The Secrets Hidden In The Scars

      Meanwhile, Edward is going to visit Rebecca. The man passes a security post without problems, leaves his car in the small parking lot, gets out of it, and takes his bag from the backseat. Then he glances at the amazingly beautiful but quite modest house of the woman and smiles slightly, being happy he would live in a more wonderful condition. Feeling this thought warms him up, Lockhart locks his auto with a key, exhales sharply, and goes to the house of Rebecca slowly but confidently, holding the belt of the bag that he keeps placed above his shoulder.       Edward quickly comes to the hall door, stands in front of it for a few seconds, and then presses the doorbell, starting to wait for some reaction and shifting his weight from one foot to another. He does not have to wait for a long time because Rebecca opens the door some time later and wonders truly when she sees her younger son on the doorstep.       “Oh, Edward…” Rebecca says with a slight smile. “Hi, my dear. I didn’t know you’d wish to come.”       “Hello, Mrs. MacClife,” Edward greets amicably. “Sorry for bothering you.”       “No, no, it’s okay…” Rebecca greets Edward by hugging him tightly and kissing him on the cheek amicably. “I was gonna be watching a TV show, but I can watch its repeat.”       Rebecca steps back from Edward smiling slightly and unconsciously glances at his bag, the belt of which is placed above his shoulder.       “Listen, what’s in your bag?” Rebecca wonders truly. “Did you come with your stuff?”       “Yes, I came with my stuff,” Edward nods and looks down for a second. “You said you’d be glad if I moved to you.”       “Yeah, I’d be… But…”       “Say, can I move in here right now?”       “Erm, yeah, sure…” Rebecca replies a little hesitantly with a slight smile. “You can do it…”       “Erm, aren’t you happy with it?” Edward asks with a little sad gaze.       “No, c’mon, my sweetie! Of course, I’m madly glad! You just doubted if you should’ve done it so much… And I didn’t think you’d decide to move in so sharply.”       “I was reflecting on your suggestion much, and I am accepting it with pleasure,” Edward looks at Rebecca with greater pity. “Please, Mrs. MacClife, let me live with you. I really want it…”       “Of course, my dear, how can I refuse?” Rebecca replies a little hesitantly with a slight smile. “Since you decided to live with me, welcome. Come in the house, please, feel like home.”       When Rebecca steps back from the doorstep and lets him go, Edward slowly enters the house with a shy smile. He comes to the living room, puts his black bag on the sofa, and massages his shoulder, which hurts a little, looking around with admiration and rejoicing that he manages to live in a more comfortable condition with his close person is finally coming true.       “I knew you’d accept my suggestion early or late,” Rebecca confesses, coming to Edward, who turns on her after he hears her voice. “So, I prepared a small room for you.”       “Great,” Edward smiles shyly. “I can’t wait to look at that.”       “Then let me lead you there, so you get used and sort your stuff out.”       “With pleasure.”       “Take your bag and follow me.”       Edward places the bag above his shoulder and follows Rebecca, who turns around and goes to the very beautiful marble, light brown stairs with railings of the same color. While he is going up, the man looks at everything he sees with admiration, not hiding his slight smile. After going upstairs, they go down the long and wide, comfortable hall, which is well-lighted in daylight and nighttime thanks to big windows and a few chandeliers hanging on the white ceiling, the edges of which are framed with baseboard.       Many doors lead to some rooms, a bathroom, a toilet, or a pantry with unnecessary things. There are a few pictures of different sizes painted by unknown painters and a mirror hanging on the white walls. And little tables with vases with artificial flowers in them and a couple of comfortable armchairs are placed in the corners.       Rebecca finally leads her younger son to one of the many white doors that she needs. The woman slightly presses a gold-plated handle, slowly opens the door, enters the room, quickly feels up a switcher in the darkness, and switches on the light that instantly lights up this place. There is a one-person wide bed with a couple of pillows without bedclothes, a little table near it, a light brown writing table with a few drawers, and the door that is made of dark wood and leads to the dressing room in this not very big but not very small room. A little open balcony, on which it’s possible to breathe in some air. No pictures or watches are hanging on the beige walls. But there is a shelf for books or some little things on one of them. Two high-ceiling windows are slightly covered with transparent tulle and could light up the whole room in daylight. And at dark time, it will be lighted up thanks to a gold-plated chandelier hanging on the white ceiling.       “So, it’s gonna be your room,” Rebecca throws her hands up with a slight smile. “You can stay here… Use anything you want… Here is the bed, the dressing room, the writing table, the bedside table… If you want to move or do something, I don’t mind. A common bathroom is on the first floor, and there is another one behind the door near this room.”       “Very beautiful…” Edward replies with a slight smile, looking at the whole room with interest. “That’s what I wanted… Maybe, I’d really change something, but everything is perfect.”       “But if you don’t like this room, I can show you another. A little bigger than this one, but that one has no balcony. And light. Something isn’t right with cables…”       “No, no, I like this one. I will live here.” Edward glances at Rebecca and smiles much wider. “Thanks a lot, Mrs. MacClife, you’re very nice to me.”       “Okay, sweetie, as you wish,” Rebecca smiles shyly after she gets a cute kiss from Edward on the cheek.       Two seconds later, Rebecca frowns slightly and looks at Edward with suspicion.       “But don’t you want to tell me something?” Rebecca asks. “Or will we talk at dinner?”       “Erm…” Edward stutters and puts the bag on the bed. “I don’t even know…”       Edward sits on the bed, glances at Rebecca, and frowns slightly.       “But what do you wanna hear?”       “Well…” Rebecca pronounces thoughtfully, sitting down next to Edward. “For example, why did you decide to move in here so suddenly?”       “You know I wanted to do it a long time ago. I just had some doubts. And I didn’t want to leave the woman I lived with alone.”       “But what made you decide to move?”       “A wish to live with a close person.”       “But that woman is close to you, too.”       “Yeah, but now I want to live here. I don’t know how long I’ll stay here. But if I find housing, I will live alone. Not to bother you…”       “You won’t bother me, my sunshine. Stay here as long as you want. Nobody’s gonna kick you out.”       “I know. But I promise not to stay here too long here and to find a way to start to depend on nobody.”       “You shouldn’t worry about it. If you stayed here forever, I would be happy. Moreover, I always need someone to help me do something that only a man could do.”       “I’m always at your service. If you need help, let me know.”       “Alright, honey, I’ll mean.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, and then Rebecca looks at Edward, who glances at the window with a sad gaze.       “You look kind of sad,” Rebecca shows anxiety. “As if something bad happened to you. A long time ago.”       “I don’t know if I should tell you that…” Edward sighs quietly and glances at his hands. “I believe you wouldn’t get me, either…”       “Why wouldn’t I do?”       “Erm… You see, Mrs. MacClife…”       “Edward, I’m the one, who loves you very much, will always understand you, and will support you. You can confidently tell me what happens to you. I will try to understand you and help you if I can, whatever happened.”       Edward exhales sharply and slowly moves his little tired gaze to Rebecca.       “Okay, what do you wanna know?” Edward asks quietly.       “First, tell me, what made you leave the apartment where you lived?”       “Well… Let’s think, a conflict with Mrs. Richardson…”       “Mrs. Richardson? The one you lived with?”       “Yes… I told her what happened between me and Natalia today, even though I didn’t want to tell her anything. I thought she wouldn’t get me and would judge. And I was right…”       “But what happened between you and Natalia?”       “Today we met by chance in a park. At first, we talked coldly but quietly enough, but our talk slowly turned into a serious fight.”       “Did you have such a serious fight?”       “I’d say so. I’m mad because Natalia lies openly and doesn’t wanna tell me the truth. I tried to persuade her to reveal what she was hiding, but I got nothing. And I heard many insults and reproaches.”       “So, do you confess that you have problems with your relationship with Natalia? Do you wanna say you’re mad at her because she allegedly lies to you?”       “Not allegedly, Mrs. MacClife, she really does. Everybody she speaks with. Whoever I ask, everybody says they know nothing about her, and she tells them everything is fine.”       “But why don’t you want to talk to her quietly and persuade her to say something?”       “You think I didn’t try? I’ve done it many times! Began to do it before we started to date! But I heard just a lie!” Edward shakes his head sharply, moving a few strands of hair off his eyes. “And that gal doesn’t wanna hear the truth about how terrible she is. When I barely said it, she fell into hysteria and said I was crazy and something like that.”       “Don’t tell me you began to insult and humiliate her.”       “I was holding down ‘till the end. But she made me angrier and angrier. The last drop was that she began to call me a coward and said my father didn’t love me because he knew I was allegedly a scum. So, I got mad and started to insult her and say not very nice things.”       “Gosh, Edward…” Rebecca closes her mouth with a hand with horror in her eyes.       “Do you think I should’ve been silent when she was insulting me for nothing? She wanted to slap me in the face and started to beat me on my arms and legs! Rochester was lucky we were where there were people, because she would’ve surely regretted her actions and words. I swear, I would’ve made that liar curse the day we met! Just like I’m cursing the day I fell in love with her!”       “Honey, why did you become so aggressive?” Rebecca shakes her head. “What did Natalia do to you to make you so mad at her?”       “At least because she used me all this time and dated me from fear of staying single. I guess, all men found out what a scumbag she actually was, and they try to keep themselves far from her. But I realized it too late and do madly regret getting in touch with the one, who never loved me. Natalia did confess it and confirmed that her words of love and pledges of loyalty were false.”       “Gosh, Edward, you’re starting to scare me,” Rebecca rounds her eyes. “What did Natalia do to make your relationship worse? You seemed to be so happy when I saw you together for the first time.”       “Seemed, Mrs. MacClife, seemed,” Edward replies gloomily in a low voice. “As it turned out, that girl was using me and lied to me. She didn’t lie to me, at least in something, and told me the truth I was trying to get for a few months.”       “No, don’t say that. That sweet girl loved you with all her heart. She was so happy when you pronounced yourself a couple. It was clear that Natalia had been waiting for this moment for too long, and finally got it when she met you.”       “Mom, don’t say stupid things! Ms. Rochester is a too good actress, who could have anyone wrapped around her finger. And I’m very sorry that nobody sees it. If she swears infinite love and dog loyalty, only naive people, who don’t know she’s a two-faced and nasty scumbag, will believe her.”       “Sonny, how do you dare say it about your girlfriend? Don’t make the same mistake that your friend made when he insulted his fiancée just because he thought she was a betrayer.”       “I should’ve guessed there should’ve been a reason why men left that girl after dating her for less than two weeks. And now I made sure that Natalia is a prostitute, who changes men like gloves but pretends to be an innocent lamb. She is a naive idiot, who believes she will meet a fool, who wouldn’t see she’s a liar and would marry her.”       “Gosh, you don’t know what you say!” Rebecca shakes her head. “How do you dare to call a decent girl a prostitute and blame her for that?”       “If I had the proof of her betrayal, you would also realize what sort she is. I had them, but I don’t have them now. I did a stupid thing when I left them at the home of that liar, who was pretending to be an innocent virgin. And I don’t doubt Rochester got rid of the clues and deprived me of a chance to prove her fault.”       “Excuse me, Edward, but you’re doing the wrong thing. Why can’t you just forget about a wish to insult that girl and quietly ask her to tell the truth? And you lied that everything was fine with you. You did lie! Why do you blame someone for lying, while you’re not innocent?”       “I already learned everything I needed. And now I have no wish to see or hear her. I hope we’ll never meet again, and she wouldn’t make me irritated by her pretense.”       “Do you want to end your relationship so easily because you believe everything you heard for the first time and didn’t try to think deeper? Aren’t you afraid you’d regret what you did later?”       “I regret only one thing: talking to that gal and paying for her at the café on the day we met. My life would’ve been way better if I hadn’t met that pathetic prostitute, who dared to use me so insolently and thought I wouldn’t know about her tricks.”       “Maybe, it is not what you think? Terrence also thought Raquelle betrayed him and cheated on him with a policeman. But, as it turned out, Simon slandered her.”       “These things are different. Because nobody tries to lie about anyone in my case. There is nobody, who would love to slander Natalia and make me believe she is allegedly cheating on me. I do know she betrayed me and used me. And the fact that the girl confessed that is enough for me to hate her with all my heart.”       “So, you don’t love her so much if you refuse to find out if it’s true. And if you really loved her, you’d believe her, not something or someone that makes you think she allegedly betrayed you.”       “There can’t be love. Many decent girls are really waiting for their princes and not pretending to be virgins, who have never slept with men. And be sure, someday, I’ll meet a wonderful girl, who I could love very much, and who would love me back. I know this world has the one, who is destined to become my wife and the mother of my children. And I’ll surely meet her and forget about the affair with that blonde whore, who can use her beauty and wash men’s brains. I’ll be truly sorry for the one, who’s gonna be the next one to get a crush on her gorgeous face and lay the world at her feet. If she’s actually destined to be married, of course…”       “Edward, do you actually believe what you say?” Rebecca wonders, looking at Edward, who is getting more irritated, with her widely open eyes. “You could make some conclusions from what happened between Terrence and Raquelle. You saw such a wonderful example of the wrong type of relationship between two loving people.”       “But I’m not guilty of making our relationship worse,” Edward throws gloomily, crossing his arms over his chest. “Since that girl doesn’t appreciate me, I will also do nothing for her.”       “It’s never too late to establish your relationship. I can give the example of your friend and his fiancée again. At some moment, their relationship got worse, but they found the courage to admit it and work it out. And now you see these two are happy and getting ready for a wedding.”       “No, Mrs. MacClife, Terrence and I are different people. We live different lives, have different opinions on many things, and don’t depend on each other. If you think Natalia and I would reconcile the way Terrence reconciled with Raquelle, you’re deeply wrong. It’s impossible to love when one person doesn’t love another, uses them, and lies insolently.”       “But now you say almost all the same things Terrence said. At first, he was also mad at Raquelle, insulting and humiliating her. But when the truth came out, he eventually started to regret it. I don’t doubt the same would happen to you.”       “Nope, our situations are absolutely different. Raquelle and Terrence love each other. They loved each other even when they wanted to break up. But Natalia doesn’t love me and used me, agreeing to date me just because of fearing that I would be the last one to pay attention to her.”       “Are you sure she doesn’t really love you? What if Natalia said it in anger when you had a too big fight? An angry person could say very much that would insult someone.”       “I insulted nobody and told the clean truth that she refused to confess. Natalia doesn’t wanna honestly say that she’s a spoiled egoist that thinks of herself and insolently lies to everyone she knows.”       “Listen, Edward, I don’t know how Natalia deceived you, and if she actually did. But I really liked this girl and love her as much as I love Raquelle. I know Natalia as a very sweet and kind girl, who literally spreads light and happiness. I always wanna smile when she’s near me.”       “When the time comes, I’ll tell everyone about her adventures and open their eyes, saying she’s not the one she pretends to be. And I give a damn about the fact that they mayn’t believe me. The important thing is to reveal the truth Rochester is hiding.”       “You said Natalia had been hiding something for a few months. Do you know something about it? Why doesn’t she wanna tell the truth? What if it’s very important?”       “Because she’s a coward and thinks lying is better than telling the truth. That idiot has said nothing for five months and hopes to have everyone wrapped around a finger. She probably forgot that the truth would come to light someday. But someone would hardly be by her side and wish to support her. Because she might lose the trust of those she loves. She absolutely lost mine because I don’t stand a lie and don’t trust those, who have lied at least once!”       “Yes, I know lying is very bad, but don’t get stuck on it. Maybe, you did something to make her afraid of you. What if you scared Natalia somehow and made her say nothing?”       “Oh, here you go, as well!” Edward moans quietly, running his hands over his face with an irritated sigh. “Gosh, why do you all think I’m guilty of making Natalia withdraw into herself and say nothing?”       “Since she’s afraid of you, she was supposed to be terrified. Nobody else but you could do it. And I’m starting to suspect you could do it, seeing how you’re behaving and what you’re saying.”       “Mom, please, don’t think so badly of me!” Edward begs with pity in his eyes and softly takes Rebecca’s hands. “Do you really blame me for making Natalia say nothing?”       “I blame you for nothing, Edward. But some actions and words of yours sometimes make me think the poor girl is silent because you make her do it. I haven’t talked to your friends, but I think they could assume it.”       “No, no, don’t continue… I don’t wanna fight with you because of the charges for what I didn’t do. Having a fight with Mrs. Richardson was enough. She openly blamed me for bringing Natalia to such a horrible condition.”       “So, did you fight with that woman and decided to move to me so suddenly because of that?”       “Yes, I fought with her,” Edward says confidently. “And left for that reason.”       “Do you really have to do with Natalia’s trouble and scared her? You would hardly react so wildly if it wasn’t true.”       “Mom, I swear I’ve never scared Natalia or threatened her! I’ve never raised a hand at her! Would there be a point in blackmailing her if I had no reason?”       “Why not? You want to shower her with mud and tell everybody she’s an alleged prostitute, who sleeps with everyone! I think it’s a good reason to make her silent about all the secrets you’re hiding.”       “Your assumptions are far from true. Yes, I wanna open everybody’s eyes to show her real side, but I wouldn’t use it as blackmail.”       “Alright, but why is she afraid of you?”       “I dunno…” Edward throws irritably and glances at the floor. “And I don’t care about it. Whatever happens to her, I’m not gonna solve her problems. May she find another idiot, who would sell his soul for her.”       “What if that girl has a secret that could explain at least something about what’s happening to her?”       “I don’t even wanna hear about it!” Edward sharply cuts off, waving a hand. “I want to know nothing about the scumbag that lies to everyone, used me, and threw me off like an unnecessary dog. After that, I will not humiliate myself and will find another, more decent girl.”       “Ah, honey, I think you’re doing the wrong thing,” Rebecca sighs tiredly. “You’ll regret what you did. And recall my words when the time comes.”       “I’m sorry that you don’t see that she is a fake,” Edward replies quietly but quite gloomily. “But I hope I manage to prove that you shouldn’t believe that girl and her cute face. She’s like a spoiled fruit: amazingly beautiful and delicious outside, but absolutely rotted and disgusting inside.”       “Natalia is not what you want to make her. I’m sure her secret would be revealed someday, and this situation would get clear.”       “I give a damn. I have many things to do and am not going to waste time on the false scumbag, who can deceive people so easily.”       “I’ll remind you again that you’re far from an innocent lamb. You also have the secrets that you are hiding so hard. And they don’t have to do with Natalia.”       “Erm, what kind of secrets am I hiding?” Edward sharply moves his little scared, widely open eyes on Rebecca, clenching his hands into fists and tensing all the muscles in his body. “What do you mean?”       “You know it well, my dear,” Rebecca replies confidently. “There is very much that you want to hide…”       “Mrs. MacClife, listen, I…”       “Edward, don’t make me a stupid, non-educated idiot that could be easily deceived. I do see you’ve been excited and lost since the day you visited me at home along with Terrence. And I’m sure he knows what’s happening to you, but he covered you. Trust me, I know my child very well and know when he doesn’t tell me the truth. Your friend pretends well, but you can’t pretend. You get white and nervous when hearing about your problems.”       Edward’s eyes start nervously to run from one side to another, and he gets a little white and starts to finger over and look at his hands.       “Listen, Mrs. MacClife…” Edward pronounces quietly.       “Edward, I don’t want to meddle in your business if they are personal,” Rebecca says softly, caressing Edward’s hand. “But if you got in touch with dangerous people and started a risky game, an innocent person may suffer someday.”       “Yeah, sure, I get it.” Edward inclines his head slightly and bites his lip. “But don’t worry… No reason to be afraid… Now my only problem is my future life. I need to do something to start living on my own. I can’t live on someone’s account forever.”       “Don’t worry about housing. You can stay at my house for as long as you want. And you will surely find a job. Maybe, nobody would offer you a good job with a great paycheck, but you would probably be lucky later.”       “There are no good offers yet, but I don’t lose hope.”       “Don’t lose hope and don’t give up,” Rebecca smiles shyly. “Remember that perseverance and hard work will lead to good results, early or late.”       “I know, Mrs. MacClife,” Edward smiles back. “I know.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Rebecca quickly looks at the whole room.       “Oh, okay, I think I should give you time to get used and sort your stuff out,” Rebecca says thoughtfully and glances at Edward’s bag placed near him on the bed.       “There’s not so much here, ‘cause I rushed so much that I left very many things,” Edward confesses, scratching the back of his head and glancing at his bag. “For example, my guitar… Mrs. Richardson said it belonged to her late husband. But after his death, nobody needed it because that woman couldn’t play. But when I heard about it, I asked her to let me play it a little. And Mrs. Richardson eventually gave me that guitar, saying I’d need it more.”       “But you can go to her home and take everything you left.”       “No, Mrs. MacClife, I will no longer be back there. Mrs. Richardson disappointed me. And I don’t want to see her anymore.”       “Edward…”       “It’s okay… I don’t need them so much, honestly… And guitar… Well… Okay… I’ll do without it… Though I will miss those wonderful emotions I feel when playing guitar…”       While Edward glances aside, Rebecca thinks for two seconds.       “Listen, I can give you a chance to play…” Rebecca says thoughtfully. “I have an old guitar from Terrence’s father!”       “Guitar of Terrence’s father?” Edward wonders, rounding his eyes. “Did he play guitar?”       “Yes, his dad loved playing some songs,” Rebecca replies with a slight smile on her face. “It was something like joy for him and a way to relax. And I must confess that he played just wonderfully.”       “Wow… I didn’t know that his father played guitar…”       “He often played when Jamie and I lived together. I liked listening to him so much that I often asked him to play. By the way, his guitar play helped me well during both of my pregnancies when I was vomiting for the first few months. I was listening to your dad, relaxed, and forgot about nausea…”       “Wasn’t he busy with work if he found time to take care of you?”       “Jamie always took care of me when I was pregnant with Terrence and when carrying Edward under my heart. Maybe, he got terribly exhausted, but that man became very caring and didn’t refuse to help me when expecting both of you.”       “If it’s true, I’m gonna believe Terrence’s fatehr had some warm feelings.”       “Of course, he had, my sweetie. Terrence and you made yourself think he was a monster. But I’ve known him for a bigger part of my life and don’t doubt what he actually is. He’s a harsh man, I don’t deny it, but he’s not as bad as he thinks.”       “Maybe, you’re right… But it’s personally hard for me to imagine Father in that situation. And I can’t especially imagine him playing guitar… For me, Father and music are incompatible things.”       “A bigger part of people loves music. Maybe, everyone’s taste is different, but their love for music is the same. So, Jamie and I loved singing some old songs… He often played guitar, but I sang along with him… That was awesome… I recall that time with a special love.”       “Can’t you play guitar, either?”       “No, sweetie, I can’t play guitar but have always loved singing. And Terrence really loved lullabies that I sang for him when he was a child. Maybe, he does even remember some of them.”       “Would you sing at least one of them for me?” Edward asks softly. “I’d be happy to hear you singing.”       “I will do it someday. And if his father was with us, we’d sing something for you together. I’m sure you’d love it.”       “Sure…” Edward glances at the high ceiling window for a second. “Listen, Mrs. MacClife, could you show Mr. MacClife’s guitar to me? I wanna look at that and try to play.”       “Yes, sure, it’s somewhere in my room. Stay here, but I’ll be back now.”       Rebecca softly caresses Edward’s shoulder, but then slowly gets up and leaves the room, closing the door. The man watches her with a little sad gaze, but then frowns slightly and thinks a little.       “Wow, my father never loved music?” Edward asks himself. “He was always indifferent when I was playing something, and sometimes it actually got him irritated. I always thought Father hated my love for music and probably wanted me to work with him and my stepmother. But seeing his sonny didn’t aim it, he hated me and my love for music.”       Edward hums quietly, glancing at the empty writing table.       “Nevertheless, if Mrs. MacClife says that Terrence’s father loved playing guitar and singing along with her, I’m starting to understand who that guy inherited a love for music and a talent for singing from. I have no idea of how I got it. Though, there must’ve been someone in our family, who loved music. There must be a reason why I can’t literally live without singing and playing the guitar. I’ve always dreamed of working with someone related to it. Even if I worked as a seller at a musical store, I would be happy to be among lots of musical CDs, vinyl records, and instruments.”       Some time later, Rebecca enters the room, holding a black guitar case that she gives Edward.       “But I’m warning that nobody has played it for ages. I hope it actually plays and didn’t get defects.”       Edward hesitantly takes the case and starts to examine it closely, a little later running his hand over it. He immediately feels the connection with this instrument, the meaning of which he cannot explain, but which makes him smile. And some time later, the man carefully, hesitantly opens up the zipper of the case and takes a dark cherry guitar that looks like a new one. The instrument covered with varnish, thanks to which it beautifully shines under the light, is out of tune, and all the strings are weak.       “Wow, what a beautiful guitar!” Edward exclaims, not hiding his admiration and wide smile, as he looks at this guitar from all sides. “It’s kind of never been touched before… It’s like a new one.”       “And I really love the color,” Rebecca confesses. “So nice, cherry…”       “I agree, very beautiful…”       “And the guitar sounds not worse than it looks.”       “Really?”       “Yes, try to play it a little.”       Edward starts to work with machine heads on the guitar fretboard to tighten or weaken something, setting the sound of every single string and trying to pluck every one of them. And while the man turns on the guitar, he feels a special connection that connects him with his father more and more. Even if he is not with him, the man kind of feels his pretense while holding this thing in his hands. Edward feels much better after getting a nice warmth spread all over his body and making him smile shyly. This feeling is impossible to explain, but there is a wish to feel it over and over because it’s madly nice and close.       “You’re right, Mrs. MacClife, this guitar really sounds wonderful,” Edward says, plucking the strings with a smile on his face. “I’ve never had such an amazing guitar before. Mrs. Richardson didn’t have the same one…”       “This guitar is more than twenty years,” Rebecca notices. “Jamie was too young when he bought this instrument – Terrence weren’t even born… And then he took care of this guitar like a brilliant and treated it very carefully.”       “It’s amazing that it’s still like new and doesn’t have a little scar.”       “First, he took care of it, and now I watch it closely.”       “Such a good thing must be taken care of.”       Edward continues to play a quiet melody on the guitar, while Rebecca shakes slightly along with the rhythm with a slight smile.       “You know, Edward, you’re now playing the melody that your father often loved playing,” Rebecca confesses.       “Really?” Edward wonders truly. “But I’m just playing the melody that I have in my mind.”       “When Terrence was a baby, Jamie played this melody for you very often. I remember you rejoicing when he began to pluck strings. Making some sounds and clapping your hands…”       “Great…” Edward frowns slightly and stops playing guitar, putting his hand on the strings. “And your younger child? Did he like the singing of his father?”       “Really liked! I remember him being happy when his father started to pluck the strings. Making some sounds and clapping his hands…”       “You said that you often left your son with his grandmother.”       “It’s true. We really gave Edward to his grandmother at times because it was very hard for us, and she helped us well. But you’re not quite right.”       “Excuse me, did Mr. MacClife leave you shortly after the birth of your younger son? Or some time was gone?”       “No, Jamie left me when Edward was one year, and Terrence turned three. It happened a few days after his birthday…”       “So, did you live together for one year after my birth?”       “Yes, I was educating Terrence and taking care of his brother for almost one year. But when Jamie and I fought, he took Edward and left. And I didn’t see him since that time and stayed alone with the baby Terrence in my arms. I tried to talk to his grandmother Margaret several times, but she told me Jamie hadn’t left Edward with her and had disappeared.”       Edward, being a little shocked, rounds his eyes and thinks of something for a few seconds.       “Wow…” Edward rounds his eyes and thinks about something for a few seconds. “That’s how…”       “Say, don’t you remember any moments from the time that you lived with your mother, father, and brother?” Rebecca asks. “What if you barely remembered something?”       “No, I remember nothing…” Edward shakes his head. “But if I did, I wouldn’t have been surprised when I suddenly found out that my father had one more son.”       “Terrence doesn’t also remember his brother. But I remember him playing with you often and showing interest in watching me feed you or shaking you in your bed. There were moments when Terrence helped me with that. Of course, he couldn’t do that well, but I won’t forget how warmly he accepted you after the boy’s birth. Terrence wasn’t jealous because his father and I gave more attention to you because he was a baby.”       “Really?” Edward smiles shyly. “But when the children from my father’s second marriage were born, I was terribly jealous of them and Father. Even if he hadn’t given me too much attention and had been busy with his business.”       “I get it, my sunshine. But Jamie and I did our best not to deprive Edward and Terrence of love and care. We wanted to avoid any kind of jealousy – and I think we did it. Moreover, we had been getting your friend ready for stopping being the only child a long time before our second baby was born.”       “I wish I knew how my brother accepted…” Edward says thoughtfully.       “And I madly wish that my family had never been ruined.” Rebecca sighs heavily. “One mistake ruined everything we could’ve had… If we hadn’t done that, my husband, our children, and I would be together…”       “Mistake?” Edward frowns slightly. “What are you talking about?”       “About the fight that led to our breakup. On that day, he took his things and left.”       Edward frowns slightly and calls the memories of Terrence telling him about his memory from babyhood.       “Damn, does she mean that conflict?” Edward asks himself. “The conflict, the witness to which Terrence became? Who was… Three-year-old? So, he wasn’t too little then!”       “Was everything so serious?” Edward asks hesitantly.       “I’d say, yes…” Rebecca replies with sadness in her eyes. “I was sitting at home with Terrence, but Edward was with his grandmother. Their father was back home from work very tired and angry and was complaining about something. It happened almost every single day, and we fought too much because of it. The job of your father was hard, he was earning pennies, and there were two crying children, who wanted to eat… I was literally going insane. Because I had to watch my children and cook dinner for your father. Due to tiredness, I could easily forget it and sleep literally on a walk, while my children were running hungry in the apartment, yelling and crying…”       “And wasn’t Terrence’s grandmother’s help good for you?”       “Your grandmother couldn’t always help us. She lived far from us and couldn’t go to our home every day and stay with her grandchildren. And we weren’t so rich to pay for trips to her. To go to her home, we should’ve literally gone to another end of the city.”       “Now I understand why you fought… Were you too mad due to tiredness and problems with money and food?”       “Yes, and everything was getting worse after every single fight. We started to understand we mightn’t have taken it and might’ve broken up. And that fight became the last drop.”       “Was Father screaming at you? Or… Raising a hand?”       “Sort of. A conflict started because of nothing, but we made it so big that we couldn’t stop and said too many bad things to each other in anger. I heard many bad things from your father and blamed him for all possible sins…”       “And how did everything end?”       “It ended with… The situation got so tense that your father…” Rebecca glances down, not being able to finish her mind, because of which her eyes get wet. “Your father slapped me… Gave me a slap…”       Edward opens his dumbfounded eyes widely and stares at Rebecca surprisingly. And he quickly understands that this situation is so similar to the one that Terrence described when talking about his childhood memory. Now he is well aware that his friend did not lie, and that event was real, not his dream.       “Oh, gosh…” Edward gets horrified, shaking his head. “Father… Slapped you?”       “Yes, he did,” Rebecca sighs heavily and sniffs quietly. “And I won’t hide that I didn’t expect that he’d raise a hand at me. I knew he had a harsh character and was ready to accept that and love him for what he was. But that slap made me fall into a stupor.”       “But, Mrs. MacClife, how could you forgive the man after that act?” Edward softly takes Rebecca’s hands. “He not only raised a hand on you, but also left the family and married another woman! You must’ve forgotten him after that!”       “You’ll hardly get it. But believe me, Terrence's father also fell into a stupor and was deeply shocked. He didn’t also think he’d do something like that in anger, and had tried to control himself until the end. Jamie was really ashamed of his actions and thought he shouldn’t have stayed with me anymore. His father took his things and left Terrence and me along, taking my younger son with him, because of shame, not because our love was gone. He was afraid he’d do something like that again and give a bad example to his children. And I understand him…”       “Maybe, you are covering him? What if Terrence is right, and you don’t want us to think badly of him and know the truth you want to hide?”       “Jamie and I do want to tell your friend all the truth and make him sure that everything is not what he thinks. But he refuses to listen to us.”       “So, do you want to make us think raising a hand on a woman is fine, and Terrence shouldn’t be mad at his father?”       “It’s a part of the truth he should know.”       “He doesn’t need to know more. My friend is sure that his father treated you cruelly for a reason. And now, I doubt that man could be good.”       “Someday, he will know everything. And he will probably understand why I forgave his father, and why we started to speak again. I’m sure, when Terrence knows everything, he will look at his father otherwise and grow a love for him.”       “But why don’t you wanna tell me everything right now?” Edward frowns slightly. “Since you told about the fight that brought you and his father to divorce, tell the rest of it.”       “No, Edward, the one to blame for that situation should explain it. Nobody would tell your friend our story better than Jamie. I think he should explain everything to you. And I have only to confirm his words and add something.”       “Oh…” Edward exhales slowly with closed eyes. “Okay… Then answer one question that makes me worried… Say, was Terrence with you on the day you and his father fought? Didn’t he become a witness to your fight?”       “Yes, he watched our fight on that day. Your friend was crying and yelling loudly from a scare. As if Terrence knew that his mother and father were about to break up. And when his father left, I couldn’t calm him down for a long time.”       “Do you think he was attracted to Father or not?”       “Yes, Terrence was really attracted to his father and always wrapped around him. And after that conflict, he asked me about his father. At first, I had to find some excuses to explain his absence. But when he grew up, I had to find words to explain that his father no longer lived with us.”       “And how did he react?”       “He didn’t believe it, became hysterical, and wanted me to bring him to his dad… It was happening for a long time, but at some moment, he suddenly stopped being interested in him. I thought he accepted that, but when I talked about Jamie somehow, Terrence started to say not very good things about him. And along with that, his wish to protect me got much stronger. After that case, I began to notice that his love for me got stronger. He kind of aimed to protect me from everything and everyone.”       “And what do you think could make him get so angry at Father? He told you something?”       “I don’t know, sweetie, Terrence has always refused to say why he suddenly changed mercy to anger. But I’ve always thought he was mad at him ‘cause he left us at a hard moment when we barely had something to eat.” Rebecca glances at the window for a second. “He didn’t memorize that fight and his father’s slap… He was only three. But children remember almost nothing at babyhood.”       “Erm… As it turned out, he did…”       “He did?” Rebecca frowns slightly. “What do you wanna say?”       “Well…” Edward sharply exhales and glances at Rebecca slowly, biting his lip slightly. “Some time ago, Terrence just told me what you said. He remembers his father’s slap and the way he left… It seems like Terrence memorized that his father had a black case, the color of which lost its brightness.”       “My gosh…” Rebecca closes her mouth with a hand, rounding her eyes. “It’s really true… Jamie left home with his stuff in a black case. So, is that why Terrence hates his father so much?”       “Maybe…” Edward locks his fingers.       “But if he remembers that, why has he never told me that?” Rebecca wonders. “I’ve always thought he didn’t memorize that fight and wouldn’t remember when his father left!”       “I guess it was such a great shock to him that he still remembers everything.”       “No, wait, something is unclear about this situation. If Terrence remembered that conflict, why did he ask me to bring him to his father for a few years? He was supposed to dislike or be afraid of him, as I think.”       “Maybe, he called the memory at that time?”       “Erm… Yes… I think you’re right…” Rebecca thinks for two seconds, putting a finger on her lip. “I think I need to talk to Terrence and find out everything he remembers. Maybe, I will make him tell me the reason why he’s so mad at his father.”       “Do you think he’ll love to talk about it?”       “Well, as he told you about his memory, I think I need to apply some effort to make him explain the reason for the hate.”       “Maybe…” Edward shrugs. “Maybe…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Rebecca looks aside, and Edward watches her with sadness in his eyes and softly caresses her hand that he takes in his hands, making her smile shyly. And then the woman slightly fixes her son’s hair and kisses him cutely on the cheek, hugging him tenderly around the shoulders.       “Okay, my sunshine, let’s not talk about bad things,” Rebecca suggests and glances at the guitar lying on the bed near Edward. “Maybe, you play something for me?”       “Erm…” Edward stutters, biting his lip slightly. “Play for you?”       “I’ve never heard you play and sing in the past few months. Terrence said that you got a talent for playing guitar, but I haven’t heard you yet.”       “Terrence will outstand anyone,” Edward smiles shyly. “He’s got an amazingly strong voice and plays guitar excellently. He was born to become a star of the music business.”       “He doesn’t doubt himself,” Rebecca laughs shyly. “Your friend is always so confident and has never doubted he’s good at everything. He loves absolutely everything about him: appearance, talents, merits…”       “I wish I was as confident as he is… As talented as he is…”       “I’m sure you aren’t worse than your friend and have the same excellent skills in playing guitar and singing. So, to make sure about it, I’m suggesting you play something for me. Maybe, I don’t have a music education, but I’ve never been deprived of an ear.”       “Well, okay… If you want it so much, I’ll play for you…”       Edward takes the guitar and thinks about what to perform for some time, pressing the instrument to himself. And when he finally decides, he starts to play it a little hesitantly, making Rebecca truly smile. The woman already likes the beautiful way the guy sings and plays guitar. The way he plucks the strings skillfully and strikes the chords, even if he looks a little hesitant…       Sometimes it seems like Edward does not apply effort while playing guitar and does not have to closely watch his fingers on the fretboard and what strings they touch. MacClife plays kind of easily and freely. His hands literally know what to do, and the man controls them by using his mind. And what a magnificent voice he has! If the man were a musician, he would definitely have lots of fans, who would admire the soft, melodic tone that perfectly fits the nice melody he is playing.       Two or three minutes later, Edward finishes performing this song and playing the last chords, plucking strings much slower and watching Rebecca, who is listening to her son with admiration and a wide smile and shaking along with the rhythm of the melody that she likes. At first, the man played a little hesitantly, but he loosened up a little in the end and started to play much better. And the fact that the woman applauds at him after he runs his fingers over the strings makes him more confident.       “Gosh, honey, it was incredible!” Rebecca exclaims with admiration. “I am delighted!”       “Thanks a lot,” Edward smiles shyly. “You really liked it?”       “You dare to doubt! I am ready to listen to you forever! Edward, you’re incredibly talented! You’ve got an incredible voice, and the way you play the guitar is above all praises. I don’t understand why you were shy about singing and playing for me. You play as brilliantly as your friend does.”       “Yeah, sometimes I’m really a little hesitant… Even dreaming of performing as a musician on a stage, I’m afraid I couldn’t do it due to fear of a crown of people.”       “C’mon, dear, how could you doubt your talent and lower your self-esteem? Take an example from Terrence, who never doubts anything and knows he’s the best. Or your father, who didn’t have such a great love for music but played amazingly and knew it.”       “You know…” Edward glances at the guitar with a slight smile on his face and runs his hand slowly over it. “When I play guitar, I feel something special. A connection that warms me up… It’s hard for me to explain what I feel, but it’s madly nice… I feel happy while playing it…”       “Who knows…”       “And deep inside, I understand that I really miss my father…” Edward sighs quietly. “Even if he never loved me, I miss those times… At least thanks to very rare moments when Father showed some love for me and even talked to me. I don’t almost remember them, but I know that it happened.”       “I’m glad at least you aren’t as categorical for your father as your friend is.”       “I’d like to forgive him, but I think I can't… The offenses that I’ve kept inside for many years are too strong. For me, it’d be hard, even if Father said he was sorry.”       “I get it, but try to do it. He’s your father, and you shouldn’t ignore him. At least listen to him. And then you’ll decide if you forgive him.”       “Maybe, I’ll find the courage to do it someday. But not at the nearest time.”       “Ah, Edward, my sweetheart…” Rebecca caresses  Edward’s hand and back softly with sadness in her eyes.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Edward, slouching slightly, sets his gaze into the distance. And then Rebecca looks at the whole room and stops her eyes on the bag of the guy.       “Oh, okay, let’s talk about it later, but now you better sort your stuff out,” Rebecca says thoughtfully. “Will you do it before dinner? While you’re here, I’ll cook something.”       “Yes, sure,” Edward nods with a slight smile. “It won’t take much time.”       “Okay, then relax and feel like home. You can use everything you want.”       “Got it, thanks a lot.”       Rebecca kisses Edward cutely on the temple with a slight smile and caresses his cheek. And then she gets up from the bed, leaves the room, and closes the door. Two seconds later, the man looks around the whole room and sighs quietly. And then he stops his eyes on the guitar of his father, over which he runs his hand.       “I’ve never had such an amazing guitar,” Edward says quietly. “I’m gonna make it the most important thing of mine. I’ll keep this guitar like it’s the most valuable brilliant in the world. Even in anger, I won’t break this guitar.”       Edward sighs heavily and glances at his unpacked bag.       “I’m sorry that I couldn’t forgive you before your death,” Edward says with sadness in his eyes. “Dad… And I don’t know if I can find the courage to tell someone what happened to you. Someday they’ll have to know that they may go to heaven after you. Someone named Michael really wanna end them early or late.”       Edward sighs again and lies on the bed for a few seconds, raising his hands above his head, setting his sad eyes on the ceiling, and enjoying the incredibly soft mattress, thanks to which the whole body relaxes immediately.       “Oh, okay…” Edward pronounces, sitting up slowly, and claps himself slightly on his cheeks. “I need to sort out my things right now. I could easily lie on the bed until the morning.”       Edward gets up slowly from the bed, moves his bag closer to him, opens it up, and starts to sort his things out. He puts his clothes in the dressing room where there is still enough space. And in parallel, the man puts some little things on the bedside table near the bed and the writing table. The room is getting nicer and more comfortable, and Lockhart starts to get used to the new, more gorgeous place where he is going to live.       

***

      The next day, Raquelle and Anna decided to spend time at the home of the last one, while their men went somewhere to try to find a way to solve their problems.       “Hey, Raquelle, you look kind of gloomy,” Anna notices, sitting on the sofa in the living room with a cup of coffee in her hands. “Something happened?”       “Nope, nothing,” Raquelle replies a little gloomily, sitting next to Anna and holding a cup of coffee, from which she drinks at times. “Terrence and I just quarreled this morning.”       “Wow… Did you have a big fight again?”       “No, we just… We just recently began to get threats…”       “Yeah, I know, Daniel told me about the letters.”       “So, we quarreled because of those letters. I mean my wish to go to your home. He thinks I should stay home and go nowhere without him, ‘cause a danger is waiting for me literally everywhere.”       “Terrence is just worried about you and doesn’t want anything to happen to you. What’s wrong with him taking care of you and wishing to know you’re fine?”       “I know, and it’s madly nice to me. But I’m no longer a little child that you must constantly watch. And excuse me, but sometimes I wanna stay alone and go somewhere with my friends. I can’t take him with me for girls’ hangouts and make him listen to our talks.”       “I get it, but he’s doing it for your best. You should be grateful to Terrence for doing his best not to let anything bad happen to you.”       “I’m grateful to him for everything he does for me. But if I stay home all the time, I won’t be safe. The one to treat us knows our home address and may visit us. He can send his people to us and tell them to do something to us at any time. But what could I do if I was alone? I could do nothing against those, who might be way stronger.”       “I doubt someone would get into your house ‘cause you’re under good security, and even a fly wouldn’t fly by them. And there are lots of cameras, thanks to which you can see everyone, who shows up in your neighborhood. Only those, who are living there, and who’ve come there many times, could pass by them.”       “It doesn’t make me feel relief. While someone is threatening Terrence and me, I can’t feel safe in my own house. Even if I’m next to my fiancé, it doesn’t mean there’s no threat.”       “And still, I support Terrence in this situation.” Anna tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “You should listen to him. Being home, under the view of your fiancé and neighbors, is better than walking nobody knows where and making everybody search for you.”       “I know, Anna, but if I start to stay home all day long, I feel bad. I should go out and walk somewhere. But sometimes I need to be alone and walk in my favorite places.”       “I completely get it, Raquelle, but now the situation is hard, and your life is in danger.” Anna puts her half-empty cup on a coffee table. “Since you also got a letter with a threat, you have to do with it somehow. Not only Terrence. Or Edward, who probably started all of that.”       “Yeah, but I don’t know who we could hurt so much that they’re threatening us. And what Edward got into…”       “I don’t think that man would be hiding forever. Early or late, you’d know who he is.”       “Well, we surely know he’s very dangerous…” Raquelle also puts her cup of coffee on the table and sighs heavily. “He kind of always knows where we go, what we do, and who we talk with. And Terrence and I made sure about it when we went out to walk yesterday. But that walk almost deprived us of lives…”       “What?” Anna rounds her eyes, staring at Raquelle with horror in her eyes. “What do you mean, it almost deprived you of lives?”       “It’s a long story, but I’ll try to tell it shortly…” Raquelle quickly clears her throat. “So, when Terrence and I decided to go home, we recognized the one to leave a letter on my car and the one to attack my fiancé from the five men.”       “What, what?” Anna shakes her head sharply. “Was Terrence attacked?”       “Yes, about three days ago… On the day, Terrence came here and spent time with Daniel.”       “My gosh…” Anna closes her mouth with a hand with horror in her eyes. “Is he fine? He didn’t suffer?”       “Thank God, nothing serious happened. That man just threatened him verbally and gave him a bruise under his eyes, which, however, is almost gone.”       “Wow, I didn’t know… So, the case is more serious than we thought.”       “Yeah, and now we don’t doubt Edward knows everything about that man.”       “Edward?”       “I guessed he could have to do with it shortly. And my guesses were confirmed after that attack. That man told Terrence his friend knew the one, who started it all.”       “So, was Terrence wrong in not believing you and defending his friend?”       “Yes, now there is no doubt he has to do with that gang somehow. And I wouldn’t be surprised if Edward was actually one of them.”       “And when are you and Terrence gonna make him explain everything? The sooner you do it, the sooner this situation will get clear.”       “We’re planning to do it tomorrow… To invite Edward to our home, pretend that nothing happened, and press him to the wall at some moment.”       “What if he refuses to speak?”       “We’ll make him,” Raquelle says coldly. “Terrence will shake everything out of him. And find out who those bandits that his friend got in touch with are. And what he knows about the younger brother of my fiancé.”       “Younger brother? He knows him?”       “Yes, the one, who attacked Terrence, said that Edward had some information about that guy.”       “Wow… So, is there a chance to find him?”       “Yeah, but getting the confession out of him is not gonna be easy. Though, we will do the impossible and the possible to make it real.”       “Yeah… At first sight, he’s such a sweet and innocent guy that wouldn’t hurt a fly. But he is actually hiding a lot of secrets…”       “I feel we’re gonna suffer a lot because of that allegedly sweet and innocent guy. If everything is much worse than we think, I don’t know what I’ll do to him. And I’m sure Terrence will lose his trust in Edward and hate him if his friend has two faces and pretends to be good.”       “I’m imagining how hurt it would be for him to realize that his friend, whom he got attracted to, was a betrayer.”       “He’s already disappointed in him and can’t wait for tomorrow to tell him everything he thinks of him. Trust me, we’ve got many reasons to dislike him.”       “Hey, why did you come to me if you knew someone’s gang could watch you?”       “I think they’ll leave us alone for some time… They’d hardly torture us every single day the way they did it yesterday.”       “Did those bandits do something to you?”       “I still can’t come to myself after the shock I felt.”       “Tell me what happened?”       “Sure…” Raquelle exhales sharply and glances at her hands. “Well, when Terrence and I saw those men and recognized two of the five, we realized we wouldn’t leave quietly. We found a place to hide, watched them a little, and managed to hear some things from their talk. And we stopped doubting that those people were looking for us.”       “They mentioned your names?”       “Someone from the paparazzi surrounding us knew one of those people told them Terrence and I were at that place. They knew they could find us there and were waiting for us not far from the place where MacClife’s car was parked.”       “Wow…”       “Yeah…” Raquelle sighs heavily again. “We’d been hiding for a long time before they noticed us and started to come to us with knives. But Terrence refused to stay and decided to run away.”       “And you did?”       “Yes, we ran to the car and left that place. But some time later, they caught us in their car and started to chase us.” Raquelle tightly locks the fingers of her hands, tensing the muscles of her body strongly. “Those men were too stubborn. To make Terrence stop, they crushed half of his car. And now he has to pay a few thousand dollars for a repair ‘cause the damages are too serious, and many details must be replaced.”       “Gosh, how awful!”       Raquelle takes her cup of coffee from the table, takes a couple of sips, and puts it back again.       “And then a real hell started,” Raquelle continues. “Because those people weren’t gonna leave us alone, Terrence decided to start a crazy race. And were driving at a high speed for a long time… That’s good the road was empty, ‘cause everything would’ve been over terribly…”       “Race?” Anna shakes her head with horror in her eyes.       “Exactly! I was terribly horrified and thought we would die… Just like my parents did… While Terrence was driving and wasn’t gonna stop, I was thinking about it and literally got my hair white when I thought my life would be over in the same way. If he had been driving for much more time, I would’ve probably died from a heart attack.”       “Gosh, Raquelle, poor girl…” Anna caresses Raquelle’s hand softly, looking at her with pity in her eyes. “I can imagine what kind of horror you felt.”       “I thought I’d kill Terrence sooner than we’d crush in the car. I was getting crazier and got so shocked that I didn’t know what I was doing. And MacClife didn’t listen to me and kept driving. Driving ‘till we got the truck standing in our way. He was getting closer to that one. I thought we’d die, but at the last moment, Terrence turned aside sharply and turned the truck around, and went straight. Later, he said he did it on purpose ‘cause he was sure those men wouldn’t react in time and would crush it.”       “And they crushed?”       “Yes, the driver lost control and crushed it at a high speed. I don’t know if those, who were in the car, suffered, but we saw that the front of it was destroyed and smoking. And then they left me and Terrence alone, and we finally started to drive at a slower speed.”       “My gosh…” Anna barely pronounces with widely open eyes, sharply takes her cup from the table, and takes a big sip. “I… I don't know what to say…”       “I think you understand what kind of horror I felt when sitting in the car and paying that everything ended as soon as possible.”       “But how fast were you driving?”       “The speed was about five hundred miles an hour. Or even two hundred…”       “Two hundred miles an hour?” Anna gets horrified loudly. “Aren’t you kidding?”       “Not at all.”       “Gosh, how awful! Did Terrence go insane? Why did he the hell start to drive at such a high speed? What was this man thinking of when deciding to drive like a driver in Formula 1?”       “I was ready to strangle him for doing that. I thought he decided to torture me on purpose and made me so nervous.” Raquelle sighs heavily and puts her hand on her forehead. “After that race, we stopped somewhere to catch a breath… And I attacked him with charges and shouted like crazy. Of course, now I’m madly ashamed of what happened yesterday, but at that moment, I regretted nothing and said so much that definitely hurt him for a few minutes of the fight. Terrence eventually lost his temple and started to scream at me.”       “And how did you calm down and reconcile? If… You actually did after that!”       “We just went on different sides… I mean, I ran as far as possible away from him after Terrence suggested that I go home on my feet. The distance between that place and our home was very long. I would’ve come there at late night. But I think it would’ve been a good way to calm me down. However, a few minutes of walking in the deserted place was enough for me to start to regret being such a psycho.”       “Oh… I thought you left Terrence ‘cause you thought of Mr. Cameron’s words? Well, if you feel you’re about to fight, better go on different sides and talk later.”       “I thought about it, but I left because of anger. Well… And somewhere at the bottom of my heart, I wanted to give Terrence a lesson and make him excited. And I think I got what I wanted.”       “Well…” Anna rolls her eyes for two seconds. “I think I support you… After that shakeup, you should’ve gotten him a little nervous. I swear if Daniel did that to me, I would give him such a good lesson that he would shake from fear for a long time.”       “I think Daniel isn’t as hotheaded as Terrence and thinks well before he does something.”       “Oh, yeah, you found the perfect word to describe your fiancé – hothead! Anyway, you should’ve hidden well for him to get much more nervous.”       “I think I scared him enough yesterday. And he definitely got a lesson and will think better next time.”       “If only your yesterday’s fight didn’t impact your relationship… I believe you told him very bad things and could think of some past offenses…”       “Yes, I know I crossed the line when I started to think of bad things that happened between us.” Raquelle sighs with sadness in her eyes. “Although we agreed to forget everything, sometimes I think of how unfair Terrence was to me. I think of the way he treated me and start to doubt if I did the right thing when giving him a second chance. But then I shake sharply. Because I understand that I couldn’t live without the man I love anyway. I did promise myself that I would accept all his shortcomings and wouldn’t reproach him for them. But sadly, I can’t always do that.”       “I know it’s impossible to live without quarrels. But I’d like you to find the courage to hold down your wish to blame each other for past sins. Terrence paid a great cost for the things he did, and you understood much. And you realized if you began to date a man, you should take care of him.”       “You know, Anna, I must confess that Terrence and I have lately been nervous,” Raquelle confesses thoughtfully. “First, we may snap at each other and have a big fight. But a few minutes later, we reconcile and passionately kiss to accept forgiveness. Just like yesterday… First, we were shouting at each other like crazy, but then we hugged each other tightly with tears in our eyes.”       “I think the events that have been happening in the past few days have impacted you. Terrence is worried about his band and is trying to help Peter along with Daniel. And there’s no need to hide that even though Edward got into something serious, your fiancé is also worried about his friend and his relationship with our sweet friend… Who you and I are also worried about.”       “I believe so… We’ve been tense for a long time… But now, when we received those letters and almost suffered because of some men, we have many reasons to worry. To worry about our lives, which are in great danger. Terrence and I lived quietly for a few months and managed to have a vacation abroad and establish our relationship. But now we have to worry and do our best not to ruin what we barely saved.”       “Maybe, I can’t help you in the situation with threats or Terrence and Daniel in the situation of the band and Peter. But I can give you support. Find encouraging words or a way to distract you and Natalia from bad things…”       “Yeah, Natalia needs our help so badly. Even if we know nothing about what’s happening to her, she shouldn’t stay without our support.”       “I know…” Anna throws a sad gaze aside and drinks some coffee from her cup. “Hey, how long ago did you see her?”       “When we three were together… On the day, George told the guys to come to him. But did you meet her after that time?”       “Yup, one time…” Anna falls into silence for two seconds. “You know, Raquelle, I must confess that I don’t like her condition.”       “My gosh!” Raquelle gets horrified, closing her mouth with a hand. “Does she look so bad?”       “It’s clear she’s getting worse and worse. And yesterday, Daniel confessed that Natalia reminded him of Peter to some extent.”       “Peter? Gosh, what happened to her if it led to comparing her with the man, who’s had depression for a long time?”       “I’m afraid that she also got it a long time ago, ‘cause she’s losing interest in life and kind of burning down. Somehow, I barely persuaded her to leave home. But when I just grabbed her hands and took her to the door, Rochester had to agree.”       “Does she stay home all day?”       “Almost all the time, as I understand. I don’t understand how you got her out of home on the day we spent time as a trio.”       “It’s strange, but she agreed to go to your home with me almost at once.” Raquelle tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I didn’t apply much effort.”       “Maybe, everything wasn’t so bad then?” Anna frowns slightly.       “I can’t say ‘cause I haven’t seen her for ages. Due to these problems, I forgot about her. I’ve been thinking of those letters and threats, and I've had her personal problems put in a different place.”       “Honestly, I wracked my brain thinking about what could happen to her. But I can think of nothing but something that has to do with Edward. I don’t know what he did to her, but I’m starting to think that Natalia should keep herself far from him.”       “I think Terrence and I will insist upon it, knowing we nearly died because of Edward. Our friend deserves a better man, who would love her anyway, wouldn’t betray her, and wouldn’t scare the poor girl.”       “Yeah, our blonde wasn’t lucky with men, but then she met that guy and believe she finally got lucky. But that’s what he’s doing to her.”       “I’m starting to think it’s really his fault. Natalia had been absolutely fine before she met Edward. If it’s so, he made her suffer somehow.”       “I wonder, how long are they gonna be silent about their relationship problems?” Anna drinks some coffee from her cup. “What’s the point in hiding them?”       “It’s okay, friend, Terrence and I will get the confession about being connected with bandits out of Edward and make him tell what’s happening between him and Natalia. This time, that pretty boy wouldn’t avoid answering all our questions.”       “Well, as you agreed to do it tomorrow, I’ll be waiting for pieces of news with impatience.”       “I’ll tell you everything if we find out something,” Raquelle takes a couple of sins from her cup. “But now I’m suggesting you and me go to her home right now and look at her current condition.”       “Erm, aren’t you afraid of the threats after what happened to you and Terrence? What if bandits catch you again, and you have nobody to protect you.”       “Of course, I’m afraid. But first, I ain’t gonna stay inside four walls all the time. And second, we’re gonna take our way to popular places. Bandits don't do their dirty things where there could be lots of witnesses. So, I’m more or less quiet…”       “Oh, Cameron, getting stubbornness out of you is impossible,” Anna laughs shyly and puts her cup on the table. “If you decided to do something, you’ll go ‘till the end. You can change your mind only if you get a hit on your head.”       “I heard it today!”       “I can guess from whom.”       “Terrence did choose the one!” Raquelle smiles innocently. “I chose him with such a hard character and a penchant for aggression. So, he should accept my stubbornness.”       “He will, but not in case a danger threatens your life. Terrence is doing all of that for you. For your best.”       “I know, Anna, but now I’d like to be far from him and calm down after our morning’s quarrel. Or I will tell him something else that will ruin our relationship.”       “So, did you leave home without Terrence’s approval after quarreling with him?”       “Well… Not quite…” Raquelle puts her cup on the table. “I managed to make him sure nothing would happen. He let me go, but with reluctance.”       “It’s kind of similar to the case when you didn’t let him leave home, but he went here to spend time with Daniel.”       “Agree. I tried to persuade him to stay home on that day, but he didn’t listen to me. And he was eventually attacked by the man we met among those five.” Raquelle sighs quietly and glances at the side of the kitchen for a second. “You know that I’ve never limited him to everything. And I have no right to ban him from something he wants to do. But on that day, I couldn’t get rid of a presentiment that something was supposed to happen. So, I decided to try to ban…”       “Hey, Raquelle, wasn’t that your little revenge?” Anna smiles slyly. “Something like why he can go against your word, but you can’t do!”       “Well, I’d say so…” Raquelle laughs shyly and clicks the fingers of her hands. “Hey, thanks a lot, honey! You’ve found a very good excuse for me!”       “That will work one or two times.”       “I don’t need more,” Raquelle shrugs with an innocent smile. “I’ll say that two times, and the subject about it will be closed.”       “I see you’re trying to keep a positive mood even in a hard situation.”       “At least, I’m trying. I am sick of crying so bitterly. I’ve cried out enough tears over the past two years.”       “Aw, sweetie…” Anna softly caresses Raquelle’s shoulder, looking at her with sadness in her eyes. “I’d like to help you, but sadly, I can’t do it…”       “First, we need to find out everything about that man and then reflect on what to do. But I surely know I wouldn’t take being chased again, ‘cause I barely came to myself after yesterday. I got such a strong shock that I barely overcame a panic attack.”       “Panic attack?” Anna wonders, rounding her eyes. “What do you mean?”       “Well… When I left Terrence after our fight and a little walk, I felt very bad and realized I couldn’t breathe due to very strong stress.”       “Oh, gosh, could something like that happen?”       “It could, Anna… Have you never been too terrified, thought it’s hard for you to breathe, shaken strongly, and been able to barely stand on your feet? When the world gets unclear, and you hear everything through a deaf wall and feel you’re about to die?”       “No, never… Of course, I could get scared by something, but I’ve never done so much.”       “But I got so terrified that I suffered from a panic attack. And…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly and tightly locks the fingers of her hands. “And it happened to me not for the first time…”       “Not for the first time?” Anna wonders. “You had something like that before?”       “Yup… I told nobody about it… But when I was hiding from everyone in Grandpa’s apartment after leaving Terrence’s home, I got obsessed with those attacks several times. But they weren’t too strong, and I was able to control them. However, when I tried to do everything I had done to calm down, it didn’t work, and I felt much worse.”       “Oh, gosh, Raquelle, poor girl…” Anna caresses Raquelle’s hand with sadness in her eyes. “Were you really hiding those attacks from everybody?”       “Aunt Alicia and Grandpa Frederick knew nothing about my attacks. It happened only when I was alone. At Grandpa’s home several times, and on the street a couple of times. In those deserted places where I walked. I didn’t suffer from these attacks with people’s pretense.”       “But why didn’t you tell me anything? If you’d said you felt so bad, I would’ve come to you shortly.”       “At that time, I felt so bad that I wanted to run away from everybody and never meet my close and familiar people. I suffered all alone… I was worried about the threats of Simon, who was ruining my life for revenge on my mother, about the breakup with Terrence that I didn’t want deep inside… About the fight with Natalia, to whom I did just a disgusting thing… Although my relatives knew everything, I didn’t talk to them much about what I felt… I kept everything inside…”       “Oh, friend…” Anna pronounces with pity in her eyes, shaking her head. “Now I understand why you suffered from those attacks…”       “Thank God, I had them several times. When the problems with Simon were solved, they were gone.”       “I’m sorry, honey… I didn’t know you felt so bad… I probably thought of you and realized you needed support too late. And I called only two times…”       “It’s okay, Anna, don’t worry,” Raquelle replies softly, caressing Anna’s shoulder. “I can’t reproach you. You didn’t have to support me… Moreover, you got much nicer and more interesting things than the problems of your friend, who made lots of mistakes and almost lost everything and everybody.”       “You say it like I spent time with Daniel all day long. Even if I wanted to, I wasn’t able to see him often because of my parents. I exhaled with relief when Father and Mother left the city for work. But even their bans wouldn’t have stopped me from wishing to come to you and support you.”       “I know, but there’s no meaning to regret now. It’s in the past, and nobody’s mad at anyone.”       “But I’m still regretting believing Simon, who called me and said lots of bad things about you to make me believe you were bad. And I refused to speak to you for some time.”       “Anna, please, don’t worry about it.” Raquelle takes Anna’s hands, looking at her with a slight smile. “It’s all over, and you’re guilty of nothing. Thank God, that horrible time stayed in the past. And I hope I will no longer meet such terrible men as Simon Ringer.”       “Weren’t you really mad at me? You probably counted on my support! Or you got mad ‘cause I allegedly stood by Natalia’s side and spoke to her almost all the time!”       “No, I had no reason to be mad at you. Don’t worry, sweetie, I have no offense and have never stopped to call you my friend.”       “Your words calm me down, however…”       Raquelle smiles widely and takes Anna in her amicable hug. But a few seconds later, the friends step away.       “Hey, how did you get over yesterday’s panic?” Anna asks.       “If Terrence hadn’t been by my side, I would’ve hardly done it,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully. “I got about three attacks for a few minutes. And he had found me before I got the third one. MacClife helped me come to myself after I almost got choked from a lack of air.”       “I’ve never felt anything like that, but I can imagine what you felt.”       “It’s the same as the moment when someone grabs you by the throat and squeezes it strongly. You try to breathe in and breathe out but can’t do it ‘cause someone cuts off your oxygen. Due to a lack of air, you get a strong shake, panic, and dizziness and feel like the world is getting blurry, and you’re losing the ground under your feet. And add the heart beating like crazy and being ready to tear apart.”       “Oh, I feel creepy after your stories…” Anna confesses, swallowing up nervously.       “And even if you lose consciousness for a few seconds, you won’t get better. For you, these seconds will be like one moment. And when you wake up, you’ll keep choking and thinking it’s the last minutes of your life.”       “I’m imagining Terrence’s face when he was trying to help you.”       “He was also white and scared to death. He tried to hold on so hard, but it was clear my attack got him deeply shocked.”       “Not surprised. Who wouldn’t be scared after seeing a choking person, who you can’t help? But you were madly lucky, ‘cause Terrence didn’t get confused and managed to help you.”       “Yeah, thank God, he found me in time and woke me up… Literally brought me to life… I don’t know what would’ve happened to me if we’d gone separate ways, and I’d stayed alone.”       “You see how much he’s worried about you! You should appreciate everything he does for you. Maybe, Terrence has lots of shortcomings, but he’s a very good man. And I see he’s trying to be better, confessing his character is not perfect.”       “Of course, I truly appreciate everything he does for me and am grateful to him for saving me from death yesterday and not leaving me when I couldn’t breathe. But our conflicts make me terribly upset, even if we reconcile later and try to act as if nothing happened.”       “You can’t live in an infinite tale. Every single day, I make more and more sure that a relationship requires permanent work. Sometimes Daniel and I could also argue about something. But a few minutes later, we get cool and reconcile. Of course, there are things I still can’t take, but I’m doing my best not to succumb to my emotions and not to start a scandal because of what’s not worth it.”       “I never thought you’d have arguments,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “You always feel so good together.”       “But we have them. Our life isn’t like a tale… And when I fight with him, I’m terribly afraid that someone we’ll have such a big fight that we’ll have to break up. But I don’t wanna lose that man so badly. I madly love Daniel and feel he’s the second half of mine, without which I’d have no reason to live.”       “You won’t lose him, friend. Daniel loves you and would do anything to make you happy. Yes, of course, he did a bad thing to Peter. But it would hardly happen to you.”       “Ah, Raquelle, I was never so happy before…” Anna smiles widely. “Any other guy didn’t give me what I get from Daniel. Thanks to him. I discovered that I could feel thousands of times more emotions than I thought. That man helped me get loose and let me have fun to the fullest and be the one, who I was shy to be. Many things got me horrified before, but Daniel taught me not to be afraid of it and to do what my heart wants without a fear.”       “I understand you,” Raquelle replies with a shy smile, leaning back in the sofa. “I felt all the same. And it’s all new to me ‘cause I never had boyfriends. Terrence became the first man in my life. And I hope he will be the last one.”       “The most important thing is not to make a little argument a global problem. Don’t start talking about your past. You’d make the situation much worse. If you fight with Terrence, know when you should leave and calm down. And when your problems are solved, you’ll be much calmer and won’t fight just to get your anger out.”       “Oh, you know, Anna, sometimes I think we wouldn’t live without problems for more than one year.” Raquelle sighs heavily and looks at the whole room. “When we think life finally got better, and we got stronger, something that would make us break down happens. Fate always tests us and kind of wants to ruin any friendship or any relationship.”       “Ah, Raquelle, life is actually a very hard thing,” Anna sighs quietly. “Someone’s lucky, but someone always has to overcome hard things.”       “That’s right…” Raquelle runs her fingers through her hair. “And nobody knows if it’s gonna happen forever, or if fate will give us a chance to exhale someday.”       “Someday it’s gonna get better. We need to wait and believe.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which the friends drink some coffee from their cups and then put them on the table.       “Hey, what about my suggestion to go to Natalia’s home?” Raquelle asks. “Let’s visit her now! Why would you be bored, while Daniel is hanging around somewhere with Terrence?”       “Well, if you’re so sure everything would be fine, I agree,” Anna shrugs with a shy smile. “Just wait for me for a couple of minutes: I’ll do makeup for my eyes and put on a pounder on my face.”       “And put on better clothes. Walking on the street in a comfortable pajama is weird.”       “Erm, no, I’m a well-mannered girl and know well what and where to put on.”       Anna gets up from the sofa with a slight smile and goes upstairs to the second floor to put on something better for a walk than her comfortable soft milk chocolate pajama and do a simple but beautiful hairstyle.       

***

      Meanwhile, Daniel and Terrence are in a quiet café where good nice music is playing, and there are fewer people. All visitors are wearing black clothes – that’s why the mood may be much worse in the gloomy weather. So, Daniel wearing dark blue jeans, black shoes, a gray sweater, and a darker coat, and Terrence, whose clothes are totally black, and who is wearing his favorite black leather jacket, do not stand out thanks to bright colors.       “Hey, Terrence, you look kinda gloomy…” Daniel notices thoughtfully, drinking something from his high glass. “Didn’t ya get more problems?”       “Oh, don’t better ask,” Terrence replies gloomily, holding a high glass with some drink. “Today’s morning started terribly…”       “Did you begin to believe in the omen that if you got outta bed on the wrong side, problems would chase you all day long?” Daniel chuckles kindly, leaning back in the chair.       “I think I’m very close to it,” Terrence laughs shyly. “In this case, even the one, who doesn’t believe in any omens would start to think they aren’t right.”       “Don’t ya wanna tell me what happened? Or it’s a secret?”       “Nope, not a secret… Raquelle and I just had a quarrel this morning.”       “Oh, really? Sorry, dude! Seriously?”       “Not very, but I feel lousy…”       “But why did you quarrel? Wouldn’t you overcome what happened to you a few months ago?”       “I hope we will not do. We quarreled because Raquelle wanted to go to a meeting with Anna. But since someone was threatening us, I insisted that she didn’t leave home alone. At first, she agreed, but today’s morning, that girl became headstrong and decided to do what she wanted.”       “And couldn’t you do anything? She should’ve known she wouldn’t better walk on the street alone!”       “Fighting with her stubbornness is impossible,” Terrence glances at the window. “This girl is incorrigible… And nobody can control her… Neither her grandfather somehow, nor I ain’t able to.”       “Did you let her go so easily?”       “What did I have to?” Terrence shrugs. “We were quarreling for a long time, but I eventually said she could do whatever she wanted. I decided to stop that fight, ‘cause I knew we could easily start to insult and reproach.”       “Do you think she’s gonna be fine? What if those men are watching you and planning to do a bad thing to you?”       “I don’t know, Daniel, I can’t be sure about it…” Terrence leans back in the chair and takes a couple of sips from his glass. “I know I should’ve expressed toughness and, so to say, been a man. But arguing with that girl may take forever. Raquelle isn’t someone, who is ready to obey. Maybe, she’d agree to give in something, but if she wants something so much, only a good shakeup and a strong hit on the head could change her mind.”       “I think you could show some toughness this time…” Daniel says thoughtfully. “For her best… You aren’t gonna literally lock her in the room or tie her up to a bed. Raquelle should know you’re just worried about her and wanna know nobody would do anything bad to her.”       “Sometimes she may make me so furious that I wanna give a fuck about it and think of my problems. But then I get cool and understand I can’t leave the one I love and am really worried about.”       “Maybe, she's been so nervous because of what’s happening now? And she takes it out on you because of that? And you’re probably worried and can’t keep calm when you have so many problems.”       “You’re right, Daniel… Raquelle and I have lately fought very often. After we got the letters with threats, we fought about five or six times… Even if we reconcile, we may find another reason to get excited. I’m trying to hold on not to make little quarrels serious scandals. But Cameron makes me more enraged by her shouts and charges, which sometimes may be funny.”       “C’mon, buddy, did you think you ended up in a tale? It’s life, buddy, take it! Even if you and Raquelle madly love each other, you won’t live without arguments.”       “I know, but before we got these problems, we’d had no problems. Even when I started to worry about the band, everything was fine, and Raquelle supported me. Everything got worse after the day we got those fucking letters.”       “Yeah, I get it…” Daniel drinks some drink from his glass. “But holding everything down is bad. Especially for you. We both know about your explosive character. If you have too much anger inside, the consequences may be horrible.”       “Honestly, I already madly wanna kill someone,” Terrence confesses gloomily, taking the glass in his hands tighter. “But I don’t get better if I shout at someone or crush something. Without a doubt, sometimes it helps you get emotions outta ya. But now it makes me feel worse.”       “Hey, Terrence, you’re a strong man! How did you have such a decadent mood? Are you turning into something like a vegetable that needs nothing because of fighting with Raquelle?”       “I don’t like fighting with someone! I always get a worse mood when I have to sort out a relationship with someone.”       “It’s amazing to hear it from a man like you.”       “Do you think I get pleasure from being furious and screaming at everyone? No, Perkins, I’ve never gotten pleasure from that! I confess that I have a hard character with a propensity for aggression. But sadly, sometimes I can do nothing for myself. I’m trying to be better and control my anger, but sometimes I forget about it.”       “But if I didn’t know you and your character, I’d think you liked being a psycho and screaming at everyone.”       “This is me – a short-tempered man.” Terrence drinks a little bit from his glass and glances at a girl going by for a second. “But trust me, everything was much worse before. I could explode because of anything. I do control myself more or less. But during fights, I may do so much that I may regret it later.”       “Well, as I’m still alive after I’ve laughed at you so many times, I’ve got a reason to believe you’re really able to control yourself,” Daniel laughs shyly.       “When the problems are solved, I’ll be much quieter,” Terrence promises confidently. “Now I’m nervous because of my fights with Raquelle and everything that rained thick upon me.”       “If you mean the band, it’s not only your problem, but also mine. And I’m truly worried about the future of our project. We’re doing our best to save the band, but nothing helps now.”       “And will hardly help…” Terrence thinks for two seconds. “Hey, during yesterday’s talk, Raquelle suggested we don’t wait for September, 20th – the day the two weeks we got are over.”       “So, do you wanna go to George at the PR agency at the nearest time and say that our band is breaking up once and forever? Are you kind of giving up, am I right?”       “Our situation is hopeless, Daniel. Now, its future depends on whether we help Peter overcome a crisis and get him back to the band. But he doesn’t even wanna listen to us and keeps suffering for a reason we don’t know. You and I have tried to call him several times, but his phone is unavailable.”       “So, we have only to find the courage, forget about all our fears and doubts, and go to Peter’s home. This is the only way we can get him caught and talk about everything quietly. He wouldn’t run away from us and would have to listen to us.”       “Do you think he’ll do it? I doubt something has changed since we talked to him at the agency! Rose left the band a long time ago, but we can’t just accept it. Yes, it’s hurtful to say, but we must confess we won’t get the drummer back.”       “Terrence, what’s the fuck happening to you?” Daniel wonders, amazingly staring at the gloomy Terrence, frowning strongly and putting his glass on the table. “How can you say it? When you fought with Raquelle again, you fell into depression, just like Rose did! C’mon, guys, stop it! I won’t be able to save the band alone and get you two outta the hole where you wanna bring yourself in!”       “Calm down, buddy. Maybe, I feel lousy because of my fights with Raquelle, but it won’t make me lose interest in life. Because I know it’s fine for any sort of relationship. Nobody can love and befriend without fighting or just arguing about something.”       “Believe me, sometimes it’s also hard for me, and I wanna give a fuck about everything. But I have at least hope that a solution will be found. If we don’t save the band, we’ll at least help Pete. If we lose a chance to become musicians, it’s okay. But we must save our friend.”       “I know, Daniel, but I think soberly and don’t wanna comfort people and me. I reflect on the situation without illusions and see we have a hopeless situation. And we’ll never find Peter’s friend, who Smith talked with.”       “Agree, we’ll hardly friend his friend. But there’s another way – to go to the blond’s home and convince him to tell us what happened. If we don’t press him and let him know we’re ready to listen to him and wouldn’t mock him, he’ll calm down and tell us the truth.”       “We do know the reason – he isn’t just lucky in relationships with girls. And he rejects them at his wish, no matter how many cuties you introduce him to.”       “Gosh, Terrence, what’s happening to you?” Daniel rolls his eyes. “Some time ago, you were so determined to help Rose, but now you’re ready to give a fuck about him! Maybe, we’re the only ones to help him get out of the depression and solve the problem that doesn’t let him be happy with a girl. You can’t give up! You have no right!”       “I’m not giving up, buddy, I just have less and less hope for a good ending.” Terrence runs his hands slowly over his face and sets his dead eyes on his glass of drink. “Moreover, I have so many problems that make me worried… And yesterday, something much worse than today’s fight with Raquelle happened.”       “Really? I think the worst thing for you is to fight with Raquelle. And if she leaves you, you’ll surely hang yourself from grief.”       “Well… Maybe, I won’t…” Terrence glances at Daniel and folds his hands on the table in front of him. “But I’ll lose the meaning of life…”       “Okay, buddy, tell me what happened to you.” Daniel takes a little sip from his glass. “If you keep being mysterious and secretive like some girls, I won’t be able to understand you.”       “Okay, I’ll tell you everything.” Terrence takes a big sip from his glass and puts it on the table again. “In short, Raquelle and I decided to walk a little. At first, everything was fine, and we spent a good time, but when we wanted to go home, bad things happened.”       Terrence falls into silence for a second and glances at a company of people standing near a glassy display case, on which it’s possible to see fresh products with cacao, chocolate, vanilla, cottage cheese, nuts, and many others.       “We saw a company of suspicious people, among who Raquelle recognized the one to leave the letter to her, and I saw the one, who attacked me,” Terrence continues to say.       “Wait, wait…” Daniel jabs, sharply shaking his head. “Were you attacked? I heard it right?”       “Yes, right… Didn’t you see the bruise under my eye? Here is it!” Terrence shows Daniel a green bruise under his eyes that is slowly but rightly going.       “Listen, why didn’t I see it before?” Daniel wonders, looking at Terrence’s bruise. “Holy shit! What a bruise!”       “It’s going slowly. I often put ice on it… And in some cases, I ask Raquelle to cover it.”       “But how long ago were you attacked? When you and I met the last time, I didn’t see this bruise!”       “It happened after I left your home and went to the beach, where I love being at times. I met a man, who threatened me and gave me the bruise.”       “So, it happened three days ago?”       “Sort of… I also had a little nose bleeding, but I stopped it,” Terrence smiles slightly. “I could say I avoided the worst things.”       “And you said you met the man in that company?”       “Yup, he was among the five men, who were waiting for us. Raquelle and I heard their talk with each other and someone on the phone and realized they were seeking us.”       “But how did they find out you were there?”       “Someone from the paparazzi that surrounded us told one of those scumbags that we were there. And they were waiting for us, closing the only way to our car.”       “Were you watching them for a long time? Did you leave quietly?”       “No, sadly,” Terrence glances at a man that goes by the table, on which he is sitting with Daniel. “Some time later, they noticed us, took knives, and went to us. But I didn’t wanna have business with them and decided to run away. Raquelle and I ran to my car, got into it, and left. We thought we got off them, but they caught us later and brushed half of my car.”       “Wanna say that’s why your cutie became so deformed and got lots of dents and damages?”       “Did you think I crushed it?”       “Actually, yes. I was wondering where you crushed your horse so hard that it needs a little to turn into a great bunch of metal, which you’d have only to recycle.”       “I’m gonna have to pay a few thousand dollars for a repair. Damages are very strong, but it’s possible to fix it.”       “I wonder, how strongly were they supposed to crush it so that the car became something like that?”       “Not only did they crush me. I also strongly crushed their iron thing. They weren’t gonna leave us, and I thought if they cut me off, I’d stop and let them beat me again and mock Raquelle. I would’ve come to them if I’d been alone. But I couldn’t let those bastards touch her, at least with a finger. So, I decided to run and save her…”       “Do you think they wanted to kill you and Raquelle?”       “I dunno what they wanted, but I wasn’t gonna stay there with her, and I swore that I wouldn’t let them hurt her. And those men forced me to start to drive at a high speed.”       “High speed?”       “Yes, I saw they wouldn’t leave us alone. And I thought of nothing better than thinking of my teenage years and starting a wild race. That’s why I started to press the gas pedal as strongly as possible.”       “Damn, MacClife, you’re a psycho!” Daniel gets horrified and takes a couple of sips from his glass. “What if you and Raquelle crushed yourself? What did poor Cameron feel? What were you thinking of when you decided to start to drive fast?”       “I didn’t think Raquelle would recall the death of her parents. I understood it after everything was over.”       “So, did you do first but then think?”       “Yeah, my blame,” Terrence raises his hands. “But I swear I wouldn’t have done that if I hadn’t been sure I’d be able to do it. But I knew I could do it, and I did such a risky thing.”       “Listen, what if you crushed your car yourself, but tell me those scumbags did it?” Daniel squints slightly. “You crushed all poles, cars, and trees in your way but blamed them?”       “No, Daniel, I crushed nothing during that race. I kept good control of the situation and was able to drive at the speed of one hundred and fifty miles an hour. And when I saw the truck far from me, I decided to do something for those men not to have time to react and turn aside. It’s very hard to sharply turn and go straightly at high speed, but I did it and got what I wanted.”       “Seriously? How did you do that?”       “Quite easily! I sharply turned aside and around the truck a few centimeters away from it. Those stinkers didn’t react in time and crushed it at a high speed. I saw that the front of their car was destroyed and smoking. It was a too risky thing, but that’s what made them leave me and Raquelle alone.”       Daniel says nothing for two seconds and takes a big sip of a drink to wet his dry throat.       “Yeah, man, I’ve always known having a business with you is dangerous,” Daniel exhales sharply, shaking his head. “You’re a crazy suicide bomber! Driving at one hundred and fifty miles an hour! Only a stupid moron could think about it! Couldn’t you find another way to get off those men and save Raquelle from them? I can imagine what the poor girl felt while sitting in the car with such an idiot like you!”       “I thought it was better than staying there and getting wounded with a knife.”       “What if they just wanted to put a knife against your throat, not to kill you? They would’ve told you a few words and left you alone!”       “Do you remember what the letter says? It says we will be dead soon! And the man, who attacked me, mentioned his boss, who was revenging us, and let me know that scumbag would go ‘till the end.”       “I get it, but was it so hard to think of Raquelle just a little? Or did ya want to feel like a hero, imagine that you were acting in a movie and pretending to be a driver that could drive at the speed of one or two hundred miles an hour?”       “If I’d thought about her parents earlier, I would’ve found a better solution. I didn’t have a goal to scare Raquelle to death, and I just wanted to save her from those bastards.”       “But you scared her. Your fiancée is not a crazy girl, who loves adventures. Furthermore, her parents died in that way.”       “I know… And I’m not surprised she got hysteria and started to scream at the whole salon and blame me for all sins.”       “Huh, she did!” Daniel hums, crossing his arms over his chest. “She must’ve started a scandal! I would do what would be the reason why you’d be afraid to drive. I’m surprised she didn’t actually kill you with her own hands.”       “She could’ve done…” Terrence says thoughtfully. “While she had a wave of aggression, I heard lots of insults and charges for the past sins and those that I’ve never done.”       “I’d be much more surprised if Raquelle had hung on your neck, kissed you, and thanked you for almost killing her. She should’ve kicked your ass hard and taught you a good lesson, so you think better before doing such crazy things next time.”       “Daniel, stop reproaching me,” Terrence throws a little irritably. “I know I did a bad thing and could’ve really killed Raquelle and me.”       “Okay, okay, dude, sorry, I didn’t wanna hurt you,” Daniel raises his hands up. “But you really did a bad thing. You’re a smart and wiser man, but you didn’t work your brains better.”       “Trust me, I paid a great cost for my act and had to overcome what made me madly excited and nearly die from fear.”       “I’d like to know how. Did Raquelle find a way to teach you a lesson and kick your ass?”       “Erm…” Terrence rolls his eyes. “You know, sometimes they say a problem unites people… And I think it’s true…”       “Problem? Oh, shit, MacClife, don’t tell me you got into something else after all of that!”       “I didn’t. I tried to liquidate the consequences of the previous one. And it started after Raquelle started to shout at me and blame me for all my sins. She got me so furious that I just kicked her out of the car and told her to go home on her feet. Well, that headstrong girl really agreed to go thousands of kilometers and ran away somewhere while I was examining the car and counting the cost of a repair.”       “And while she was doing what one crazy idiot told her, she got into some problems?”       “No, luckily, she didn’t go too far. It took a long time to find her, but I noticed her a few miles away from the place where we stopped. When I got a little cool and thought of her parents, I left my car and went to find her.”       “But she was still mad at you, refused to go anywhere with you, and preferred walking all alone in a place she didn’t know?”       “No, idiot, who tries to joke wittily! She also calmed down by that time and apologized for behaving like a psycho. But then Raquelle did what made me shake.”       “So, what was her cruel revenge on her own fiancé for such a ‘wonderful’ adventure?” Daniel asks with a quiet chuckle, folding his hands on the table.       “Raquelle got suddenly white and cold and started to shake strongly. It was getting harder for her to breathe, and she could say no word. And a little later, she just fell on the ground and kept getting tortured by a lack of air…”       “Wow!” Daniel rounds his eyes. “Her heart was beating like crazy, she was obsessed with a fear of something, she thought she was dying, and she had a strong dizziness?”       “Erm…” Terrence pronounces hesitantly. “Yeah… It happened… She looked so terrible that I was really horrified. I didn’t know how to help her, ‘cause I had never seen anything like that before.”       “Had you never watched a person choking?”       “Yup… Because of that, I got a little confused and fell into a stupor, holding her white, soft body in my arms. I thought of all the worst assumptions about her condition. And while I was trying to come to myself, she even lost consciousness for a few seconds.” Terrence thinks for two seconds and exhales sharply. “Damn… I was really terrified and nearly went insane while trying to wake her up. That fear paralyzed me. I could do nothing, and I forgot everything about a first aid kit. I forgot everything!”       “Yeah, the poor girl got too frightened… So much that she got a panic attack… Quite a terrible and disgusting thing… When you think you’re gonna die with hard tortures…”       “You say it as if you felt it.”       “No, I didn’t feel it. But I’m well aware of panic attacks and know how to help a person, who suffers from them. I had a friend, who had those attacks very often. But the reason was not fear, but some mental issues. A panic disorder.”       “Wow!”       “When it happened to my friend for the first time, I was also terribly scared, got confused, and thought he was dying. But later, he explained what he was sick with. I read something about it on the Internet and then helped my buddy every time he got an attack. So, if someone got a panic attack with my pretense, I’d calm the person down.”       “I’m sorry I didn’t have your help. Because I experienced it for the first time and didn’t know what to do. The only thing I thought of was to hug her tightly and talk to her softly. Those ten or fifteen minutes she was suffering from the attack were a real hell.”       “It’s one of the ways to help. You did the right thing. You need to make the person sure that everything is actually fine, and there’s no reason to be afraid. Moreover, Raquelle was too scared after the race. It happens when something brings you to a real agony.”       “Yeah…” Terrence exhales sharply. “The poor girl had to experience a real hell… Fear of the speed and thoughts of her parents, who died in a similar situation… Thank God, the brake of my car is wonderful, and no lines were cut…”       “Believe me, buddy, after that nightmare, she won’t wish to drive fast in the city for a long time. You did say she sometimes liked to press the gas pedal stronger on a free road…”       “At least, she’s not afraid to get into a car,” Terrence shrugs.       “Well… If you start another similar race, Raquelle will surely be afraid of getting into a car with you and alone.”       “Okay, stop it!” Terrence, rolling his eyes, moves strands of his hair off his hair, which annoys him. “I did say I was sorry! And I paid a great cost for that when I almost died when seeing my deathly white and choking fiancée.”       “Okay, okay, don’t get so excited!” Daniel raises his hands up. “Don’t kill me in anger!”       “If I hear another phrase about my act, I swear you’ll go home on your feet. You’re gonna take a very long way. You’ll manage to die from tiredness several times. I know that you aren’t a fan of sports and rarely have workouts.”       “Alright, alright, dude, I’m silent! I don’t really wanna go home on my feet. And I don’t have enough money to pay for a trip on a bus or a taxi.”       “Don't ask me to borrow it – I’ll give you no cent!” Terrence chuckles kindly.       “I didn’t ask! But I’d be happy if you gave me at least a few dollars for a bus.”       “Too much!” Terrence drinks a little bit from his glass. “Driving you in my car is enough.”       “Okay, shabby peacock, I got you!” Daniel exclaims and quickly cleans his throat. “Better tell me about Raquelle… Did she calm down when you found a way to do it?”       “Yes, but I must confess it was very hard to wake her up. But when she started to speak after becoming speechless for some time, I realized I was on the right track and kept doing what I was doing ‘till she calmed down.”       “Oh, what an adventure…” Daniel exhales sharply, drinks some drink, and runs his hand through his hair. “Although you’re a brainless idiot, I feel sorry for you anyway.”       “Hey, I forgot to mention that it happened to Raquelle not for the first time.”       “What do ya mean? Wanna say she had similar attacks before?”       “They happened several times when she lived in the apartment of Frederick, her grandfather, after our fight. But she was hiding it from him and Alicia, her aunt on the mother.”       “Hm, but how did she hide it?” Daniel frowns slightly. “Someone should’ve seen she wasn’t fine!”       “Attacks happened only when she was alone and was too worried because of that bastard Simon, who almost ruined her life. She got rid of them verbally, but it didn’t help her yesterday. She felt much worse and didn’t overcome the attack without someone’s help.”       “Poor girl… That scumbag sucked much blood outta her.”       “He already got what he deserved and will never bother her again,” Terrence exhales sharply. “But there is someone else that wanna destroy her and me.”       “Hey, how does Raquelle feel now?”       “Today’s morning, she didn’t even think about the attack and acted as if nothing happened.”       “So, what are ya gonna do? Now it’s clear those people and their boss won’t leave you alone and may go much further than letters with threats or catching you on the street.”       “Next, Daniel, we’ll start a plan called 'Revealing the personality of my mysterious friend,'” Terrence says confidently.       “Your friend? Did you believe Raquelle’s suspicions and decide to shake your friend up?”       “Now, there’s no doubt about it. Raquelle and I have many reasons to believe Edward has to do with all of it. The man, who attacked me, said that my friend could tell us very much about the one, who’s revenging us. And the letter says that if we know who to ask, we will discover some secrets.”       “Okay, tell me more about it, please…” Daniel folds his hands on the table.       “After that event, I made sure Raquelle was absolutely right when suspecting Edward for everything. If that man called his name, that kid really has to do with something serious.”       “I have nothing against Edward and don’t wanna blame him without reasons. But it seems like your friend gave you and your fiancée many problems.”       “Yeah, that rugrat starts to disappoint me more and more. I wouldn’t be surprised if we knew he is connected with bandits and has been pretending to be good to do dark things and harm us somehow.”       “Do you really think your friend could be connected with bandits?”       “Who knows what may be hidden underneath the cute face of my bro. I’m sure Edward does know he’s pretty and uses it well, so nobody thinks about demons that he’s hiding.”       “And if you know that Edward may know about that man, what are your ideas for revealing him? Something tells me that guy wouldn’t say anything easily.”       “Don’t worry, Perkins, I have a plan that will help me reveal Edward and make him confess everything he’s hiding. Maybe, he’d even love to tell me not only about his boss and his pals, because of whom Raquelle and I almost died, but also finally confess what happened between him and Natalia.”       “What kind of plan?” Daniel drinks some drink from his glass. “Are you sure it’s gonna work?”       “I won’t tell you all the details. But I’m gonna make it come true at the nearest time. Maybe, even tomorrow.”       “Do you think your friend would love to tell you something?”       “I will make him!” Terrence says coldly, confidently. “This time, that little rag won’t avoid an answer and change the subject. Because Edward is connected with bastards, Raquelle and I almost died, and she got those fucking attacks, because of which she really looked dead.”       “What if Lockhart’s sudden disappearance has to do with his business?” Daniel falls into silence for two seconds. “The last time I saw Edward happened a long time ago. More than one month ago… He’s probably done many things…”       “I haven’t also met him for a long time… But he called me several times, and we talked on the phone about the latest news… And during our last meeting, we went to my mother’s home together. But it was just an excuse to talk to Edward and find out the truth about his relationship with Natalia. But I got nothing.”       “I feel that the more time passes, the more we know about your friend. He ain’t as innocent as he wanna be…”       “It’s gonna be one of many reasons why an appearance sometimes may be deceptive, and a real demon may be hidden inside a good angel. My relationship with Edward will get worse, and I doubt I'll be able to trust him.”       “I’ll be sorry if that guy is really a betrayer. You got attracted to him and were happy your wish of a brother or a sister came true.”       “Yeah, it’s really hurt to think Edward could do it. Anyway, I will wait for Raquelle and me to reveal him. And when he confesses everything, we’ll think about how to treat him, and whether my friend is really so terrible.”       “Anyway, hold on, Terrence,” Daniel smiles to encourage. “Whatever happens, your friends and close people will be by your side.”       “Thanks, Daniel. I’m glad to hear you support me.”       Silence settles in the air for two or three seconds, during which Terrence and Daniel drink a little bit from their glasses. And then Perkins throws a sad gaze to a window, and MacClife just watches everybody, who is at the café and doing their business.”       “So, what about the band?” Daniel asks with sadness in his eyes. “Do you really think it’d be better to disband the band earlier?”       “It would be a good decision in our situation,” Terrence replies a little hesitantly. “But I wouldn’t like to give up. Because our effort would be wasted for nothing.”       “I wouldn’t like to, either… And every single day, I realize more and more that I must keep fighting…”       “But my wish is getting weak, and I wanna give a fuck about it more and more.”       “No, you’re just sick of your problems and feel like a vegetable. There are too many of them, and it’s hard for you to solve them.”       “You’re right, but the problem is not only about it… I’m just starting to accept the fact that… I wouldn’t become a musician… No matter how talented I am… Fate doesn’t let me end up where I’ve wanted to be all my life.”       “Are you used to getting everything easily? Wanted to get famous around the world – got it! Fall in love with one of the most beautiful women in the show business – she got a crush on you at once! Sometimes you need to give some effort to get something.”       “Yeah, maybe, there’s a part of the truth about your words. But I didn’t get everything for my beautiful eyes. I worked hard to get at least a little part of what I’ve gotten for a few years. And I would be ready to work hard if I had a chance to show myself. But I don’t have the one, ‘cause my band is about to break up.”       “We’ll do our best to save it,” Daniel replies confidently. “While there’s a chance to get everything back, we need to use it.”       “I’m afraid that everything is coming to an end of the story that didn’t even start. I swear, Daniel, I won’t get upset if George wants to cancel the contract and give a fuck about us. I’m starting to think that Raquelle suggested me a good idea, ‘cause I’m really sick of it. Smith got me really exhausted for the few days that Rose and you didn’t show up.”       “You know that he makes me irritated, as well. That man could easily insult us without a reason. Even if we do nothing. I’ll be happy to stop the collaboration with Smith and give him the money. But if we save the band, we’ll hire another manager and change our whole team if someone has something against us. There are many people, who could become our managers and producers. We could search for PR agencies, email them, and agree about a meeting with those we like.”       “If only we get some suggestions,” Terrence laughs quietly and drinks a little bit. “What if Smith is the only one, who is ready to work with us…”       “Well, okay… If you’re so sure a way to the show business is closed, it won’t make us leave our hobby. Even if the band is broken up, we can start playing instruments in my garage again and record videos just for fun. And our fans would be glad we’d start publishing covers on YouTube again.”       “Like we did in the old times?” Terrence smiles slightly.       “Right! I did really get pleasure when we were recording videos for our covers.”       “I agree, it was cool… For me, it was the way to distract myself from my problems with Raquelle and not to think we were about to break up.”       “So, let’s start doing it again?” Daniel drinks a little bit from his glass. “I think it’d be good for you! You’ve been too gloomy and serious lately.”       “But your life is excellent, and you quickly got kinder and made sure that we could do anything.”       “Damn, MacClife, why are you so annoying? I understand you’ve got lots of problems, but you should be happy with what you have! You’re engaged to such a wonderful girl, whom millions of men around the world want, but you lack something. Any other man would be jumping from happiness if he was with such an attractive girl.”       “You’re quite happy with Anna without a marriage. You’re living together, she keeps cleanliness and order in your house, and you always think of the delicious food that your beauty cooks.”       “But I don’t exclude that I’ll marry her someday,” Daniel smiles mysteriously. “Anna Is the girl that I need. With her, I feel truly happy and get tons of positive emotions. She always knows how to support me and make me sure that I can do something.”       “First, ask her parents for a blessing,” Terrence laughs shyly. “They don’t like you much and wouldn’t definitely like to see you as their son-in-law.”       “Someday I will get it. Anna can’t hide from her parents and let them know anything about our relationship forever.”       “The parents of that girl are too severe. They wanted to see another man from their circle as her husband. And something tells me Anna’s mother and father wouldn’t accept the fact that she chose you.”       “But I don’t lose hope of conquering their hearts someday. I do want them to know about me and my relationship with Anna. I would stop being afraid that they could do something to me.”       “So, if you’re so sure you’d have enough charm to get the love of your potential mother-in-law and father-in-law, I’m wishing you luck,” Terrence shrugs.       “Thanks, Terrence,” Daniel takes a sip from his glass. “Early or late, I’ll get it.”       Terrence smiles slightly and glances at a young girl and a young guy, who come to a free table with plates in their hands and sit on it, laughing shyly.       “M-m-m, I see everything is very serious between you and Anna,” Terrence notices with a mysterious smile. “So serious that you even started to think of marrying.”       “Yes, I really see Anna as my wife somewhere in the future,” Daniel confesses thoughtfully. “I love her and think I’m madly lucky to meet such a wonderful girl. Even though I hadn't thought of serious relationships before. Well, I hung out with girls I barely knew, but I dated nobody longer than one month. I just had fun in my free time.”       “Did you like her shortly after you met her?”       “Yup. At least, I had a crush on her appearance. After seeing her for the first time, I thought she looked like a dolly. A very beautiful doll, with which girls play in childhood… But I don’t mean I thought that girl was an empty shell. I mean, she’s gorgeous. When I just looked at her face, I realized I was charmed by her.”       “Anna is really a very beautiful girl. And very educated. It’s always been easy for me to talk to her, and she’s always been nice to me. She actually tries to be polite with everyone.”       “I quickly realized she wasn’t one of those frivolous girls that you could meet at parties. So, I tried to be polite and shy. At first, I wanted to become her friend and got on well with her quite quickly.”       “And how long were you wooing her?”       “Well, for one month… And it happened that we confessed our love to each other and started to date some time later. Everything happened fast, but I felt very happy and enjoyed every moment we spent together. I gave a fuck about how long ago we met and how much we knew about each other. I just loved that girl and wanted to be with her.”       “Everything happened between Raquelle and me quickly,” Terrence confesses with a shy smile. “I liked that girl shortly after we met, even if I madly wanted to strangle that bitch. But I looked at her and thought, ‘She’s gonna be my wife!’ And she is gonna be the one soon.”       “Yeah… You definitely liked the fact that the girl didn’t behave the way other girls did and refused to have sex with you at your first meeting.”       “That’s what I liked about her, I liked the fact that she made me work hard to get her attention. That was a very interesting quest. That I have to pass over and over to tame Cameron and make her do what I want. Predictability and easy access are boring. It’s funnier to live with the one, from whom you might expect anything, and who can tickle your nerves.”       “It’s not a secret that you’re a little masochist.”       “And even if it’s sometimes hard to live together, I’ll always love her. It’s hard to be together, but harder to be apart… Yes, that girl is unbearable. Cameron loves getting me nervous and sometimes becomes hysterical. But I can’t do without her. She’s the reason why I feel alive. Raquelle gives me an ocean of emotions and doesn’t let me feel bored. But she gives me her care and her support when I need it.”       “It sounds like you’re weaned to her like a drug.”       “She is my drug. The drug that makes me happy.”       “You know, I think if you solve your problems, you’ll stop fighting. Now you are just nervous because of what’s happening. The problem with the band, with Peter, with Natalia, with Edward… You can’t stay indifferent when you’ve got so many problems but don’t the fuck know how to solve them.”       “I think you’re right,” Terrence replies thoughtfully, setting his gaze on his glass placed on the table. “I’m worried about Edward, Natalia, Raquelle, Peter, our band… And I don’t forget that Raquelle and I promised to solve problems together. So, we should help each other. Not because we promised, but because we love each other.”       “Raquelle is a wonderful girl. You must take care of her and do your best not to lose her. If you lose this brilliant, you’ll lose very much. And someone else will probably take this jewelry with him.”       “No! Cameron is only mine! I won’t give her to anyone!”       “Anyway, don’t limit her freedom, but don’t let her do what would put her in danger.”       “I’ve never limited her freedom, and I don’t ban her from doing something. Raquelle can speak to all of her friends and go wherever she wants. I don’t get nuts when she talks with men, who drool over her. And I ain’t gonna lock her in her room and literally ban her from everything. Now, it’s just the time when she should meet her friends less. At least until we reveal Edward… It would be better if her friends went to our home. They could always lock themselves in our room and talk there.”       “Has Raquelle ever limited your freedom?”       “Nope, she doesn’t usually threaten to tie me up to a bed,” Terrence laughs shyly. “Raquelle tried to hold me only once – when I went to your home on the day I got attacked. She has very good intuition. She’s almost always been right when saying something should’ve happened. It’s not magic or supernatural powers, it’s just a sixth sense…”       “Oh, listen, dude, what if Raquelle took revenge on you?” Daniel assumes with a sly smile.       “Took revenge on me?” Terrence rounds his eyes. “But for what?”       “For not listening to her and for being a headstrong donkey!”       “C’mon, Perkins, don’t think up!” Terrence shakes his head sharply. “She couldn’t do that to me!”       “Oh, don’t be so naive, MacClife,” Daniel squints slightly and folds his hands on the table. “You do know that woman may be very sly and creative. So, Raquelle decided to kick your ass a little and do what you did to make you worried.”       “Do you think she did it on purpose?” Terrence frowns slightly.       “Well, maybe, not on purpose… But I’m ready to bet you hear something like this if you ask why she did that. Or she won’t think about it, but her sweet friends will make Cameron think so.”       “So…” Terrence glances aside for a second. “If it’s true, she’s gonna explain very much to me. Thanks for warning me, buddy, I will remember that.”       “But, please, try not to fight. Either she’d kick your ass or you’d get nuts and scare the poor girl much stronger than you did yesterday.”       “Okay, Daniel, we’ll try to solve everything in a good way. Maybe, I may be nuts, but I can always agree and conclude a truce if arguments are good.”       Daniel chuckles kindly, and then Terrence does the same. Then the men drink a little bit from their high glasses, mixing soft pieces of fruits lying on the bottom with a straw. In order not to fall into depression, the friends later decide to talk about something nicer that does not have to do with what’s happening now.       

***

      Some time later, Raquelle and Anna drive up to the high skyscraper, where there is an apartment where Natalia is living. Luckily, their trip finished with no problems, and the girls laughed and joked about some things. When they leave the car in the closed parking lot for autos, get out of it, and lock it with a key, Anna and Raquelle quietly go to the elevator to go up to the tenth floor.       “I hope she’s home,” Raquelle expresses hope, entering the elevator and pressing a button.       “Where could she go?” Anna replies confidently, leaning on the wall of the elevator with her back. “Since I barely got her outta home the last time, she went nowhere and is now feeling bored alone.”       “Yeah, what could happen to her if she stopped going out somewhere? Natalia couldn’t stay in the same place and often went somewhere to have fun, but now you could get her outta home by kicking.”       “Clearly, something shocking that impacted her much… Is Edward really the one to blame for everything? How did he get Rochester so nervous that she’s getting worse and worse every day?”       “Don’t worry, Anna, we’ll find out everything. And if Natalia’s terrible condition was caused by something that Edward did, she will never get close to him. We’ll tell her parents everything, and they’ll do everything for it.”       “And I hope she’ll forget that guy and believe she'll meet a decent man again. I know it’s gonna be very hard, but Natalia should do it if she wants to be happy and beloved.”       “We’ll do our best to help her. No matter how much time it takes, we won’t leave her at such a hard moment.”       The elevator finally goes up to the tenth floor, and Raquelle and Anna leave it after the door opens. The girls take some distance down wide halls and finally come to the door they need. When they slowly stop in front of it, Raquelle and Anna look at each other, and the red-haired girl presses the doorbell. After a few seconds of waiting, the door opens, and the friends see Natalia, who looks broken, depressed, and sleepy. Her hair is brushed up in a disheveled tuft, she is wearing a little crumpled pajama, and there is no makeup on her white from tiredness face.       Raquelle and Anna get horrified when they see their friend, who looks probably much worse than before. They never saw Natalia in such a bad condition, and they start seriously worrying about her psychical and mental state. However, the friends decide to say nothing about it.       “Oh, hey, girls…” Natalia pronounces sleepily with a false smile, scratching the back of her head. “I didn’t know you’d love to come… You could warn me… I would’ve gotten ready…”       “We didn’t also think we’d come to you…” Anna lies with a slight smile.       “Yeah, we were just going by, thought of you, and decided to visit you,” Raquelle adds amicably. “Moreover, I met you a long time ago the last time, and I missed you.”       “Aw, my dears… I missed you, too…” Natalia hugs Raquelle and Anna and shares an amicable kiss on the cheek.       “You look kinda sleepy and confused,” Anna notices thoughtfully, looking at Natalia better. “Were you sleeping?”       “Erm…” Natalia stutters and glances aside. “Yeah… I fell asleep accidentally… I wanted just to lie on the sofa and didn’t notice that I fell asleep…”       “Does it seem to me, or have you lately slept too much?” Raquelle asks thoughtfully, putting a finger on her lip. “You were also sleeping when I came to visit you.”       “Yeah… Can’t deny it… I’ve lately, really been too lazy…” Natalia wipes her eyes that got sticky after sleep. “Oh, why I’m holding you on the doorstep… Come in, girls, feel free…”       Natalia steps back from the doorstep and lets her friends come into the apartment. After looking at each other, Raquelle and Anna confidently enter it, looking at everything they see on the way and noticing that being in the apartment is not quite nice because their friend has not cleaned it up for ages. It’s possible to see a thick layer of dust on all surfaces, and some little things lie on the floor, and the girl is not going to get them up.       “That’s so good you decided to come,” Natalia says after she locks the door, comes to Anna and Raquelle, and leads them to the living room. “I’ve lately felt so lonely… I have to live alone in such a big apartment…”       “Well, if you went out somewhere, you wouldn’t feel so lonely,” Anna replies thoughtfully. “You looked yourself in four walls and don’t wanna just go out and look at other people.”       “But I don’t stay home all day long! Yesterday, I walked a little in a quiet place… Although it was quite cold, I liked it anyway.”       “I hardly believe it!” Anna sits on the sofa when she, Natalia, and Raquelle come to the living room and puts her purse with a little belt near her. “As I got you outta home by kicking, you wouldn’t leave by yourself.”       “Don’t you believe me?” Natalia wonders, sitting down next to Anna.       “Sorry, friend…” Raquelle also joins her friends, sitting on the sofa with them and putting her little purse near her. “But knowing you’ve lately been a homebody, we hardly believe you walked somewhere.”       “Listen, don’t make me a recluse! I don’t stay home all day alone and often go out somewhere. For example, do I need to buy something from food if it’s gone? I could order something on the Internet, but I go to a shop and buy everything I need. Thank God, I don’t have money issues, and my parents will transfer it to my card if I ask them to.”       “By the way, how are they doing? How’s your grandmother?”       “She’s kinda fine… Grandma still keeps a positive spirit.”       “You say it as if your parents don’t call you,” Raquelle frowns slightly.       “No, they do… Of course, rarely, but they do… To ask if I need something…”       “Haven’t you reconciled with your mother?” Anna asks with sadness in her eyes.       “No, sadly… But now Father is also a little hurt… Mother doesn’t call me at all, but Father just asks me if I need money.”       “Wait, wait, did you fight with your mother?” Raquelle asks, staring at Natalia surprisingly.       “Yeah… Didn’t Anna tell you that?”       “No…”       “Sorry, I had no time to tell you,” Anna shrugs.       “My gosh…” Raquelle closes her mouth with a hand and shakes her head. “But why, Natalia? You always got on well with your mother and were very close to her!”       “She just believes I don’t tell her everything and gets very upset,” Natalia replies quietly, inclining her head and looking at her hands. “And Mom got so mad at me that she called me an egoist, who thinks of herself. Through you two know well it’s not true!”       “Of course, we do, sweetie,” Anna replies softly, caressing Natalia’s hand. “But don’t forget that you can say anything in anger. Your mother will calm down soon and realize you’re not so bad.”       “Yes, friend, don’t worry,” Raquelle repeats, pretending that Anna and she suspect nothing but thinking Natalia’s mother is absolutely right. “Mrs. Rochester is probably worried about your grandmother very much and may take it out on someone. She feels bad now… And it would be much worse if your father hadn’t agreed to help her…”       “Yeah, I get it…” Natalia sighs quietly. “But… It’s so hurtful that Mother said it… She knows who I really am but says I have no coincidence… And I’m allegedly not ready to sacrifice anything for my close people, while they do anything to me.”       “Don’t pay attention, Natalia,” Anna says amicably. “We don’t doubt how good you are and will always be by your side, whatever happens. And you’ll reconcile with Mother. And your dad still loves you.”       “Hey, how long ago did you fight with your mother?” Raquelle frowns slightly.       “Erm…” Natalia stutters, scratching the back of her head. “I don’t remember right, but a long time ago… And since then, she hasn’t called me. And when I asked Father to call her on the phone once, he said she refused to talk to me.”       “Do you think she’ll be mad for a long time?” Anna asks. “I always thought Mrs. Rochester wasn’t so offensive and could calm down quickly.”       “I dunno, Anna…” Natalia shrugs without emotions on her face. “Maybe, I’d ask Father to call Mother again and try to talk to her a little later.”       “Haven’t you tried to talk to your father and persuade him to make your mother softer?” Raquelle asks.       “Yup, he tried to talk to her, but she’s headstrong…” Natalia sighs heavily and shakes her head. “I don’t know why Mother got so mad at me and believed I was so bad… I did nothing bad.”       “It’s gonna be okay, honey,” Raquelle replies softly, caressing Natalia’s hand. “Anyway, you’ll talk to Mr. and Mrs. Rochester when they’re back in New York. If they don’t wanna talk to you now on the phone, they’ll do it when they’re back.”       “Sure… Father recently said when Mother and he were back here, they would talk to me about me…” Natalia glances at her hands and looks at the lines on them. “I don’t know what they wanna hear from me. But I’ll try to do everything to reconcile with them.”       “You will reconcile with them, we’re sure,” Anna smiles slightly and glances at Raquelle, who slightly shrugs and shakes her head, understanding why Natalia’s parents got mad at her but not finding the courage to talk about it.       “I wish…”       “Hey, don’t you know what about the moving of Mrs. Lascano? They’re kind of determined to bring her here!”       “They will drive her here,” Natalia replies quietly. “Maybe, my parents will go to Mexico two more times to take some things and Grandma Adriana herself.”       “Yeah…” Anna leans back in the sofa. “Moving is quite a hard thing… And moving from one country to another is much harder. But that’s good moving into Daniel’s house was quiet enough, and I didn’t get serious problems thanks to his help.”       “Agree, it’s really very hard…” Raquelle agrees, starting to slowly wrap a strand of her hair around her finger. “I remember how Grandpa Frederick and I spent the whole day moving from our apartment to a new one… We took our personal things and the furniture… How many boxes were put in the truck that we ordered! And then we spent another day sorting it all out… We felt terribly exhausted after that…”       “Well, moving into Terrence’s house didn’t take a lot of energy from you,” Natalia smiles slightly, putting an arm on the back of the sofa. “Moreover, your pretty boy helped you carry all your bags, so you don’t take them with you.”       “That’s why I’ll completely understand your parents when they have to carry everything from one country to another.”       “I must confess that they got a little tired of this situation and wanna solve everything as soon as possible. But they completely understand they should do it at least to reach Grandma in case she needs help.”       “That’s good they get it,” Anna notices with a smile. “Anyway, they know they can always count on you.”       “They need just to ask me to help them,” Natalia smiles falsely, trying to look natural so hard, but her face looks quite tense. “And prove to them that I’m not an egoist, as my mother thinks. If I have to, I’m ready to go to the doctors with Grandma and do everything she needs for therapy.”       “It’s gonna be okay, don’t worry,” Raquelle replies softly and confidently. “It won’t happen forever. Someday your parents will realize they’re wrong and apologize to you.”       “I hope, Raquelle, I hope…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Natalia looks at her hands folded in front of her, and Anna and Raquelle look at each other, completely understanding that their friend knows the reason for her problems is that she hides so hard.       “Hey, Anna, what about your parents?” Natalia decides to change the subject.       “Nothing,” Anna shrugs. “I haven’t met them since I saw them the last time.”       “Oh, did you see your parents?” Raquelle wonders, staring at Anna.       “Yup, I saw them by chance… But I didn’t expect to see them.”       “My gosh… But how long ago?”       “About one week ago. But they didn’t notice me, ‘cause I hid and tried not to show up.”       “So, didn’t they see you?”       “Yes, when I told Daniel, there were my parents, he got scared, of course, but hid me not far from the place where they were talking.”       “And didn’t they really notice you?” Raquelle wonders, rounding her eyes.       “Thank God, no! First, they confronted each other and someone on the phone because of something, and then they began to go where Daniel and I were hiding. I thought we’d get in trouble! My parents would drive me home and do something terrible, and I’d never see my sweetheart. But my handsome guy didn’t get confused again and chose a good moment to run away and not to get caught by my father and mother.”       “Wow!” Raquelle smiles slightly, still playing with her hair. “He’s a good guy! Quickly realized what to do!”       “Gosh, it’s clear he just got scared of meeting those people face-to-face!” Natalia laughs shyly. “Perkins knew if those people found Anna someday, he’d no longer see her ‘cause they’d do their best to get them separated.”       “I don’t laugh at him at all…” Anna chuckles kindly. “But gosh, girls, he had such scared eyes! When Daniel heard there were my parents, he sharply got terribly white from fear.”       “Yeah, meeting your fathers-in-law and mothers-in-law always makes you worried,” Raquelle says amicably. “And knowing who Anna’s parents are, I’m not surprised Daniel got so scared.”       “But I also got him a little scared by saying they could easily report him to the police and blame him for kidnapping me,” Anna confesses shyly. “Of course, he tried to make me sure it wouldn’t happen, but Perkins got very scared of being put in prison.”       “You did cross the line, of course, friend,” Natalia laughs shyly. “It’d be okay if you were underage – your pretty guy could really get arrested. But you’re an adult girl, who decided to leave at her wish. And you did warn your parents you’d leave, explaining everything in a little note. There could be no questions if an adult, capable person does something by the wish.”       “But knowing my parents, I wouldn’t be surprised if someday the police went to his home to search for me.”       “Stop, Anna, if understanding people work in the police, they can explain to your parents that you left to live with your boyfriend by your wish,” Raquelle says confidently. “And if you meet them and explain everything, they’ll have to accept your choice. They should know if you chose Daniel, they can do nothing to tear you apart.”       “I’m afraid Father and Mother will never accept Daniel, at least because he’s not from their circle. They do speak to terribly boring people, who pretend to be respectful masters and always keep their noses up, saying they are perfectly educated and have brilliant manners and a wonderful education. Yes, maybe, manners are wonderful, but I feel bored talking about what they like. If I talked about something strange to them, they would look at me like an idiot, who forgot nobody knows what.”       “When they realize everything is too serious about you, they’ll stop annoying you and trying to marry you off the one you don’t love,” Natalia replies confidently. “And if you and Daniel have a wedding, and they know it after you get a document, their effort will be wasted for nothing.”       “Hey, girls…” Anna smiles widely, rolling her eyes for a second. “Daniel and I had a talk yesterday… And do you know what he hinted at?”       “What?”       “He would like to spend all his life with me,” Anna puts her hands folded together to her mouth. “I might get married to Daniel very soon!”       “Gosh, does Daniel really wanna marry you?” Raquelle asks with a wide smile.       “Did your pretty boy tell you that?” Natalia asks with a slight smile on her face but sadness in her eyes.       “He didn’t say it exactly, but he dropped a hint that he might propose to me someday,” Anna replies thoughtfully. “Gosh, girls, I do want it so badly! I don’t doubt that I madly love Daniel and wanna get married to him! That’s the man I wanna live my life with!”       “I wonder what you told him if he started a talk about a wedding?”       “Nothing special… I just told him I wasn’t gonna leave him in the nearest few years. And Daniel was surprised and said he planned to live with me ‘till we would get older or death would tear us apart. And he gave a hint that we wouldn’t be unmarried and live together ‘till the end of our lives. So, it means I can hope that a gorgeous ring given by my sweetheart will shine on my finger someday.”       “Gosh, friend, that’s so great!” Raquelle expresses happiness, caressing Anna’s hand. “I’m so happy to hear it! Daniel isn’t definitely gonna leave you.”       “Yeah, but Daniel and I had never talked about it before,” Anna notices shyly. “We’re just living together, enjoying each other, and appreciating every single moment.”       “You’ll have at least to think about it, early or late. You’ve been dating for five months. Although everything started too soon, I think it doesn’t mean your relationship will be short.”       “Ah, Raquelle, I’m so in love with Daniel that I could get married after two or three months of a relationship. I don’t need any other man but the only one that made my life an incredible fairytale.”       “Don’t rush, Anna. Think better,” Raquelle glances aside for a second. “Or what happened between Terrence and me might happen to you. We magically saved our relationship. And we began to really take care of each other. I realized that man was much closer to me than I thought. I realized that I wanted to get married to him.”       “You’re just destined to be together,” Natalia smiles shyly. “Alicia’s friend somehow told you your relationship with your husband would be hard, but you’d be together because you were made for each other.”       “And we feel bad apart. We can fight and get each other irritated as much as we want, but I’d feel bad without him. Yes, MacClife sometimes gets me madly wild! I do wanna grab a heavy skillet and hit him in the face! But I love him anyway. I’m attracted to that hot-headed idiot. Even if I keep wondering how I could love him. The man, who acted as if I belonged to him at our first meeting.”       “You didn’t mind it,” Anna laughs shyly. “If you’d wanted, Terrence wouldn’t have even come to you.”       “Yeah… On the day we met for the first time, I didn’t think he’d become my husband. I would’ve laughed loudly if someone had told me that!”       “But, as you see, it happened!” Natalia smiles innocently.       “But the mission of living quietly with him is gonna be hard.” Raquelle cracks a slight smile at her engagement ring. “Every single day of life with Terrence is like a volcano. With him, I feel so many emotions that I feel dizzy.”       “We know that guy loves something spicy,” Anna chuckles kindly. “You’ll never be bored with him.”       “Yeah… I always thought my future husband would be quiet, decent, and shy. But my destiny is a crazy, shameless, and selfish peacock, who pronounced himself a god of everything and everyone.”       “We’re shocked, too, honestly,” Natalia confesses.       “Anyway, I love that man. And my inside voice says it’s mine. He’s gonna be only mine.” Raquelle moves her little sad gaze to her hands and sighs quietly. “Yes, maybe, Terrence and I have a bad period, but I know we’d overcome it and be happy again.”       “Erm, do you have problems with Terrence?” Natalia frowns slightly.       “Yup, something… Not very serious, of course, but they make me upset. Terrence and I have lately had little conflicts at times. We may fight even because of little things… Sometimes I may reproach him for something, and sometimes he gives me some claims.”       “It’s not amazing in this case. You two have lots of problems, because of which you’re worried and nervous. But I think when the problems are solved, your relationship will get much better.”       “Yeah… We’re really worried about each other’s problems and sometimes may break down when we reach our limit.”       “And that’s why something like that happens to you sometimes,” Anna continues.       “Well, sort of…” Raquelle shrugs.       “Don’t worry, friend!” Anna comforts, softly caressing Raquelle’s hand. “It’s gonna be okay! The important thing is not to fight so much to go separate ways again and start to shout you’re breaking up.”       “No, I would be crying my eyes out all day long,” Raquelle shakes her head.       “I won’t let you do that!” Anna replies confidently. “I’ll be doing my best for you to feel much better. And not to stay alone, as it happened the last time, when we left you from fear to suffer because of that sick idiot.”       “And if we have a chance to reconcile you and Terrence, we’ll use it,” Natalia adds and claps Raquelle on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, Cameron, your six-foot tall handsome guy won’t go anywhere. If we have to, we’ll tie him up to a chair.”       “Oh, gosh, Natalia, you can make me laugh…” Raquelle laughs shyly. “I think you two wouldn’t have to do it. MacClife won’t leave me. He will not dare to reject such an attractive beauty as me.”       “Oh, oh, I feel someone got infected by her beloved fiancé…” Anna smiles slyly.       “Since I became a model, I’ve gained much more confidence. If I put on clothes that make me more attractive, I feel eternally beautiful. And the fact that all men adore me and literally pray to me like an idol is very nice to me.”       “Yeah, Terrence has to be nervous…” Natalia laughs shyly. “If he relaxes, there will be a line from those, who wanna be with our attractive friend.”       “He does know I need him with all his shortcomings. And I’m madly afraid to lose the one I can’t imagine my life without.”       “I understand you, honey…” Anna says with sadness in her eyes. “You know well how much I’m worried about my relationship and afraid it will be over someday.”       “Yes, I know you’re afraid to lose Daniel. But trust me, you’ve got no reason. He thinks you could be his fiancée and wife.”       “I dunno what I’m gonna do if someday he gets sick of living with the fear that my parents will find us and do something to him. There’s a part of the truth about my words – my parents would do that not to let me be with my sweetheart.”       “Stop, Anna, it won’t happen,” Natalia replies confidently. “You’re an adult and can decide what to do. And how could your parents prove that Daniel holds you allegedly against your wish? Idiots don’t work at the police and wouldn’t get someone arrested if they didn’t have what would prove their fault. Words wouldn’t be enough.”       “I know, but I’m afraid to lose him anyway…” Anna glances at her hands. “I fall in love with him more and more. I used to just live and have fun, but now I have a meaning in life and a reason to be happy. There is not me without Daniel…”       “You won’t lose him, Anna,” Natalia promises with a true smile. “Daniel is a wonderful guy, who praises you. I think you’re very lucky to meet the one, who takes care of you so touchingly. Although he seems to be cold and insolent outside, that guy is very soft and kind inside.”       “Well…” Anna rolls her eyes for two seconds with a slight smile. “His cold gaze will get any bad people away from me. But when being with me, that man will give me his warmth and care. Now it’s cold, and we’re gonna lack warmth and nice emotions…”       “That’s what a real man should be: growling at your enemies and showing tenderness to his beloved girl.”       “That’s right…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, and then Natalia and Anna notice that Raquelle thinks about something and does not listen to what they say.       “Hey, Raquelle, what are you thinking of?” Natalia asks softly and waves a hand in front of Raquelle’s face. “Hey, friend, the Earth is calling you!”       “Nothing…” Raquelle smiles shyly and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “Just thought of something…”       “Would ya share with us?” Anna asks. “We wonder to know it!”       “Well…” Raquelle glances down for a second and looks at her friend with a wide smile. “Girls, do you believe in love at first sight?”       “I do!” Anna replies confidently. “Because I felt it when I met Daniel. I was charmed when I barely looked into his eyes. And I madly liked the smell of the perfume that he used. I don’t know what it smelled like, but it drove me crazy at once.”       “If you hadn’t been with Natalia on that day, you would’ve probably joined him. He was kind alone, and I think he had nothing to do.”       “With great pleasure… But at least I thought of getting his number and giving him mine. So, we contact and agree on a meeting.”       “Yeah, unlike our friend,” Natalia laughs. “Who didn’t behave like all girls and teased MacClife much more.”       “He shouldn't have been rude to me and felt me up against my wish!” Raquelle exclaims. “I did what that man deserved. And I wasn’t gonna dance attendance upon him and satisfy his lusty wishes at our first meeting. Though I wasn’t actually gonna date that idiot.”       “Well, you know, I didn’t also think I’d date Daniel,” Anna confesses. “I thought we’d just go on a couple of walks and then forget each other.”       “But you quickly charmed that handsome guy with really incredible eyes,” Natalia notices. “Charmed him so much that he started to think of a wedding!”       “He’s the one to blame!” Anna laughs. “He shouldn’t have played with his eyes and found a reason to meet me! And then given me flowers and driven me crazy by the smell of his perfume!”       “Ah, Anna, I also lose my head from the smell of Terrence’s perfumes!” Raquelle smiles widely. “And that scumbag does always come to me very closely, so I breathe in the smell that literally clouds my mind.”       “That’s why you couldn’t resist when he began to accost you,” Natalia smiles mysteriously.       “Definitely,” Raquelle smiles with the corners of her mouth. “Anyway, Terrence made me feel tons of emotions. Which I wanted to feel again and again.”       “You’re lucky to have him,” Anna says confidently with a slight smile. “Of course, Terrence can’t be called an innocent angel, but he’s a good guy. You should appreciate him and do your best for you not to regret your decision to get married.”       “You know I’m doing my best not to let another possible breakup happen,” Raquelle sighs quietly.       “Do you remember what Mr. Cameron told you after you and Terrence reunited?” Natalia asks. “I think he gave you very good pieces of advice that you should always follow if you wanna have no regrets about your decision to connect your life with MacClife.”       “I always follow his pieces of advice. For example, when Terrence and I fought yesterday, I barely thought of the words of Grandpa, who said if I felt we were about to have a big fight, I’d better leave. Especially knowing his hard character… And I think we should’ve really stayed alone for a while, ‘cause we calmed down and apologized for saying many bad things to each other.”       Raquelle sighs with sadness in her eyes, quickly looking around the whole living room and tightly locking her fingers.       “Today’s morning, we had a fight again,” Raquelle adds. “But that’s good it wasn’t so serious ‘cause I left in time, and our scandal didn’t become a grandiose catastrophe.”       “Don’t you wanna say what became a reason for those conflicts?” Anna asks.       “No, I don’t… At least now… And after every fight, Terrence and I always ask each other to forget about conflicts as if they didn’t happen. But it doesn’t save us from fights… And we’ve quarreled and reconciled several times over a few days.”       “C’mon, friend, you understand even a strong love can’t save you from conflicts,” Natalia says quietly. “It’s quite fine… Even my parents, who’ve had a good relationship for almost thirty years, may argue about something. Of course, they don’t fight as much as you and Terrence do, but it happens.”       “I know, Natalia,” Raquelle nods, setting her gaze into the distance. “I just don’t like all these conflicts… They make me sad… I wanna live in peace with those I love…”       “No person likes fighting with someone,” Anna notices. “And nobody especially wanna lose and leave close people. There are no people, who have never fought with anyone. All of us have fought with someone at least once.”       “Yeah, you’re right…” Raquelle smiles slightly. “But sometimes I wanna live without conflicts and either befriend everyone or treat them well. Without hate and jealousy…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which the friends look around or their hands, and then Anna looks at Natalia and Raquelle, saying:       “Okay, girls, let’s distract from our problems a little. Or we’re gonna go crazy.”       “Well, I’m for,” Natalia shrugs with a shy smile. “What are everybody’s suggestions?”       “Well, I don’t mind watching a movie… Taking all the delicious food from your refrigerator, sitting on the sofa, and watching something interesting.”       “I like your idea!” Raquelle exclaims, clicking her fingers. “We can check out what’s translating on TV or choose a movie on Netflix.”       “Then let’s watch something! The men of you and me are gonna hang around somewhere and talk about their problems for a long time. So, we have nothing to do home alone.”       “Absolutely agree,” Raquelle glances at Natalia. “What do you think, Natalia?”       “I’m joining you!” Natalia smiles shyly, not showing interest in what her friends want to do. “I have many various DVDs. Well, if we find nothing, we can check Netflix.”       “Excellent!” Raquelle exclaims cheerfully. “Then I can go to the kitchen, see what's in the refrigerator, and cook something if there’s nothing cooked.”       “Okay! And I’ll go to my room and bring the discs here.”       “And then we’ll decide what to watch,” Anna shrugs.       Raquelle goes to the kitchen, and Natalia goes to her room to find the discs, while Anna is just sitting in the living room and waiting for them. And when the blonde returns, the red-haired girl starts to examine a big bunch of discs. A little later, Raquelle joins them after she finds something tasty, but wonders why her friend does not have so much food.