The Secrets Hidden In The Scars

      It’s about eight or nine hours in the evening. The stranger is meeting Victor again, who regularly tells him what’s happening in the lives of his sons, and what his older brother Michael plans. They are sitting at the table in a small kitchen with a cup of tea in their hands and eating what Mr. Johnson brought to his friend.       “I can say nothing good so far, my friend,” Victor says with sadness in his eyes. “I just got the confirmation that your son was really at Michael’s home. They had the talk, in which they offered something to Edward for a great amount of money and power in sociality.”       “Just don’t tell me that stinker wants to do a dirty trick with Edward’s hands,” the stranger says a little excitedly, shaking his head.       “Yes, and it’s quite serious,” Victor takes a sip from his cup. “Very serious.”       “I can expect anything from that idiot… So, what has he planned this time?”       “To kill Terrence…”       “To kill Terrence?” the stranger opens his eyes widely. “Are you serious?”       “Not with his hands, but with the hands of…”       “My younger son…” the stranger falls into silence for two seconds and shakes his head. “So, that asshole is turning him against his friends and close people.”       “And if Michael does it, Edward will agree.”       “Gosh, not this… I don’t want my son to become the killer. I don’t want his to ruin his whole life.”       “I can’t say anything about how your younger son really treats his friend. But I heard Michael is trying to press on the weaknesses of Edward. For example, he always reminds him that Terrence is more successful and more loved by everyone and gets everything.”       “I hope Edward doesn’t succumb to his provocations.”       “He is refusing to succumb to Michael and kill Terrence yet. But your brother doesn’t give up and continues to keep him under psychological pressure and convincing him that he must deprive that guy of everything. Michael constantly presses on Edward and makes him believe nobody needs him, nobody loves him, and his mother and father literally regret his birth, calling him your unplanned child.”       “He’s right in this case,” the stranger notices hesitantly. “We didn’t really plan a second child and were afraid we wouldn’t be able to educate two babies. But my ex-wife and I didn’t even think of abortion. We were shocked, but calmed down later and said everything would be okay.”       “But it might make Edward doubt your parents’ love. He does feel deprived of his father’s love and has never gotten a mother’s love. And the pressure of Michael can make him sure that nobody needs him. He can make him get mad at his family and kill his friend. With whom he was close enough, as I understand.”       “Oh, God…” the stranger thinks about something for a few seconds, running his hands through his hair. “I’m afraid to imagine what would happen if he met his mother and our older son. How disappointed they would be if they knew what the boy was doing.”       “Most likely. Early or late Edward will have to meet him. He will find them, or Michael will bring them together, or you well tell him more.”       “To be honest, I have a bad presentiment,” the stranger confesses and takes a little sip of tea. “I’m terribly afraid Michael would make Edward a killer.”       “If Edward doesn’t succumb to provocations, keeps being by the side of his friend, and says nothing bad, Terrence and he will keep their friendly relationship. Though, it’s gonna very hard for him to hold on under this pressure. Michael does know what to press to control your son easily.”       “I know. And I think everything’s coming to that… Edward does feel terrible because he is not getting enough love. This feeling will make my son believe nobody loves and values him.”       “But I hope your son will hold on. Not kill his friend. And… Not steal everything he has earned…”       “Yeah…” the stranger sighs quietly. “Just like Michael deprived me of everything I had… That scumbag ruined my whole life… He ruined my first marriage and ruined my relationship with my children… He deprived me of the opportunity to speak to my children from my second wife. And in parallel, he was depriving me of my wealth.”       “Agree, he has done a lot…” Victor takes a couple of sips of tea.       “Cad… I hate him… Fucking bloodsucker! He’s sucked much blood out of me!”       “It’s alright, your brother will pay for everything early or late. He will have to give you everything he had stolen not in an honest way.”       “Oh, he can choke himself with the money! I don’t care about it now. The only wish of mine is to restore justice and put that scumbag in prison,” the stranger falls into silence for two seconds, looking at what’s in his cup with his sad eyes. “And I want my sons to forgive me, as well… Want them to be friends and behave like real loving brothers…”       “If your children knew about each other, their relationship would be ruined by Michael.” Victor sighs quietly with sadness in his eyes. “If he had a reason, he would also make the relationship between your younger sons worse. They are also very close and get on well.”       “I hope it will not happen to them. I don’t want their brotherly friendship to be ruined because of the tricks of that poisoned snake.”       “Let’s hope…” Victor replies thoughtfully.       “Oh, having many children is great, but very hard at times,” the stranger sighs tiredly. “I remember that our parents were worried because Michael and I didn’t get on. But it was too late to do something. Our relationship was absolutely ruined.”       “I know.”       “Edward is gonna regret everything he is doing very much. He isn’t as rotten as my brother. Vice versa, that guy has always been insecure, too shy, and timid. It’s very hard for this type to do something. But you know that murder is a very serious thing.”       “Do you think Edward could become an image of your brother?” Victor frowns slightly. “If that guy was Michael’s son, we wouldn’t be surprised by his behavior. But that guy is your son… The son of the wonderful man that would never do what Michael is doing.”       “Ah, Mr. Johnson, I was also making mistakes when being younger.” the stranger shakes his head with a quiet sigh. “I’m by far not an angel and will never be… And I still regret many things I’ve done when being obsessed with evil…”       “But you aren’t such a nasty and egoistic bastard as Michael. Even if you do bad things, you regret it later. But your brother will be worried only if he loses all the money and becomes homeless without a cent.”       “It’s hard to believe the jealousy of our parents and my success could make him so mad.” the stranger puts a cup of tea aside and folds his hands on the table in front of him. “Though, he doesn’t know that I had to apply many efforts to get just something. He believes that just because my father and mother taught me everything and prepared the fundament, everything was easy for me. It’s worthless to explain to him that I couldn’t do a lot and sometimes doubted if I was able to continue Father’s business. Michael doesn’t understand I had to work on myself much not to give up and not to betray my parents, who believed in me anyway.”       “I completely understand you, my friend.” Victor also decides to put his cup of tea aside. “But you shouldn’t care about it. The important thing is that you had the support of your close people, who believed in you. You tried hard for them and yourself. But Michael will never understand it. As people say, a tiger doesn't change its stripes.”       “Most likely… Until he dies, Michael will keep harming my family. He doesn’t have a personal life. He has never been married, he doesn’t have children, and his relationship with girls has never been good due to his nasty character. Even the most spoiled girls couldn’t take it and left him without explanations. I saw it many times.”       “A man like your brother can’t love. A good girl would hardly agree to be with him. Though, she would probably care only about his money. Now there are many materialistic girls, who are ready to be anything for brilliants, furs, and a gorgeous life.”       “But no lady has agreed to be with him, even for money. For the money that he stole from me. They probably understand their lives would turn into hell if they agreed to be with the one, who doesn’t have a talent.” the stranger falls into silence for two seconds. “Well, no, he does have one… Doing dirty things to innocent people! He has been doing it all his life! And he is successful at that! He got success at least in something!”       “Hey, when you started talking about Michael’s women, I thought of your children…” Victor frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “I mean, Edward… He broke up with his girlfriend one month ago.”       “Yeah… And it would be great to know why.”       “My informant believes Michael may know it. Because he knows about the breakup, though Edward has never said it personally.”       “Do you think that scumbag has to do with their breakup?”       “You know, we can expect anything from your brother. Since he is turning Edward against his close people, it would be logical if Michael tried to ruin the relationship between his nephew and his girlfriend. He does want everybody to turn their backs on your son.”       “But how did he do it?”       “I don’t know, my friend,” Victor shrugs. “But my assumption may be right. It would be weird if Michael made Edward an enemy of your family, but forgot about his girlfriend.”       “Yeah…” the stranger nods. “You’re right…”       “And if your relatives know nothing about Michael’s business, your brother may use it and easily make them sure Edward wants to destroy them. It would be very hard for your son to make everybody sure that he wishes evil to nobody.”       “I thought about it…” the stranger thinks for two seconds. “I did…”       “Anyway…” Victor shrugs. “If Edward wants to whitewash himself for his close people, the best thing he can do is telling everybody what Michael is planning to do. And stopping his pointless fight with that man.”       “Oh, Edward…” the stranger moans tiredly, running his hands over his face. “He always loves meddling in people’s business. He literally stuck his fingers in an electric socket for curiosity and had to pay for the aftermath. Why did he meddle in the business that had to do only with Michael and me? I don’t get it!”       “Nevertheless, Edward knew what he was doing. It wasn’t a forced thing, it was his wish. Your son wants problems – he got them and may pay a high cost, deciding to commit the murder of his friends and relatives that don’t please him.”       “Yeah…” the stranger thinks for two seconds, stroking his chin. “It’s okay that he left home to find his brother and brother. But meddling into the crime case…”       “Maybe, you shouldn’t have hidden the truth so hard? When parents don’t want to discuss delicate questions or answer poorly and try to hide something or lie about much, their children start showing a great interest in them for a wish to know everything. You refused to tell Edward about his mother and brother – he was determined to find out the truth.”       “I just thought he should’ve grown up first,” the stranger looks around and sighs quietly. “But everything happened at such a bad moment… On the day when Edward found a photo from my wife’s release from the hospital, I was so angry… But not because he came into the office where he wasn’t allowed to go.”       “But why did you get mad at him? Michael made you mad?”       “Well… Actually, yes… That stinker showed up a few years after the family of Rebecca and me was ruined. I don’t know how he found my second wife and me. But getting me separated from my beloved woman was not enough for that cad. That snake decided to ruin my life in the new family… And he got it when that woman told me to leave her house and not to dare to get closer to our children.”       “Is that why you took it out on Edward and forced him to leave the house?”       “Yes, I took it out on him. But I swear, Victor, I didn’t want it! You know how I was worried when I realized Edward really left. At first, I thought he wanted to joke and scare me, hiding at one of his friends’ home. But later, I realized everything was serious. Even the police didn’t find him when I reported my son’s disappearance. They eventually announced they had stopped the search and pronounced that guy missing… I tried to persuade them to keep searching, but they refused, making me sure it was worthless.”       “You probably spoke to a dishonest policeman. Some colleagues of mine are still searching for people, who disappeared many years ago and haven’t been found yet. Of course, hope is disappearing after so many years because many similar cases lead to corpses. But there are cases when someone is still alive. The police must react to these things and search for missing people until the end.”       “At least, now, I know Edward is alive. He’s living with a kind woman…”       “He could reach a lot if he really wanted. Even having no education, Edward could learn everything and build a brilliant career.”       “Yeah, I dreamed of seeing him as my successor. I wanted him to continue my business. But it’s impossible. Because my son didn’t want to study, and my brother took my father’s business away from me.”       “I’m so sorry, friend.”       “Oh…” the stranger falls into silence for a few seconds, looking at his hands with sad eyes. “I still remember how Edward said he was very happy to leave home and wanted to do it a long time ago. He wanted to wait until he turned eighteen, but he decided to do it earlier after our fight. Well, when he left, I stayed alone. Alone, Mr. Johnson. I had nothing… Michael had already shown up and ruined my life… And some time later, my second wife said she’d divorce me and ban me from meeting the children.”       “Get it…”       “As if Michael is mad that I’ve been married twice. It makes him furious! He hates my older sons from my first wife, but he treats the children from my second wife well. He doesn’t shower them with mud and could sometimes tell them a couple of compliments. Just because they didn’t meddle in his business and lived their lives.”       “Yeah…” Victor nods. “That’s right…”       “Hey, Victor…” the stranger takes a sip of tea and puts the cup on the table. “I thought of something… I think it would be great to contact someone, who’s getting threats from Michael. I’m sure that someone could tell us something interesting.”       “Yeah, but how? You aren’t allowed to do it.”       “I remember, but… I came up with one thing… Terrence, Edward’s friend, is working in the show business. And he is engaged with a famous model… What if we try to find her?”       “Actually…” Victor thinks for two seconds. “Yeah… It’s possible… What’s the name of that girl? Maybe, I try to find out something about her?”       “Oh, what’s her name…” the stranger starts thinking hard, tightly locking his fingers. “Her name is not very common but quite beautiful… Damn, what…”       “But how does she look?”       “As I heard, that girl had black hair, but she later dyed it brown… And she’s tall and skinny enough.”       “Wait, you say she had black but then brown hair?”       “It seems like, yes,” the stranger shrugs. “Why? Do you know something?”       “I can’t say anything, but I know a model that fits that description… Her name is Raquelle Cameron. She’s about twenty-five or twenty-six. She also had black hair but later dyed it brown… That girl became quite a famous model. They say men lose their heads over her beauty and are ready for anything to be with her. But she didn’t answer to anyone’s feelings for the time being.”       “Is she so beautiful?”       “A few young guys work with me. They have a crush on that model and say she drives them insane with just one gaze. And I believe that girl is definitely supposed to have many fans.”       “Oh, I don’t know…” the stranger exhales quietly, setting his gaze into the distance. “I can’t remember her name… Do you know more about Raquelle? Do you think she really may be Terrence’s fiancée?”       “Honestly, I don’t know the modeling business or the show business at all. I’ve just seen that girl on TV and memorized her… And heard about her from my colleagues…”       “Try to browse some sites on the Internet. And try to find out if there are photos of that model and Terrence, and whether they’re connected somehow. My son got successful as an actor and is also famous and loved in some circles.”       “Oh, I haven’t checked the Internet for ages…” Victor sighs quietly. “But if you believe it would help us, I will surely find out everything about that girl.”       “It would be great if that model was really Terrence’s fiancée.”       “Let’s do something: first, I’ll find out everything about Raquelle and then try to find a way to contact her if we know that we mean the same girl. Maybe, I will ask someone to send her a message on a social network. That girl kind of posts something on there actively.”       “Yes, yes, do what you think is right.”       “Maybe, our effort would be worthless, but remember, the more we know, try, taste, and think, the better we will be prepared. Who knows, what’s going on. We don’t probably know half of the story.”       “I want to know everything that’s going on. And the fiancée of Terrence could tell us much more… Maybe, we’ll find out something about Edward’s plans and the reason for his breakup with his girlfriend… Or she will actually tell us something that would help us press Michael to the wall.”       “That’s right. Anyway, I could organize your talk with your ex-wife. You haven’t spoken for a long time, and she doesn’t know what has happened for such a long time.”       “Yeah, we talked about one week ago… And it would be great to meet her, though I understand it might be risky for me and her.”       “Don’t worry, my friend, if you wish to talk to her, I take responsibility for her safety. I will contact her, drive her here secretly, and we will discuss the latest news.”       “Okay, I will mean it,” the stranger nods. “But now let’s try to find out everything about that model and find a connection between her and Terrence MacClife.”       “In that case, I shall personally work on it,” Victor promises confidently with a slight smile. “Leave it all to me. But you get ready to make an unexpected surprise for your brother, which is gonna confuse everything and make him enraged.”       “Sure… Thanks a lot, Mr. Johnson…”       Victor encourages the stranger with a smile and claps him on the shoulder slightly. Then they continue to drink tea from their cups and talk about the current situation, which is getting harder and harder every day.       

***

      It's about half past four in the morning. Raquelle wakes up after seeing some stupid things in her dream. The girl turns to a side, but then slowly opens her eyes and looks around the whole dark room with a sleepy look, not feeling discomfort from a slight coldness. Barely realizing if it’s a dream or reality and turning onto the back, she squeezes the blanket slightly and later tries to understand why she woke up when everybody would sleep deeply. Since it’s still hard for her to open her eyes, and they get hurt slightly after every single attempt, the girl keeps them closed, opening them at times and glancing at the window closed with a curtain, through which the night light gets into the room.       After looking at the whole room several times, Raquelle turns to the side with a quiet moan and tries to fall asleep again. But she cannot do it because her sleep has gone. She waits for two minutes and tries to relax, but she cannot fall asleep again and is just lying on the bed under the warm, soft blanket. At some moment, Raquelle raises herself to her elbows, then sits up in her bed and starts thinking about something. And some time later, the girl suddenly realizes something is missing… To be clear, someone is missing…       Raquelle glances at the place next to her in the bed and just realizes she is alone in the room. Terrence is not in the room or the bed. He left so quietly that the girl did not wake up and notice his disappearance.       “Hey, where’s Terrence?” Raquelle asks herself. “He woke up in the middle of the night and went somewhere again… Damn, what’s happening to him? Is he worried about the events that have lately happened?”       Some time later, Raquelle decides to try to walk into the house and talk to Terrence about his strange behavior. The girl overcomes a wish to stay in the warm bed, slowly sits on the edge, puts on soft white slippers and a light purple silky robe, gets up, and goes to the closed door. The girl opens it very quietly, leaves the room, and, trying not to make noises or wake anyone up, closes the door carefully. Since the light is switched off everywhere, walking in the house while seeing almost nothing gets her a little frightened. But her wish to know why Terrence has lately often woken up at night is stronger than fear. No, she does not fear the darkness. She just does not feel quiet because it’s absolutely silent in the house. The girl is afraid someone might show up from nowhere and do something to her. However, she tries not to think about it and slowly but confidently keeps walking down the hall and looking around.       After looking at the locked doors of the rooms, in which there is nothing or the servants are sleeping, Raquelle decides to go down and go to the kitchen to drink a glass of water first, as she feels a slight dryness. The girl quietly goes down the small hall to the stairs, near which there is a little railing. It’s possible to lean on it and see what’s going on down. She slowly comes to the railing and leans on it with her hands, looking around the whole first floor that she sees but not seeing Terrence in the empty, spacious living room. At some moment, the brunette even gets excited and thinks something could happen to him, but she quickly gets this thought out of her head and decides to step away from the railings.       Raquelle slowly goes downstairs, holding the railing with one hand and keeping looking around at times as if she is afraid of something or someone. And when she finally goes down, she goes to the kitchen, fixing her disheveled, loose hair. After coming there, Raquelle looks around with her sad, little sleepy eyes and decides that she needs to turn on the light because she sees nothing and may fall or break something. The brunette quickly feels up a switcher, which is placed near the entry to the kitchen, and turns on the light. Raquelle immediately feels her eyes hurt, as they are not used to the bright light, but tries to keep at least one of her eyes open to see just something.       She quickly reaches the kitchen counter, takes a high, glossy glass from a locker, and fills it with a little cold water from a pitcher. After adding less than half of it, the girl puts the pitcher aside and, leaning on the kitchen counter with one hand, starts slowly drinking water. In parallel, Raquelle thinks about where to find Terrence, who kind of was swallowed by the ground because he is nowhere so far. And she reflects on the reasons why his mood changes so often. The girl wants to do her best to help the man if he really needs help and support. The problem is that Raquelle does not know what to do. Though, it’s madly hurtful for her to see Terrence being so depressed and not to know the reason for that.       Sadly, Raquelle decides nothing while drinking water. When she empties the glass, the girl quickly washes it and puts it where it was before. She stands in the same place for two seconds and reflects on something. But then the brunette decides to leave and sit in the living room, assuming she will hardly fall asleep. Raquelle switches off the light in the kitchen, leaves it, embracing herself with her arms, and goes to the living room, where it’s a little lighter, as there are many big windows that can light up the room even in the dark time. Some of them are slightly open. That’s why a slight wind is getting out of them, spreading over the whole living room and causing a slight coldness on the body.       Not caring about it much, Raquelle slowly comes to the sofa, sits on it, and looks at everything she sees, hearing a brief barking of dogs and even sounds of working cars. Later, she doubles over, leans on her laps with her elbows, and holds her chin with her hands, focusing her still-sleepy eyes on the coffee table. And no matter how much Raquelle wants to think of something good, she does not stop worrying about the problems, into which she and her close people have to run. So many problems never rained thick upon them before. They should have solved one or two problems, but now they have to fight with much more.       Nobody knows how much time it’s been since Raquelle came to the living room and deeply fell into her thoughts. But later, someone makes quiet steps somewhere far from here. As if someone else is next to the girl. At first, Raquelle does not hear these sounds and keeps thinking of something. But then “someone” steps over something that makes a quiet sound. She immediately puts her thoughts aside and shakes strongly, listening to all the sounds that are getting closer and closer. At first, Raquelle is sitting on the sofa and scarily looking around. But she slowly gets up a few seconds later and starts walking into the living room very carefully. She does not feel a strong fear that would make her legs weak, but she is afraid of what may happen now.       And while she looks to one side and does not literally breathe, someone comes into the living room and comes to the girl standing with her back turned to them. A few moments later, a quiet, familiar voice from the man pronounces:       “Raquelle…”       Raquelle shakes in a scare strongly and turns on the sound sharply. She feels her heart starts beating in the rhythm of a wild dance when she sees the tall man, whose familiar features of who are seen in the darkness.       “Terrence?” Raquelle wonders, feeling that all her muscles are very tense.       “Well, people call me like this yet,” Terrence replies thoughtfully, rolling his eyes, and pulls down his gray, little shabby gray t-shirt, the color of which is the same as his pants with elastic.       “God…” Raquelle exhales sharply, putting her hand on her forehead. “You scared me! My heart almost jumped out of my chest!”       “Sorry, sorry, I didn’t wanna scare you,” Terrence apologizes softly. “Sorry…”       “Okay, apologies are accepted,” Raquelle relaxes her shoulders sharply, breathing a little heavily.       “I just saw there was a light in the kitchen and decided to find out what happened. I thought I forgot to switch it off, but it was you.”       “Yeah… I went there for two minutes…”       “Okay…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, which Terrence breaks, crossing his arms over his chest.       “Can I ask you what you’re doing here? Why did you wake up at quarter to five in the morning?”       “Erm…” Raquelle looks around the whole living room. “I just wanted to drink water… My throat got terribly dry, and I decided to drink a little…”       “Water? That’s all?”       “Well… Yeah… Why?”       “What if you think a little?” Terrence frowns slightly, staring at Raquelle.       “Okay, I just have insomnia. I woke up and tried to fall asleep again, but couldn’t do it.”       “Insomnia?” Terrence hums quietly and looks at Raquelle carefully. “Hm, when I wanted to go out, you were sleeping well. You didn’t even move when I got up from the bed and left the room.”       “Yeah, what are you doing here at this time?” Raquelle frowns slightly, staring at Terrence with suspicion. “I woke up but didn’t see you beside me…”       “Erm… I also wanted to drink water…” Terrence swallows up nervously, moving his eyes down. “And… I went to the back of the house… To breathe in some fresh air…”       “Are you sure?”       “Do you think I’m lying to you?”       “It doesn’t sound true.”       “But what do you wanna hear?”       “You know what.”       “Erm… I…”       “Terrence…” Raquelle pronounces, looking at Terrence carefully.       “Okay, okay, you won!” Terrence exhales sharply, lowering his arms. “I have insomnia and went to drink water, too! Are you happy now?”       “Not quite…”       “Okay, what aren’t you pleased with?” Terrence crosses his arms over his chest. “Just don’t tell me you wanted to fight in the middle of the night when everybody in the house is sleeping.”       “I’m not pleased with your strange behavior, honey.”       “Erm, my strange behavior?” Terrence asks in a little shaking voice, while his eyes start running from one side to another.       “Do you think I’m blind and see nothing? Huh? Do you believe you will hide it?”       “Erm… Excuse me, Raquelle, but… I don’t know what you mean.”       “Don’t avoid the answer,” Raquelle crosses her arms over her chest. “I know you often wake up in the middle of the night and walk somewhere until the morning.”       “What?” Terrence rounds his eyes, taking his breath away.       “I’ve caught you for the second or third day in a row. You wake up and don’t go to sleep until the early morning. Walk in the house like a ghost and do nobody knows what.”       “Listen, Raquelle, I…”       “And then you complain that you feel tired all day long. I’m sure everybody you’ve met over the past few days noticed these changes and started to ask you some questions.”       “You know how it’s hard to fall asleep after going to the bathroom or the kitchen to drink water. I walk in the house for five minutes and come to sleep when I feel I’m about to fall asleep.”       “Well…” Raquelle rolls her eyes and moves a strand of disheveled hair off her eyes. “I wouldn’t say you walk for five minutes… Somehow, I woke up when the watch on my phone said it was about half past four, but you weren’t in the bed. You were back only by morning, at six hours. I memorized it.”       “But you were sleeping when I came.”       “I was pretending. And on the same day, I wanted to come to you when you were sitting on the sofa in the living room and ask you why you woke up at such an early time. But you went to sleep.”       “Listen, Raquelle…”       “I believe you can’t fall asleep ‘cause something bothers you. Very much. If you sit in the living room and stare into the distance.”       “Erm… I…”       “Terrence, honey…” Raquelle pronounces softly and slowly comes closer to Terrence. “I see something has kept you anxious for a long time. I completely understand you’re worried about the current situation. I’m also nervous. But you can’t pretend that everything is fine, and you can get over that forever.”       “Why do you think I’m pretending?”       “Because you are. You’re afraid that someone may doubt you’re a strong, confident, and unbroken man if you let your feelings out and showed your weakness.”       “Yes, I don’t deny all these problems make me very nervous. But it’s not a reason to believe I’m playing the role of a confident man, who knows everything’s gonna be okay.”       “Listen, I don’t make you tell me everything you’re worried about because I don’t wanna press and provoke you for another wave of aggression toward me,” Raquelle says quietly, a little hesitantly. “But it’s hurtful for me to see you so sad and depressed, even if I’m with you. You’ve always said I make you happy and encourage you to reach just something. But now you don’t wanna do anything, though I’m here and ready to support you. And… It scares me, you see…”       “You’re still the one, who makes me believe in the best. I’ve said it many times and will always say you’re the reason why I feel alive.”       “I know, Terrence,” Raquelle says with a slight smile. “And you’re the only reason why I’m living and haven’t gone insane.”       “So, you’ve got no reason to worry.” Terrence takes Raquelle softly by the forearms and caresses them. “You know that I’m a strong man and would overcome all difficulties. I’ve had much worse situations in my life. And I thought I wouldn’t take it. But I did it. So, I will do it this time.”       “I don’t doubt it, sweetheart,” Raquelle replies, running her hand over Terrence’s hair. “But I think there’s something that makes you worried. I mean, I know what. I just want you to speak out and say everything you have inside.”       “Raquelle, please, don’t think about it,” Terrence says, grabbing Raquelle’s face, kissing her on the forehead, and caressing her cheeks. “Don’t take a much harder burden that you won’t take.”       “But I wanna help you, get it. My heart is tearing when I see you suffering and hiding it so hard.”       “I will overcome it, sweetheart. I just need some time to accept it and wait. Nothing can happen shortly. Any bad feeling may stay with you for a long time. But I will take it. At least for those I love and love me back.”       “Okay, if you don’t want, don’t say.” Raquelle glances down, bends her arms at her elbows, and folds them in front of her. “I just wanted to show you my love. So, you don’t doubt that I really love you with all my heart.”       “I have no doubt about it.” Terrence hugs Raquelle tenderly and caresses her head. “Thanks to your love, support, and care, I know I’m able to take anything, knowing I’ll never be alone.”       “I know, but I’d like to do something for you. So, you don’t think I’m using you or something like that… You’ve helped me and saved my life so many times… And I believe doing the same noble thing and confirming my love is real is my duty.”       “I don’t think you’re using me?” Terrence frowns slightly, steps back from Raquelle sharply, puts his hands on her shoulders, and slightly squeezes them. “Gosh, Raquelle, what are you talking about? I’ve never thought you were using me. You’re my beloved girl, who’s gonna be my wife soon.”       “But it’s probably hurt for you to know you always help me and end up next to me in time… But I’ve done nothing like that for you yet. I… Have never saved your life and said I’m ready to sacrifice myself for you.”       “No, Raquelle, please, don’t say that! I don’t believe you don’t do anything to me. Vice versa, you do very much for me. Even more than I ask. And I’ll never be able to thank you for everything you’ve done. I couldn’t wish for something more, ‘cause I’m surrounded by love and care. I got what I always aimed to get.”       “I don’t think I’ve done something to really help you for the one and a half years we’ve been together,” Raquelle confesses with sadness in her eyes, moving her eyes for a second.       “No, no, it’s not true!” Terrence protests, shaking his head. “Yes, maybe, I really felt forgotten and deprived of your love at the beginning of our relationship. But now I’m getting everything I need and can complain about nothing.”       “Nevertheless, I’ve done nothing grandiose for everyone to have no doubt about my feelings. I wanna do something to tell you about my great love without saying thousands of ‘I love you’ with one act.”       Raquelle inclines her head, but Terrence grabs her softly by the chin, raises it, and confidently looks into the sleepy gray eyes of the girl.       “You already did, my love,” Terrence denies. “When you said we should’ve started it over again, it literally brought me back to life. I hadn’t lived in the world before. Erm… I existed, but I didn’t do… That was the moment when you made me feel alive again. The words about canceling the breakup and forgiving me for my mistakes were what breathed into me.”       “I did it ‘cause I realized that I couldn’t live without you. When you left after we agreed to break up, I realized it would be my greatest mistake. I finally confessed to myself that you meant much more to me than I thought.” Raquelle glances down and sighs quietly. “And when I decided to catch you, I promised myself to never regret my decision to do that. And… I don’t still regret that. I knew I did the right thing. I knew I couldn’t live without you and… I was ready to forget the past.”       “Glad to hear it,” Terrence smiles shyly.       “I think they’re right when they say that when people are destined to be together, they will come together early or late. Even if we’d decided to break up, we would’ve come back again. Because it should’ve happened so.”       “Anyway, don’t think you did nothing to me. Because that act made me madly happy. And I finally saw that you really loved me.”       “I know, but I wanna help you anyway. Just a little. At least, let you speak out. I’m ready to listen to you from start to end. Just let yourself do it.”       “Thanks a lot, Raquelle,” Terrence replies amicably. “I’m really very glad you wanna help me. But now there’s no need to do it.”       “Sometimes I think you don’t trust me. You’re kind of really afraid to seem a little weaker to me and other people at least once.”       “No, it’s not true!”       “I swear, I won’t judge you for sharing at least a part of what you’re worried about. Even if you wanna cry, I won’t think it’s something terrible. Vice versa, I will make much more sure you have a heart and soul.”       “I know, but…”       “Please, Terrence…” Raquelle pronounces with pity in her eyes, caressing Terrence’s cheek. “Don’t torture yourself and me and speak out. I promise, I’ll understand you. Haven’t you forgotten that we decided to be open to each other? It should happen if we wanna live in love and peace.”       “I remember about our agreement. But… Erm…”       “Okay, if you don’t want to say, I won’t make you,” Raquelle exhales sharply, running her fingers through her hair. “Go to sleep… We’ll talk in the morning…”       Raquelle steps back from Terrence, deciding to stop trying to encourage the man to speak. But when the girl wants to go to the stairs, he calls her a little hesitantly:       “Wait!”       Raquelle slowly turns on Terrence, keeping her arms crossed over her chest and inclining her head when he comes to her. The man says nothing for two seconds and caresses the girl’s forearms, but then he says quietly:       “Okay, I’ll tell you why I started waking up at night. And why I can’t fall asleep for a long time…”       “Right now?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.       “Well… Maybe, now… I have no sleep anyway. But if you want, we can talk in the morning and try to fall asleep now.”       “No, let’s talk now. I lost my sleep, too. And I’m not sure if I can fall asleep now.”       “Okay, let’s go to our room, so we don’t wake up anyone.”       Raquelle says nothing, shrugs, and slowly goes to the stairs to go up to the second floor. Terrence follows the girl, putting an arm around her neck and pressing his fiancée to himself. The two incline their heads and look quite sad, as they go up to the second floor on the wide stairs. A few moments later, Terrence and Raquelle end up there and quietly go to their room. And when they come, the man opens the door, lets the girl go forward, follows her, and closes it very quietly. Raquelle takes off her robe and slippers and decides to switch on the lamp since she does not see where she goes or what is near her. When she does it, the eyes of her and the man start hurting a little, but they decide not to pay attention to it, thinking they will stop squinting some time later.       Raquelle sits on the bed, still keeping her head inclined. Terrence takes off his slippers two moments later and sits down next to her, looking quite sad and tense. The silence settles for ten seconds before Raquelle, starting fingering over, decides to break it:       “Well… Now we’ll wake up nobody…”       “Yeah…” Terrence pronounces hesitantly, looking around the whole living room with his little squinted eyes.       “So, what about walking in the house at night?”       “Erm…” Terrence says nothing for two seconds and starts massaging the nape of his neck. “Oh, you see, sweetie… There’s something that makes me worried. I mean… It bothered me before, but now some things make me think about that again.”       “And what does make you so worried that you wake up and can’t fall asleep at night?”       “I’ve seen nightmares over the past few days… And… Because of them, I can’t fall asleep… I’m afraid they’d come back again…”       “Nightmares?”       “You’ll probably say I shouldn’t think about it ‘cause it’s just your dream. But what I dream is madly hurtful for me.”       “Well… You know, sometimes I also see nightmares and have lately dreamed nobody knows what… There were moments when I woke up in the middle of the night ‘cause it was so horrifying that I thought everything was really happening. Very terrifying…”       “But in my case, the nightmare really happened.”       “Really?”       “Yup, and you’re well aware of what makes you nervous much more than anything. What I’m terribly afraid… What I will regret all my life…”       “Aware?” Raquelle frowns, thinks for two seconds, then slightly opens her mouth and sets her surprised gaze on Terrence. “Wait, do you see dreams, in which…”       “I constantly see the day when I made the mistake that I will never forgive myself for,” Terrence moves his eyes into the distance.       “So, do you wanna say you dream the day when…” Raquelle pronounces hesitantly.       “When I dared to raise a hand on you…” Terrence confesses in a shaking, quiet voice. “When I acted like a sick bastard, next to who it was dangerous to be…”       “My gosh…” Raquelle shakes her head with horror in her eyes.       “I know we agreed not to talk about it not to hurt each other. But I can’t forget that. I forgot nothing, and I clearly remember the moment that could’ve ended everything we had. And we wouldn’t be sitting together now…”       “Is that why you wake up at night every day?”       “I couldn’t sleep quietly ‘cause I saw that nightmare when I just put my head on a pillow and started falling asleep. Sometimes I didn’t actually wanna sleep. Not to live the day when I wanted to shoot myself from shame. The period when I treated you disgustingly…”       “But you’d remember that day even if you didn’t sleep.”       “I know, but I can make myself stop thinking about it in reality. Though, when you sleep and see it in your dreams, you wake up when the most horrible happens. And… Sometimes these nightmares may be much worse than what actually happened.”       “Really?”       “I saw many dreams, in which everything was much worse. In one of them, I was cruelly beating you with my legs and hands with insults and humiliations so strongly that you got blood…” Terrence exhales with a shake. “And in another dream, I actually strangled you ‘till death… And… Then decided to torture you… Beat you and… Rape…”       “What?”       “Yes… It’s true! I did really rape you after I… Strangled you…”       “Oh, God…” Raquelle pronounces in a shaking voice, rounding her eyes with her mouth closed with a hand.       “That was really cruel!” Terrence confesses in a shaking voice, getting very white from horror and breathing heavily enough. “I always woke up in a cold sweat and shouts of horror. I was shaking and scared to death. I was so afraid it was true. I got frightened when watching you sleep and trying to figure out if you were alive. Somehow, I saw a night of me mocking you first, then waking up in our room and trying to call you, but… You were dead… Dead… I went almost insane when I woke up after that nightmare…”       “Honey…” Raquelle pronounces, feeling tears come to her eyes and shaking strongly from horror.       “Now you should understand why I couldn’t fall asleep after waking up in the middle of the night. It was such a strong wave of adrenaline that I lost my sleep. I was terribly shaking, and my heart was beating like crazy… Sometimes I thought I couldn’t breathe… It was something like your panic attacks… I thought I’d lose control of mine and do something horrible…”       “But, Terrence… It’s been so long since that event… I’ve already forgiven you.”       “Yeah, but I didn’t get better… I mean… I forgot everything for a while… But then I started to think of that horror at times and fall into depression. Though, those nightmares, which were like a scary movie, broke me down. Because of them, I felt so bad that… I sometimes wanted to die…”       Terrence shakes his head, starting to breathe much heavier because of the strong excitement and feeling he is shaking stronger from horror, and something squeezes his chest.       “Yes, I felt so bad that I really wanted it…” Terrence adds with pity in his eyes. “I wanted not to wake up anymore, swallow tablets, open my veins, jump off a bridge or a building… Anything! To stop getting tortured!”       “No, Terrence, please, don’t say that,” Raquelle begs with pity in her wet eyes. “Don’t tell me about death…”       “But it’s the truth, my love. I was always terribly ashamed of my disgusting behavior. But after those dreams, my condition got much worse. And the fact that people still remember everything and judge me makes me dream about it again and again. Every day, I have less strength to tolerate this torture… I can’t… It’s too hard…”       “Please, sweetie, don’t say that!” Raquelle grabs Terrence’s face and sets her gaze into his literally wet eyes, which seem a little red. “I completely understand it’s madly hurtful. But everything is not as horrible as you think. Those horrible things are just your nightmare! It was otherwise in reality!”       “It’s worse than any torture or pain from a cruel beating…” Terrence shakes his head, looking at Raquelle with pity in his eyes. “Because of those nightmares, I feel absolutely exhausted. Not in a psychical way, but in a psychological one. Every single nightmare broke me and my endurance, which I always thought was unbelievably strong. I always thought I’d overcome anything and pay no attention to such stupid things as a dream. But… Holy shit… I can’t! Can’t! Sometimes I think all those terrifying things really happened… As if I really beat you cruelly, killed you, and raped you… As if someone to be similar to my beloved girl is sitting in front of me, not the real her.”       “No, no, sweetheart, it’s not true!” Raquelle protests, caressing Terrence’s cheek with tears in her eyes and running his hand over his hair, while he is shaking strongly and looks like he is about to cry. “It’s okay. It’s me, Raquelle, alive, healthy, and real… You killed and raped nobody… There was only one slap… But nothing more…”       “But it’s hard to believe it…” Terrence replies in a shaking voice, exhaling slowly. “I still can’t get rid of this thought… I think I did really go too far… I… I don’t wanna believe I became such a beast and did what I would regret until the end of my life. And what everyone would hate me for… No prison would help me make amends. It would be a too soft punishment.”       “Listen, honey, I completely understand your feelings and got horrified when I heard all of it. But you’ve always been a strong man and found the strength to overcome all of that.”       “Yes, I know… But you know, how hurtful is it for me! How it’s horrible to think of all of that! I felt so lousy and ashamed because of my actions. But after those nightmares, I feel thousands of times worse. I’m shaking… And I’m still afraid of being judged… Afraid that people would call me a stinker.”       “Just because your friend mentioned that and said he’d always judge you, it doesn’t mean others will do it. Why would you be worried because of the words of the stinker, who betrayed us? Don’t listen to him, Terrence, I’m begging you!”       “The problem is not about that man… I actually began seeing nightmares much earlier… Somewhere after the day when I told you why I didn’t love my father.”       “And the memory of your childhood?”       “Exactly! On that day, when we went to sleep, I saw a nightmare for the first time. But it wasn’t so horrible. I saw only what really happened. I tried to slap you the second time in my dream, but I sharply woke up in the middle of the night. My heart was beating like crazy, and I got a cold sweat… I was so tense that I couldn’t calm down and fall asleep. At first, I was in the living room until five or six hours in the morning, then just lying in my bed until you woke up. I quickly forgot that and kept doing my business. But the next night, the situation happened again. And again. And again and again… And every new dream was worse and more horrible.”       “But why were you silent all this time? Why did you tell me nothing about the nightmares, which reminded you of our conflict?”       “Because I didn’t want to seem weak…” Terrence, guiltily looking at Raquelle, shakes her head. “To say I wanna strangle myself because of nightmares, to which only a girl could react. What would people think if they knew I wanted to literally cry from fear caused by my nightmares, in which I killed and raped my lovely girl? I didn’t wanna feel ashamed and give someone a reason to recall that event, which I don’t wanna remember. And I wouldn’t like someone to see me what I am now.”       “You thought you should’ve supported your status because everybody considered you a confident and strong man?”       “Yup,” Terrence pronounces in a shaking voice. “For everyone, I’m a too self-confident man, who doesn’t react to critic and reproaches and calls himself the best one in the world.”       “Terrence…”       “No… Of course, I’m really confident and don’t think I’m ugly. But my whining and attempts to hold my tears down might make everyone doubt it’s true. I don’t want them to call me a talker, stop believing in my confidence and start to discuss my actions towards you.”       “But everybody knows about your confidence. Do you think that letting yourself show weakness at least once is so bad? If you shed a tear at least once, people will doubt your words about great confidence in your awesomeness.”       “You can’t imagine what kind of remorse I felt then and feel now. I do really wanna tear this page out of my life and forget it actually happened. Yes, we learned a lesson, but we could’ve lost the most important thing… And now, what I’m horribly afraid of what comes to me every night in my dreams and gets much more horrible than it really was.”       “Gosh, Terrence, I forgave you a long time ago, and I don’t think you’re guilty.”       “But I feel guilty and will always do,” Terrence sniffs quietly, making a shaking sigh. “And I’m still surprised you forgave such a scumbag like me. So easily and quickly. You came to me and asked to stay… I… I don’t get…”       “Honey, please, stop saying that,” Raquelle begs with pity in her eyes, barely holding tears down, and softly grabs Terrence by the forearms. “Don’t tell me you’re worthless, and nobody needs you!”       “Maybe, that’s true…”       “You know that I forgave you because I couldn’t live without my lovely man. Besides, I was also guilty of bringing everything to that. If I treated you differently, nothing would’ve happened.”       “No, Raquelle, I have a fault for that. Because of me, we almost ruined what was barely holding on. We saved our relationships thanks to a miracle. Though, everyone said it was doomed because we were connected by passion.”       “Yeah, but after losing you once, I realized you meant very much to me.”       “I also looked at you differently. But it’s a rare case.”       “Your regret was true, and you really wanted to get forgiveness. You do know what it means to feel sorry, can show pity, and can recognize your fault. If you’re not right, you always apologize. Would a good person apologize, show regret, and confess they were wrong? You’d need great bravery!”       “I’m not a perfect man, Raquelle,” Terrence replies without emotions. “You don’t know how many mistakes and bad things I’ve done. And some people were probably right when they said I had no right to call myself perfect because I had lots of demons. I do the wrong thing, trying to pretend that I know nothing about my horrible actions and pretending to be an insolent, arrogant rooster without shortcomings.”       “The people, who love you, give you a chance. Because they see you’re not so terrible. They see you’re actually a very kind, loyal, and wonderful man, who loves his close people and does his best to get better. Nobody’s mad at you. Everybody’s speaking to you as if nothing happened.”       “Yeah, but… I’m guilty of you not only because of that… I’ve always apologized to you for the slap… But I’ve never apologized for cheating on you with another girl… For deciding to stand by Rachel and kick your ass, believing her lie about you beating her in the restroom.”       “Gosh, MacClife, why did you decide to think about it now?” Raquelle moans tiredly, running her hands over her face. “It’s been so long, but you started talking about what we talked about a long time ago.”       “You also think much about it, confess it.”       “Yeah, I do, but…”       “Remember, you recently decided to recall that meeting and that fight.”       “I said it in anger!”       “It doesn’t matter, Raquelle!” Terrence throws his hands up. “Since you remind me of that, it still makes you worried. The memories of the past are still alive.”       “I know,” Raquelle glances down for a second, but then looks at Terrence with pity. “But I swear, sweetie, I didn’t even think of reproaching you. I forgave you for what you did.”       “Listen, I completely understand your offense,” Terrence says quietly, taking Raquelle’s hand. “I know you wanted to kill me for the wish to show you what you lost and kick your ass for the alleged betrayal. Kill that girl for kissing me before your eyes, believing she drove me crazy. But I’ve told you many times that I never loved her and pretended that I terribly wanted to love that girl. Despite nothing, my heart has always belonged to only one girl. You.”       “But you know that I’ve never cheated on you,” Raquelle replies in a little shaking voice, looking at Terrence with eyes, which are wet from tears. “I was just slandered. Someone used the fact that our relationship was close to the end.”       “I don’t try to blame you for anything, and will not do it. You just experienced the emotions I had to feel when Ringer told me the lie that I believed. You wanted to fret and fume, and I got so enraged that I had only to take a knife and kill you. Just like in one of my nightmares.”       “But I would’ve understood you if you’d told me the truth earlier. Until you said Simon turned you against me, I wouldn’t have thought the problem was about that stinker.”       “And I’m really ashamed of you for everything… For the slap, for the betrayal, and for the fight that was ended in not the usual way.” Terrence exhales sharply and glances aside for a second. “I’m terribly ashamed of looking into your eyes after everything I did and told you.”       “Did you just start caring about it?” Raquelle wonders, rounding her eyes. “Do you wanna say you just realized you were guilty of me?”       “No, no, c’mon!” Terrence takes Raquelle’s hands. “I’ve always been ashamed! I swear, my love! When I took it out on you for the first time, I was very sorry… I really wanted to come to you and apologize, but anger and offense didn’t let me make our relationship a little better. Despite your indifference, I was ready to help you.”       Terrence lets Raquelle’s hands go and puts his hand tenderly on her cheek that he caresses softly.       “But after Simon’s words about you cheating on me with that policeman, I lost my patience. I decided I’d no longer knock at the closed door with the hope someone would open it.”       “I get it…” Raquelle says quietly and glances down. “And you believed drinking was the best way to get lost. You weren’t afraid that someone would write something about you in newspapers and on the Internet and tell people about your hangouts.”       “I don’t deny it… But now I understand I did the wrong thing. I wanted to forget all my mistakes and relax enough, but I eventually got worse…”       “I know…”       “I understand it’s too late to say and do something, but it’s still madly hurtful for me to remember that.” Terrence falls into silence for two or three seconds to exhale slowly and relax his tense body. “Even when I was aggressive, I was always ashamed of my business. And I was lucky the media didn’t learn about our scandal and didn’t make me a violator. The girl I cheated on you with threatened to tell everyone what happened and ruin my life and career along with her father after I confessed everything. But thank God, they haven’t done it yet, and people haven’t found out what became the reason for our canceled breakup.”       “Yeah… We would’ve had to explain a lot… I would’ve become a victim, but you would’ve been a scumbag, who dared to do such a horrible thing to the girl. Something would’ve hardly helped you get better and get the lost trust back.”       “Me too…” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds again, still breathing heavily, and tightly takes Raquelle’s hands with the hope that it would calm him down a little. “I dunno what would’ve happened to me… Since I feel so lousy that I wanna choke and die, I won’t doubt this wish if I’m made a bastard and a violator. Maybe, I’d even become the same as Peter is… And… I’m imagining someone finding me half-alive, half-dead… Someone would think I’d act like an egoist, but someone would suffer and cry…”       Because of the strong excitement, Raquelle starts breathing heavily enough and does not even try to wipe the tears rolling down her cheeks. Every single muscle of the body is tense, the hands are shaking slightly, the heart is beating much faster, and the skin gets sharply white.       “I can’t believe it…” Raquelle pronounces in a shaking voice with wet eyes. “Gosh… Do you… Really wanted to die?”       “If I had stayed all alone, I would’ve done it,” Terrence replies in a low voice without emotions. “But I didn’t hurt myself because of some people, who supported me all the time and those, who later understood my feelings and started speaking to me again.”       “Sweetheart…” Raquelle pronounces with pity in her eyes, tenderly caressing Terrence’s cheek with a shaking hand.       “Now I’m saying what nobody knew before. Maybe, someone guessed something like that, but nobody knew that I could’ve really killed myself if I had stayed all alone.”       “I think Ben guessed it.”       “Ben?”       “I told you I met him on the day I reconciled with Natalia. And… I didn’t tell you much about it…” Raquelle exhales sharply and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “So, Ben asked me to give you support and hinted that you could’ve done something to yourself. He saw how broken you were. At heart, Parker kept being worried about you even after your conflict and hoped you and I would give each other one more chance.”       “You’re right…” Terrence sighs heavily, feeling how much he is shaking from great excitement. “He did much, but it wasn’t enough. And it was hurtful that Parker also judged me and said many bad things during our fight. But later, I got cold and realized that Ben was right.”       “But the important thing is that you realized it and proved to everybody that you weren’t a dangerous violator.”       “Anyway, you’re one more reason why I did nothing to myself. Because even in the hardest times, I had a little hope that you’d forgive me early or late. You’d see the different side of mine. I know, it was stupid to believe in miracles, but… I imagined us together and tried to believe we’d save our marriage if we two worked on it. And… My dream came true…”       “Is that why you always say I’m the reason why I feel alive?”       “Yes, Raquelle. You’re the only one to be able to give me what I need. Do your best not to let me break down. To give me strength to live and reach something… Your pretense gave me the strength to prove to everyone that I was strong and unbreakable. Your love helped me smile even when I wanted to scream from the pain that’s still living inside me. If everything hadn’t gone too far, nobody would've guessed I acted. I tried not to betray myself and kept being self-confident, unbroken, and more or less positive. And the thoughts of you helped me… They made me smile, laugh and keep moving on.”       “Glad to hear it…”       “You know…” Terrence puts his hand on Raquelle’s hands folded in front of her, caresses her cheek tenderly with a free hand, and runs it over her matted, loose hair, looking at the girl with half-wet eyes full of pity and pain. “When I began to get problems, I thought it was sort of punishment… I’m starting to think that someone decided to kick my ass and give me another lesson. Though, it’s too much to me…”       “No, no, Terrence, don’t say it!” Raquelle moves closer to Terrence, embraces him around the shoulders, presses him to herself, and kisses him cutely on the cheek, tenderly caressing his head. “You can do it, I know it! I believe you will overcome all of that!”       “I won’t take it…” Terrence swallows up nervously, barely holding tears down and looking like a little, unprotected baby that begs for help, love, and care. “I have no strength…”       “It’s okay, sweetheart, it’s okay,” Raquelle pronounces softly, caressing Terrence’s lap. “I’m here. You can do this.”       “Fuck,” Terrence pronounces in a shaking voice and sniffs quietly, while Raquelle strokes his hair and puts his head on her shoulder. “I never felt as lousy as I do now.”       “It’s gonna get better. The problems will be solved early or late. Nothing lasts forever.”       “I know my bad shortcomings and don’t hide them. But I can’t get better. I… I can’t hold myself down when something happens.”       “You’ve changed for the better since that time,” Raquelle replies softly and kisses Terrence cutely on the top of his head, while he is shaking strongly from the excitement and fingering over nervously. “You’re doing this well. Fine fellow! Keep doing the same!”       “I’m afraid to lose all my close people because of my actions that can’t be excused. I shake strongly when I think I'll be judged again… And I fall into hysteria when I think about what would happen to me if my nightmares were true.”       “Terrence…”       “I swear, Raquelle, if I killed you and then tried to rape you, I’d prefer taking a pistol and shooting myself.”       “Do you think I didn’t dream of shooting during that period? No, honey, I thought of death many times! I felt so bad that I really wanted to kill myself. My life lost any meaning… Only the thought of my grandfather and aunt stopped me. But if I’d stayed all alone, I would’ve done that.”       “And I’m very sorry…” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes and tears his head off Raquelle’s shoulder. “While you were suffering, I was pretending that the situation didn’t have to do with me. Though, I should’ve thought about how to help my fiancée… Even if our relationship wasn’t wonderful.”       “The most important thing is that you came.”       “Well… Yup…” Terrence frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “By the way, I thought of us being in the hospital when your grandfather got a heart attack… You said something like, ‘I’d prefer dying from a bullet or the falling from the roof if I knew all of that would happen to me.’ It scared me to death. I was horrified by the thought you’d die.”       “If Grandpa had died, I would’ve really preferred dying. And If I had lost my Aunt, I would’ve had no meaning in life. I had nobody else but them… My parents died many years ago, and I have only Grandpa Frederick and Auntie Alicia.”       “I know, my sweetheart,” Terrence sighs very quietly. “And I would also suffer if something happened to my mother. She’s always been my close person, who I love so much.”       “I’m glad you value her. That woman loves you with all her heart and wants you to be happy. The strong love of a man for a mother doesn’t make him a milksop. It said that the woman educated a wonderful son. The mother can be sure he will not refuse to help her and would not leave her at a hard moment.”       “Yeah, but someone thinks a strong affection for a mother makes a man a mammy’s boy,” Terrence shrugs.       “Don’t pay attention if someone says it. You’re not the one. You can make decisions by yourself, not depending on others. And I truly admire your independence. I admire the fact that you may show perseverance if it would be better.” Raquelle glances down for two seconds. “And you’re fully loyal to those you love. For those people, you’d do anything. Moreover, you try to be honest. If you love someone, everybody sees it. If you feel disgusted, you don’t try to hide it. Your emotions are real. You’re real and don’t play the role of a good guy. You stay yourself. With your shortcomings and dignity. You’re a truly kind, brave, and caring man, who will always be ready to give the love he has.”       Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds and smiles shyly, caressing Terrence’s head or cheek.       “Don’t think I only love you for your incredible appearance,” Raquelle adds. “Yes, I can’t deny you’re the most handsome man of all the men I’ve ever met. But now I know you much better. And I’m in love with your kindness and care. Your independence… Your perseverance… Your self-confidence… With you, I feel like a queen. The queen that is loved and protected by the trustful man, who can be sentimental and tender, but growls at anyone to dare to hurt her.”       “Do you think I love you for your irresistible beauty?” Terrence smiles shyly, runs his hand over Raquelle’s cheek once, and runs the fingers of his hands through her hair. “No, my darling, you’re wrong. Your stunning beauty and inaccessibility conquered me then. But now I love your brain… Your talents… Your kind heart… Care… You can find words to calm someone calm and cheer them up. With you, I feel like a happy, little baby. I think I’ve never felt as good with someone as I feel with you.”       “Terrence…” Raquelle smiles shyly through tears rolling over her cheeks.       “It’s the truth, my queen. Although you say you’ve done nothing to me to prove your love, I know I got what I wanted and couldn’t wish for anything else.”       “Doing my best to be the one I should’ve always been.”       “And I must notice that you always stay strong and brave. Even in a hard situation, you always believe in the best and never give up, fighting ‘till the last breath. And your bravery admires me nicely! I never met such a brave and resolute girl like you.”       “It’s not true. If I was brave, I wouldn’t have peed when being under the pistol two times.”       “As if I wouldn’t get scared if someone put a pistol against my head. Actually, you were very brave. I know a couple of actresses, who terribly feared even fake pistols. The whole crew tried to make them sure that nothing would happen… For them, it was the first experience of acting in scenes, in which a gun must’ve been used. While I had gotten some experience in shooting before. It was one of my hobbies…”       “One thing is using a gun on the set. But another thing is being under a threat of death and being afraid to get a bullet in the head from a sick person that wanna defeat you.”       “Nevertheless, you were able to keep coldness. As I said, you always fight ‘till the end! To live, to love, to be happy… For anything! You’re a fighter, Raquelle! The real fighter that struggles for a good life and makes their wishes come true. The strongest people don’t give up, do go ‘till the end, and eventually get a valuable prize.”       “I’ve already gotten my prize,” Raquelle smiles shyly and softly caresses Terrence’s cheek. “You, sweetheart. We’re probably, really destined to be together ‘cause we became a couple after we hated each other for a long time. Though I couldn’t even see it in my dream. I never thought I’d fall in love with someone, the love for whom would start with a conflict.”       “Yeah, your first slap conquered me completely,” Terrence notices funnily.       “Yes, yes, I understood you were a little masochist, a little pervert.”       “Anyway, I did conquer Everest and got a girl, who is wanted by all men.” Terrence takes Raquelle’s hands. “The one, who became my salvation. The one, who literally saved me and stayed in my life to make it better.”       “Yeah.” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds. “Sometimes fate gives us amazing surprises. Which are the reason why our lives might not be what we’ve always imagined.”       “Sometimes some things happen to make us happy and show us a way to those, whom we would feel good with.”       “Right. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be sitting together and holding each other’s hands.”       “But we are,” Terrence smiles shyly. “And I’m madly happy fate brought me to you.”       “And I’m glad you told me what made you worried. Now I know what I shouldn’t talk about not to make you upset.”       “Do I probably look like a whining boy, huh?”       “No, no, no way,” Raquelle shakes her head. “Why are you so sure sharing what you’re worried about would make you weak? Being a man doesn’t mean being like a stone. You aren’t a robot, you’re an alive man, who has feelings, emotions, a heart, and a soul. You can’t always stay indifferent to everything and pretend that you don’t care about it.”       “I know…” Terrence inclines his head and runs his hand over his face. “Probably, without some toughness that I got at a teenage age, I would’ve hardly overcome this nightmare.”       “You can take it, Terrence, I believe in you,” Raquelle takes Terrence’s hand and softly caresses it and his wrist. “Do you remember you always told me that if we’re together, we can overcome anything? So, now I’m telling you the same. You can always count on me and ask for help. We aren’t strangers and must be open.”       “I’m now open to you.”       “We aren’t teenagers, who are just starting to discover this feeling and learning to love. We’re adult people that have some experience and know what to do to make love stronger.” Raquelle falls into silence for a few seconds, moving her eyes down with a slight smile. “I think the more time goes by, the stronger my feelings get… We’ve been together for more than one year and are gonna get married soon. We’ve experienced as much as people don’t experience for twenty years of marriage.”       “Sometimes I think I’ve known you forever. As if we met a very long ago but just got a love for each other and decided to become a family.”       “I have the same feeling. I’ve always felt comfortable with you. Yeah… Maybe, we were fighting like a cat and a dog at first… But we still do this! We didn’t become quieter. Nothing has changed. Expect the fact that we love each other and are gonna get married.”       “You know, I think we smoothly changed the course,” Terrence notices thoughtfully with a slight smile. “Some time ago, I calmed you down and made you sure everything would be okay, but now everything is otherwise. I became an unprotected child, who needs someone’s love… And you’re comforting me.”       “Should loving people only kiss and say they love each other? I’ve always thought they should also be best friends. Grandpa and Aunt always told me that beauty and sexuality weren’t the most important things about love. The important thing is care and readiness to sacrifice something, give up on something, change yourself and encourage your sweetheart to get better.”       “I completely agree with you. The past year taught me that sexual affection wasn’t the most important thing. It’s just a nice addition. I’m sorry we didn’t know it before, but I am glad everything is otherwise now.”       “So, there’s nothing wrong with supporting each other in a hard situation,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “My wish to listen to you and help you was true. I just wanted to know what happened to you and calm my heart down. So, it doesn’t hurt to see you so unhappy and exhausted…”       “I never thought I’d say it, but…” Terrence hesitantly moves his eyes full of pity to Raquelle. “Raquelle, please… Help me overcome this horror. Please, sweetheart, do something for me to get rid of this freaking burden that drags me down. I can’t do this alone! I need the help of the one I madly love!”       Terrence takes Raquelle’s hands softly but tightly, looking at her with wet and red eyes.       “I know you can do it!” Terrence adds with despair and exhales with a shake. “You’re the only one to do something for me to stop feeling guilty about you. I don’t think I could easily get rid of this disgusting feeling, but you will surely help me.”       “Sweetheart…” Raquelle pronounces softly.       “Please, Raquelle, don’t leave me. Don’t leave me when I need your support so badly. I feel terribly bad. But I will feel much worse if it keeps happening. Get me out of the hole! Please… Help me…”       “That’s what I wanted to hear from you,” Raquelle smiles slightly, softly grabs Terrence’s face, and kisses him tenderly on the tip of his nose. “I promise I shall do my best. I’m ready for anything to make your condition better.”       “Just say you aren’t mad at me and don’t wanna reproach me for treating you badly somewhere in the future.”       “Please, Terrence, stop thinking I’m still mad at you for what happened. If I say it, my brain is just turned off. Having a clear mind, I wanna think only of our future. All people get wrong and have a right to a second chance. And I gave it for my love for you. That will hardly get weak.” Raquelle falls into silence for two seconds to sigh hard. “I understand I gave you great pain by talking about it. So, I truly wanna apologize to you. I’m sorry about all the hysterics I had and still have. I’m really very sorry…”       “And I’m sorry about taking it out on you at times, for that trip, for cheating, and for being about to kill you in anger,” Terrence says with regret, caressing Raquelle’s shoulders, forearms and curves of her neck with his hands, while she guiltily looks at her hands folded in front of her. “You know that I try to get better, but I do it badly so far. Though, I hope I will become a decent husband for you and give a wonderful example to our future children.”       “I’m sure it will happen,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “I think we two are too nervous because of our problems and couldn’t or didn’t wanna talk about it. We believed that keeping everything inside would be much better. But trying to help the others so hard, we forgot about ourselves and each other… We forgot there was no point in pretending to be unbroken and confident people, who didn’t care about what happened.”       “Let’s just be together, whatever happens to us,” Terrence suggests amicably. “I’ll personally always be by your side. And I will be madly happy if you support me.”       “I’ll also always be by your side. And help you forget what makes us two worried.”       Terrence keeps smiling much wider, even if he still keeps shaking slightly from tension and being nervous. Raquelle tenderly caresses his face with her hands, looking into his eyes, and takes him into her hug that he needs so badly a few seconds later. She puts an arm around her sweetheart’s neck and runs her hand through his hair, touching which has always been madly nice to him. Her cheek softly touches the cheek of the man, who tightly hugs the girl by the waist with one arm, caresses her back with a shaking hand quite quickly, and hides his face in a curve of her neck, the skin of which has a nice smell.       At some moment, tears start getting out of the eyes of the shaking Terrence and rolling over his cheeks, and he cannot hold them down. However, he does not try to hide them from the girl, makes a couple of quiet sobs and sniffs. She quickly understands the man is crying, presses herself much tighter to him, caresses his head, back, shoulders, and the nape of his neck with slow, relaxing movements, and continues stroking his hair in the hope that it will help him calm down. The girl understands her fiancé needs all her support and love as much as never ever. So, she gives him her care and lets him feel like a little, unprotected boy and embrace her as long as he wants.       Some time later, Terrence and Raquelle slowly step away from each other, take each other’s hands and share a gaze for a few seconds. The man keeps making quiet sobs and feeling tears rolling over his face, and the girl carefully wipes them off with her fingers, caresses his cheeks, and leaves a couple of kisses on the tip of his nose, making him smile shyly and realize a nice warmth is spreading all over his body and helping him relax his tense muscles.       “Okay, my sweetie, calm down,” Raquelle says softly, fixing Terrence’s little disheveled hair. “It’s okay, we’ll take it. You’re my strong and tough one. I believe in you and know you’re able to overcome any barriers.”       “Thanks, my love,” Terrence thanks in a whisper and kisses Raquelle cutely on the forehead, on which he leans with his forehead. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”       “It’s gonna be okay, don’t worry.” Raquelle caresses Terrence’s cheeks with her warm hands. “I’m here. Nothing lasts forever. Bad things will be over someday.”       “Yeah, I’d like to ask you about something…” Terrence wipes the rest of the tears off his cheeks and under his eyes. “Please, tell nobody what I told you, and why I cried… I don’t want someone to know about my weakness.”       “But what will you say if someone asks you?”       “I shall think up something. Maybe, I will find the courage to say it someday, but not now.”       “Okay, sweetheart, I’ll say nothing,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “If it’s so important to you, I swear I’ll be silent.”       “Nobody, even Natalia!” Terrence looks into Raquelle’s eyes much more piercingly. “Got it?”       “Sure! You know I can keep secrets and don’t say what I shouldn’t.”       “Okay, thanks a lot.”       Silence settles in the air for two or three seconds, during which Terrence slowly looks around the whole room and stops his eyes on the watch.       “Oh, my gosh, it’s already ten past five!” Terrence exclaims. “I don’t know if we can do it, but we should try to fall asleep and sleep at least for two hours. Otherwise, we’ll be sleeping all day long…”       “But I don’t think I’d fall asleep right now…” Raquelle says thoughtfully, running her hand through her hair. “Though, I need to look good, ‘cause I should go to my agency today and talk to my managers. Serena asked me to come… I should specify something and talk about some offers of job.”       “Well… I should go nowhere… If I don’t fall asleep now, I’ll try to find time to sleep for one hour or two in daylight.”       “Well, if we don’t, you and I will have bruises under our eyes from a lack of sleep.”       “Yup… But girls have lots of cosmetics, with which they can easily cover any tiredness. And your managers wouldn’t amazingly stare at you. So, as there’s a five-percent possibility of falling asleep, we can just lie in bed and stare at the ceiling. Well… Or talk about something… We’ve lately, rarely talked for nothing, face to face.”       “Agree, we’ve really, rarely stayed alone…” Raquelle smiles mysteriously, carefully pulling Terrence’s shirt on herself and bringing her face very close to him, making his breath slow, and lowers her voice. “Very rarely… Of course, I wouldn’t mind, but I’m sorry that I’ll have just to stare at the ceiling ‘till the morning.”       “M-m-m, I see someone wanna play a little,” Terrence notices with a sly smile, while his eyes look at Raquelle’s face, and he takes his breath away. “Yes, my love?”       “Didn’t I deserve a little encouragement?” Raquelle asks in a low voice, slightly biting her lip, while her sly gaze is set on Terrence’s lips or eyes, caresses his cheek tenderly, but then runs her hand slowly over his tough torso. “Huh, Mr. MacClife? Would we just lie in our bed and do nothing ‘till the morning?”       “Gonna provoke me in the middle of the night?”       “Well… It’s almost morning. You and I will hardly fall asleep… So…” Raquelle brings her face much closer to Terrence’s face and leaves a few short kisses on his cheeks and the corners of his mouth. “I’m suggesting that we use a moment and give each other some attention. What if we don’t have this chance at the nearest time…”       Terrence says nothing for two seconds, while Raquelle keeps leaving short kisses on her lips and shyly runs her hand underneath his t-shirt. Then he mysteriously smiles and caresses her head, saying into her lips in a low, quiet, and velvet voice:       “Actually, I can do something… Think it’s my thanks for letting me exhale with relief.”       The young people get so close to each other that they take a breath away, and their hearts start beating more frequently. They examine each other’s eyes and face for two seconds and share a slight smile. One hand of Raquelle is placed on Terrence’s shoulder, and another strokes his hair on the top of his head, and he holds the girl by the back of her head, letting his fingers through her soft hair, and puts the same hand on her cheek. And a little later, the lovers, confidently shorten the distance and give each other a tender, continuous kiss on the lips. They stay quiet at first and breathe normally, but as long as the tender kiss lasts, their breath gets much heavier, and they feel a madly nice warmth spreading all over their bodies, and a slight tickle shows up in their abdomens. At first, the lovers just tenderly touch each other’s lips with their lips, but now they may slightly bite, pull and squeeze them.       All this time, Terrence and Raquelle’s hands caress each other’s hair and face, get down and down, and stay on the attractive feminine curves of the waist and the tough masculine torso. At some moment, the girl lies on the bed, pressing the man softly to herself with a hint that he is raising himself above her. And while her hands caress the face, shoulders, back, chest, and stomach of her beloved man, and her fingers tenderly stroke his hair or slightly pull it, Terrence leaves a few tender kisses on Raquelle’s face, then slowly but confidently slides to the girl’s neck and keeps caressing this incredibly sensitive area. The girl unconsciously makes quiet, sensitive sighs with closed eyes and a serene smile and bends backward slightly, showing all parts of her neck and feeling she starts shaking or feeling hot after every single tender touch of the man’s soft lips. A little later, MacClife moves some of her hair aside, as it prevents him from reaching such an attractive curve of the thin feminine neck that has not been kissed by him. The girl starts shaking much stronger and understands how fast her heart starts beating, while the tender, warm hands of the beloved man caress her face, shoulders, and the curves of her waist, and any touch of her silky dark hair relaxes her and gives her a sense of calm.       At some moment, the edges of Raquelle’s caramel silk top with thin straps, the deep décolleté of which is framed with lace, raise up slightly. Terrence uses this moment, letting his hand shyly get underneath it and caressing tenderly the bottom of her flat belly. His lips keep covering the curves of the girl’s neck with kisses and slide to her attractive collarbones, which kind of also beg for attention. Sighs and moans are getting more continuous, louder, and more sensitive. Their heartbeats are getting stronger. They get obsessed with stronger waves of shake and heat that unconsciously make the body bend backward and do random movements.       In passion, Raquelle tightly squeezes the blanket in her hands, letting herself relax completely and give herself comprehensive pleasure. Just like Terrence, who really enjoys caressing and kissing every single part of her gorgeous feminine body that will always belong only to him. All her sensitive moans wake up a passion inside him. All her movements silently let him know he is well aware of how to make the body shake with just one touch of his soft lips or his warm hand. The man’s breath gets much heavier, as he confidently caresses the girl’s belly with his hands and covers it with tender kisses, which kind of relax but kind of make her shake and feel a tickle somewhere in her abdomen.       Later, Terrence comes back to Raquelle’s lips and, grabbing her face softly with one hand and turning it on himself, gives her an exciting, continuous kiss, still raising himself above her and enjoying her quiet, serene moans. His free hand slides over her collarbones, shoulders, and belly and squeezes tenderly the lady’s things, buttocks, and breasts. While the girl wears no bra, and her silky top is very thin, he gets much more pleasure from caressing this gorgeous part of her body and feels her tough nipples that get bigger.       A little later, Terrence’s hand starts holding her tightly by the neck, on which he leaves many passionate kisses, a few slight bites, and wet paths. Raquelle, running her hands over the man’s back and slightly pulling her hair, enjoys every single moment. She imagines how the excitement is getting stronger as a result of the man’s actions. This handsome black-haired man controls her body skillfully and can make her moan and shake for a few minutes. His sensual kisses on the area behind her ears, which he tenderly grabs with his mouth and caresses with his lips, cause a tormenting tension. The way he breathes on the thin skin of her gracious neck with a cold and hot breath causes a wish to get much closer to this man. And when his fingertips tenderly caress her crotch, and his hand gets underneath her thin caramel shorts and touches some especially sensitive areas, she cannot hold down her quiet, sensual moans.       At some moment, Terrence realizes he should catch a breath. So, he steps back slowly from Raquelle breathing heavily, and lies on the bed next to her. They look much happier and more relaxed, as they share a tender smile with each other. The man runs his hand tenderly over the girl’s cheek and caresses her head, and she slightly ruffles his disheveled hair, presses herself close to him, and puts her hand on his chest. The lovers spend some time in silence, which might be broken by their heavy, deep breath. But then Raquelle shyly breaks it:       “I don’t know what about you, but I feel better…”       “I can’t deny it,” Terrence agrees, sits up with a slight smile and a heavy breath, bends to Raquelle, and runs his fingers through her hair, looking into her eyes. “My beauty…”       “Said by the handsome guy,” Raquelle replies with a cute smile in a soft, low voice.       “I know,” Terrence leaves a kiss on Raquelle’s lips, the curve of her neck, and behind her ear, making her smile much wider. “Even in the darkest night, I feel you by my side…”       “You will always do…” Raquelle presses Terrence to herself, holding him by the nape of his neck and putting her hand on his cheek, and gives him a tender kiss on his lips. “My sweetheart…”       “It would be great to make this magical moment longer. But sadly, we’ve gotta sleep a little. Otherwise, we will barely live ‘till the evening.”       “I know, but I don’t kinda wanna sleep.”       “You just need to try to relax. Let’s lie a little and then fall asleep at least for two hours.”       “But, honey…”       “You want your managers to be worried about your appearance when you come to them for a meeting?”       “If I do makeup, it’s gonna be okay.”       “You’ll see, when you relax and get all thoughts out of your head, you’ll easily fall into a sleep.”       “I don’t wanna sleep!”       “You will do it now! I’ll switch off the lamp, so the light doesn’t bother us.”       When Terrence just wants to reach the lamp and switch it off by pressing one little button on it, Raquelle hugs him tightly from behind.       “Sh-h-h…” Raquelle shushes with a sly smile, putting her hands on Terrence’s chest. “Don’t rush, pretty boy… Don’t rush…”       “Lemme turn off the light!” Terrence exclaims.       “Quiet, sweetie, quiet…” Raquelle runs her hands over Terrence’s chest and grabs him tightly by the throat with one hand, making him shake slightly in surprise. “Quiet, I said! Don’t move!”       “Hey, what are you doing?” Terrence laughs shyly.       “Sh-h-h, it’s okay, sweetie…” Raquelle whispers with a sly smile, starting to caress the front of Terrence's neck tenderly. “It’s okay…”       “Uh…” Terrence swallows up nervously with a much heavier breath.       “Wow…” Raquelle slightly touches Terrence’s ear with her lips, runs her tongue over his earlobe, and wants to say something into it, grabbing him by the throat tighter. “Is this everything you can offer me? Sorry… I expected something more grandiose…”       “No, Cameron, don’t do this…” Terrence pronounces in a low voice, shaking slightly with a feeling that the muscles of his stomach are tense. “Hear me…”       “Will it end now? Won’t you show me everything you can?” Raquelle leaves a couple of cute kisses behind Terrence’s ear and breathes on it with a cold breath, because of which his body gets slightly frozen. “Now you showed ten percent of what you can do.”       “Sweetie, did you look at the watch? It’s more than five hours in the morning! People are sleeping at this time, but you want love!”       “Yes, I want love!” Raquelle lets her hands get underneath Terrence’s t-shirt and slide over his tough torso. “Your passionate, hot love that makes my legs weak. And make me feel dizzy.”       “Crazy…”       “What’s wrong, pretty boy?” Raquelle steps back from Terrence, sits in front of him, runs her hand over his chest and arms, and slightly grabs the tip of his nose with her mouth. “Don’t you wanna caress my gorgeous body?”       “Yeah, but not now! When it’s a fucking night!”       “M-m-m, you’re too tense…” Raquelle leaves a short kiss on Terrence’s lips and runs her mouth over all parts of his face. “I do feel all your muscles are tense…”       “Listen, Raquelle… Maybe… Let’s do it later… The sun will rise soon, but we haven’t gotten enough sleep.”       “It didn’t scare you before…” Raquelle softly grabs Terrence by the chin and looks into his eyes. “If you’d terribly wanted to have sex at three hours in the night, nothing would’ve stopped you. But now you just tenderly kissed me a couple of times and decided to end it.”       “I promised just to thank you for the relief you gave me.”       “Yeah, but now I want much more…” Raquelle, biting her lip slightly, sets her more confident gaze into Terrence’s eyes. “I want you… Entirely…”       “Not now, baby.” Terrence caresses Raquelle’s head tenderly. “Now I wanna sleep a little and try to get bad thoughts outta my mind. I’ve lately lacked sleep because I see those nightmares.”       Terrence reaches for the lamp again to switch it off, but Raquelle sharply strikes him on the bed and sits over him, while he barely understands what happened.       “Oh, no, my sweetie!” Raquelle exclaims confidently. “Until you fuck me, I won’t get off you!”       “Damn, what bit you?” Terrence chuckles quietly. “Why did you decide to have fun in the early morning?”       “Just wanna help you feel much better.” Raquelle lets her hands smoothly slide over Terrence’s chest with a mysterious smile. “And I know one effective cure that will bring you to life.”       “You already helped me enough. I spoke out and got much better.”       “Maybe. But not quiet.” Raquelle leaves a couple of kisses on Terrence’s cheek and does the same with one of the curves of his neck. “And I’m gonna fix it.”       “Raquelle…” Terrence pronounces with a quiet sigh when he closes his eyes and feels a slight shake after Raquelle leaves a few more kisses on his neck. “Raquelle, listen…”       “Shut up, MacClife,” Raquelle cuts off, grabbing Terrence’s face and caressing tenderly his half-open mouth with her lips. “I know and hear nothing.”       “Oh, gosh, I shouldn't have stood in your way…”       “You’ll thank me later.”       “Shit, why are you so crazy?” Terrence exhales quietly when Raquelle kisses and slightly bites the skin on his neck and runs her lips over the area behind his ears. “Just a crazy gal!”       “I have a crazy teacher that definitely wanna keep suffering.”       “You know well that we’ve got lots of reasons to worry.”       “Forget it,” Raquelle replies in a hoarse voice, gets off Terrence slowly, gets her hand underneath his gray t-shirt, raises it up, tenderly caresses his tense abdomen, and covers it with slight kisses. “At least for a while. Now I want you to think of me and try to relax.”       “I always think of you,” Terrence sits up slowly. “No day when I don’t…”       “That’s wonderful!” Raquelle, quickly ending up behind Terrence, covers the nape of his neck with kisses and runs her hands over his back.       “Yeah…” Terrence laughs shyly. “You’re determined…”       “More determined than you think.” Raquelle runs her hands underneath Terrence’s t-shirt, feeling every tough muscle better and the man’s soft, warm skin. “I’ll have a great pleasure helping you relax. And let you do anything you want to me.”       When Terrence wants to open his mouth, Raquelle immediately ends up in front of him, puts her arms around his neck, and gives him quite a hot kiss on the lips. He answers her willingly, putting his arms around her slim waist and putting his hands on her back. She quickly makes this kiss much hotter, more exciting, and wetter, actively using her tongue to caress the most sensitive areas in his mouth and pulling his top and bottom lip by one or slightly biting them.       And some time later, her perseverance, brilliant skills of seducing, and incredible passion, with which she shows love for her fiancé, give her some results. The man slowly starts getting relaxed and also answers her hotly, running his fingers through her disheveled hair, getting a free hand underneath her thin silk top, and starting to caress her naked back. The girl feels free to moan sensitively, gives her hands more freedom, and lowers them downer and downer, starting from the top of his head and moving to his cheeks, ears, neck, collarbones, shoulders, arms, waist, chest, and stomach. Every single part of the masculine body gets the attention of this beauty, who is going to get what she wants and drive her fiancé crazy. And it seems like Raquelle hit the bullseye.       “So, do you feel relief?” Raquelle asks softly, breaking the kiss with Terrence and looking into his eyes.       “You’re just crazy anyway,” Terrence replies in a low voice, glances at Raquelle’s décolleté, and smiles slyly. “Crazy bitch…”       “You’d die with a good girl from boredom. Though, you can’t complain. Because you were running after me like a tail.”       “Anyone would crush themselves for such a sexy baby.”       “And it’s just the beginning. I’m just warming up so far. But very soon, you’re gonna feel very good and forget all the bad things. Maybe, you’ll even stop seeing nightmares.”       “It’s my dream.” Terrence grabs Raquelle’s face, runs his fingers through her hair at the roots, kisses the tip of her nose and the area under the top lip, and caresses both of them with his half-open mouth. “You know how much I shake when I wake up after seeing myself killing and raping you. At those moments, I wanna shoot myself…”       “Forget it. What happened in the past will always stay in it. But we must keep moving on and think of our future.” Raquelle leaves a short kiss on Terrence’s lips with a heavy breath. “Our wedding…”       “The past doesn’t wanna let me go and always reminds me of it. I’m trying to let it go, but…”       “Sh-h-h…” Raquelle softly puts a finger on Terrence’s lips, caressing his cheek with a free hand. “Say nothing. Better try to relax and think of what makes you happy.”       “Only if you help me.”       “With great pleasure!”       Raquelle gives Terrence another more tender kiss on the lips, holding his face with her hands and later running her fingers through his hair. He answers her back, holding her by the back of her head and later starting to play with her long, loose hair. The girl slowly moves her hands from the wide masculine shoulders to the tough torso, on which she feels the rock-hard abs through the t-shirt. It makes the man feel a nice shake and literally forget how to breathe. He does not hide his quiet moans and feels a tormenting tension in his groin.       Terrence understands he cannot reject such a wonderful opportunity to feel much better. And Raquelle is going to use her beauty, charm, and skill of seduction to give the man much pleasure. She sees that the man does not treat her wish to make him hers so categorically. It encourages her to give much effort for both of them to be at the top of the world.       “Okay, it’s better,” Raquelle shows pleasure, steps back from Terrence softly, and looks into his eyes. “Good boy…”       “So, It’s probably not such a bad time for a little game,” Terrence replies thoughtfully in a hoarse voice with a mysterious smile. “I can’t resist such an imitable beauty.”       “And you’re doing the right thing.”       “M-m-m…” Terrence leaves a few kisses on the curve of Raquelle’s neck with a wide, mysterious smile, while she rolls her eyes with a sensual moan. “If you wanna please your lord so badly, try to do it as good as possible.”       “But at first, I’m suggesting that we warm up and relax a little.” Raquelle ends up behind Terrence’s back quickly and starts massaging his shoulders and neck tenderly. “Just a little…”       Terrence’s smile gets much wider, while Raquelle gives him a massage, expanding the zone she needs and later starting to rub his back and massage every vertebra with her fingers or just running her fingertips over the spin. It helps the man relax much more and get pleasure from the touches of the feminine hands, which do amazing things to him.       “Damn, you do know how to please me,” Terrence expresses pleasure with a wide smile and moans quietly from pleasure, lying on his stomach. “That’s what I’ve lately lacked…”       “You’ll get everything you want,” Raquelle purrs in a low, nice voice, bringing her face closer to Terrence’s ear, tenderly caressing it with her lips, and kisses the area behind it, making him shake slightly. “Everything, sweetheart…”       Raquelle slowly moves her hands to the small of Terrence’s back, raising his t-shirt with her nose, covering the naked part of his back with kisses, or just running her half-open month over it.       “M-m-m, you’re so hot and sexy…”       “You do want me to take your clothes off and show you I can treat a girl’s body as well as a guitar.”       “Yeah, have I told you that I have no underwear now?” Raquelle asks with a mysterious smile in a low voice, covering the nape of Terrence’s neck with tender kisses and running her hands over his tough-to-touch arms.       “Really?” Terrence rounds his eyes, quickly sits up, and looks at Raquelle with interest, while his pls are dilated. “No bra, no knickers?”       “Allowing me to undress? Or do you prefer taking everything off me?”       “You force me to make a hard choice.”       “Okay… You think for a while, but I’ll have some fun.”       Raquelle gives Terrence another hot kiss on the lips, putting an arm around his neck and running the fingers of her free hand through his disheveled hair. He immediately puts his arms around her waist, runs his hands over her back, later slides underneath the lady’s tube for some time, and caresses and squeezes her buttocks tenderly. The girl is acting absolutely confidently, working her tongue in his mouth confidently, letting her hands get underneath his t-shirt, and caressing his tough back. She also gives enough attention to his arms, shoulders, and neck and does not forget to caress his tough chest through a cloth and underneath it.       The man’s breath is getting much heavier and more uneven. Sometimes he kind of chokes due to the lack of air. The attractive smell of the lady intoxicates him and causes a feeling of slight dizziness and a fast heartbeat. Terrence also makes quiet moans and aims to press Raquelle close to himself, as she just gave him no choice and used all her skills to seduce him.       “Fuck, Raquelle…” Terrence pronounces in a strongly hoarse voice and leaves a few short kisses on the curve of the neck of Raquelle, who makes a sensual moan with closed eyes. “You’re so inimitable… And gorgeous…”       “I feel dizzy when thinking of you undressing me and caressing my whole body,” Raquelle replies with a quiet, sensitive sigh and makes a much longer one when Terrence leaves a couple of kisses in the hole in the front of her neck. “Gosh, Terrence… M-m-m…”       “Get ready, cutie!” Terrence leaves a short kiss on Raquelle’s lips, caressing her breasts with his hands. “You asked for trouble…”       “Oh, yeah, caress me everywhere!” Raquelle moans sensually again with rolled eyes and tightly squeezes Terrence’s hair in passion, while he stimulates her nipples. “Do what you want to me! I’m yours…”       Raquelle passionately kisses Terrence on the lips again and impatiently lets her hands slide over his torso. At some moment, she gets them underneath his t-shirt, which she raises up strongly. Thinking he does not need it, the girl insists that the man raises his arms and helps her get rid of this thing that she throws aside. Raquelle’s pupils immediately dilate when seeing the half-naked Terrence. His wide shoulders, tough chest, gorgeous abs, and strong arms, which do not look too big. She takes her breath away from such a breathtaking view. Though she does not refuse a chance to smooth the masculine chest with kisses, caress it with her hands and mouth, and give attention to his tough nipples.       After deciding to relax and give himself to his feelings, Terrence does not hide his moans and enjoys the way the warmth is spreading all over his body. He gets pleasure from caressing his fiancée’s back, shoulders, face, and head, running his fingers through her hair, and squeezing her buttocks, things, and breasts. At some moment, the man raises up her silky tube, caresses her naked belly tenderly, and eventually takes this thing off the girl. Then he sees the small but very beautiful naked breasts that do ask for caress and kisses. Terrence shortly starts squeezing tenderly, caressing and covering this gorgeous part of the feminine body with kisses. He does not also forget about her tough nipples, which he sucks with his lips and confidently caresses with his tongue, making her make long, sensual moans and bend backward like a cat.       Raquelle does not have time to realize Terrence leaves her absolutely naked at some moment, taking off her silky shorts. Nevertheless, she does not feel discomfort and does not try to immediately cover herself with something. And she does not get horrified at the sight of the half-naked man. Whose pants she takes off at some moment to admire her beloved man in the form, which gets her as excited as she was when he undressed for her for the first time. After looking at each other and shaking a wide smile, the lovers start a more passionate, continuous kiss.       Terrence puts his arms around Raquelle’s waist, runs his warm hands over her back up and down, and caresses her buttocks. And she puts her arms around her fiancé’s neck, runs her fingers through his hair, and runs them over his chest. But a little later, the man softly lies the girl on the bed, raises himself above her, and covers her neck with tender, wet and greedy kisses. Later, he slowly slides down, reaching for her collarbones, caresses her belly with his mouth and hands, and gets pleasure from squeezing, kissing, and licking her breasts and nipples. He slowly goes to the inside of her thighs and crotch and caresses them with his hands, lips, and tongue. Later, his fingers get into her vagina and stimulate her tough clitoris tenderly. That’s why her body kind of gets a slight wave of electric shock, and her thighs get tense and make random movements.       Raquelle does not try to hide her emotions and shows them openly: moaning sensitively, bending backward, and breathing too heavily and loudly with a feeling of slight dizziness. The relaxed, naked body excitedly reacts to any actions of Terrence, who knows all her weaknesses. He does not hide his smile after all her sighs and attempts to try to say something in a hoarse voice and is sure he is doing everything right. At some moment, MacClife turns Cameron softly onto her stomach, covers her gracious, perfectly straight back with exciting kisses, and runs his warm hands and fingertips over it. She keeps moaning with closed eyes and feels she is shaking strongly, her heart is beating like crazy, her breath is uneven, and she has dizziness from so many strong emotions.       “Beautiful…” Terrence pronounces in a strongly hoarse voice with enjoyment, running his lips across Raquelle’s spine and leaving a tender kiss on the small of her back. “Goddess… My magnificent goddess…”       “Gosh, MacClife, you’re inimitable…” Raquelle moans quietly, while Terrence runs his hands over her buttocks and thighs and squeezes them tenderly. “M-m-m…”       “You asked for trouble,” Terrence moves Raquelle’s thick hair aside and covers the nape of her neck with kisses. “But I couldn’t resist… Because you’re my weakness…”       “But I don’t regret it… And I’m sure you’re not, either…”       “Not at all…” Terrence caresses Raquelle’s shoulders tenderly and kisses the area between her shoulder blades. “Even the worst day can get better with you.”       “I didn’t doubt…” Raquelle turns slowly onto her back, looking at Terrence tenderly, while he lies next to her and presses her to himself.       “You know what I need.”       “And I know what I need,” Raquelle pronounces in a low voice and runs her hand slowly over Terrence's chest. “I want you. I want you to be mine. Entirely.”       “Right now?”       “Right now.” Raquelle grabs Terrence by the throat softly but tightly, gets very close to him, and looks into his eyes, feeling he gets tense and literally stops breathing when feeling her heavy breath that gives him goosebumps.       “Don’t you wanna sleep?”       “How could I sleep with I have such a sexy man by my side?” Raquelle gives Terrence a continuous kiss on the lips and caresses his mouth with her tongue with a sensual moan. “M-m-m… I’d become your slave at my wish.”       “My gosh…” Terrence laughs shyly, while Raquelle’s head is resting on his shoulder, and she runs her hand shyly over his chest. “Normal people are sleeping now, but you and I wanna have sex…”       “I don’t care about others,” Raquelle smiles mysteriously and gets up slowly.” I can’t miss a chance to spend a night with my beloved man.”       “Do you really want it?” Terrence sits up.       “Would I now be absolutely naked in front of you?” Raquelle runs her fingers through her hair, pushing her chest toward proudly and bending her back slightly. “And undress you?”       “If you wanna admire the nude me, you can just ask me to undress,” Terrence replies in a low, nice voice with a mysterious smile, running his hand slowly over Raquelle’s leg and placing it on the inside of her thigh. “And I will proudly show you my gorgeous body that nobody else will get.”       “There’s no meaning now. Because you’re mine.” Raquelle makes a quiet moan, while Terrence’s hand slide over the curves of her waist. “And undressed…”       “And you’re mine…” Terrence gets Raquelle involved in a continuous kiss, holding her by the back of her head and her back, and makes her moan, when his tongue tenderly slides over her uvula. “Ar, bitch…”       “Oh, God…” Raquelle looks at Terrence with a little lusty gaze, biting her lip slightly when seeing his tough torso. “If I wasn’t your fiancée, I’d sell my soul to a demon to touch your body, at least with a finger.”       “I’d die to caress yours.” Terrence runs his hand over Raquelle’s breasts, squeezes them tenderly, stimulates her nipples with a thumb, leaves a long, slow kiss on her neck, touches her ear with her lips and grabs her earlobe slightly. “Damn, how it’s nice to know such a sexy goddess belongs to me. Who can get anyone excited with just one gaze.”       “Caress it then,” Raquelle suggests in a little shaking voice, runs her fingers through Terrence’s hair, caresses his cheek, goes down, caressing his tough naked torso with her hands, and tenderly stimulates his tough penis, which got bigger, while her lips slowly slide over a curve of his neck. “Take me right now. I’m all yours, and you may do anything you want to me.”       “If you don’t get your hand off my penis, you won’t get off me,” Terrence barely pronounces with a loud, heavy breath in a hoarse voice, feeling like he is getting a powerful electroshock.”       “If you really want, I can give it much more attention,” Raquelle replies in a low voice and caresses Terrence’s penis with stronger pressure, barely touching his lips with her lips. “So, you forget your name…”       “Gonna torture me ‘till the morning? Do everything you want to me, not letting me get close to you?”       “Nope, this time, I’m gonna be a good and obedient girl.” Raquelle tenderly pulls Terrence’s bottom lip, running his hand slowly over his chest. “Do anything my man wants.”       “All I want?”       “Stop talking and do what you should do before I change my mind.”       “Okay, Cameron, you did ask for trouble. But don’t dare to say I didn’t change your mind.”       Terrence presses Raquelle sharply to himself as closely as possible and, holding her with one arm by the waist and by the throat with a hand, greedily kisses her on the lips. She immediately answers to this hot kiss, running one hand through his hair and starting to caress his back with another, and makes her fiancé happy with quiet, sensual moans. At some moment, the man lies her down on the bed, raises himself above her, and confidently continues to caress, kiss, bite and lick all parts of her naked body, which positively reacts to any of his actions.       

***

      It’s about three hours. Natalia drove to the house of Anna and Daniel to visit her friend. The girl feels much better than two days ago, mainly thanks to the help of Terrence and Raquelle. She believes their wish to give support is true and knows she will overcome the pain that has tortured her for a long time.       After leaving her car in a small parking lot, Natalia leaves it, locks it with a key, and goes slowly to not the very big but not very small, beautiful house she needs. Later, she comes to the hall door, shifts her weight from one foot to another for two seconds, rings the doorbell, and waits for a reaction. And a few seconds later, the door is opened by Daniel, who is nicely surprised to see the friend of his girlfriend.       “Natalia?” Daniel wonders. “Hi! What a surprise! I didn’t know you’d love to come.”       “Hey, Daniel,” Natalia smiles shyly, hugs Daniel amicably, and steps back from him. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to see you, either. I thought you went somewhere with Terrence or something like that.”       “Nope…” Daniel shrugs and glances aside for a second. “Terrence turned off his phone, and I can’t reach him.”       “Really?” Natalia frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “He’s busy?”       “I dunno. I tried to call him and suggest having fun, but I couldn’t reach him.”       “Okay…” Natalia glances at a car that goes somewhere far from here. “Hey, are you alone now? Is Anna here? I actually came to her and would like to talk to her a little.”       “Sadly, Anna isn’t home. She went out for two hours to buy something from food. But I recently talked to her, and she said she’d be back soon.”       “Sorry… Well, okay…”       “But if you want, you can wait for her. I can become your company and talk to you a little. We haven’t met for ages, and I wonder to know how you’re doing.”       “It’d be cool,” Natalia smiles shyly, holding a belt of her purse.       “Come in.”       Daniel steps back from the doorstep and lets Natalia come into the house. While the man closes the door, the girl enters the house a little hesitantly, looking around with interest, and later comes to the living room. And a few moments later, Perkins goes to the living room, where the blonde looks at something placed on the table near the stairs.       “By the way, you look better than you did when we met the last time,” Daniel notices.       “Thanks a lot,” Natalia replies quietly. “Many things changed from that time. For example, I decided not to hide from my friends and be silent about what bothers me.”       “Really?”       “Yup. So, if you wanna know what’s happening to me, you can ask me, and I’ll tell you the truth.”       “That’s how…” Daniel looks at Natalia with sadness in his eyes, sits on the sofa, and points at the place near him, inviting the girl to join him. “I don’t wanna hurt you, but… Yesterday, Anna told me you broke up with Edward one month ago.”       “It’s true…”       “I’m very sorry, you were quite a cute couple.”       “Thanks for the sympathy, but I feel better now.” Natalia sits on the sofa, folds her hands in front of her and looks at Daniel with a slight smile, putting her purse near her. “First, it was hard, but now I don’t feel such pain.”       “It’s always hard to experience a breakup. Especially when you love someone.”       “I know. But I think I can find the strength to accept it and have my heart for another, more decent man.”       “Honestly, I’m surprised you were silent about it for so long.” Daniel scratches his temple. “No, of course, we suspected you could break up, but we didn’t make it the main reason for the problems.”       “Ah, Daniel, I’m surprised by myself, as well,” Natalia sighs heavily and starts looking at her hands. “The fear paralyzed me for a long time, and I could do nothing with it.”       “Sorry for asking, but is it true that Edward believes you cheated on him?”       “Yes, but it’s not true.” Natalia looks at Daniel with sadness in her eyes. “I swear, Daniel, I never cheated on Edward and didn’t even think about it. I loved only him and didn’t look at other men.”       “But why didn’t you tell him you didn’t betray him? I think he will understand and listen to you.”       “No, he won’t do. Even if I tell him that, he won’t believe me and will call me a betrayer, liar, and, dirty whore again. And after what happened, I don’t need that man.”       “But making him believe you allegedly betrayed him is wrong.”       “But we know what that stinker is made of. Lockhart thinks only of himself and money and is ready for anything to betray his family and those, who love him. I mean, loved…”       “Listen, friend, I understand you’re mad at Edward because he insulted you. But don’t go too far and humiliate the man for others.”       “I never insult someone without a reason. If I say Edward is a nasty, false, and corrupted bastard, it means it’s true.”       “Sorry, Natalia, but I don’t understand you…”       “Don’t you?” Natalia looks at Daniel surprisingly. “Didn’t Terrence tell you what happened two days ago?”       “Nope…” Daniel runs his hand over his hair. “Honestly, he’s been strange lately… Getting something outta him is barely possible. I have to get everything out of him by force.”       “Really?”       “Don’t ya know what’s happening to him?”       “Erm…” Natalia thinks for two seconds and shrugs. “Honestly, I don’t… But why do you think he’s strange?”       “Well… For example, yesterday, we wanted to know the results of the test that Terrence, two friends of Peter, and I made to find out the blood donor. Yeah, are you aware of what happened to him?”       “Yup, I am,” Natalia nods.       “So, after we found out who could be a donor, Peter’s doctor talked to us a little. We talked about the reasons why he could do that. And when the doctor made an example of one person getting mad and hurting someone they love much more, Terrence got kind of white and nervous. And he ran away from the office. Later, I found him in the hospital cafeteria, where he was alone with a bottle of water in his hands.”       “Wow!”       “If I hadn’t been with him, he would’ve probably stayed for a night in the hospital or gone somewhere in the city and walked nobody knows where.”       “He felt so bad?” Natalia asks with sadness in her eyes.       “It seems like, yes. His mood has lately changed often, and I don’t know why. Yes, he’s worried about what’s happening, but he must hold on. If Terrence lets things happen as they want, everything might get worse. Nobody but him can end this shit.”       “I think it’s not surprising. Too many things have happened to him for a long time. And it seems like his old scars haven’t gone, and I still let him know about them.”       “Is he still worried about the situation with Raquelle?” Daniel frowns slightly.       “I think so. Although it’s been a few months since it happened, he still remembers it with a shake. And when I talked to Raquelle and Terrence two days ago, they suddenly started to remind each other of the past offenses and recalled their conflict.”       “Yeah, he said that Raquelle and he had lately fought and argued about something lately.”       “Terrence sharply changed when Raquelle reminded him of leaving her, cheating with a girl… Your friend… And Rose’s one…”       “Actually, Rachel wasn’t our too close friend. We spoke to her well because of her father. But if Peter or I had conflicted with her, Albert, her father, would’ve easily kicked us outta the band and deprived us of a chance to earn money.”       “So, Terrence confessed he dated her for the place in the band.”       “Yeah, I know. He thought Rachel would impact her father and do everything for MacClife to be good for that man. But when Albert found out the truth about how Terrence deceived his daughter, even his huge talent didn’t save the guy.”       “MacClife still regrets doing that. Cheating on Raquelle with that gal… Because of the wish to show her what she could lose… The wish to finally start a musical career… And my friend still remembers that… Although they apologized and forgave each other, these problems are still a barrier to the perfect relationship.”       “I think the reason is also the strong stress they feel, constantly thinking of the problems.”       “Oh, Perkins, who feels good now? We are all worried about something! Someone is less worried, but someone is more worried.”       “You’re kind of right… I’m worried about the band’s future and ask myself if I have a chance to make my relationship with Rose better and make amends for my mockeries toward him… And about my relationship. Even if I don’t have problems with them.”       “You aren’t the only one to worry about the band. We all don’t want it to be broken up. And we don’t wanna lose Peter.”       “Nevertheless, if Terrence and I have to sacrifice the band for our friendship with him, we will do it. We’ll choose the second variant between the band and Peter.”       “It would be sad if you broke up and didn’t make your dream come true. But I’d also choose a close person instead of you. We’re proud of you three anyway. You’ve reached much.”       “I know. My girlfriend supports me entirely, and I’m very glad she’s by my side and gives me care.”       “If it’s so, you shouldn’t worry about your relationship with her. Anna loves you too much and won’t prefer another man.”       “Yeah, but I don’t feel quiet. I’ve also lately been a little nervous because of what’s happening to Anna and me.”       “Gosh, it’s okay that my friend often says she’s afraid to lose you. But you do know you aren’t gonna betray her and leave her for another gal.”       “You know, Natalia, your friend often loves saying it…” Daniel confesses with a slight smile. “First, I told her she was worried for nothing ‘cause I didn’t have the wish to leave her. But now I’m often starting to think I might lose her someday. Though I’m afraid of it more than anything… I got so attracted to that girl that I can’t imagine my life without her. Without her love, care, and understanding… Anna became the first girl, who showed such wonderful care for me. Losing this treasure would be a real sin.”       “No, Daniel!” Natalia claps Daniel on the shoulder with a slight smile. “You’ve got no reason to worry! Believe me, Anna is in love with you and is ready to do anything for you. The fact that she easily agreed to go against her parents and run away from them means her feelings for you are much stronger than you think.”       “Nevertheless, your friend ‘infected’ me, and I began to be terribly afraid of the breakup with her. The several months we’ve been living together are the best of my life so far. I’m so lucky to meet such an amazing girl, who I’d spend all my life with.”       “Hey…” Natalia smiles mysteriously. “One bird whispered in my ear that you thought of marrying your lovely girlfriend.”       “M-m-m…” Daniel laughs quietly. “It seems like I know what that bird is… With red hair, green eyes, and a very cute face.”       “Yup, correct… She said you hinted you saw her as your wife.”       “True. In the future, I really see myself married to a girl like Anna. I’m sure she’ll be my wonderful wife and the mother of my children… Of course, I don’t want children now, but I’m gonna babysit at least one baby.”       “It would be great if you really got married and became parents,” Natalia smiles shyly. “Anna and you look so good together. You were kind of made for each other.”       “Ah, Natalia…” Daniel leans back in the sofa with a slight smile. “It’ll obviously happen, but not now… Now we better solve the problems… Moreover, I have a serious barrier – her parents, who will hardly approve of Anna’s choice and let her marry me.”       “Anna is not a little girl and can decide how to live. She must not get the blessing of her mother and father to marry her sweetheart. Early or late, they’ll have to accept it and stop minding the fact that she preferred love, not benefit and obedience. When Anna shows them that a relationship may be built not only with benefit and power but also with love and tenderness, they’ll understand it’s much better.”       “Oh, I dunno… You know well that those people weren’t happy when Anna and I didn’t even date and were just good friends. And you know what they did when your friend told her parents about me.”       “Well…” Natalia smiles mysteriously, rolling her eyes. “If you tell them nothing about your plans and marry before they know it, Anna’s father and mother will be able to do nothing. They’ll have to accept the fact that their son-law is not the one, who their daughter has never loved, but the one, for whom she’s ready to go to the end of the world.”       “Suggesting that we have a secret wedding?”       “Well, not secret… You’re gonna invite your close people…”       “Of course. Our closest friends will be invited to the wedding. And I already promised Terrence to make him my best man or one of the groomsmen.”       “In this case, you won’t dare to forget it.”       “I won’t. In case I’m engaged, this dude is gonna be the first one to get an invitation from me.”       “Okay…”       “However, now I won’t think about all of that. At first, I should solve the band’s problems and choose its future.”       “I get it…” Natalia glances aside for a second. “Hey, what about Peter’s current condition?”       “Nothing good,” Daniel shrugs with sadness in his eyes. “Yesterday, one of his friends should’ve gone to the hospital and given blood. But I don’t know how it happened, because Rose’s doctor hasn’t called us and said nothing.”       “I’m still surprised you and Terrence found Peter’s friends.”       “I knew he had one friend, but he said nothing about the second one. Somehow, Peter and I met her outside, and he talked to her for some time. But I didn’t memorize her and recalled her when George mentioned the girl, who talked to him instead of Peter.”       “And how did you and Terrence find her?”       “They found us. On the day of Peter’s suicide attempt, Terrence and I were at a café and were gonna leave. But we were stopped by two girls, who introduced themselves as Rose’s friends.”       “I bet they recognized Terrence,” Natalia chuckles kindly.       “Right. They said they recognized Terrence just because he played Mason in the movie ‘American Love Affair,’ which they adored.”       “I love it, as well…”       “C’mon, it’s a snotty, banal story of all girls having a crush on the most handsome guy at school. I’m still surprised how that movie got so famous. Why it made MacClife famous. He had better roles. For example, he played brilliantly in one of the episodes of my favorite show. It was filmed when I was a kid, but ended a few years ago. And I was nicely surprised to meet the man, who played in that show and was noticeable thanks to his incredible acting. His character, Lesley, was really cool.”       “Didn’t that handsome guy say he played someone else but attractive boys, who would be chased by lots of girls?”       “Yeah… I’m sorry fewer people remember his role in that crime mystery drama. Even Terrence himself barely remembers that. He prefers the characters, who are praised as well as their performer.”       “So, do you like to watch everything about the crime?”       “Yeah. Well, I also highly appreciate mystery. I’m surprised how people can use computer graphics to get a realistic picture.”       “I think everyone would be dead if everything is made in movies thanks to computer graphics happened in real life,” Natalia laughs shyly. “Flooding, meteorites, bombs, zombie apocalypse, mortal viruses…”       “Why do ya think so? There would always be a hero that would save humanity and destroy evil people.”       “Are you imagining yourself as a hero?”       “Why not?” Daniel shrugs with a shy smile. “Or do you have something against it!”       “No, nothing!”       “Then lemme imagine myself being a superhero, at least for a while. Who would be praised by humanity…”       “My gosh, if Terrence heard it, he’d immediately ruin all your dreams,” Natalia chuckles shyly.       “He’d regret it much,” Daniel smiles innocently. “And actually, I still wanna revenge him for laughing at me when we were giving off blood for the test.”       “Just don’t say you don’t like the sight of blood.”       “I don’t, but Terrence believes I fear it,” Daniel chuckles. “He’s always gonna remind me of me slipping down the wall with my eyes rolled when seeing that red substance in Pete’s apartment.”       “Did you really feel bad at the sight of blood?”       “No, there was just too much blood, and I wasn’t ready for it. What there was in the blond’s apartment looked like a scene from a horror movie. It was so creepy…”       “I get it. And I’m really very sorry it happened… I’m especially sorry for MacClife because too much has rained thick upon him.”       “Listen, don’t you know what’s happening between him and Edward?” Daniel frowns slightly. “When I mentioned the name of his friend, he got irritated and refused to talk about him. He barely hid his irritation when George started praising Lockhart and saying he did much more than his friend, Peter, and me. And he literally began to devalue his work. Edward kind of did nothing good to deserve that praise.”       “So, hasn’t Terrence talked to you about that?”       “I tried to find out what happened between them, but Terrence refused to talk about Edward and would’ve definitely attacked me if he’d heard about him again.”       “I see…”       “What happened to them? They were quite close!”       “You know, Daniel, I think Terrence doesn’t wanna say it yet,” Natalia replies hesitantly, tightly locking her fingers. “But I can confidently say the relationship between Terrence and Edward is very tense. And the possibility that they’d reconcile is very small.”       “But why?” Daniel rounds his eyes, shaking his head. “They aren’t little boys to share and fight with each other like in childhood.”       “If Terrence wants, he’ll tell you everything. Don’t press on him and give him time. The situation was really unpleasant and gave him strong pain.”       “Wow… He’s got lots of problems and has now fought with his friend…”       “I think it’s much harder for him than all of us. And don’t be surprised if someday he loses patience and breaks down. To take what’s happening and not to go crazy because of the memories of the past, you need very strong mental health. But it seems like Terrence is about to explode… He’s on edge…”       “I get it… So much has happened at the same time… I’m even sorry for him… Yes, of course, he acted like a nasty stinker when raising a hand at Raquelle. But punishing him like this is too much.”       “Yeah, he needs only to lose Raquelle to go insane. That girl is the only one to be able to hold him on.”       “We won’t get him outta the hole if his relationship with Raquelle gets much worse and brings them to another attempt to break up. I still remember how depressed he was. When Peter, Terrence, and I started the story of ‘Against The System,’ we rehearsed and tried to write songs. He played well, but automatically… He set up a setting and was doing that, giving no soul to his business. Like a robot…”       “And did he start working hard when he reconciled with Raquelle?”       “Exactly! Peter and I promised to thank Raquelle for making a miracle. And we did it after meeting her.”       “I remember…”       “Who would we have to thank for bringing Peter back to us?” Daniel sighs quietly.       “I dunno…” Natalia shrugs and runs her hand through her hair. “Even if Peter survives, it doesn’t mean he’d love to be back in the band. We can’t exclude that he might keep trying to kill himself…”       “We must avoid it… Encourage him to stop doing it and ask us for help at his wish. The doctor says you can’t make someone go to a clinic, get therapy for depression, talk to psychologists and come back to a good life by force. If Peter doesn’t want it, no therapy will help him. He’d be taken away by force if he was mentally sick. But the blond is absolutely healthy. He doesn’t have mental issues and is not dangerous for people.”       “Maybe, he’d ask about it if he saw we wish him the best. I think you must not make him speak by force. Peter should express a wish to tell you everything and help us find a way to help him.”       “First, we’ve gotta find a reason.”       “What do you think could bring him to these sad consequences?”       “Terrence and I and Peter’s friends have an assumption that Peter’s problems could start at a high school.” Daniel runs his hand over his hair. “They disliked him and even bullied him… The blond’s friends said that…”       “High school? But it’s been so long! Why do you think his suicide attempt had to do with school memories?”       “Peter started cutting himself at a high school. But at first, only one friend he studied with knew it. She caught him hurting himself when the blond ran away from a lesson, as everybody bullied him.”       “Didn’t they also bully that girl? If she was Peter’s friend, they were also supposed to hurt her.”       “She says she supported Peter secretly. That girl knew what it could bring her to. So, she supported Rose behind the school and after graduating. She tried to keep herself far from him at school, but she always let him know he could count on her.”       “My gosh…” Natalia pronounces with sadness in her eyes. “I didn’t know he had problems at school…”       “And you know, Peter’s doctor doesn’t also like this assumption?”       “Why?”       “He believes it’s been a while. The doctor cared about a different thing. He started asking us what kind of relationship Peter and one of his friends had.”       “But what kind of relationship could they have?”       “He just disliked the fact that the girl was too worried about Rose. She is really too worried about him… She even fell into hysteria when Terrence told her about the blond’s suicide attempt.”       “Wow… Is that girl in love with him?”       “I think she could have feelings for Peter. The other friend of Rose told MacClife and me about that.”       “And he?”       “I don’t exclude that he might feel something for her… He did look very blushed when I was talking about that girl… I needed only to call her name to make Pete smile shyly.”       “Do you know the girls he’s dated?”       “Nope, for the years we’ve known each other, he’s never had a girlfriend as well as a crush.”       “So, nobody?”       “Nobody! But something more really connects him and that girl.”       “Do you wanna say he could try to kill himself because of a one-sided love?”       “Peter’s doctor says it’s explainable and real. And George thought so when we told him what happened. And now I’m starting to believe he has suffered from the love for the girl and can’t confess it.”       “But if he tried to die from the love for the girl, why did he never say it? Did she reject him? Or is she dating another man?”       “I dunno, Natalia…” Daniel sighs quietly. “I thought I knew the blond very well, but as it turned out, he didn’t reveal many secrets.”       “Who knows, Daniel, who knows…” Natalia shakes her head and leans back in the sofa.       “Okay, Blondie, don’t think about it.” Daniel waves his hand. “Still, it’s not your problem. You shouldn’t burden yourself with what you don’t have to do with.”       “But I truly worry about you and really want everything to be okay. You did want to become musicians so badly.”       “If we aren’t destined to be the ones, it’s okay. We’ve already had a wonderful experience that we’ll never forget. Our band has reached much for several months of joint work.”       “I’m sure I’m not the only one to want you to save the band. I don’t doubt Anna would support you anyway, and Raquelle wouldn’t leave Terrence without care.”       “I truly appreciate that you worry about us and wanna help us somehow. But we also worry about you. You know how much everybody was scared of your condition! I got shocked when I saw you at my home for the first time in a while!”       “I got it,” Natalia laughs shyly.       “Were you so worried about the breakup with Edward?”       “I ain’t gonna hide that I’m still worried about it. Though, I barely found the strength to start accepting this fact and stop believing in a miracle.”       “Do you still love that man?”       “Yes, I still love him,” Natalia nods, feeling tears coming to her eyes. “And I’ll never forgive myself for loving such a horrible man like him. I thought Edward would make me happy, but he didn’t need me. When I accepted the fact that I couldn’t meet a good guy and fall in love, I met him and thought it was my destiny. But sadly, my dreams were ruined…”       “Have you never thought of trying to get him back?”       “Nope, Daniel, we’re nothing anymore,” Natalia sighs quietly, moving her sad eyes to her hands. “Our relationship went out of the limit.”       “Hope dies last, Natalia. I think you just need to tell Edward the truth. It doesn’t matter if he believes you, you must explain everything. And let him decide whether he believes your words or not.”       “Nothing will change if I say I didn’t cheat on him. He will need proof, but I can’t prove my innocence verbally. For him, all my words may be a lie and a wish to excuse my betrayal. Lockhart thinks I’m a nasty whore just because I’ve never hidden that I had many admirers and had the pleasure to flirt with handsome guys before I dated him.”       “He directly said you were a whore?”       “Exactly! And now he’s telling everyone about it, insulting and humiliating me for other people. Though, you can ask Anna or Raquelle, and they’d confirm that I’ve never cheated on anyone and slept with the one I didn’t date.”       “Yeah, what kind of proof did he have? Edward isn’t so stupid to blame you for cheating easily! He must’ve had a reason to believe you cheated. Or he should’ve caught you with a man.”       “Erm…” Natalia falls into silence for a few seconds, moving her sad eyes to her hands and getting quite tense. “I…”       “Why are you silent?” Daniel frowns slightly. “Are you lying to me? Don’t you wanna confess you actually cheated on him?”       “No, no, Daniel, I swear on anything that I never even thought of cheating on Edward,” Natalia replies with pity in her eyes. “Never! When I date someone, I don’t even look at other men.”       “But what’s the problem? Why did Terrence’s friend decide to blame you for cheating?”       “Sorry, but it’s too hard for me to say it now… I’ll surely tell you everything when I find the courage. But if you want, you can ask Raquelle or Terrence. They’d tell you the truth, which became the reason for the breakup of me and Edward.”       “Does someone else know it?”       “Not yet. But when my parents are back in the USA, I must tell them everything.”       “Wait, didn’t you tell Edward the truth? Did you really make him believe you were a whore?”       “You see, buddy… When Edward blamed me for cheating and gave me some proof, I got such a strong shock that I could say no word. What I saw made me deeply shocked… I felt that my legs got weak, everything went blurred before my eyes, and I felt dizziness… I could only cry bitterly and be afraid my silence would lead to a catastrophe.”       “Didn’t he want any explanations?”       “He did, but he didn’t hear. Because first, I was a cowardly girl, who didn’t find the courage to confess the proof was fake. And second, I lost this wish after everything he told me. Nobody insulted me like that! And I knew that dating him would’ve been my greatest mistake.”       “And are you ready to let him believe you’re a bitch and scumbag?” Daniel wonders, rounding his eyes. “Don’t do this, Natalia! You shouldn’t let that man think you don’t deserve trust. Do you know what Edward might tell everyone?”       “He can do what he wants.”       “I’m gonna say something as a man. For us, cheating is a strong hit that we’ll never forgive. Every man wants a girl to belong to him, and he ain’t gonna share her with anyone. And I understand Lockhart to some extent.”       “I know, but I no longer wanna feel disappointed. That man did his best to make everybody think he was the same stinker as his dad and uncle. As you heard before, I’m not ready to be with a nasty egoist, who hates his family and is terribly jealous of his relatives.”       “What are you talking about, friend? I completely understand it’s all very hard, but you shouldn’t insult a man like this. Yes, he hurt you, but he has no choice but to believe you’re a betrayer.”       “That scumbag can call me anything! When he steals everything ‘till the last cent from his relatives and gets the inheritance, which that bastard is fighting for with his uncle, he won’t even remember he has a family.” Natalia hums and crosses her arms over her chest. “You know, he’s jealous of his friend because Terrence is rich and successful, while he wears the same underwear and refuses to find a job and rent at least the worst apartment in the furthest neighborhood.”       “Inheritance?” Daniel frowns slightly. “What inheritance? What are ya talking about, Rochester?”       “About his daddy, who left the will, according to which his wealth should belong to Lockhart and his brothers. Edward decided to do his best to get it. There’s only one little barrier – he should kill all his relatives. But he confessed that it was his goal.”       “Damn, Natalia, don’t say so! It just can’t be the truth!”       “It can be, Daniel, it can! At the nearest time, all of us will be dead! Because of our allegedly sweet, innocent, and fluffy Edward Lockhart. Who is ready to do anything to get the money and the company. Because his dad gave him a chance! And he could also rob his friends, who have a lot of money.”       “So, do you wanna say Edward wants to rob his provided friends? Betray them and get the money and wealth that belong to them!”       “Yes, Daniel, we had the poisoned snake among us, and I also fell in love with him,” Natalia throws coldly and loudly. “That idiot wants to become as rich as his uncle or older brother. He got sick of living like a homeless beggar, who doesn’t have money and has always lived on someone’s account. Do you wonder why Lockhart hasn’t gotten a job, even if he says he’s looking for it so hard? Because he put an eye on his father’s inheritance and is gonna kill his family to become the only one to get their wealth. Even his own uncle, who also put an eye on it and wanna get everything, won’t stop him. But be sure, Mr. Lockhart will find a way to get him outta the way. Anything to stop being ashamed of poverty and be thousands of times better than his friend, whom he is terribly jealous of.”       “Oh, shit…” Daniel shakes his head, starting to get disappointed in Edward. “But, Natalia… How do you know it? Why are you sure Edward is gonna kill everybody for money and is terribly jealous of Terrence?”       “That scumbag confirmed everything. He said it to Raquelle, Terrence, and me. And showed his real, rotted side that he was hiding so hard, so we naively thought he was more innocent than an angel, using his fucking face that I do wanna hit as strongly as possible.”       “Wow…” Daniel closes his mouth for two seconds, setting his surprised gaze into the distance. “But I thought that man was fine and wasn’t able to hurt a fly.”       “A beautiful appearance isn’t always a guarantee that everything is wonderful inside. You’ll know that a fruit is rotten when you taste it enough and feel a disgusting, bitter taste. We thought the same about that bastard, but he disappointed us.”       “Has Edward really never loved his friend? Has he always wanted to deprive him of everything and kill him? Was that guy looking for his family for his benefit?”       “I wouldn’t be surprised if he got our trust with the hope that we’d help him. That I would talk to my parents and persuade them to give him a job. That Terrence would use his contacts and find something for his bro or even promote him to the show business…”       “My gosh… Does Terrence know about his friend’s plans? And what about his mother, who is so attracted to that guy?”       “Yes, Terrence knows. And he’s really frustrated and upset. He can’t believe he was betrayed by the person, to whom he got so attracted.” Natalia sighs heavily. “But I completely understand him. Because I was also betrayed by that nasty rat.”       “Agree… What a disappointment…”       “Yeah… Why are you so surprised? I thought Anna told you everything. Yesterday, I invited her to walk at stores and told her what happened at Terrence and Raquelle’s home two days ago.”       “Erm…” Daniel shakes slightly with widely open eyes. “Stop, Anna did really tell me something about it! Yesterday, we were walking about what you told her during the dinner!”       Daniel claps himself slightly on the forehead.       “Damn, why did it get outta my head? She really said about the inheritance and even mentioned Terrence and Edward’s cruel fight!”       “It’s true,” Natalia nods. “Terrence had a big fight with Edward right before the eyes of me and Raquelle. He couldn’t eventually take it. At first, they shared slaps but then fought like buffaloes, almost destroyed the living room, and beat each other strongly.”       “That’s how Terrence got so many bruises on his face and arms! Edward did beat him! I tried to ask how he got them, but he refused to answer… But now I know who did that.”       “That bastard also got tons of bruises after leaving MacClife and Cameron’s house. But he got them for a reason. He should’ve been beaten much stronger. Though it wouldn’t have helped him and given him brains that he really lacked.”       “I can’t believe it…” Daniel shakes his head. “That’s what happened between them, and why MacClife began to react to the name of Edward so sharply and said he wasn’t his friend.”       “I doubt that Terrence will call Edward a friend after such a cruel betrayal.”       “I’m not surprised. After that, I also can't consider Edward a decent man. But it would be easier for me to take it ‘cause he’s never been a close friend of mine. I just spoke to him, but we didn’t become literally so-called brothers. Though… Terrence wasn’t also so close to me, but everything has lately changed.”       “It’s okay, we’ll accept it. But the situation of the inheritance and the brothers’ uncle scares me.”       “They must go to the police and report that guy and his uncle. Otherwise, one of them will kill Terrence and his mother. And defeat Raquelle.”       “Although Edward tried to make us sure that it wouldn’t help, I’m sure Raquelle and Terrence wouldn’t miss this chance. And when Mrs. MacClife knows her son’s friend is a stinker, she will be by their side.”       “They must immediately report before someone suffers. Give a fuck about Lockhart’s threats – the police must protect them from danger and put both of them in prison. They should pay for their tricks.”       “Undoubtedly. They should get what they deserved and stay there for the rest of their lives. I won’t be sorry for that stinker, despite still loving him. Someday, I shall forget him and meet a more decent man, who would be better than that snake.”       “It will happen,” Daniel smiles shyly. “Some time later, you’ll get much better. Or maybe, you’ll meet someone and won’t notice how that bad man leaves your mind. If you’re lucky, you’ll fall in love with another man and be happy. And Lockhart will be alone, with the stolen money and lots of sins. If he’s pleased with this life, okay! Nobody will care!”        “But I’m begging you, don’t talk to Terrence about it until he tells you everything,” Natalia begs with pity in her eyes. “I didn’t wanna say it now, but I couldn’t watch my mouth. What if he didn’t wanna say it, but I said too much.”       “Don’t worry, I’ll say nothing.”       “Yeah, now Edward is not the only one to call me a betrayer. Because I told my friend and you what happened between them. Though only MacClife should say it…”       “No, darling, don’t worry!” Daniel puts his hand on Natalia’s shoulder. “I promise you, Anna and I will say nothing. And I’ll do my best to get the truth out of Terrence. I’ll pretend that I know nothing and listen to what he’ll tell me. Maybe, he’ll wish to talk about it openly, early or late.”       “Please, Dan, don’t betray me!” Natalia softly takes Daniel’s hands and looks at him with pity in her eyes. “Maybe, nothing will happen, but I don’t want anyone to think something bad of me. Let Terrence tell you everything. I’m begging you, don’t mention what happened between him and Edward.”       “I promise, friend, I won’t say it. Until everybody knows it. If you want, I can even pretend that I know nothing in case I meet Edward. I don’t like this situation, but I don’t wanna meddle and give my pieces of advice.”       “Damn, I should’ve probably warned Anna, so she doesn’t say anything… But I forgot… Oh… I hope she said everything only to you…”       “You can trust us entirely. Our red beauty will understand it and be silent, as well. It doesn’t have to do with us, and we won’t openly support or judge someone. They should solve it. But we will show our support only when everything is confirmed.”       “God, Daniel, you’re my salvation!” Natalia exhales with relief. “I swear, if you keep your promise, I owe you! I’d do anything you’d love to ask me about!”       “Don’t worry, I’ll be as silent as a fish.”       “Thanks.”       A few seconds later, Anna enters the house very quietly, holding packets in her hands. The girl does not see Daniel and Natalia, who are sitting in the living room, and does not hear her come back. Anna leaves the packets in the kitchen, goes to the living room, and just notices her sweetheart and her friend.       “Natalia!” Anna exclaims happily, raising her hands. “My gosh, who came to us!”       “Oh, hey, Anna,” Natalia smiles shyly.       “Hey, hey, friend!” Anna comes to the sofa and puts her purse on the sofa. “Did you miss me if you decided to visit me after you and I checked all the stores yesterday?”       “What do I do?” Natalia gets up slowly from the sofa. “Nothing but to visit my friends and spend time with them.”       “Glad you’re coming back to your former life.”       “Because I’m getting better.”       “That’s excellent!”       Natalia and Anna hug each other, share an amicable kiss on the cheek, and step away. And then the red-haired girl glances at Daniel, who got up from the sofa and is watching the friends with a slight smile.       “A special ‘hi’ to you, my sunshine,” Anna says softly with a slight smile.       “Said by the special girl,” Daniel replies tenderly.       Daniel comes to Anna and, putting his arms around her waist, kisses her cutely on the cheek. She answers him with the same kiss, holding him by the nape of his neck with her hands. Meanwhile, Natalia watches the lovers with a slight smile, but then gets a little sad because she will hardly feel the same tender feelings that can make her feel a tickle in her stomach.       “It’s so nice to look at you,” Natalia says with a slight smile. “You’re so happy…”       Daniel and Anna cutely rub the tips of their noses against one another and then, feeling a little awkward, step away from each other and look at Natalia guiltily.       “Oh, sorry, friend…” Daniel pronounces guiltily, clearing his throat quickly. “I can’t contain myself when I see your friend.”       “It’s okay, I’m really very happy for you,” Natalia replies quietly with a smile on her face and sits on the sofa. “Glad the personal life of my friend is fine. And one truly beautiful couple will hardly break up.”       “No, no, I don’t wanna lose my sweetheart.” Daniel caresses Anna’s head tenderly and kisses her on the temple, while she keeps her arms around his waist. “She’s the whole world to me!”       “It won’t happen to you.”       Anna looks at Natalia with sympathy and sits next to her, softly embracing her around the shoulders and saying:       “Darling, don’t worry because of that idiot, who only loves money. You don’t deserve to be with a man like Edward Lockhart! That nasty egoist, who dared to do such a mean thing to his family and betray them for money and wealth.”       “Sadly, I love this man and can’t be indifferent…” Natalia sighs heavily and leans back in the sofa. “I’m afraid I’ll never forget him…”       “C’mon, Natalia, wait for a while! Time will be gone, and Edward will stay in your terrible past, which you’ll no longer remember. When you start visiting nightclubs or traveling around the world again, you’ll meet someone to be more decent.”       “If everything was so easy… Why can’t we fall outta love with a person by making a wish? If you wanna fall out of love – you forget someone instantly! If you wanna love again – you don’t waste time to get these feelings again!”       “You know…” Daniel pronounces thoughtfully, sitting on the sofa in front of Anna and Natalia. “If you find the Magic Lamp, rub it carefully and call Jinn, you’ll have a chance to wish to fall outta love with Edward three times.”       “There is not the Magic Lamp and Jinn!” Natalia laughs quietly. “It’s a tale for children!”       “But you do believe in princes and princesses, even if they don’t exist, either.”       “Yeah, but I know it’s stupid… It’s stupid to believe what doesn’t exist… I’m still a child because of that, and I keep believing in tales.”       “Well, if you think so, no miracle will happen to you,” Anna replies confidently. “Now it’s time to believe in magic. To believe your wish to forget Edward and fall in love with another man can come true.”       “Gosh, what kind of magic could happen to me? If I found something that could bring me back to the past and fix all the mistakes, it would really be magic.”       “Not everything comes shortly!”       “I may be waiting ‘till the end of my life and may not discover what it means to be truly happy, beloved, and surrounded by care.”       “Ah, Natalia, what do we do to you?” Anna sighs tiredly. “Where’s the fighting spirit you had? You were so funny and sanguine! What happened to you? You’ve changed much over the past few months!”       “You know why.”       “Your friends and close people are always with you, Natalia,” Daniel says softly. “You can always come to them and ask for support.”       “I know,” Natalia smiles shyly. “Terrence and Raquelle already gave me their support. They did very much to help me come to myself. The guys could’ve let me suffer and fall into a strong hysteria. But none of them did it. And I’ll always be madly grateful to them for that.”       “You have not only them,” Anna notices, caressing Natalia’s hand softly. “I’ll never stop supporting you. Daniel treats you very well and truly cares about you. And Peter would care if he was with us. And let’s not forget about your parents and grandmother. Those people will always stand by you.”       “I know. And…” Natalia bites her lip slightly. “If I lived alone and had to overcome these difficulties alone, I’d hardly live for a long time. I’m living just because there are people, for whom I wanna keep moving on. I just know my close people, who truly love me, would grieve if something happened to me. But I no longer wanna scare anyone and make them upset.”       “But you should live not only for others but also for yourself,” Daniel notices. “Never forget about yourself and the things that give you pleasure. For example, you’ve always loved traveling. So, buy a ticket somewhere to another country where you haven’t been and have a good rest. Or just go somewhere to the sea and the burning sun… So, you’d lie on the sand and swim in the ocean.”       “I’m afraid I’d keep thinking about how my happiness was ruined,” Natalia sighs quietly.       “But Daniel gave you very good advice,” Anna notices. “Don’t live for someone – live for yourself, as well. It’s good you don’t only think of yourself, unlike someone. But sometimes you should give yourself attention. Indeed, check the trips at a travel agency and buy one for two weeks.”       “I wanna go nowhere yet… First, I wanna find the courage to tell everything that my close people should know, get their support and find the strength and wish to forget the past and keep moving on.”       “Remember how you spent a funny and interesting time two or three years ago. How you often traveled around the world, met new people, had fun, took tons of photos, and bought something abroad… Do the same and get Edward out of your head – he doesn’t deserve your tears. It won’t bring him back to you and make him think you didn’t cheat on him and always loved only him.”       “Since Edward really loves money and is ready to betray those, who accepted him so warmly, he can live as he wants,” Daniel adds. I don’t know if he’s always been the one, or you just noticed. But trust me, if he still has something good, Lockhart will someday regret staying all alone but with money.”       “He’ll never regret it,” Natalia throws gloomily. “Jealousy and greed will win and turn him into a bastard. That stinker has always been jealous of his friend and his fiancée, who earn money thanks to hard work. He’s probably mad because Terrence’s mother is also living well. He wonders why he’s worse than that woman…”       “You shouldn’t care about it,” Anna says softly. “Let that stinker live as he wants. And if Terrence and Raquelle report him to the police and charge him for trying to kill and rob them, he’ll get the punishment that he deserves. Now nobody can say something good about him – so, Edward won’t avoid a punishment.”       “It would be great… But they didn’t say they’d surely report him and his uncle.”       “Excellent, then,” Daniel replies confidently. “And when he gets a punishment, you’ll be saved and start living a normal life.”       “But please, guys, I’m begging you, don’t tell Raquelle and Terrence what you heard from me,” Natalia begs with pity in her eyes. “Don’t show you know it. If one of them tells you everything at their wish, pretend that you’re surprised.”       “Don’t worry, sweetie,” Anna says softly, caressing Natalia’s hand. “We promise that we’ll tell Terrence and Raquelle nothing until they talk about it.”       “We won’t betray you,” Daniel promises. “And I’ll talk to Terrence and try to persuade him to tell me the story of the money, the company, and what happened between him and Edward.”       “Can I really trust you?” Natalia asks hesitantly.       “Sure!” Daniel and Anna pronounce at the same time.       “Thanks a lot, guys,” Natalia exhales with relief. “I owe you from now.”       Anna and Daniel smile at Natalia shyly and share a smile with each other. The blonde shortly notices these tender gazes and finds another reason to be happy for her friends, who truly love each other. And even though she is not lucky in love, she is really glad for the lovers, wishes them all the best, and hopes to have fun at their wedding, which may take place very soon.       

***

      It’s about four o'clock. Some time ago, Michael called Edward and ordered him to go to his home immediately. The man has already cursed everything several times and did not speak to Rebecca after yesterday’s fight. Although the man regrets what happened at the bottom of his heart, he is not going to give up on his wish to get the inheritance.       After a long way on free roads that go by thick woods, Edward finally drives to the house of Michael. The man leaves his car in front of the gates, leaves it with a gloomy face, locks it with a key, and, slouching slightly, goes to the entry in a short step. The two familiar men are standing near it, protecting the house and watching those, who come here. This time, those people recognize him and share a wide smile before they start talking to him.       “Oh, Eddy, hiya!” the first guard exclaims loudly and happily, raising his hands. “We didn’t expect ya! Did you decide to visit your beloved uncle again?”       “Why didn’t ya tell us you’d come?” the second guard asks funnily. “We would’ve asked your uncle to call the mental hospital staff. So, you don’t kill everybody here or start screaming like crazy.”       The guards start laughing loudly with widely open mouths. Edward hums quietly, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms over his chest.       “Leave your jokes with you, single-celled!” Edward throws coldly. “They’re as stupid as you are.”       “Oh, oh, it’s getting hot!” the first guard jabs funnily.       “C’mon, Eddy, rock on!” the second guard exclaims.       “You know, I always thought a human wouldn’t live without brains,” Edward says in a low voice. “But no! You’re the amazing proof of the fact that you can live without them.”       “Oh, yeah, puppy…” the second guard pronounces with enjoyment. “Attention, Otto, we’re gonna get an orgasm from Eddy’s stupid jokes!”       “OH, YEAH, ANDREW, I WANT MORE!” Otto laughs loudly. “OH, OH, OH…”       “Fuck, you’re such morons…” Edward moans tiredly. “I have a disgusting mood… But first, your fucking chef shouted on the phone and told me to come to His Highness. And second, you make me much more nervous.”       “You know, dude, your character and appearance are as disgusting as your mood,” Otto notices thoughtfully, looking at Edward with arrogance.       “Aha, you look like a long-time alcoholic,” Andrew says with a smirk. “Your clothes are dirty, shabby, and ripped, your face is unshaven, you’ve got circles under your eyes… Did you start drinking?”       “One hundred percent! It seems like he has a hangover! That’s why his mood is disgusting!”       “Don’t outdrink, Edward! Otherwise, you’ll lose the rest of your brains! As well as your penis! Which you can’t get into anything, because girls don’t want to spread their legs for you.”       “Hit the bullseye, buddy!” Otto laughs loudly along with his friend.       “I’m still asking myself why you need your penis,” Edward replies coldly. “You have nothing to get it into!”       “What do you mean? What kind of question, puppy! A man needs balls as well as food and water!”       “You won’t get enough brains to learn to use it. Maybe, you haven’t even learned to masturbate when viewing a photo of a sexy cutie. Or you don’t know how to get it into a girl and fuck her. Don’t fuck know why you’ve got a thing between your legs!”       “Oh, Eddy, stop saying some bullshit,” Andrew throws and opens the gates quickly. “Come on, move your holey shoes and run to your beloved uncle.”       “You know, I wouldn’t come here at all! But to my great sadness, my hands and legs are tied. I can’t get off that bastard, who ruined all my life, even if I want it so badly.”       “You tied yourself up, buddy… Nobody asked you to meddle in what has to do with your uncle and dead dad. You should’ve guessed that it would lead to nothing good. You wouldn’t become a hero, put your uncle Michael in prison and own his wealth. Your brainless father gave him everything. So, no claims, no questions.”       “Oh, oh, how do you know so much? Why are you so sure my father gave everything that belonged to him AT HIS WISH? Instead of thinking UNCLE stole EVERYTHING from him!”       “C’mon, baby, we know everything!” Otto says ironically. “The boss does tell us everything that’s happening in your worthless life.”       “But your life is colorful and wonderful!” Edward throws rudely, rolling his eyes. “You don’t need many brains to stay here and pretend that you’re protecting this fucking house. In the places like this, there are usually many guards, and they don’t stand near the gates like brainless idiots.”       “You know nothing, kid! You’ve never lived in such a luxury house and don’t know how everything is.”       “And we don’t complain about our life, ‘cause your uncle pays for our job very well,” Andrew notices.       “He doesn’t know how to spend the money,” Edward replies confidently, putting his hands on his hips. “So, he pays you much.”       “He’s gonna have much more money very soon. When he gets your inheritance and destroys all your pathetic relatives with your help.”       “That old bastard can keep dreaming. The inheritance belongs to me by law.”       “Yeah, do you know how to get it? Or do you believe that just because your daddy died, you would get his money and company?”       “It would be very hard for you to understand it, brainless deer. So, I will not waste time explaining everything.”       “M-m-m, seems like your rusty brains have started working,” Otto simpers. “It died when you decided to meddle in the conflict between your uncle and father, but now your mind is probably getting slightly lighted up.”       “Yeah, it seems like not everything is lost,” Andrew laughs. “Michael can still make something out of you and help the rest of your dead brains work.”       “Everything is worthless in the case of his brains,” Edward replies coldly. “That old bastard’s ones have already died.”       “Hey, if you really want, you can really become his ally,” Otto notices. “If you do what he tells you, you may become the same as he is. Powerful, rich, and confident.”       “Aha!” Andrew smiles widely. “You do wanna it so badly, Eddy! You would have a lot of money, many familiar people, and the opportunity to do what you want. And by giving your uncle help in sending all the people, who did not please him, where your daddy is now, you will make your life better.”       “Exactly! If you keep your blood cold and show no pity, nobody will dare to call you a homeless puppy. You are so embarrassed by it, baby. But your beloved uncle Michael is giving you a wonderful chance.”       “He does love you so much and is ready to help you make your life better.”       “If you’re a good boy and do all his orders by the first demand, your life will change. There will be only one person, whom you will be jealous of. It’s you. The one, who lived somewhere in the past and was a penniless deadbeat. And by killing your family, you’ll become a powerful, rich, and confident man. Girls will get a crush on your pretty face and bunches of dollars. Maybe, your uncle wasn’t lucky to meet his woman, but you still have a chance.”       “Aha, you know how perfect the mix of youth, awesomeness, and richness is. Any stupid gal would sell her soul to the devil for a gorgeous life that you could give her.”       “Everything depends on you, baby.” Otto slaps the gloomy Edward on the shoulder. “You should only help your uncle Michael. He already made your task much easier by killing your father. You have only to defeat your mentally sick friend, his fucking sexy fiancée, and your mommy, who will reject you after she meets you and knows what you wanna do to her older sonny, whom she loves so much.”       “Alright, I’m done with listening to your bullshit!” Edward shouts crossly, barely containing himself not to beat the faces of Otto and Andrew. “Close your mouths up and say where I can find your inimitable chef. Also known as my uncle, who I would shoot down with pleasure.”       “Where he always is!” Otto shrugs. “In his house, at his office. Where all his talks with workmates and servants happen.”       “Thanks for your kindness!” Edward throws coldly. “But now I have to leave you alone and go to listen to the bullshit of that old man, who went insane and has a face that looks like a tractor went over it.       Andrew and Otto step away with their hands raised and a quiet laugh. Edward sharply gets through the gates and goes on the known path, not hiding his irritation and wish to do something bad to get his negative out. He does not have to knock and call the doorbell because the girl named Catherine Hadley, who is working in this house, sees Lockhart in the window, near which she is cleaning, and opens the door quickly.       “Oh, Edward!” Catherine exclaims happily. “It’s an honor to see you at your uncle’s house!”       “I’m sorry that I can’t do the same about that bastard and the idiots, who work for him,” Edward replies quietly.       “My gosh, why you’re so rude! You’re such a sympathetic guy with a cute face, but you act like cattle.”       “If I want, I can act like a man from aristocratic society. Unlike someone, I’m well aware of the rules of etiquette and can behave more than worthily.”       “Well, I dunno…” Catherine laughs quietly. “I kind of doubt you could look like a man from aristocratic society. People would even be afraid to invite you to a tea party with a royal family, ‘cause you would show the worst side of you.”       “Ah, Catherine…” Edward laughs evilly and enters the house without invitation with his head raised up. “Are you still trying to snap me?”       “I’m just telling you the truth.” Catherine closes the door after Edward, who comes to the living room.       “Go to hell with your truth,” Edward pronounces in a low voice. “I feel lousy without you.”       “Yeah, I’m starting to understand why you’re still unmarried, and your relationships don’t last for too long. A good guy knows how to talk to a girl.”       “And a good girl wouldn’t even talk to such a disgusting man as my uncle, and especially work on him,” Edward replies thoughtfully.       “You care? I work where I earn enough money!”       “Couldn’t you find a job in another house where a good man is living? Why do you the fuck need this old bastard, whose brains died in childhood?”       “You know, Edward, although you’re very rude and annoying, you bring the light to this house.” Catherine comes into the living room, where Edward is, and fixes her servant dress. “I can’t personally wait for you to agree to become an alias of my dear Michael and become a part of our gang.”       “Oh, here we go again…” Edward moans tiredly. “Please, Hadley, don’t talk about it again. I’m done with the talk with Otto and Andrew. Those two nuts guys, who are allegedly protecting the house, laughing at something, eating and sleeping all day long.”       “Gosh, haven’t you still accepted such a generous offer from your uncle?” Catherine rounds her eyes. “Eddy, don’t miss this chance! It’s a wonderful chance to get out of poverty and become a powerful man! It’s okay that you should only kill a couple of people! It’s such a stupid thing, unlike the benefits, which you’ll get in case you do it!”       “If that poisoned snake made me come here to know my opinion, he’s going to experience great disappointment. Because I am not accepting and will not accept this fucking offer.”       “So, don’t you wanna get your successful friend out of your way, who is loved by all the members of his family and the whole world?”       “I don’t. To get the inheritance, I don’t have to kill my own friends, brother or mother. I just need only to put my sick uncle in prison, where he will – I don’t doubt – die. Make him give back everything he insolently stole from my father and become the only applicant for the bank account and the stocks of the company.”       “Gosh, why do you need it?” Catherine chuckles ironically. “No, okay, the money in a bank… But why do you the fuck need the shipbuilding company? You can’t work there! Work without the help of your uncle! If you agreed to accept Michael’s offer and did what he wanted, he’d probably give you a chance to work with him. And who knows, maybe, you’d even become his successor and rule the business after his death.”       “I shall learn everything by myself,” Edward says confidently. “When I get what belongs to me by law, I will learn everything I should know.”       “Don’t be so self-confident, boy. Without your uncle, you will bankrupt the company for two days and become a beggar again.”       “Don’t think I’m stupid, Hadley. I’m not as stupid as everyone thinks.”       “Stop, Edward! Stop being a hero and accept the offer from Uncle Michael. He’s such a generous and understanding man. That man truly loves you and wishes you the best. And you know well that your uncle always thanks those, who deserve his trust.”       “Yeah, since he pays the stolen money to you, you’re ready to kiss his ass,” Edward throws gloomily, crossing his arms over his chest. “How far you went! You’re all disgusting and greedy ass-lickers, who dance attendance upon that bastard!”       “Yeah, Lockhart…” Catherine sighs, shaking her head with her hands puts on her hips. “It’s clear your daddy didn’t give much attention to your education and didn’t teach you to be a good man. Your half-brothers from his second marriage got all the attention. But you were always a burden for him, his new wife, and their children. I’m sure when you got out of their home in search of a better life, your father was terribly happy and quickly forgot you existed.”       “Ha, I see he keeps you aware of the past events and his plans for the future,” Edward simpers ironically. “Yeah, Cat?”       “He just trusts us completely,” Catherine shrugs. “Because we are all loyal to him and do what he tells.”       “I do say you’re ready to do his dirty tricks for money,” Edward replies coldly, shaking his head.       “I don’t advise you to say it about us,” Catherine replies with a smile. “Because you will become one of the helpers of Michael very soon. And as I said the last time, you may be even more important than Eric Brown himself, who is ready to do anything for your uncle.”       “We will see!” Edward hums. “We will see what everyone will be soon.”       Meanwhile, the smiling man, who keeps his head, bends his arms at his elbows and moves not very quickly due to the pain in his legs, comes into the living room with a proud, confident walk, saying:       “You have less and less time to think, my dear. And one beautiful day, what I’ve been waiting for many years will happen.”       Edward immediately turns on the voice and sees his uncle Michael, who makes him feel sick. His skin gets much whiter, his heart beats much faster, and his legs get weak from fear of this man, who looks at him with a contemptuous and cold gaze. However, the man does not show it and tries to be as confident as possible in front of the one, who he terribly hates.       “Hello, my deeply respectful uncle Michael!” Edward greets ironically. “How are you doing? I hope you have a very, very wonderful day!”       “Hello, hello, beloved nephew,” Michael smiles evilly. “I am sorry that I couldn’t come earlier. I was in the office and talked with one very important person.”       “So, found another bastard, who would lie at your feet for the money you stole?”       “Listen, guy, stop saying the money is stolen. It’s MINE! Your pathetic dad gave it BY HIMSELF, AT HIS WISH!”       “I will never believe it. And remember, you and your bastards, who work for you, will have to get everything you stole back early or late.”       “Ah, Edward, Edward…” Michael laughs with irony and carefully fixes his tie. “What a naive idiot you are! Stop playing a pathetic hero, whose actions would be valued by nobody. No matter how hard you try to fight with me and cover your terrible cowardice and great self-doubt, people will be loudly laughing at you anyway.”       “They’d better be laughing than sending thousands of curses and wishes to burn in hell. You’ve probably wanted to die and pay for your sins billions of times.”       “They don’t impact me,” Michael smiles innocently. “No curses will bring me down. Vice versa, they feed me up and give me the strength to keep moving on.”       “Sorry… I wish at least one of them impacted you badly, so you don’t wish to be born. Your birth was the great mistake my grandmother and grandfather made.”       “I shall see how many people will think the same about you when you become one of my most loyal aliases at the nearest time. I really hope for it and want to enlist the person, who would be very good for me.”       “Ha, did you make me come here just to start a talk about your offer?” Edward crosses his arms over his chest with a contemptuous sneer. “Well, I actually thought so…”       “Did you, puppy, think I’d give you one week or a month to think?” Michael simpers quietly. “No, I’m not going to wait for so long! The time to make a very important decision will come. Only YOUR life will depend on it. It will not impact the lives of your close people because they will die anyway. But you can save yourself if you accept my offer.”       “Why are you so sure that I would agree? I already told you everything the last time and said I was not going to kill anyone and become one of the bastards, who work on you.”       “I think you got enough time to think about everything well. For two days, anyone can make absolutely sure about their decision.”       “I had decided everything before you got the thought to kill my surrounding with my hands.”       “Ah, my sweetie, do you think it would be better for you and them?” Michael sits on the sofa in the living room and spreads his legs slightly. “During our last talk, I felt something definitely happened between you and one of your relatives. And… I’m sure your own friend beat your pretty face.”       “That’s what you want – to turn my family against me. So, they call me an enemy and turn their backs on me! So, I feel desperate and run to you to beg for help. Do you hope for it when trying to persuade me to kill Terrence?”       “Be sure, Edward, when everybody turns their backs on you and are killed, you will have only one man, who will always be ready to help you. I mean, me! I will be the only one to stay by your side and appreciate you for your courage and confidence. And money will be your award. A lot of money. You will be able to live like a king and buy anything you want: houses, cars, clothes, and more stuff…”       “So, I can congratulate you – you got what you wanted. Now everybody believes I’m a stinker. Though I can’t deny that I made everything worse when I the fuck shouted about my jealousy of my friend and wish to rob my close people.”       “Really?” Michael laughs quietly with a wide smile. “M-m-m, wow… What news! You made me very happy, dear! Now they know everything, despise you, and believe you kind of want to kill them. Everything is going smoothly! Just like always! And I want to celebrate it!”       Michael glances at Catherine, who is carefully cleaning all the expensive tables and frames with a rag.       “Catherine, my sunshine…” Michael calls and waits for Catherine to stop working and come to him. “Be nice, prepare a bath for me in half an hour. Much foam, all my favorite smells… And then give me a bottle of cold wine and the freshest fruits from my garden. I want to relax a little and celebrate another success of mine.”       “As you want, sir,” Catherine replies gently. “You prefer Italian or French wine?”       “Italian.”       “Alright. With your permission.”       Catherine quickly leaves to make Michael’s wish come true, while he watches her with a slight smile on his face, not hiding he admires this sympathetic girl.       “But you know that I have never thought of that!” Edward notices confidently. “I want to get only my inheritance. I do not need and will not need someone’s money. But I made them believe I wanted to rob them. Just because I always think of your words about everyone loving only Terrence. You made me believe that I was really terribly jealous of him, hated my mother for never thinking of me, and hated my father for not giving me attention and calling me his burden.”       “Excuse me, Edward, I’m not the one to blame that you can’t keep your mouth shut as well as your dad and friend,” Michael smiles innocently and leans back in the sofa. “People are wrong when they believe you are much quieter than both of them. Because you can also turn into a psycho. Even a more dangerous one than your father or the all-famous friend. They are right when they say a great hurricane might settle inside the one to be quiet outside. And for us, it’s not a secret that your mental health is very weak after what you have had to experience. It all got you so exhausted that you are about to explode.”       “Because of you, by the way. You are doing your best to bring me to a nervous breakdown and put me in a mental hospital.”       “I promise, my sweetie, if you do everything I ask you about, I shall personally buy a ticket to a ski resort in the USA. So, you spend two weeks in the fresh air and feel like you’re reborn.”       “Watch out, Uncle Michael, someday you may make me so enraged that I will kill you, not my family.” Edward sits on the sofa in front of Michael, on whom he sets his icy gaze. “I’m about to get mental issues because you always press on me.”       “I don’t press, I just tell you the truth and suggest you make your life better. I doubt you like living like a beggar deadbeat on someone’s account. So, I’m offering you a wonderful chance to live much better.”       “Since you stole Father’s money, you’d better use the wealth in a better way.” Edward puts one leg on another. “Will you never stand in the right way and stop spreading your poison everywhere?”       “Oh, Edward…” Michael shakes his head with an evil sneer. “You have such a great imagination… Wow… It seems like you do the right thing by writing lyrics for songs. And you do it easily. Though, to write a good song, you need a life experience, a talent, and a great fantasy.”       “I’d at least distract myself from thinking of a bastard like you and get my emotions out on a piece of paper.”       “Listen, maybe, you earn on it? Huh! If your writing is worth it, I shall use my contacts, so someone buys your masterpieces and sells them to famous bands and performers. Trust me, songwriters earn enough money. If you write a few songs, you will be able to rent a good apartment. And if you work longer, you’ll be able to change your thing made in the 90s to a modern car.”       “No, Uncle!” Edward exclaims, moving his cold gaze to Michael. “First, I want to deal with you and get what belongs to me by law.”       “Ah, dear nephew, just because your dad wrote the will and bequeathed his wealth to you with the hope of giving you a good impression about him, it does not mean you will get it. Before you get the rights, you will have to get tons of documents. And let’s not forget that it’s impossible to prove your father’s death because my people got rid of his body, and you have no opportunity to get a document that confirms his death. But without it, claiming the rights to the inheritance will be almost impossible. It is impossible for the one that has no cent.”       “I will not give you what will never belong to you.”       “Huh, even if you reject and sign all the papers, I will not leave you and your surrounding alone. My goal is not only to get all the money from my friend and kill those, who have to do with him. Who is a part of his family…”       “I’m sorry that nobody believed me when I said my refusal would not lead to the end of this story.”       “After making yourself a greedy stinker, who wants to rob his family, nobody will believe you. And although you say you don’t need someone’s money and don’t care about your friend’s wealth, I’m sure you may change your mind when you hold a great amount of money. It will be little for you. And you will give up on your principles, getting his wealth after you kill him.”       “I already told you that I would not kill him for any money or wealth!” Edward says rudely and confidently. “Maybe, the relationship between Terrence and me got worse because you were actively turning me against him. But I will not succumb to your wishes! First, I’m not so rotten to kill someone without pity. And second, he is my close person, whom I love, despite nothing. And I will not point a cold gun at him, even for fun. Ne-ver!”       “I am sorry that he does not think so…” Michael laughs ironically. “Terrence MacClife hates you to death now… He hates you so much that he beat you strongly… Terry probably feels betrayed and suffers because that one little nasty puppy ruined his life.”       “I hope I shall make him sure that I have never wished him evil and reconcile with him someday.”       “It will not happen. That man is too proud to forget the betrayal so easily.”       “Early or late, everybody will realize I have never even thought of robbing my family and just wanted to get mine.”       “They will not, Edward. All your close people have a little time to live. They will have time to realize nothing and know you are actually not so bad.”       “I see you got happy after finding out a conflict happened between Terrence and me. You think of using the moment and making me hate him much more, calling all of the shortcomings of that guy and looking for thousands of reasons why I should hate him.”       “It seems like you are getting smarter, guy. Your rusty brains start working better and better. My gosh…” Michael smiles evilly, leaning back in the sofa with his legs spread. “It seems like I was right: if someone worked with you a little, you might show yourself as quite a smart guy.”       “So, will I be smart for you only in case I help you kill someone?”       “You don’t like the fact that you are a little beggar, but Terrence is a provided adult man. His great self-confidence did give him some good things. Your friend became the favorite guy of all young girls. So, as you can’t take injustice, you have a wonderful chance to restore it. Why don’t you kill Terrence?” Michael laughs evilly. “Alright, knowing your great insecurity and hesitation, I shall not make you kill everybody. I will tell you to destroy the one, who is better than you by any criteria. Well, I will care about his gorgeous, fucking attractive fiancée, so she does not grieve for her fiancé’s death and curse you a killer for too long.”       “Damn, I can’t believe you are ready to kill everyone for the hate for Father.”       “You know well why I am doing this.”       “Why are you involving the other people in your conflict with Father and wanting to make them victims? Why do you the fuck want to kill Terrence’s fiancée? What did she do to you?”       “I’d say the same about your wish to get your money. Why do you need it, Edward? Why, my sweetie? You should understand that you will not be able to fight with me! Why didn’t you want to live your life like your half-brothers did: studying, working, marrying, and raising your children? It’s not worth it!”       “I just want everybody to get what they deserve.” Edward crosses his arms over his chest, looking at Michael tensely. “You did not deserve and earn a cent! Your life is so wonderful just because you stole everything my father had. You were always jealous of him! And you didn’t want to accept the fact that someone put great hopes in him.”       “Yeah, I was always jealous of that idiot!” Michael says confidently and slowly tears his back off the sofa. “My parents always loved and cared about him much more. He got all the best. My brother was an example of imitation for everyone. That idiot always got praise and was the pride of my father and mother.”       Michael thinks for two seconds.       “What about me?” Michael throws his hands up. “They didn’t need me! They never cared about their older son! Though I could have also been their pride if they had praised me, paid attention to my success, and motivated me to keep moving on, at least rarely. Instead of swearing at me for hurting their lovely sonny, who always got away from it when doing some dirty tricks.”       “My gosh!” Edward sneers contemptuously. “Did you do at least one thing, for which Grandfather and Grandmother should have praised you?”       “You and I are the same because of something. Our parents never loved you or me. My parents cared only about my brother, and he and his wife were always worried about their older sonny”       “I only doubted my father’s love because I never got it. And I’ve never known my mother. I know her only thanks to the photo that I found that my father’s office.”       “You are wrong, Edward. Your mommy doesn’t love you. She cares about her older son much more and gave herself only to him. I don’t think she thought of you at least once for more than twenty years that she didn’t see you. If you died, she wouldn’t even shed a tear.”       “Don’t make her a monster, Uncle,” Edward barely holds his evil down, gnashing his teeth and tightly clenching his hands into fists. “You don’t know her too well to make conclusions.”       “Did you find out everything about her? I’ve known your mommy since your daddy brought her to our parents. They accepted her shortly, and I was nicely surprised by her beauty. That idiot got a gorgeous woman. But I’m sorry that she was cold to me and didn’t even want to talk to me.”       “She just has never disliked you. I’m sure that my mother bit you through immediately. And my father obviously told her not to dare to get in touch with you.”       “Yeah, that idiot was actively turning her against me… And you know, my dearest nephew…” Michael frowns slightly, stroking his chin. “I believe she is not so sweet and fluffy… Your mother may be silent about much… Ve-e-e-ry much…”       “What the heck…” Edward frowns slightly and sets his questioning gaze on Michael. “What do you want to say?”       “She could know much more than many people do. Your mother is not such a sweet angel, as everybody thinks. That woman definitely wants to know everything I plan and do something.”       “Maybe, all kind and fair people are bad for you?”       “Well, I would like to know how long she would be mad when she knew about your tricks. Or does she know it if you confessed that your family was aware of them?”       “Anyway, I will do my best to protect her from what you did to my father.”       “Ah, Edward…” Michael smiles slightly. “You know, sometimes I don’t understand your wish to protect some people… You have always tried to protect those, who treated you badly. At first, your friend, and then his mother and Terrence’s fiancée… And you are also protecting your ex-girlfriend. That girl slept with men and had love affairs secretly from you, but you keep defending her even after the breakup. And you naively think you’d establish your relationship with those people after you fought with them to the fuck.”       Michael shakes his head and simpers.       “It’s all so strange, Edward,” Michael adds. “I thought you were supposed to hate those people just because they were richer than you and refused to share their money with you and find a job for you.”       “I don’t actually want to get them involved in our business. My relatives should not become victims of your intrigues. And you must leave my ex-girlfriend alone.”       “No, Edward…” Michael squints slightly and crosses his arms over his chest. “Your ex-girlfriend also has to do with our business. And I’m going to destroy her.”       “Why?” Edward wonders loudly. “She is not a member of my family! That girl is just a friend of Terrence and Raquelle! And my ex, whom nothing connects me with. I don’t understand why you are chasing her and sending messages with threats.”       “Right, she doesn’t belong to our family. And her friend is nobody to us so far. But it seems to you that your ex is not connected with us. Vice versa, that blonde beauty kind of has to do with everything that’s happening. I mean, there is something you should know.”       “What do you mean?” Edward frowns slightly.       “M-m-m, might turn everything upside down,” Michael smiles mysteriously. “But if you knew it, it would make you feel much more negative emotions than you’re feeling now.”       “Yeah…” Edward leans on his laps with his elbows, looking at Michael gloomily. “Let me ask you, how do you know about the betrayal of my ex and our breakup? I have never told you that!”       “Wait, my boy, you will know everything soon. But I can say something: if you knew one little secret, you would definitely regret leaving her.”       “So, do you know much more about her betrayals?”       “Maybe…” Michael smiles innocently, rolling his eyes. “Ma-a-aybe…”       “If you know something, speak now.”       “It’s not time, my dear. Wait for a while. Now, I can advise you one thing: think about whether what you believe in could be the truth. Whether the betrayal of your ex could be real…”       “Of course, it’s real!” Edward simpers. “I did see photos of her and some ugly freak, for whom she was almost nude!”       “You know…” Michael strokes his hair down slightly. “Sometimes what you see is not what it actually is. There are things that have a few meanings. And it happens that you know only what you are allowed to see.”       “What?”       “Haven’t you thought of anything else but her betrayal? Haven’t you thought that she… Could be framed? That the betrayal could never happen!”       “I didn’t get it…” Edward gets suspicious, getting a little white and setting his tense gaze on Michael. “What do you want to say? If you know something about this story, tell me right now!”       “I promise you will know everything very soon. But you will hardly need the truth. Because all your relatives and that cutie will be killed by that time.”       “But how do you know it? Why are you so sure Ms. Rochester didn’t cheat on me?”       “I don’t say I’m sure about it. I just advise you to think deeper and think if there is another meaning to the erotic photos. Maybe, now, you can think soberly. Because it’s been a while… So, work your brains and think about other variants.”       “You know something,” Edward nods. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if you knew that freak, who felt her up in those photos and undressed her to her underwear.”       “Now I will say nothing. Just think for a while. But I will be thinking about how to hurt her… And I have only one idea so far…” Michael strokes his chin. “She has rich parents… I think they could easily find money to save their beloved daughter if I started to blackmail them and demand money.”       “What?” Edward resents, opening his eyes wider. “Are you serious?”       “Absolutely!” Michael smiles innocently. “I already made inquiries about the Rochesters and found out they were provided people. And I wasn’t surprised you dated a girl from a rich family. You thought they’d give you a job and money and buy you an apartment and a car, but your plans were successfully ruined.”       “Don’t dare!” Edward hisses, staring his icy gaze at Michael. “Do not even dare to think about it! Your pockets don’t close because they’re full of money, but you want to get a little bit more from her parents.”       “Why not?” Michael raises his head proudly raised. “I could organize the kidnapping of your ex-girlfriend, hold her somewhere from where she would not run away for some time, call her parents and demand a multimillion-dollar ransom. Take all the money, tell them that they are deceived like fools, and give them the order to kill their lovely girl before their eyes.”       “Do not dare to hurt her!” Edward shouts. “I swear I will bury you alive if you dare to kidnap that girl! She will not suffer because of one bastard, who went nuts because of fucking money. Who must be in a MENTAL HOSPITAL!”       “Don’t scream, Edward, don’t scream,” Michael says quietly. “I’m not going to torture that girl before her death. When it’s her time to die, my people will kill your ex very quickly. She will not even have time to feel pain and say goodbye to those, who are going to watch her die.”       “Don’t the fuck dare, DON’T DARE!” Edward gets enraged, being terribly mad at Natalia but not wishing her death. “I SWEAR I WILL NOT LEAVE IT UNNOTICED! I SHALL BLOW UP THIS HOUSE TO THE FUCK! WITH EVERYBODY, WHO IS LIVING AND WORKING HERE!”       “Gosh, I didn’t use to notice that you looked very similar to your dad in anger…” Michael smiles slyly, shaking his head. “Probably, because I rarely see you enraged. The absolute image of your father… One the same thing…”       “Do not change the subject, honorable!” Edward clenches his hands into fists so strongly that his knuckles get white, his nostrils flare, and his breath gets heavier. “I am furious because you want to kill my family and my friends, but I will never forgive you for kidnapping and killing my ex.”       “Oh, easy, Edward, easy!” Michael raises his hands up. “Why are you so worried about that whore, who never loved you and dated thousands of guys, except you?”       “Just because we broke up doesn’t mean you have a right to ruin her life and the lives of her parents, who don’t have to do with it. Leave Natalia alone! I don’t know how you got her contacts, but I demand that you stop chasing that girl and don’t get her involved in what she doesn’t have to do with. It’s the problem of my family! She is not a part of it.”       “Yeah, boy, there is only one explanation for this aggression and fear that I will tell my people to find your ex. You just fell in love with her.”       “You shouldn’t care about who I’m in love with,” Edward throws coldly in a low voice.       “And actually, I understand why you go crazy for her… Although that girl fucks everyone, she is a really wonderful fruit that is wanted to be eaten completely. She does not give up on her freaking sexy friend. After barely looking at Raquelle, men’s penises get excited for a few seconds. And at the sight of Ms. Rochester, any man would shortly ejaculate.”       “I am warning you, Uncle, if I know you kidnapped my ex-girlfriend, you will have to regret it.”       “You can say nothing, Edward. I see well that you still love that girl, even if she was nude in front of someone. And this sense of love does disturb you now. You are fuming and don’t know if you want to stand on the dark side or stay on the light one.”       “I will die and will not become your ally!” Edward crosses his arms over his chest, snuffing loudly.       “You will do!” Michael says confidently. “I’m well aware of the points to press on you to start being by my side. Now you’re a marionette in my hands, and I can control you as I want. Because you are too cowardly and insecure to go against me, try to kill me, and put me in prison. And all your fears, doubts, weaknesses, and a sense of jealousy and envy help me control you. Although you try to resist and pretend to be a hero, I know it’s just an act. No person has been able to make you change and turn from a little cowardly puppy to an adult, brave dog. You did start this show of restoring justice just to make yourself and the others sure you do have courage and confidence.”       “Stop naively hoping I would accept your fucking offer and really betray those I love with all my heart. I do love them! And I will not betray them for your wishes, which I’m not going to make real.”       “If you agree to become my allies, you will stay alive and have the same good life as your friend, or maybe even better. I will have the pleasure to help you and do my best for you to become as powerful as your beloved uncle is.”       “And become something like your personal killer or another ass-licker like the bastard called Eric? You would give me orders, and I would be dancing attendance upon you and silently killing those, who dare to stand in your way. And doing other dirty business!”       “You could be much more than just my killer. I would make you my most important ally and become your mentor in everything. Uncle Michael is not as bad as you think. He does love his beloved nephew Eddy and is happy to give him help if he swears on his loyalty to me. Ask my lovely Cat or my dear Eric, and they would confirm I have never deceived my people and have always been generous to everybody.”       “I’d prefer performing a striptease before thousands of people with no clothes than believing you love me. You have never tolerated me, and it’s mutual. Because I have always hated you and would not love you even for billions of dollars, with which you want to feed me up to do anything you want with my hands.”       “I promise my people will teach you everything not to get caught by someone and to do your work very carefully, without tracks. And even if you get caught by stupidity, I can easily close someone’s month with a great amount of money.”       “Put your dreams in your old, wrinkled ass,” Edward throws rudely. “I will not do your mission called ‘Kill your more successful friend’ and will not accept any of your offers, no matter how good they sound.”       “You haven’t become my personal killer yet, but you can try to fight for this title.” Michael smiles slyly. “Killing Terrence is your test mission. If you finish it, think your life is already wonderful.”       “Yeah, and then you will tell me to kill my friend’s fiancée, his mother, my ex-girlfriend, and her parents… Tell me to destroy everybody, having the pleasure to watch those people curse me for betraying them and making myself a real bastard?”       “No, I already said my people would deal with them, not you,” Michael frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “But you know… I could actually give you the task of killing them. But I don’t think you would do it… I will have to put in much effort to persuade you to kill Terrence. But I will just press on your weaknesses much stronger.”       “Why don’t you want to kill him?” Edward wonders, looking at Michael insolently. “Or tell your people to do it? You’ve already killed Father, and now you want me to kill Terrence!”       “I’m doing it for your best. Nobody would longer say Terrence is better, smarter, more attractive, more popular, more successful, more confidently, braver, and more talented than you are. Now you hear everyone comparing you to him. And the comparison isn’t good for you. You must open your eyes and realize it’s unfair that the guy is loved by everyone and made one of the Gods, even though many people are aware of his mental issues. While you are despised, hated, and never praised, and you don’t hear someone tell you about pride, love, and happiness. Do you like it? Wake up, boy! It’s wrong! It shouldn’t happen!”       “If you need it, kill him yourself! But at first, defeat me. Because I will not let it happen!”       “You will go to another world after everybody if you refuse to work on me. I wanted to kill you the last time, but after my people screwed it up, it’s clear that it’s destiny. You are destined to be my loyal slave and become rich thanks to me.”       “I repeat – if you need it, kill him yourself! Or don’t you want to dirty your shriveled hands in blood? Or maybe, you don't want to dirty your suit?”       “Ah, Edward, Edward…” Michael laughs with irony. “It’s hard to make a choice when you are obsessed with so many doubts. At heart, you would love to accept my offer because big money and a wonderful life are at stake. But you are afraid that you will be tortured by remorse… You are obsessed with insecurity, hesitation, cowardice, pity, and shame… You feel guilty about starting this game and involving all those people in it. But you can do nothing to yourself. I started telling you about your weakness and making you feel jealousy of your friend and hate for your relatives, who praised him, so frequently that you began to believe it. That’s why you fought with your close people, making yourself a betrayer. And the more I make you sure that you are worthless and even ugly, the more you will believe in it. You will eventually let me control you. My psychological pressure will break you down and make you take it… Just like a victim of violence, who is afraid to say something from fear of the violator, who could do something horrible.”       Michael shakes his head with a quiet smirk and looks at Edward, who glances at his hands, looking tense enough and getting much whiter from the fear, which this horrible man makes him feel.       “Love for money is getting control of you and doesn’t want to let you go out of its strong hug,” Michael says in a clear voice, being very confident and getting pleasure from being above Edward, who looks more and more insecure and a little scared. “You are afraid to give yourself to it yet… But don’t worry, honey, your pity will be gone soon. Because you will feel a sweet taste of victory over the people, who never loved you. Even love for your ex-girlfriend will not save you, and you will forget her forever someday. You are not Terrence. You will not come back to your ex, as well as your friend to his fiancée. You may even keep fighting for the inheritance. Because when you get it and know there is a chance to get all the wealth of your murdered family members, you will not notice how you will become another man. A more confident one. Thanks to millions of dollars.”       Michael slowly gets up from the sofa and sits down next to Edward, who swallows up nervously and, slouching slightly, looks at him with his dead eyes, and embraces him around the shoulders.       “You will fall in love with money and start thinking only of yourself,” Michael adds. “This is how you can survive – to be an egoistic, shameless, and ruthless bastard. The people I know had to show cruelty to reach for something. But with your kindness and cowardice, you can only sweep up streets or wash toilets. In this world, everybody is for themselves, Edward. Nobody will help anyone. No person will do something for your best. You shouldn’t have hoped that your friend and his fiancée or the parents of your ex-girlfriend would help you. If you want to get something, you should take a way to success, counting on nobody. To become rich and powerful with my help, you will also have to work and learn a lot. But trust me, the result of your long work will be worth it. You are the only one, who can make your life what you want. Human is the creator of their destiny. Dreams will come true if you are hard-working, cruel, ruthless, and purposeful.”       Edward is kind of tearing apart and literally drowning in the ocean of doubts and fears. He would not mind becoming a provided man, living the life of that type of person for at least for a while, buying anything, traveling, and not worrying about a lack of money for food tomorrow. But Lockhart is sorry for framing his family and even his ex-girlfriend because of the wish to restore justice and get his father’s inheritance. It’s unbelievably hard for him to make a decision. On the one hand, a wish to have money and power, and on the other hand, remorse for many actions. He has less and less strength to fight and stay strong. Though Edward knows that he will not kill Terrence or anyone else from his family and let Natalia become a victim of the story, with which she is not connected.”       “Think, Edward, you will no longer get such a wonderful chance,” Michael keeps describing the perspectives with inspiration, caressing Edward’s shoulders, while his nephew looks into the distance with dead eyes. “Nobody but Uncle Michael will give you a chance for a good life. You just need to get your friend, whom you will not manage to tell where his younger brother is, out of your way. And all your dreams will come true! All the doors will be open for you! You will be able to do anything! You will become rich and be able to close anyone’s mouth with a great amount of money. Trust me, everyone loves money… Nobody would reject a chance to get thousands of dollars every month. You are one step away from a luxurious life, my sweetie… One… And when my people defeat your friend’s fiancée, his mother, and your ex, you and I will be together. You will always be able to ask me for help. Just let me know, and your uncle would do anything for you.”       Getting sick of Michael’s sickeningly sweet voice that may make him vomit at any time, Edward groans loudly and shouts irritably:       “STOP PALAVERING ME!” Edward gets up sharply from the sofa with a heavy breath. “STOP THE FUCK TELLING ME ABOUT IT! THE SAME HAPPENS EVERY TIME! HOW LONG WILL YOU THE FUCK DO IT? I AM REALLY SICK OF LISTENING TO YOU AND YOUR DELIRIUM AND THE DELIRIUM OF THOSE TWO BRAINLESS BASTARDS, OTTO AND ANDREW, AND THAT STUPID CHICKEN, CATHERINE! I AM SICK! STOP! I AM DONE WITH YOU! A GANG OF BASTARDS! I HATE YOU ALL! HATE! I WISH YOU ALL DIED AND BURNT IN HELL!”       Michael gets up sharply, pushes Edward onto the sofa, and slaps him in the face very strongly. That’s why the guy falls into silence immediately and grabs his cheek.       “Listen, you, fucking deadbeat, do not better make me furious!” Michael hisses with evil in his eyes, setting his icy gaze on Edward, who looks at him scarily. “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SCREAM AT MY HOUSE! SHIT YOUR DIRTY MOUTH, PUPPY! BUT IF YOU KEEP SCREAMING LIKE A HYSTERICAL GIRL, I WILL PUT YOU IN A MENTAL HOSPITAL AND CLAIM YOU ARE DANGEROUS FOR PEOPLE OR GIVE YOU TO MY PEOPLE, WHO WILL MAKE YOU DUST OUT OF YOU.”       “KILL ME!” Edward screams irritably. “But your sickeningly sweet speeches will not help you make me sure to become your ally!”       “You, bastard, will be doing what I tell you. AND YOU WILL BE ABLE TO DO NOTHING TO ME!”       “WE WILL SEE IT!” Edward sharply coughs because his throat starts hurting after a loud shout. “And yeah, I don’t know why I the fuck came here! To hear you don’t love me, but you promise to suddenly get some love for me when I kill my friend?”       “You would prove to people that people can stop calling you a milksop. A cowardly, insecure puppy, who has reached nothing by his age.”       “ALRIGHT! STOP! I AM SICK OF HEARING IT! MY NERVES ARE ON EDGE! I AM THE FUCK ABOUT TO EXPLODE LIKE A BOMB! STOP! I AM SICK OF YOUR CREAKY, OLD VOICE!”       “I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!” Michael gives Edward another strong slap in the face. “DO NOT DARE TO BE RUDE TO THE ONE TO BE OLDER THAN YOU! CLOSE YOUR MOUTH WHILE YOU ARE AT MY HOUSE!”       “You can slap me as much as you want,” Edward sets his furious gaze on Michael. “But my opinion will not change. I will not dance attendance upon you and become one of the bastards, who work for you and kiss your legs.”       “Oh, listen, Edward…” Michael pronounces much quieter, fixing his tie and stroking his hair down, and sits next to Edward. “I completely understand that it’s hard for you because of the breakup with your girlfriend, and you suffer from still being in love with her and not being able to live without her. But it’s not a reason to give up and bury your head in sand. People break up several times, and it’s quite fine. Besides, I’m sure when you become rich, you will easily forget that girl and love money. Passionately. You will love money and power much more than anyone else and will not remember your ex. Someone will call Natalia’s name, and it will not make your tender heart beat faster.”       “You know, Uncle…” Edward pronounces with his arms crossed over his chest. “I’m sorry for you! Yes, I am sorry! Because you have not felt a sense of love. You were not loved by your parents, who gave love to my father, you’ve never had a girlfriend and especially a wife. You don’t have children, but my father made four sons. He was much luckier! Maybe, if you felt a sense of love for a woman, and she answered you back, your life would be much better. You wouldn’t have plans for revenging my father and those, who are connected with him. You would think of ways to make your woman happy.”       “Ar-r-r, stop palavering me!” Michael groans irritably, crossing his arms over his chest. “Stop comparing me with your father! I am the fuck sick of the fact that everybody compares me and him, and the comparison is always bad for me. Everybody praises that idiot: my brother is so good, my brother is so smart, my brother is so talented. Ugh, holy shit! It’s suck!”       Michael shakes his head sharply.       “Did someone talk about me?” Michael asks loudly, pointing at himself. “Nobody! Nobody needed me! I didn’t kind of exist! If I died quietly, nobody would even notice! But when my all-favorite brother barely sneezed and complained about weakness, lots of people immediately surrounded him. And nobody even wanted to give me a cure for pain in the throat! I did go to a closet, took that fucking bottle, and took as much as I needed!”       “Maybe, just because my father was younger? When he was born, you were seven, if I’m not mistaken. Quiet adult to start taking care of you! Or did you pronounce yourself a king and want your own parents to please you and bring breakfast to your bed?”       “Unfortunately, I did not get that honor! And your father was the one to blame! I terribly hate that bastard! I shall hate him until the end of my life! Even if he already died! That man ruined my life when he was born. If that man hadn’t existed, I would have gotten all the attention. You understand, me! Only me! I would have been a favorite boy of Father and Mother! Father would have made me his successor and got me ready to rule his company. But, no! My fucking brother was born and took MY place! That scumbag stole everything from me! ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING!”       “My gosh, Uncle…” Edward slowly shakes his head, looking at Michael contemptuously. “You are an egoist! You think you should have gotten all the attention! Should Grandmother and Grandfather have given a fuck about my father and taken care of you all day long? Was it okay that the little child needed love, care, and attention? Didn’t you think about it?”       “Ha, you are going to tell me what to do!” Michael hums irritably. “You are the same! You are terribly jealous of your brothers, who were loved hundreds of times more! Your father never praised and loved you. And people around you praised your friend, Terrence, even if he is well known as the psycho, hysterical girl. I wouldn’t be surprised if your ex had a crush on him somehow, but it was too late because her friend conquered such a delicious piece earlier.”       Michael shakes his head with an evil sneer.       “Remember, nobody has ever praised you,” Michael adds confidently. “You have heard nothing good about you. And you were always mad at your father for not giving you attention and money, at least for a piece of chocolate. Though I’m well aware of your love for sweet food.”       Edward does not know what to say and keeps looking at Michael gloomily.       “You’ve always been a burden to your family, Edward. And we are very similar in this case. Our parents didn’t need us and left us on our own. We were never loved and valued for our little successes. Every one of us hates his brothers because they got the best. And we are both unlucky in love. You and I have problems with relationships with girls. No, maybe, you will meet a girl, who will fall in love with your thick wallet. But sadly, I will never meet my love. However, I’m not upset because I have what is so important to me – my wealth.”       “If my brother knew about me, I would do my best to befriend him,” Edward says confidently. “I will always love him. I will never be the same sick psycho as you.”       “When you decide to kill someone, your love will be gone. And the love for your ex will be gone after you hold a big bag of money that you have never seen before. And I’m sure you will thank me for this wonderful chance someday. The big amounts that you will be getting thanks to my patronage will drive you crazy and make you forget any pity. That’s a disgusting feeling! You shouldn’t succumb to it.”       “ALRIGHT, I AM DONE!” Edward screams. “I will not stay here for a second. It’s disgusting for me to be with you! You make me feel sick, and I would have the pleasure of not seeing you until the end of my life. I shall shed no tear if I know you're dead! And I swear, if you or your fucking people dare to organize the kidnapping of my ex-girlfriend or decide to attack someone else, you will regret it! All the best, Uncle Michael! Don’t choke yourself with your poison!”       Edward sharply gets up from the sofa and quickly leaves the living room, slamming the door loudly. Michael watches his excited and furious nephew with a sly smile, still proudly sitting on the soft sofa. And when Lockhart leaves, the man, stroking his chin thoughtfully, looks around the whole living room, the luxury of which he does not stop admiring as if he sees it for the first time.       “So, my boy, as you do not want to accept my offer at your wish, I shall take measures,” Michael says confidently. “At first, I wanted to impact you verbally, hoping you’d put aside your doubts and a bag of fears. You are trying to hold on and not to succumb so far. But it seems like I have to press on you much stronger. Press on your weakest place… So, you agree to do anything… And I’m sure that the attempt to kidnap and hurt your ex will get you enraged and make you do anything to set her free.”       Michael thinks for a few seconds, still sitting on the sofa with his legs widely spread, stroking his chin and fixing his tie at times.       “Or I could organize another attempt on Terrence,” Michael assumes. “Or his fiancée… Who will be by the side of her fiancé and get mad at him for insulting her beloved people.”       Michael smiles slyly and glances at two tough men for a second, who walk somewhere far from him with a small box of food and talk about something.       “If Edward still has feelings for his ex, he will surely get scared for her and do his best for me to set that girl free. And he might get terribly worried about his mommy if I try to harm her… Or should I leave defeating her for a dessert and first tell my people to find Edward’s ex and bring her here? And when it’s time for the blonde to die, I shall tell my nephew something interesting about her. I already gave him a small hint and a reason to reflect, but now he will hear nothing about the story of her betrayal. But I’m imagining how he will be grieving after he finds out what that girl will never dare to say. She’d die but not confess anything… I don’t know when I will do it, but I think I can give some time to that puppy and then get him surprised by the news that his ex is kidnapped by my people. And surprise everybody with some very interesting information about Edward. I shall reveal him for all those people. Tell them about all his plans.”       Michael frowns slightly.       “Oh, shit, honestly, I got kind of confused! But even if the puppy agrees to work on me, it does not mean everybody will stay alive.” Michael simpers with irony. “Maybe, I will wish to kill them. And I really want to kill those, who have to do with my brother! And if Edward stays alive and decides to work for me, I will agree to reward him. He should just be a good boy. But who knows… I could give him nothing, so that puppy remains a homeless beggar. If he wants a beautiful life, he must do what I want. But if he prefers his family, he will die along with the others. And then I will be the only applicant for my family’s wealth. I shall be so rich that I will be included in a list of the richest men in the United States. Well… And I could try to start a political career, settle my rules, suggest many laws, and cancel many laws that I dislike.”       Michael smiles evilly and leans back in the sofa with an evil sneer, wishing Edward not to agree to his suggestion because he does not want to share even the smallest part with him.       

***

      It's about five o'clock. While Raquelle went to the meeting with her managers at the agency, Terrence stayed at home and decided to sort out the songs that he had not checked for a long time. The man does not want to go anywhere, meet someone, or talk with someone. After the night talk that ended with intimacy, the lovers did not fall asleep. They talked about something until the morning and spent a lot of time putting themselves in order. Since Terrence has not lately gotten enough sleep, he does not feel good and looks exhausted. Because of his strong tiredness, he cannot work with the unfinished songs. After a few attempts to do something, the man sharply throws aside the notebook with lyrics and a pen with a quiet groan, leans back in the sofa, and closes his face with his hands for a few seconds, paying attention to the silence settled in the living room.       After talking to Raquelle, Terrence got much better. But it’s impossible to say he got great relief. The moment of intimacy helped him get lost for some time, but when the euphoria was gone, he felt bad again. All these problems have lately gotten him nervous and made him experience very many bad things. He fears imagining what might happen later. He asks himself whether Peter will survive and wish to come back to the band. Also, it’s still hard for the man to realize that Edward turned out to be a betrayer. Terrence does not even want to think Edward was understood wrongly. His disappointment and offense are too strong to try to think deeper and find other reasons for the behavior of Edward. Now Terrence does not want to see that guy and refuses to call him a friend.       At some moment, Terrence decides to distract himself with music. He takes his guitar from the sofa and quickly tunes it. It does not take much time because the man played something when trying to write at least a line for a song. After placing the instrument, Terrence starts playing a sad melody. His fingers confidently pluck the strings and strike random chords. And after playing a short melody, the man starts quietly singing something under his breath.       A few minutes later, a sudden call on the wired phone rings. Terrence sharply stops playing, waits for one of the servants to answer the call for two seconds, and sees nobody comes.       “Fuck, seems like hiding from this world is impossible…” Terrence moans tiredly, running his hands over his face. “Even at my own house… If you turn off your mobile phone, they’ll call your home number.”       However, Terrence decides not to ignore the call. He puts his guitar aside, reaches for the phone, takes it, presses the button, and puts it to his ear.       “Hello,” Terrence pronounces without emotions.       “Uh, Terrence…” the feminine voice says hesitantly. “Is that you?”       “Erm… Alicia?”       “Yes, yes, it’s Alicia. Sorry for calling at the wrong time.”       “No, no…” Terrence starts massaging his neck. “It’s alright… Good afternoon…”       “Hello, Terrence.”       “Excuse me, I did not expect your call… Got a little confused…”       “It’s okay… I would just like to talk to my niece… Could you call Raquelle on the phone?”       “Raquelle?” Terrence looks around the whole living room. “She is not at home… She went for a business… She’s having a meeting with her managers at the agency today.”       “Oh, sorry she is not…”       “Don’t worry, I will tell her you called when she is back.”       “So, okay, I shall call her later… Sorry for bothering…”       “It’s okay. If you want, we could talk a little. The last time we talked happened when you were in the USA.”       “Well, if you aren’t busy, I’d have the pleasure to talk to you.”       “No, I’m not busy,” Terrence leans back in the sofa and spreads his legs widely. “How are you doing? Are you fine?”       “Yes, thank God, I’m fine.”       “Aren’t you planning to come to us again?”       “I can’t do it now, sorry… Very much work at the university and on adopting. Haven’t Raquelle told you I’m gonna be the mother of a girl very soon?”       “She’s done. I’m very happy for you! I’m sure you’re going to be a wonderful mother.”       “Thanks a lot. But I think you will also be a wonderful father.”       “Ah, Alicia…” Terrence smiles shyly with sadness in his eyes. “First, we’d like to solve our problems, and then we could think of a child… I really want to become a father, but I can’t think about it now. You know well that you must always take care of a child, but now we’ve got a situation where we don’t have time to do it. Besides, Raquelle and I should get married. I can’t say when it’s gonna happen. We haven’t discussed anything yet.”       “Raquelle told me what happened to you. I’m praying that everything is solved.”       “Wait, did Raquelle talk to you?” Terrence frowns slightly. “She said nothing about that…”       “I called her. It seems like it happened after the day someone sent you something.”       “Yeah, I get you… On that day, Raquelle was alone, but I was at my friend’s home… Something bad good happened on that day…”       “Don’t you wanna share? Or is it a secret?”       “Nope, it’s not a secret…” Terrence runs his hand over his hair. “I was attacked by a man…”       “Were you attacked?” Alicia gets horrified. “Oh, God…”       “Don’t worry, I’m fine. I got only a slight scare and a couple of bruises. They’ve gone now.”       “But what did that man want from you?”       “He threatened me verbally and let me know he knew about the letters.”       “My gosh… So, do those letters have to do with him?”       “They do! And now I can tell you more. The one, who imposed his friendship on me so hard, has to do with all of that.”       “Edward? Gosh, what did he do?”       “Very much, Alicia. As it turned out, Edward is not the one he pretended to be. He was pretending to be good. That man was planning to destroy us and eventually confessed his plans.”       “What?” Alicia frowns slightly. “But what did that guy get into? Why do you say it about him? You kind of got on well!”       “I shall tell you what happened, but you will decide who to believe.” Terrence runs his hand through his hair. “So, Edward was jealous of me because I was provided and successful and didn’t help him with a job and didn’t buy him a house and car… In short, I refused to let him live on my account… He confessed everything and said he was going to rob and kill his family and get our wealth.”       “Jesus Christ, Terrence, what are you talking about?” Alicia gets horrified.       “We accepted that betrayal very warmly and were happy he reunited with his family. But now we know Edward has never treated me well, and all his words about respect and love were lies. And after realizing he was pressed to the wall, he confessed everything and exactly said he was going to kill and rob Raquelle, my mother, and me. Because of jealousy for my success, wealth, confidence, and love that I get for the reason. For the results of a long and hard work.”       “Jesus Christ…”       “And he is fighting for his father’s inheritance with his uncle. The great money and privileges related to the shipbuilding company, which was founded by his grandfather, as Lockhart said, are at stake. I don’t know if it’s true, but I let him know I rejected the inheritance. But I haven’t understood what I have to do with his uncle, his inheritance, and his family.”       “And Edward?”       “Edward doesn’t want to reject the inheritance. He’s literally ready to cut anyone’s throat to get it. But Uncle doesn’t also give up and wants to kill all of us. And deal with Lockhart, who is ready to sell his mother for everyone to stop calling him a homeless and workless beggar. He wants to get everything easily. He didn’t get used to hard work. It’s clear that the boy is stuck in childhood and believes his father would provide for him and then someone else would do it: brother, sister, lover, wife, his wife’s parents…”       “Oh, my gosh… But you said he tried to find a job and sometimes worked somewhere.”       “Aha, worked! He wanted his inheritance! He didn’t want to get a real job because he hoped to get all the money of his daddy and become the owner of the company.” Terrence smirks quietly. “Ha! He would bankrupt anyone. He would be deceived by everyone, who would make him get into great debt. Does that kid think ruling your own business is easy?”       “Wow! But looking at him, I wouldn’t think he was so bad… He was quite a good guy. Young, sympathetic, gentle… I talked to him two times before I went to London, but he seemed good to me.”       “It was just an act. He perfectly used the fact that everybody considered him sweet and pretended to be an insecure, too shy guy, who allegedly couldn’t hurt a fly. Edward is actually a brute. The brute, who grew up on the street and was taught nothing good. The nasty, greedy, jealous, and rude bastard, who is ready for anything. I wouldn’t be surprised if someday he went to my home with a pistol and shot me or Raquelle.”       “Gosh, Terrence, don’t say it!”       “You should’ve heard everything he said about Raquelle and me two days ago. You would’ve made sure what a poisoned snake we got among us. That nasty rag was not shy of swearing, being rude and mean and humiliating… He reminded me of my actions towards your niece and called me a bastard, who was forgiven for no reason. My family members and friends shouldn’t have forgiven me, and Raquelle shouldn't have come back to me.”       “My gosh!” Alicia gets horrified. “How does he dare to say it to his own friend?”       “And yeah, it’s okay that the snake insulted me. But he did attack Raquelle with insults and humiliations. I don’t even want to tell you what she had to hear from him. But it got me enraged.”       “A stinker!” Alicia resents. “How does he dare to insult my innocent niece? My girl did nothing bad to him, but he does humiliate her!”       “She got also terribly mad and would’ve attacked him with fists if I hadn’t held her down. I feared that the furious scumbag could do something to her. Edward wouldn’t have thought that Raquelle was a girl and would’ve dealt her with fists without pity.”       “Oh, what a scumbag… Bastard! How shameless and insolent he should be to let himself do it and say it!”       “Edward just has no coincidence. And he hardly had it. He can only pretend to be good, but that man is actually terrible, greedy, rude, and egoistic. Now I understand why he was imposing himself on me so hard. Why he wanted to win our trust.”       “Yeah…” Alicia falls into silence for two seconds. “But wait, Terrence, how do you know it? Did your friend really confirm everything?”       “Yes, two days ago, he went to the home of Raquelle and me. After we got the letters, and I was attacked, we had a plan. It was about reading the letters with Edward’s pretense. And it worked – he betrayed himself after he saw them. But Natalia’s appearance added fuel to the fire. We weren’t gonna invite her – she came herself. Wanted to talk…”       “Hey, don’t you know what’s happening between Edward and her? Raquelle said that they acted strangely.”       “I know. They broke up one month ago. Edward was pretending to be an innocent lamb, and he also made Natalia pretend everything was fine with their relationship. They said everything was okay. But Raquelle and I knew something wasn’t right from the beginning. We discovered the fact that a couple of Natalia and Edward didn’t exist for one month on the day we heard the truth about his uncle, the inheritance, and Lockhart’s plans.”       “My gosh… I thought they were happy.”       “Yeah, were!” Terrence hums with his eyes rolled. “The poor girl can’t still come to herself. Insulting Raquelle and me, he was insulting her, as well. Though he insulted Natalia much harder than us.”       “So, not only did Raquelle and you suffer?”       “Exactly. When Raquelle and I left them alone for two minutes, they started fighting and sorting out their relationship. We heard their shouts even on the second floor. Even our servants heard them screaming at each other.”       “Were they talking about their breakup?”       “Let me tell everything in order,” Terrence quickly clears his throat. “After hearing Natalia and Edward’s talk, we found out very much. For example, my friend will always judge me for what I'm still ashamed of. And also, as I said, he insulted and humiliated Raquelle, Natalia, and me.”       “How awful…”       “At some moment, that stinker wanted to attack Natalia after she slapped him. When they realized we heard their fight, Edward was pretending to be an innocent lamb. But Natalia made him show the real himself. That’s good Raquelle and I meddled shortly: I took that crazy man away from her, and she calmed her friend down.”       “Did he do nothing bad to her?”       “No, thank God. Then Edward attacked me and started insulting me, saying that he wasn’t sorry for me and that I allegedly deserved all my problems. He humiliated the innocent Raquelle and kept mocking Natalia verbally. And eventually, I lost patience and attacked him with my fists. Excuse me, but I couldn’t take that anymore. I dreamed of beating his insolent face. Though what he got wasn’t enough for him.”       “How awful!” Alicia pronounces, being shocked by what she heard. “I can’t believe it…”       “I understand it’s hard for you to confess it,” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes. “But sadly, I told you the truth. Lockhart is a betrayer. The betrayal, who is ready to kill us for money. Who was deeply jealous of me and my success and wanted to take my place.”       “I’m very sorry, Terrence… I can imagine how it’s hard for you.”       “You can’t imagine how much I’m disappointed in that man. I got tightly attracted to him and trusted him completely, but he gave a damn about me. It’s terribly disgusting. Of course, I knew people, who did mean things to me. But nobody did something like this before.”       “I completely understand you, my dear,” Alicia expresses sympathy. “Know that I’m by your side. If your friend really did such a disgusting thing and wants to destroy you for money, I’m really disappointed.”       “Thanks a lot, Alicia. I truly appreciate your support.”       “Raquelle and you must keep yourself from that man. I’m sure he will give you many problems. Or better go to the police and report him and his uncle, who wants to rob you.”       “Yes, yes, I promise, we will not leave it unnoticed. If at least one attempt of attacks on us happens, or we get another message or letter with threats, Raquelle, Mother, Natalia, and I will immediately go to the police. We’ve got nothing to fear. Edward and Michael should fear going to prison for everything they’ve done.”       “It’s right! You’ve got the proof, and it will be easy for you to prove they are a threat to your lives and want to rob you.”       “Oh, Alicia…” Terrence exhales sharply. “Honestly, I don’t even know if I did the right thing by letting Raquelle go to the meeting alone. Now, it’s the time when it’s dangerous for her to stay alone. What if those people decide to attack her or organize a kidnapping?”       “Gosh, Terrence, don’t scare me!” Alicia gets horrified. “My heart will tear apart if something happens to my girl. And Mr. Cameron will not survive the attack on his granddaughter.”       “We try to be together. But the last time we had to run away happened a few days ago. We were nearly attacked with knives, but we quickly ran away from them, and those people couldn’t catch us. It’s been a few days, and we’ve got no threat… No messages, no letters, no chase, no assassination attempts…”       “Nevertheless, you and Raquelle should be very careful anyway. This silence may mean that the hurricane is coming soon. Now nobody chases you, but one of you might be hit on the head and driven somewhere in the country.”       “That’s why I’m worried. And I’m trying to do my best not to let it happen to Raquelle.”       “That’s bad Raquelle is alone, though you don’t have to follow her like a dog.”       “I know. But every time she stays home alone or goes somewhere without me, I’m like on needles.”       “I understand. But remember that danger may find you or my niece at any time. These cases don’t end so easily. Edward and his uncle will eventually get what they want and will not probably give up, even under a gun or with handcuffs on their hands.”       “Oh…” Terrence sighs tiredly, running his hand over his face. “Day by day, something always happens… I got problems with Lockhart and his uncle, and my band is breaking up…”       “Yeah, what about it? Haven’t you reconciled your colleagues?”       “I would’ve done it if our drummer hadn’t wanted to try to kill himself,” Terrence replies with sadness in his eyes.       “Drummer? Peter Rose?”       “Yup. Three days ago. And the media already spread the news, publishing the photos that were taken by witnesses of Peter being brought to the hospital. You can check it out if you want.”       “Oh, Terrence, dear, how can you actually take it all quietly?” Alicia wonders. “Have you got enough endurance to experience so many shocks at the same time?”       “I’m afraid I’m about to lose my endurance… Every day, I feel like I wanna explode like a bomb and fall into hysteria. I can’t… My whole body is literally shaking from nervous tension. But thanks to the fact that Raquelle is by my side and supporting me, I feel a little better. She does very much to help me. And I’m madly grateful to that girl for not leaving me at such a hard moment.”       “You’ve got not only her, Terrence. Your friends will always support you if you need it. And Mrs. MacClife adores you and will do anything to help you. Nobody is gonna leave you alone, even if the whole world is against it. Remember, your most loyal people will always be by your side.”       “I know,” Terrence cracks a smile. “And I am very glad I have the support.”       A short silence settles in the air, during which Terrence glances aside with sadness in his eyes, leaning back in the sofa and raising his head.       “Hey, what about the condition of Peter?” Alicia asks.       “I can say nothing,” Terrence replies quietly. “The doctor barely explains something. But he says he lost a lot of blood and got some problems with blood circulation. Honestly, we don’t know if he survives…”       “Is everything so bad?”       “Not quite, but no positive changes yet. He should’ve gotten a blood transfusion, but I don’t know how it happened. Peter’s doctor hasn’t called and said anything.”       “Poor guy…” Alicia gets horrified. “I hope he will get well soon and ask someone for help, which he definitely needs.”       “But we don’t want to insist because it will have no effect. We will just be by his side and let him know he can count on us.”       “The important thing is that you don’t stop believing in the best. Sadly, almost nothing depends on you, but you’ve gotta hope everything is gonna be fine.”       “We’re trying to. But sometimes we just give in. I can do nothing to myself…”       “Don’t give up and do believe, hear me! I know how much you wanted it. Would you give up so easily and let things happen as they want? It’s wrong, Terrence! You must fight for your dreams! You must work hard to reach for something.”       “Yeah, you’re right…” Terrence exhales sharply and leans his head back for two seconds. “Sometimes, I just have a too changing mood… Today, I wanna believe in the best, but tomorrow I shall start regretting all my mistakes and want to disappear. I can’t keep my belief in the best, you see. Especially now. When the situation is so nervous and tense.”       “I get it, honey. But I think you just need someone to let you speak out. For example, talk to Raquelle and tell her about your feelings. She will understand it and do her best to help you get better.”       “Actually, we had the talk. And you know, I got a little better. Raquelle has always been able to find words of support. She lets me know she believes in me and says I can get over that. That’s what I need – to know that someone supports me and doesn’t doubt that I'll get what I want, despite nothing.”       “Then hold on, Terrence,” Alicia advises with sadness in her eyes. “Yes, it’s hard for you now. Maybe, fate decided to punish you for what you did. But you should wait for a while and hold on. I am sure you can do it. You’ve got a power of will and a sense of purpose. And if you overcome all barriers in your way and keep reaching for your dreams confidently, someday fate will give you a gift that you can’t even dream about.”       “Sounds like a wonderful motivation,” Terrence smiles slightly. “You’ve always known what to say.”       “You can always ask me for help or a piece of advice. I would never refuse to do it and would do everything I can.”       “Thanks.”       Meanwhile, a sudden, loud doorbell rings on the door, which Terrence moves his eyes to.       “Oh, excuse me, Alicia, but someone just called the doorbell,” Terrence says hesitantly. “Sadly, I have to say goodbye to you.”       “Okay, good luck,” Alicia replies softly. “And please, let Raquelle know that I called. I want to talk to her when she has a free minute.”       “Don’t worry, I shall do it. Thanks for the talk.”       “Thank you for your time.”       “Goodbye.”       “See you soon.”       Terrence turns off the call and puts the phone where it was placed before. The man gets up from the sofa with a tired sigh and goes to open the door, while someone rings the doorbell for the second time. After opening it, MacClife gets a little surprised when he sees his mother, Rebecca, whom he did not actually invite here.       “Mother?” Terrence wonders. “What a surprise!”       “Hey, Terrence,” Rebecca says amicably, hugs Terrence, and kisses him on the cheek. “Didn’t I bother you?”       “Erm. No, no, not at all,” Terrence smiles slightly, being a little confused. “But I’m a little surprised by your visit.”       “Well, if you turned on your phone at least rarely, you would’ve learned about my arrival earlier. I wanted to ask if I could come here. But since I didn’t reach for you, I decided to arrive without warning.”       “Ah, yeah… Sorry… I turned it off ‘cause I didn’t want anyone to bother me.”       “That’s how? But what’s wrong, my sweetie? Don’t you wanna talk to anyone?”       “Yes, wanna abstract me from everything, at least for a while…” Terrence runs his hand slowly over his tired, white face. “I wanna talk to nobody yet…”       “You look kind of exhausted,” Rebecca frowns slightly, closely looking at Terrence’s face. “You didn’t sleep all night long and didn’t fall asleep.”       “Well, actually, it happened… I’ve lately had some problems with sleeping…”       “Insomnia?”       “Erm… Almost…”       “And yeah, why do you have bruises on your face? How did you get them?”       “Erm… Well… I had to protect myself from one stinker… But don’t worry, they will be gone soon.”       “Oh… My gosh…”       Seeing the bruises on Terrence’s face, Rebecca immediately recalls that she saw almost the same ones on Edward’s face and arms. She gets the thought that the men could have a serious fight and beat each other strongly. In her opinion, the fact that both of them have bruises, which are going away almost at the same time, cannot be a coincidence.       “Come in, don’t stand on the doorstep…” Terrence breaks the short silence. “I’ll try to tell you everything.”       Terrence steps back from the doorstep to let his mother come into the house. Rebecca does it confidently and goes to the living room, starting to look around with interest, while her son closes the door. And when he comes to her, the woman turns on him, saying:       “Hey, are you alone now? I don’t see Raquelle… And your servants hid…”       “Yes, I’m alone now,” Terrence replies amicably. “Raquelle went to the agency to meet her managers, and the servants are doing some business.”       “Are you letting them do nothing at work time?” Rebecca frowns slightly. “Shouldn’t they be working in the house now?”       “They’re working, Mom. The servants have already done what they should’ve done and are now using their free time. That’s our agreement – if they don’t have work, and everything is done, they can spend time as they want. If they need to go out, no problem.”       “Aw, Terrence, you’re so right!” Rebecca shakes her head with a smile on her face and runs her hand over Terrence’s hair. “You were a terrible hooligan in childhood, but now you are different. What a miracle!”       “Well…” Terrence embraces Rebecca around the shoulders with a shy smile. “I just have a wonderful mother, who has always taught me to be gentle and kind.”       Terrence brings Rebecca to the sofa and gently suggests that his mother sits down. And she carefully sits on the edge of it next to him.       “I believe it’s not only my merit,” Rebecca assumes with a slight smile and puts her purse next to her. “You have a wonderful fiancée, who changed much about you.”       “You’re right,” Terrence nods. “I don’t know what I would do without Raquelle if she wasn’t with me.”       “When you say it, my heart calms down. Knowing that everything is fine with your relationship, and you’re happy with that girl is like a nice melody for an ear.”       “Everything is wonderful now. What happened in the past will stay in the past.”       “Thank God, then!” Rebecca smiles shyly.       “Yeah, maybe, you want to drink or eat something? Water, tea, coffee… We have literally everything from food.”       “No, no, sonny, thanks, I had eaten before I came to you.”       “Well, okay, as you want…” Terrence shrugs.       “You better tell me why you have such a tired look.”       “Nothing special… I just didn’t sleep last night. I woke up at two hours and then walked in the house.”       “That’s how!” Rebecca frowns slightly. “How long ago did you start sleeping badly? Or it’s the first time?”       “Sometimes it happens, don’t worry,” Terrence replies a little distantly, not wishing to talk about the reasons for his insomnia. “Some terrible things get into my mind, and I can’t stop thinking of them for a long time.”       “It’s because of worrying, my dear.” Rebecca caresses Terrence’s hand softly. “Be careful, because you might get super exhausted.”       “I know…” Terrence runs his hand over his hair. “But I have reasons to worry, ‘cause the band has many problems.”       “Share with me?”       “Only if you’re interested.”       “I’m interested in everything about you.”       “Well, okay… I can say one thing – my band is about to break up. And my long-time dream of creating a band may not come true.”       “Why do you say it?”       “Oh, I thought you knew it… Don’t you read newspapers or news on the Internet?”       “Oh, I don’t have time!” Rebecca waves a hand with a quiet laugh. “I have so much to do, but you say about newspapers and the Internet.”       “So, don’t you know what kind of emergency happened?”       “Emergency? Something horrible happened?”       “I already told you about Peter, our drummer.” Terrence swallows up nervously. “So, he tried to kill himself three days ago.”       “Seriously?” Rebecca gets horrified, looking at Terrence with horror and keeping her mouth closed with a hand. “But why? That guy is so young! Two years younger than you!”       “Nobody knows it,” Terrence shrugs with a sad gaze. “But he is now in the hospital, and we know nothing about his condition. Though his doctor is getting us ready that he might not survive. Due to the massive blood loss…”       “Oh, poor guy…” Rebecca caresses Terrence’s cheek softly. “I’m really very sorry, honey. I hope everything will be fine.”       “Thanks, Mom. But now it’s too early to say something ‘cause now his condition is hard.”       “I get it.”       “Yeah, our manager was deeply shocked when he found out about the situation with Peter.”       “You told him?”       “Daniel and I met him two days ago. George called me and told me to go to the agency. At first, Smith treated us very rudely, but got much softer and even apologized when we told him everything we knew about Peter.”       “That’s how… So, will that George treat you better?”       “I’d like to believe it. I’m sick of him insulting and humiliating me for no reason and devaluing my success. Though George knew that I cared about the band much more and did my best to save it.”       “You should think about it much less, honey,” Rebecca replies softly. “The important thing is that your drummer gets well. Not what your manager would think.”       “You’re right… But I hope he’ll get a little softer and fairer. Of course, I don’t believe in his regret, but… We’ll see… If he starts insulting us again, we’ll just refuse to work with him.”       “That’s right. I do know how much you’ve done for the band, and what you have reached.”       “Just something. We’d have something to remember.”       “Not everything is lost, Terrence. Your incredible talent will not go unnoticed. I’m sure you’ll someday get an opportunity to perform your own songs and conquer the hearts of millions of people around the world.”       “We’ll see… I can say nothing about my musical career’s future. Now it’s too unclear and… I don’t wanna think about it… I have more serious things that make me worried.”       “Yeah, about serious things…” Rebecca folds her hands in front of her, keeping her legs together at the right angle. “Actually, I came here with a goal… I’d like to talk to you about something that bothers me.”       “You have problems?” Terrence gets anxious and frowns slightly, looking at Rebecca closely. “You’re a little tense and sad…”       “No, I don’t have problems, thank God,” Rebecca thinks for two seconds. “Sorry for starting to talk about what might probably be unpleasant to you. But can you make the situation with your friend clear?”       “What situation?” Terrence specifies gloomily in a low voice.       “Yesterday, Edward and I had a talk that, to be honest, got me shocked.”       “Did he give you some bad surprises?”       “Oh, he did! Very many! Tell me, please, did you know your friend began saying terrible things about you and got hatred and jealousy for you?”       “Yes, I did,” Terrence confirms coldly. “Edward turned out to be a nasty scumbag that we shouldn't have let get close to us.”       “And as I understand, did you quarrel seriously?”       “Yup. I wasn’t gonna be silent and pretend that I didn’t hear that my family and my best friend got insulted. After that, I don’t actually wanna see and hear him.”       “So seriously that you even fought?” Rebecca asks confidently.       “Huh?” Terrence rounds his eyes, looking at Rebecca amazingly.       “Your bruises…” Rebecca glances at Terrence’s face and quickly looks at his arms covered with slight bruises. “I saw the same ones on Edward. He said something about bandits, and I believed him. But now, seeing the same bruises on you, I dare to assume that you fought like buffaloes.”       “Listen, Mom…” Terrence pronounces hesitantly.       “Tell me the truth, Terrence: did Edward beat you like this? Did you beat him? It couldn’t be just a coincidence. Bruises in the same places couldn’t appear so easily. And the problem is not about an alleged attack by bandits or attempts to rob.”       “Erm…”       “Tell me the truth: you fought or not?”       “Yes, we fought…” Terrence exhales sharply and looks at Rebecca gloomily. “I couldn’t quietly hear him insulting Raquelle, Natalia, and me. What we heard was enough for me to get enraged. Edward insulted all of us to the bottom of our hearts and got what he deserved.”       “I thought so…” Rebecca glances aside for a second. “And I don’t like my son fights like tigers in a cage or fighters in a ring. I understand you were insulted, and he did a disgusting thing. But I’ve always taught you that solving problems with fists is impossible.”       “Sorry, Mom, I couldn’t and didn’t wanna hold myself down. Edward asked for a strong kick for a long time, though it wasn’t enough for him. He betrayed all of us and told Raquelle and me such terrible things, for which we will never forgive him. If you had been with us on that day, your hair would’ve stood. And I’m sure you would’ve regretted letting him become so close to you.”       “God, but what did he say that you attacked and beat him? What happened between you?”       “Wow…” Terrence hums, crossing his arms over his chest. “I thought he told you everything. That stinker did confess everything and openly said that he wanted to kill and rob his close people.”       “Please, Terrence, tell me everything that happened. I should know what made Edward become a beast.”       “Alright, as he didn’t tell everything, as I see, listen then…” Terrence clears his throat quickly. “So, three days ago, Raquelle and I heard that stinker confidently say he was ready to prefer money over his family. Natalia got him so enraged that Edward revealed all his plans. Moreover, he got all of us involved in the story of the inheritance, on which a certain his uncle also has an eye. I don’t know if he exists, but that guy says Michael is too greedy and also wanna kill his family and get our money and wealth… And lastly, Edward does judge me for my act toward Raquelle. That man wasn’t shy of swearing when insulting Natalia, her, and me while having a hysterical attack.”       “Gosh…” Rebecca pronounces, getting a little white and closing her mouth with a hand.       “Edward has never treated me well. Never respected me, valued me, and took an example, as he said. He is terribly jealous of me ‘cause I’m much richer, more successful, more confident, more loved… He is irritated by the injustice. He’s a deadbeat without a cent, a home, or a job, who lives on someone’s account and counts on the help of his provided friends. While I have everything, I don’t think of having no money for food or a new coat tomorrow, and I have gotten much love and praise from those, who surround me. He is mad that I am thousands of times better than him and wants to revenge on me for that, wishing literally to kill me and steal everything from me. He wants to live in the luxury and have people that would kiss his legs and make all his caprices come true.”       “I can’t believe it…” Rebecca pronounces quietly and swallows up nervously. “I… I’m shocked… I don’t know what to say…”       “If only you knew how hurtful it is for me,” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes. “You know that the guy was very close to me. He was like my brother… But sadly, Lockhart had me wrapped around a finger and decided to rob me and kill me, seeing that I wasn’t gonna help as well as I helped you.”       “Edward really resented why he was worse if you bought a house for me and regularly gave me money. But I said you didn’t have to provide for him and let him live on your account. And I added that if he wanted money, he should’ve found a job and worked.”       “Lockhart just believes earning money is very easy. He will never understand how much strength and nerve I spent building my acting career. For great fees, I had to work all days long and eat literally once per day. I do know how hard it was to get the money I’m still living on.”       “It’s hard for me to believe that Edward is an egoist. He is ready to betray his family for money that doesn’t belong to him. And… Sorry, God, he’s gonna… Kill! Imagine, Terrence? I can’t get it…”       “I completely understand your pain,” Terrence caresses Rebecca’s hand and cheek softly, seeing the tears that are getting out of his mother’s eyes. “But sadly, it’s the truth. Edward is a betrayer, and he admitted the full truth. You can even talk to Raquelle, and she'll confirm everything Mr. Edward Lockhart did and said. If you still doubt…”       “No, no, I believe you, sonny… I do… Because I heard everything he said during yesterday’s dinner. Though I still believe I’m sleeping. That Edward isn’t so terrible. He’s actually a sweet, kind boy and wouldn’t even think of that.”       “A sweet, kind boy has never existed. He was pretending all the time. He put hopes in his pretty appearance, because of which nobody would’ve dared to blame him for something. But now we know what demons are living inside that greedy and shameless bastard, who was taught nothing. Here’s the result of the fact that Father didn’t educate him and let him be on his own. The street has been turning him into a scumbag since childhood. He grew up and decided to take revenge for the past offenses and take it out on those, who accepted him with open arms.”       “I wouldn’t have thought he’d be so mean. He really reminds me of your uncle, who must go to prison.”       “What uncle do you mean?” Terrence reacts immediately, rounding his eyes, shaking his head sharply.       “Michael. Michael MacClife. I somehow told you about the older brother of your father when you were a kid. So, that’s Michael. The older brother of Jamie.”       “Yeah, I remember you telling me about a certain Michael. But I haven’t understood who he was and how he was connected with us.”       “You know it now.”       “Do you know him well?”       “Oh, Terrence…” Rebecca sighs heavily. “You can’t even imagine what an absolute cad your uncle is… Michael Gregory MacClife. The most terrible and mean man in the world, who has always hated your father and wanted to be the center of the Universe for the people around him since birth. He gets mad when someone gives attention to someone else not him. When your grandfather Manuel and grandmother Margaret were alive, Michael always thought he got very little attention from them, while Jamie got all the best. Though they loved them in the same way. They were just mad because of your uncle’s behavior but admired your father’s hard work, brains, talents, and all the best he had. They put great hopes in him, and he met them. And Michael has always been stupid and non-educated and thought you could get success thanks to money, heartlessness, cunning, and setups.”       “I guess these two Michaels would be the best friends. The first one is a scum, and the other is an asshole.”       “I’ve never loved Michael. I’ve always kept myself far from him and thought he was the opposite of your father. Who, by the way, has a kind heart, coincidence, and dignity. He knew you should’ve worked hard to get something.”       “That’s how…” Terrence pronounces with interest. “Could you tell more about that man? How long have you known him? Did he and Father really have such a terrible relationship?”       “It’s true, sonny. As long as I’ve known him, they have always been enemies. Jamie told me he and Michael have been enemies since babyhood, and your grandfather and grandmother didn’t reconcile them. No hint of friendship! Another reason is probably a big age difference. Your uncle is gonna turn sixty next year, but your father is seven years younger. I’ve always been for a little age difference between brothers and sisters. I believe it would help children become friends. When parents are gonna have a second child soon, their older one stops being the center of the Universe. The fact that he or she would get less attention gets them a little mad because they’re used to being the only one.”       “Maybe, do I want to find my brother so badly for nothing? What if we’re going to get through the same as my father and uncle?”       “No, sonny, I would’ve done my best to make you friends and not to let you become the same as Jamie and Michael.”       “Who knows… But now I even doubt if I want to know who he is. I felt good when I thought I was the only child. But what’s gonna happen if a boy comes into my life? What if he is also evil, greedy, egoistic, and jealous?”       “It would break my heart.”       “By the way…” Terrence rubs his hands nervously. “One person recently told me that Edward had some information about that guy.”       “Edward?” Rebecca rounds her eyes.       “Yes, he kind of can reveal his identity.”       “Does he know him?”       “I don’t know… But I was told about it very confidently. It’s like that person knew who my younger brother was.”       “You know, Terrence… If Edward looked a little similar to you, I would suspect that… He is my missing son.”       “God will save us from this relative!”       “To be honest, I also think that he has something tell us about himself or your brother. And I still can’t explain why I felt such a strong affection for him.”       “No, Mom, Edward is nobody to us. And he doesn’t look like you or me. Nobody from our family has brown eyes.”       “Maybe…” Rebecca sighs tiredly. “But still… Our stories have some coincidences.”       “No, it’s nothing than just coincidences. Don’t even think about it.”       “These two Michaels are literally obsessed with money. Your uncle got the power over the business of your father somehow. And he’s dreaming of getting access to the bank account where Jamie has a lot enough money.”       “Okay… Does someone else except Father have access to the bank account?”       “I have access. I can show you the documents that confirm my right to get any amount from that account. But I’ve never used this right.”       “So, does everything Uncle Michael owns actually belong to Father?”       “Exactly, sonny.” Rebecca sighs heavily with sadness in her eyes. “Michael has earned no cent from the money, on which he is living. Which he gives to his accomplices, spends for his pleasure, and, bribes some people if he or his pals have problems.”       “So, do you wanna say Uncle Michael earned nothing from all of that?”       “Earned? Gosh, Terrence, you must be kidding! Michael doesn’t know this word! Do you think he really works hard in the company? No, my sweetie! His deputies, helpers, and other staff members work instead of him. And Michael comes there at least one time per week, takes the money, and finds a way to steal some money from what he should pay to clients and vendors. He also does something to taxes.”       “That’s how…”       “The company’s incomes have been the same for ages. But I can’t say everything is so fine. One day, Michael framed Jamie, and the company was close to bankruptcy. Your uncle and his helpers magically saved the situation, but no good changes happened. I know for sure that if Michael does something wrong at least once, they will be shut down. They still have some unpaid debts to vendors and clients, who threaten to sue them. And the tax administration has some questions. I’m not sure that your father could save it if he got control of it.”       “My gosh…”       “They held on some time ago. But everything has lately gotten worse.”       “But how do you know it? The company doesn’t belong to Father!”       “Jamie’s familiar man is working there under a cover and shares the information with him. So, your father tells me everything. But the company’s business isn’t as important as the story of the inheritance and the threat to be killed by Michael and his people. Jamie is now focused on it.”       “Oh…” Terrence gets suspicious, frowning slightly. “Say, when did you talk to Father the last time? How long ago did it happen? As I understand, you meet him regularly.”       “Erm… I talked to him two days before the visit of you and Edward at my home. But as you understand, it happened a very long ago.”       “Yeah, right…”       “But we’ve lately, rarely spoken. Your father is afraid to ask me about a talk, ‘cause it might be bad for me. But he must now show up, ‘cause it might lead to something horrible.”       “Must not?” Terrence rounds his eyes. “But why? Is he hiding? Like a criminal?”       “No, sweetie, your father is not a criminal. He just has to hide from his brother, who may hurt him much if he meets him in his way.”       “Wait, wait, Mother, what do you wanna say?” Terrence wonders. “And yeah, where is my father now? What’s happening to him?”       “I already told you,” Rebecca replies quietly. “Your father is alive and healthy and is now hiding in a secret place where Michael will not find him. But I can say nothing more.”       “But where is he hiding?” Terrence shows interest. “What’s the serious place where Uncle Michael’s people couldn’t find him?”       “Sorry, Terrence, I can’t say it,” Rebecca shakes her head. “I can’t reveal his location yet.”       “But why? What could happen if you told me where he is?”       “I hope, nothing. But your father and I believe we should be careful. If Michael’s people notice us together, your uncle might do something terrible to us.”       “My gosh…” Terrence frowns slightly. “So… Father knows that Uncle wanna kill him and all of us, and Edward put an eye on the company and the bank account, but he is hiding from everyone like a dangerous criminal.”       “Sort of. But your father is not a criminal and has never done anything criminal. Maybe, Jamie is a hard man, but he’ll never dare to rob or kill.”       “But how long is he gonna hide?”       “I think when it’s time, he’ll show up, revenge on his friend, and get everything that belongs to him by law. Though, he cares about wealth much less. The most important thing to him is to put Michael and his pals in prison and do his best for them to get a long sentence.”       “Hm…” Terrence frowns slightly. “Can you answer a question? You’ve always said Father is looking for a meeting with me and wants to talk about something. Why? Why is it so important to him?”       “There are many reasons. And one of them is that he wanted to tell you about the fight with your uncle.”       “So, that story started a long time ago?”       “Exactly, my sweetie.”       “But if you’ve always known it, why did you want my father to tell me everything? You’re informed enough to tell me what happened!”       “It would be much better if Father told you everything. And let’s not forget that I also want you to make your relationship with him better. It hurts that you’ve been ignoring him for almost ten years and don’t even wanna listen to him. Though, Jamie could tell you the truth, which would change your attitude toward him.”       “Can I have a meeting at the nearest time? Since you ’re insisting so hard, I’m ready to talk to him.”       “Sadly, you can’t do it now. While Michael doesn’t know Jamie’s location, he might have you or Raquelle on the hook. His goal is to get those, who have to do with your father, out of his way. Since you’re his son, and your fiancée is his soon-to-be daughter-in-law, make conclusions.”       “I got it…”       “Yeah, but why did you suddenly decide to meet him?” Rebecca frowns slightly. “You resisted it so hard, but now you say you agree to talk! What’s up, sonny?”       “I’m gonna be honest: I’m not gonna establish my relationship with him, and I still believe he betrayed you and me,” Terrence says confidently. “I just need to know everything about the inheritance and Uncle Michael. To know what to get ready for. Or maybe, this man has some information about your second child, and he’d love to reveal it.”       “Okay…” Rebecca thinks for two seconds. “Yeah, aren’t you hiding anything from me? The last time, Edward and you said everything was fine. But then I found out that you quarreled, fought, and beat each other.”       “No, I told you everything I knew. About Edward and his conflict with that Michael. About how that puppy got us involved in serious problems.”       “Ah, Terrence…” Rebecca sighs heavily. “Of course, it’s madly hurtful for me that you say it about your friend. But I have to support you. Edward really betrayed us. And even if he is nobody to me, my heart hurts like he is my own child.”       “I completely understand you.” Terrence embraces Rebecca around the shoulders, presses her closer to himself, and kisses her tenderly on the cheek. “But it’s okay, we’ll take it. And if we get at least one threat, we will have to go to the police and report Michael and Edward. We’ll have to blame them for trying to rob and kill us, so they get arrested and go to prison. They’ve done too much and must pay for all their bad things.”       Rebecca says nothing and just sighs heavily with sadness in her half-wet eyes. Terrence tries to comfort her, softly caressing her shoulders and pressing her to himself. Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, but then the woman decides to break it, wiping off tears under her eyes carefully.       “Okay, let’s talk about the other thing that makes me worried,” Rebecca says quietly. “Tell me everything you know about Edward and Natalia’s breakup. You’re a close friend of that girl, and I think she could tell you something.”       “You know, Mom, I’m glad they broke up,” Terrence replies confidently. “Such a good girl like Natalia deserves a better guy than Lockhart. The poor girl is unlucky with men, but she was used like a doormat. She had to experience great disappointment and hear many insults about her.”       “But what happened between them? Edward said Natalia allegedly cheated on him, and he proved it thanks to some photos. But since that girl couldn’t explain it and started crying bitterly, your friend thought that silence was the agreement and pronounced her a whore that slept with all men.”       “Those photos are fake, Mother.”       “What? Fake?”       “Yes. Natalia didn’t cheat and never thought about it.”       “Don’t you also believe in her betrayal? Or she told you something?”       “I’ll tell you the truth if you promise to tell Edward nothing. She doesn’t want my friend to know the truth. And Raquelle and I believe he shouldn’t know that he acted like a pig.”       “He hasn’t spoken to me since yesterday,” Rebecca shrugs without emotions on her face. “Yesterday, we had a big fight due to his wish to get money and aggression toward Raquelle, Natalia, and you. Edward refused to eat dinner and was in the locked room for the whole evening. And today, he went by and said nothing to me.”       “It’s okay, Mom, don’t be sad. It’s not worth it. And he’s gonna give us another horrible surprise when he comes to all of us and takes a shot at the head or the heart.”       “Gosh, sonny, please, don’t say it to me!” Rebecca begs with pity in her eyes. “My heart is tearing from thinking that this boy can do that.”       “Okay, okay. Let me better tell you what happened to Natalia.”       “Yes, yes, I’m listening to you.”       “Well…” Terrence runs his hand sharply over his hair. “The case is that Natalia was tried to rape five months ago. She said she went to walk in a dangerous place in the late evening and met a sick idiot and his pals. He started accosting her, kissing her, judging her and licking her from head to foot, and even left her almost naked.”       “Oh, Jesus Christ…” Rebecca gets horrified, shaking her head.       “And his pals took a few photos, which Edward got one month ago. After viewing them, he thought she cheated on him with that freak.”       “But wasn’t it clear that it was disgusting to her?”       “Natalia said those men picked up shoots, on which she didn’t look like she was resisting. Probably, that’s why Edward couldn’t think she felt disgusting. But it had happened before they started dating.”       “As I understand, didn’t that girl confess it?”       “She didn’t find the courage. That man threatened to kill her or make her ashamed of the whole world by publishing her erotic photos on the Internet if she told someone about it. Well… The poor girl got scared and kept her mouth shut for a few months. She thought it wouldn’t lead to horrible things, but she eventually had a strong hysteria on the day Edward went to her home and started screaming and blaming her for cheating, and threw the photos at her. He left her but kept pretending that everything was fine and made her say nothing about the breakup. Though we know what happened, and how Natalia was insulted for no reason because that freak decided to frame her. I don’t know how he knew about my friend, but the fact is real. The photos of that half-naked girl got into Edward’s hands, and he got enraged.”       “How awful…” Rebecca shakes her head, closing her mouth with a hand and barely holding her tears down. “Poor girl! I can’t believe she had to experience that horror. I’m even afraid to imagine what she felt when that man was cruelly mocking her.”       “Raquelle and I got goosebumps when Natalia was talking about it. Imagine how much that man terrified her if she was silent for five months. She kept it inside and was getting tortured. From not being able to tell us everything.”       “When did she confess everything?”       “On the day Edward took off his mask. If you’d seen what a horrifying condition she had, and what happened to her after the fight with him, you would’ve been shocked. She had felt very bad, but the fight with Edward made her feel much worse. Raquelle and I barely calmed her down when she got a strong hysteria. She was crying, screaming, begging of letting her die, trying to run away… Just… Lost control of herself and experienced a nervous breakdown.”       “Poor girl… God, why did she experience that? She’s done nothing bad to anyone! Why did Natalia experience those horrible tortures and hear the insults she didn’t deserve?”       “We’re asking ourselves about it… But the important thing is that she told us about the rape attempt and the breakup with Edward. When I kicked him out of here after the fight and banned him from getting closer to my house.”       “You know, on the one hand, it’s bad she said nothing and didn’t tell Edward the truth,” Rebecca says thoughtfully. “She didn’t cheat on him, and I did feel something wasn’t right about that story. Because I didn’t wanna believe that the girl could do it. You know that my feelings never lie to me.”       “Of course, I do,” Terrence nods.       “But on the other hand, I don’t think he would’ve listened to her. That guy was so obsessed with the thought that Natalia cheated on him that he would’ve hardly tried to think deeper. I completely understand that he felt insulted and humiliated. But he did a disgusting thing, and I’m very sorry that he will hardly realize it.” Rebecca sighs heavily. “No matter how much I love Edward, I understand he wouldn’t get better. And I think that guy actually never loved Natalia.”       “I also believe so. Think yourself: Lockhart made her pretend that everything was fine and insolently lied to everybody. Though even an idiot would’ve seen it, ‘cause Edward didn’t try to hide his emotions. What was the meaning of lying to her? Just to torture Natalia and make her suffer much more! The girl did suffer after what happened to her, but he was mocking her much more. Because of him, the friend of Raquelle and me almost tried to kill herself as well as Peter! He brought her to that condition by humiliating and insulting her. And if that idiot wanted this result, he got it.”       “You’re absolutely right, honey.” Rebecca sighs heavily, setting her gaze into the distance. “Edward always seemed so soft, quiet, and kind… But your friend reminds me of your uncle Michael. That stinker, who ruined the life of Jamie and me because of terrible jealousy and a wish to be rich and surrounded by people, who would please him.”       “Do you think Father isn’t the same? He’s also made lots of mistakes!”       “No, Terrence, don’t say it about your father! He would never betray his family for money. Jamie would reject any wealth with pleasure if he had a choice: money or family. Your father is a short-tempered but gentle, decent, and fair man.”       “Mom…”       “Besides, the older you get, the more I realize I see Jamie. You’re really similar to him because of your character and appearance. Your father may easily get mad and start waving his hands and screaming at the top of his lungs. Of course, he is now much quieter and has learned to control his anger, and you got something. Remembering how easily you got furious when you were younger, I see a great difference. I’m sure you’ll be getting wiser, quieter, and more able to control yourself.”       “Sometimes I’m sorry for not being able to control myself…” Terrence confesses with sadness in his eyes, looking at his hands and tightly locking his fingers. “It could’ve led to terrible consequences so many times.”       “But it stayed in the past, my sunshine.” Rebecca runs her hand softly over Terrence’s cheek with a slight smile. “The important thing is that you have a kind soul. And I know that you will never rob, kill, and step on others to reach a goal.”       “It’s true. If I still can’t come to myself after the conflict with Raquelle, I’ll hardly quietly take harder sins.”       “I think you got a little quieter after the conflict with Raquelle. It’s clear it made you change your mind about much.”       “Well, maybe just a little,” Terrence shrugs. “At least, when I talk to Raquelle, I try to control myself. But if I feel I can’t control myself, I just go far away until I calm down. And I’m glad she understands when I need to stay alone or support me.”       “Both of you just learn from the mistakes you made in the past. Your fiancée started to realize she must’ve given attention to her fiancé and not overloaded herself with work. And you know that raising a hand on a girl is terrible. Actually, when a man raises a hand on a woman, he can’t be forgiven. Everybody knows that if you slap once, you’ll do it again. But I see you’re really regretting the slap and would not join the community of violators that regularly beat women and think they’re nothing.”       “Never, and not for anything.”       “Raquelle’s grandfather gave you a piece of wonderful advice. Going on different sides for a while and calming down is better than keeping screaming at the top of the lungs, insulting, and humiliating.”       “Mr. Cameron is a very wise man. I highly value everything he says. As well as words of Raquelle’s uncle… Alicia is also very smart and always knows what to say in one or another situation.”       “Your fiancée is very lucky to have relatives like them. And I believe Mr. Cameron and Mrs. Middleton taught Raquelle as much as you. They probably taught you what I didn’t give you.”       “Gosh, Mom, what are you talking about?” Terrence softly grabs Rebecca’s face and looks into her eyes with a smile. “I shall always be grateful for having such a wonderful mother! I never forget who taught me to be kind and protect weak people. Who gave me hope and belief in the best and was always by my side when everybody was against me. And I will never forget the lessons you’ve given me all my life. You’re the one to make me what I am now.”       “Aw, Terrence…” Rebecca smiles widely and runs her hand tenderly over Terrence’s hair. “You know how hard it was for me to raise you. But I was doing my best for you to feel good. I promised myself to make my child a decent man. And I believe I completed my mission. And your father, your fiancée, your future children, and I will never be ashamed of you.”       “I hope you really raised the son you always dreamed about.”       “Of course, Terrence!” Rebecca caresses Terrence’s cheek and runs her hand over his soft hair. “I’ve always said it and will do: you are my pride! My happiness, my meaning of life! For me, it’s an honor to be the mother of such an amazing man as you! And despite the mistakes you’ve made, I will love you anyway! And I’m happy I raised an amazing son.”       “Thanks, Mom…” Terrence does not hide his wide smile.       “Your mother will always be by your side and never reject you. Even if the whole world is against you.” Rebecca takes Terrence’s hands. “I will never be ashamed of the fact that you have the last name MacClife. I proudly tell everyone you’re my son. All my sufferings, all my great efforts, and all my attempts to give you everything were worth it. You’re paying me back, and don’t forget who raised and fed you.”       “I’ll never forget. Promise.”       “Terrence, my lovely sonny…” Rebecca kisses Terrence cutely on the cheek. “How much I love you…”       “I love you, too…”       Terrence takes Rebecca in a strong, touching hug that she accepts with pleasure. The man undoubtedly loves being in Raquelle’s tender hugs and feeling her warmth. But nothing can be compared with the wonderful hugs of the lovely mother. Who strokes his hair so nicely and shares her warmth, which makes him feel like a little, happy child. The mother’s hugs help the man feel easier and get the strength to manage all disappointments and solve the problems, which rained thick upon him out of the blue.