watched my daughter when we had to leave somewhere. So, we could’ve thanked you and watched the boys.” “Oh… Although it wasn’t too good to leave my children with you, it would’ve been much better,” the stranger sighs quietly. “We got so nervous ‘cause we had to take care of two little children and had money issues and problems with my job. And when the guys shouted at the whole apartment and begged us to feed them, change their diapers, put them to sleep, or give them attention, we were ready to go anywhere not to hear the childish shouts.” “But your wife had to take care of her child by herself and try to earn some money after you left her.” “I’m still apologizing to her for giving so much pain. And I am ready to apologize to my younger son one hundred times for not getting enough love and care from me.” “I don’t blame you for anything, my friend, and I know what happened in your family. Moreover, we both know that you had failures for a bigger part of your life because of that stinker, who is going to destroy your whole family.” “But you judge me anyway.” “I don’t deny it. But I know you didn’t want to do it. You told me you wanted to have a big, amicable family so many times.” “Yeah… Now I’ve got four children, but I lost my beloved wife. And I’d hardly come back to her…” “Well, since she hasn’t dated another man for more than twenty years and hasn’t gotten married again, I think that woman keeps being loyal to you.” “Well, if I dream a little, maybe, you’re right. But the reality is different. We’ll never be together. Coming back to each other just because of our children is senseless. I’m glad we actually established our relationship and can talk as good friends and parents of our children.” “I’m sure that everything will get better early or late,” Victor replies confidently with a slight smile. “I wish…” the stranger throws gloomily, slowly gets up from the chair, and starts to walk in the whole apartment, sometimes coming to the window and looking through it. “If not for my children, I would have no reason to live in this world. The meaning of my life is them. My wish to watch them growing up.” “But we both know that you love him.” “They mean the whole world to me. If not for my boys, I would give a damn about everything and let that bastard keep being happy that he’s using what he stole from me.” “You’re talking so much about your older sons, but you literally forgot about your younger ones. Don’t you love them?” “Of course, I adore my youngest children, too. But I haven’t met them since my second wife left me and took them away. She banned me from getting closer to them… And sadly, I know nothing about them.” “Are you missing them?” Victor asks with sadness in his eyes. “Very much,” the stranger sighs heavily, running his hand through his hair. “At least they weren’t deprived of my attention when they were born one by one. I hope their mother didn’t turn them against me and make them think I was a beast.” “I think they should understand that their mother is just hurt and doesn’t want her children to talk about you. If they’ve always loved you and known you’re a wonderful father, no words of their mother will make them change their mind about you.” “Yeah… I don’t know what I’m gonna do if the four sons of mine hate me and think I’m a demon that can’t love and be tender.” “I’m sure it won’t happen. And someday you’d get a chance to speak to all your children.” “I’d like to believe it…” the stranger falls into silence and thinks for a second or two. “I wonder if I had a daughter, would she refuse to speak to me and hate me with all her heart?” “Boys are usually proud and sometimes may refuse to do something because of pride, even if they really want to. But it’s a little easier with girls, ‘cause most of them are more understanding and generous.” “Something tells me that girls won’t be born in the MacClife family soon. Our family has always had more boys. Only boys have been born in the latest three or four generations. I have four sons, my parents had my older brother and me… My grandfather and grandmother became parents of three sons. And my great-grandmother and great-grandfather had one son…” “I believe your genes were stronger than the genes of the mothers of the men from your family.” “I don’t know why it happens, but everybody in my family is fertile, and boys were born in their families.” “So, it’s gonna happen to your children.” “Maybe…” the stranger smiles slightly. “Anyway not giving someone such beautiful genes would be a sin. My Edward has become a very sympathetic boy. He got little dimples on his cheeks. You could see them when he smiled. Though, I rarely saw his smile that he also got from her. Maybe, he smiled, but I was always so busy that I could not notice it.” Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Victor thinks, frowning slightly. “Tell me honestly, did you get upset when your second wife left you?” Victor asks hesitantly. “Just a little? You lived together for a long time. Ten years if I’m not mistaken…” “Honestly?” the stranger thinks for two seconds. “Honestly, not very much. I’m only upset because I’m not able to see my youngest sons. If she and I had no children, I would even be happy to break up with her. I didn’t love that woman. I just respected her as the mother of my children and a workmate. And I’m grateful to her for giving me and the baby Edward a home and accepting him. She treated him well and never wanted me to send him to his mother, so he let us live together.” “But if you loved your first wife, why did you get married to the one you didn’t love? Just because of having a home?” “I would say so. I met that woman at a very good time. She fell in love with me quickly and helped me get a job. Well… To thank her, I decided to answer her feelings and even proposed to her to marry, and she agreed. Thus, I got a chance to live a more or less good life.” “Wasn’t living with that woman uncomfortable?” “It’s amazing, but nope. We got on well and always tried to be open to each other. I didn’t feel discomfort while living with her. And a wish to give Edward a good life wasn’t torture for me.” “I think if he knew the truth about the hard life of you and his mother, he would be kinder to you. Not at once, of course. An offense can’t be forgotten immediately. But Edward will surely make some conclusions…” “It would be great, Mr. Johnson…” the stranger exhales quietly, sitting on the chair after getting sick of walking in circles. “Don’t worry, my friend, everything will be better for you.” “My life will get better only when I don’t have to hide from anyone. And when I take revenge on the one, who stole almost everything from me. I expect my sons’ forgiveness less and less. But I must make that scumbag pay for everything he’s done to me.” “I promise, we will get that man caught. Early or late, he will unconsciously give us a reason to catch him. That man would meet a failure in something.” “You do know it’s quite hard,” the stranger notices in a desperate voice. “Yes, it’s hard, but hope always dies last. A solution might come up when we don’t expect it, or where we don’t look for it. Maybe, we don’t have it now, but we should be aware of all his tricks and know what’s happening in your surroundings.” “I know…” “By the way, what are you gonna do when everything is over?” “I don’t know, Mr. Johnson, I can’t say anything.” the stranger clears his throat quickly, looking at the whole room. “But I can tell you exactly that my life will never be the same.” “Do you think you wouldn’t get what was stolen from you back?” “I think, nope. But I won’t get upset if I can’t do it.” “But what’s gonna happen to you? You’ll have to live somehow, look for a place to live…” “Maybe, I’ll find something… I managed to find it when I got kicked out several times. And this time, I will not be homeless… I’m able to earn money, at least for food and the rent of the most terrible apartment.” “I think your brilliant education could help you find something good.” “We’ll see, Mr. Johnson…” While the stranger runs his hands over his hair and glances at the window, Victor sighs quietly and says nothing for two seconds before he says thoughtfully: “Oh… Excuse me, my friend, but, unfortunately, I have to say goodbye. I need to go a few places.” “Yes, yes, of course,” the stranger replies quietly. “Keep me aware of what’s happening.” “Sure. Goodbye, my friend.” “Goodbye, Mr. Johnson.” The stranger turns off the call, puts his phone on the sofa, and doubles over, leaning on his laps with his elbows. The upset man starts to understand that the situation is getting harder, and he loses control of what’s happening. But this man is sure that he must not give up! If he gives up right now, his enemy will take the victory. But he cannot let it happen if he wants to save his family. So, the stranger is ready to continue the fight and do his best to take revenge on his enemy, who took everything that he had some time ago.