The Secrets Hidden In The Scars

      Three days later. It’s about one hour in daylight. Jessica and Helene are rushing nowhere, sitting in a small café. Although the friends laugh and smile while eating light food and delicious drinks, one thing makes them think about what makes them sad and worried.       “Lewis said that nothing had changed in Peter’s condition,” Helene says with sadness in her eyes, looking into her glass with a drink or Jessica sitting in front of her and eating what is placed on her plate.       “Hasn’t he woken up yet?” Jessica asks, drinking the same drink as her friend.       “Not yet. The indicators of the machines are unstable and always changing.”       “But what about the blood transfusion? They put great hopes on it!”       “I already gave off blood, and the doctors transfused it to him,” Helene shrugs.       “And how did he accept it?”       “Kind of well, but he didn’t get better.”       “So, shouldn't we have hoped that you could save Rose?”       “Maybe, not. But Lewis says nothing good to me.”       “Gosh…” Jessica shakes her head with horror in her eyes and drinks a little bit from her glass. “And what’s gonna happen to him?”       “I dunno, friend…” Helene sighs heavily, mixing what is in a small plastic box of food on the plate with a fork. “Todd promised that the doctors would be doing their best to save him, but he warned that everything might end badly.”       “But he’s so young! He’s always had good health! As long as I remember, Peter was rarely sick during his school years. Why can’t his organism take it now?”       “I don’t get it, either. But sadly, they can make us happy with nothing. Pete’s condition doesn’t get better, and the doctors still throw their hands up and give us bad forecasts. They kind of tell us to pray and hope for a miracle…”       “Aren’t they still allowing anyone to visit Peter? Yesterday, I barely saw him through the window of the room.”       “Yup, nobody is allowed to visit him, but Lewis said that if we wanted, we could just watch him from the hall. Though, two days ago, I managed to visit him and sit with him for a few minutes.”       “Really?”       “Yes… I wanted to see him so badly…”       “And he allowed you?”       “He did. That’s good the doctor is a good man.”       “Well, just something…” Jessica pronounces thoughtfully and eats some food from the plastic box with the same plastic fork. “That’s good we’re able to see him, at least through the window.”       “I think he’s gonna allow us to visit him soon. Thank God, Peter isn’t in intensive care, but in a regular room.”       “Hey, did I say that Daniel, Terrence, and I talked to Lewis after you left with the nurse?”       “Nope. What were you talking about?”       “Lewis wanted to know the reasons why Peter tried to kill himself. In his opinion, Todd has two educations, and one of them is a psychological one.”       “Really?” Helene takes a little sip from her glass. “And what did he tell you? Something interesting?”       “Well, nope… But he doesn’t like that we believe that Peter did it because of his terrible relationship with his schoolmates. I mean, their mockeries and insults.”       “But it might’ve been the truth! We know that Peter poorly tolerated those mockeries! You said he was doing his best not to take it again and again: from simulating illnesses to categorically refusing to go to school.”       “I know, but the doctor believes it’s been too much time to think about it.”       “But it will never be forgotten. Even if twenty or fifteen years are gone, you’ll remember that. You can forgive, but you never forget.”       “Lewis said Peter hide something, or something provoked him.”       “Erm…” Helene frowns slightly, leaning on the table with her elbow and leaning on her hand with her chin. “I don’t even know… Or maybe, he’s right… But what could provoke him then?”       “That doctor was interested in his relationship with girls. Lewis asked us about Peter’s girlfriends. He asked whether Rose suffered from one-sided love.”       “One-sided love?” Helene tenses strongly, getting white and looking at Jessica hesitantly.       “Yes, he believes it’s quite a real reason for such a desperate act. When the guys and I said that, Lewis said it might’ve been the reason.”       “But who could he be in love with if we assume it’s true? Peter has never told us about his feelings for girls!”       “It could be anyone, Helene,” Jessica shrugs. “But maybe, the blond is really in love with someone not to answer him back. Though, I know only one girl, who he liked. But first, I know nothing about her and can’t say who she is. And second, Rose hasn’t told me who he is in love with. That event was the only one.”       “Maybe, there is really a girl, who he treats too well,” Helene frowns slightly. “Well… Treats her like a friend, but suffers from love for her deep inside.”       “Even if it’s true, why is he afraid to confess it to the girl? All men get over that! Even many times! Everyone is excited before this moment and is afraid of being rejected.”       “Suffering from insecurity and thinking he doesn’t deserve a girl?”       “Well…” Jessica bites her lip slightly. “Yeah… Maybe… Oh… Okay, let’s assume that Peter is really in love with someone but fears confessing it. Who do you think it could be?”       “I dunno,” Helene throws her hands up. “Unless that’s a girl, who the guys and us don’t know… She doesn’t have to be our friend or acquaintance.”       “But what about the fact that he has never gone on dates and met girls? The men would know if Rose hung out with someone!”       “The lads can’t know absolutely everything and don’t have him under control. Peter could have fun with girls and fall in love with someone, but hide it hard.”       “Maybe, he isn’t indifferent to you?”       “What?” Helene sharply gets straight and looks at Jessica tensely. “To me?”       “Maybe, the blondie is saying such touching things about you for a reason? Daniel did say he saw Peter’s eyes shining when they were talking about you. He should’ve only called your name, so that pretty boy smiled widely.”       “Gosh, Jessica, why do you think so?” Helene takes a little sip of her drink. “I already said that Peter and I were just friends. The best friends. No love between us.”       “Do you think a man and a woman, who have befriended for ages can’t be lovers? Vice versa, in many cases, love starts with friendship. And they say it’s much stronger than the one that starts with, for example, sexual affection.”       “I only love Pete like my brother. That man is very close to me, and I consider him literally a family member. I was just lucky to find my soulmate, who I felt good with.”       “You know, Helene…” Jessica smiles mysteriously. “By the way, Lewis was very interested in your relationship with Peter. Even more than his school issues or failures with girls. He saw well how much you were worried about him… So, he assumes that you felt something more for him than friendly feelings.”       “Jess, what are you talking about?” Helene glances down, starting to twist around the chair nervously. “That doctor doesn’t know what he says.”       “He wasn’t the only one to see it, my darling,” Jessica squints slightly with a sly smile. “Terrence and Daniel also saw it, and I couldn’t leave it unnoticed.”       “Is it bad to worry about your close person, who wanna die at his wish? Despite having those, who are ready to give a hand of help!”       “I’ve personally seen you’re worried about him literally more than about your grandmother for a long time. And I’ll never forget the hysteria that happened to you when Terrence told you Peter tried to kill himself. Even Mrs. Marshall got scared when she heard you screaming hysterically and crying without control.”       “I got hysteria ‘cause I was terribly afraid to lose that man. You know well that I was terribly afraid of the day when Peter would love to die. And if he really dies, I won’t take it.”       “You know, my darling, you wouldn’t be so worried if some of your friends ended up in a hospital with an appendix. But now you’re so worried about Rose that you got stressed.”       “And I will be worried!” Helene says distantly. “Until I see Peter safe and sound, I will not calm down.”       “Yeah, girl…” Jessica smiles widely. “I have no doubt that you are not indifferent to the blonde. You are not… That handsome guy got your tender heart and is about to steal it…”       “Jess, stop saying stupid things!” Helene throws gloomily, sharply moving her eyes to Jessica. “How many times will I say that Peter and I are just good friends? Like brother and sister! Why can’t you get it?”       “You know… For his sister, you treat him too tenderly. No, of course, brothers and sisters may have a very good relationship, and I know someone, who adores their siblings. But when you’re talking about him, your eyes are shining especially but full of scare. And you always get white and nervous when talking about your relationship with him.”       “Peter just means very much to me. He’s my best friend, who’s always been able to make my mood better and advise me on something. Every one of us can come to each other and ask for support. If none of us can help, we could comfort each other verbally. Peter has been by my side so many times when I felt bad. The best example is the way he helped me accept my grandpa Roger’s death. I thought my life was over after my close person’s death. But Rose was by my side and magically helped me get better and taught me to smile and laugh again. Even if he wasn’t fine at all…”       “But every one of us can give you support. I can give you two my support… And those guys could support us if we became their friends. I believe they’re very cool guys, being with whom is quite comfortable.”       “Yeah, I know, but…”       “Gosh, Marshall, stop denying that you’re in love with Peter,” Jessica says tiredly. “That you refuse to give a chance to other men because of the blond. You’re hoping he'll pay attention to you someday. If you weren’t in love with him, you’d meet a pretty boy and make your grandma happy by starting to date him.”       “Jess, stop saying the bullshit!”       “No, girl, it’s not bullshit!” Jessica eats some food she takes with a fork. “Here’s another reason why you aren’t indifferent to Pete! You could’ve had so many men if you hadn’t gotten stuck on the only one.”       “Gosh, Taylor, you are insufferable…” Helene sighs resignedly and takes a sip from her glass.       “Just don’t pretend you haven’t realized why you treat Peter so tenderly. You do know what you feel for him, but you’re afraid to confess it.”       “I do know what I feel for him – friendship. The clear and true friendship.”       “I think you just make yourself think so! To think that there’s only friendship between Peter and you. Though, you actually wanna something more. You’re definitely attracted to that guy and ready for anything to stay with him. And you’d probably be hurt if he started dating another girl and didn’t hide it from you.”       “If Peter dated a girl, who would deserve him, I’d be happy for him. He deserves to be happy like nobody else does.”       “Sometimes I think Rose isn’t also indifferent to you but is afraid to say it. Your destiny is walking in front of you, but you don’t wanna accept it and keep pretending that you’re friends, between whom there can’t be love.”       “Jess…”       “Just tell me what you actually feel for the blond. Agree, that guy is really a cute guy that all girls must pay attention to. All the fans of the band love Pete much more for a reason. Neither the all-famous Terrence nor the attractive enough Daniel. The blond. The guy, who I’ve always found very sympathetic. And when he worked on himself a little and trained a lot, he became really handsome.”       “I don’t deny that Pete is a very handsome guy,” Helene smiles shyly. “Tall, slim, pumped, charming… And you know, if he had dark hair, he’d be a little similar to Grandpa Roger. Grandma Scarlett somehow showed me photos of him at a young age, and Grandpa had some resemblance to Rose. And she noticed it somehow, as well. Maybe, that’s why Grandma loves him so much… She sees him as the young grandpa.”       “Mrs. Marshall adores him ‘cause she knows everything about good guys. She literally sleeps and dreams of you being next to that cutie for the reason.”       “I’ve told her many times that Peter and I could only be friends.”       “Gosh, friend, sometimes you’re so boring…” Jessica sighs heavily, leaning back in the chair. “You repeat it over and over! Friends! Friends! Friends! Friends! Friends! You do refuse to be happy! What if Rose is the man, who can give you the happiness that any girl dreams about? And what if you’re the girl, who can save the blond and help him understand he must live and fight for those, who love him?”       “I’m ready to save him anyway…” Helene glances at her glass, while her hands are folded on the table in front of her. “If he survives and gets well, I’ll be ready to leave everything and be next to him to help. If Pete tries to harm himself again, I won’t take it. I’ll die from grief and longing, you see…”       “And your sacrifice is explainable – you just love him. Love him not only as a friend, but also as the man you see by your side. You easily agreed to give off your blood for him. You knew the risk, but you did that.”       “I knew many things could depend on me. Of course, no positive changes have happened yet, but I don’t regret doing it. I should’ve done that.”       “Oh, Marshall, stop going round and round. Just say you’re in love with Peter and would love to get much closer to him.”       “Please, Jessica…”       “Why are you afraid, Helene? I’m not gonna judge or laugh at you! Vice versa, I’m gonna be happy you have a crush and aren’t planning to spend your last years with forty cats or dogs without a husband and children. Or sit on a bench and judge everyone, as Rose’s neighbors.”       “No, of course! I have the wish to marry and become a mother. It’s not just time. I’m not ready for that.”       “You know, I don’t actually rush and ain’t ready for anything for a ring on the finger and two lines of a pregnancy test. But you have such a wonderful candidate as your partner for life on the horizon. And if you miss him and find out that he has another girl, you’ll be crying your eyes out. Regret pretending to be hard to reach. You’ll see it, Helene, you’ll go too far if you keep acting like this.”       Helene says nothing for two seconds, exhales slowly with closed eyes, and leans back in the chair, struggling with a wish to open her heart but understanding denying what’s clear is impossible.       “What would change if I confessed?” Helene asks in a low, shaking voice. “It won’t change our relationship. Peter and I have been and will be friends.”       “So, do you like him, after all?” Jessica asks.       “Jess…”       “Okay, let’s figure it out together.” Jessica folds her hands on the table in front of her. “First, tell me everything you feel for Peter. Are you happy with being just his friend? Don’t you wanna get much closer to him?”       “What can I say? When I’m with him, I feel quiet and good and wanna smile and laugh. He can do and say nothing, but I’d be madly happy anyway…”       “M-m-m… That’s something.”       “And…” Helene smiles shyly. “Sometimes I like imagining myself, a short brunette, next to Peter, a tall and very sympathetic blond. Who is a little insecure but unbelievably kind, tender, and loyal… Sometimes I let myself dream of us spending time together. On the one hand, these dreams make me smile, but on the other hand, I wanna cry. Because it’s just a fantasy.”       “Okay… But can you be next to Peter quietly, without any nervousness or fear?”       “Nope, honestly…” Helene shakes her head. “On the one hand, I feel madly good with him. And when he hugs me, my day gets better. Peter gives me the best hugs that I wanna stay in forever. But on the other hand, I get obsessed with fear… No, don’t think I’m afraid that Peter might do something horrible to me. I’m just nervous when being with him… Sometimes I am too much that I wanna run away from him, but I don’t also wanna do it. I wanna do everything differently, you see…”       “Well, everything fits…” Jessica smiles slightly. “You’re afraid of Pete, but you're getting attracted to him. And it doesn’t have to do with his aggression.”       “No, I’m not afraid of his aggression… Well… Maybe, a little… But I’ve always noticed Peter giving in when seeing me. And he’s never let himself scream at me. Rose has always been very nice, kind, and good to me. Even on the day his manager started a scandal for him and his colleagues, the blond seemed aggressive and was ready to strike anyone down the stairs, but when he saw me, he instantly changed.”       “Are your legs shaking not because of fear of aggression?”       “Yup… I always shake slightly when he’s with me… My legs get weak, my heart beats like crazy… And if he’s very close to me, I forget how to breathe and believe I feel dizziness.”       “Have you ever wanted to kiss him? Not on the cheek, but really, on the lips? Want him to kiss and caress you everywhere? Maybe, that guy is attractive to you in a sexual way?”       “Sometimes I dream about it…” Helene smiles much wider. “At least about one kiss… I always fight with a wish to kiss him when he’s very close to me. And… I'm embarrassed to confess that I get excited even from his amicable touch of hands… When he caresses my head, back, face… It drives me crazy, you see… Sometimes I wanna hold him tight and stop holding myself down. I think it’s the first time I feel such a strong psychical affection…”       “So, everything is clear about you!” Jessica exclaims cheerfully. “You’re in love, friend! In love with Rose! Though, I didn’t doubt it! I should’ve only heard ‘yes’ from you to know it clearly.”       “Yeah…” Helene drinks a little bit from her glass. “You know, Jess… I think you’re right… I’m really not indifferent to Peter. I thought it would be gone later, but every day, I get more attracted to that man. I’m kinda supposed to be happy, but it makes me upset. This sense gives me no happiness…”       “Have you told him nothing yet?”       “I will hardly do it.”       “But how long ago did you get these feelings?”       “Well… Actually, yes… But I didn't get the love at first sight. It happened later, when Peter and I got acquainted and became friends. At first, I noticed nothing, but at some moment I started to ask myself what happened to me, and why I felt so bad when that guy wasn’t with me. And it started to make me upset… I dunno… I was afraid to fall in love with that man…”       “Have you asked yourself what Peter feels for you?”       “I’d ask,” Helene sighs heavily and glances aside. “But I’m afraid I’m gonna get the answer that would make me sad.”       “Afraid that you’re just a friend to him?”       “Terribly afraid. I see that Peter rejects all girls, and I am afraid it might happen to me. Though, it’s gonna hurt me much. I’d hardly accept the failure, hearing something like, ‘Sorry, Helene, you’re a very beautiful and sweet girl, but I can call you just my friend.’”       “What if you’re afraid of nothing? Why do you refuse to confess your feelings?”       “No, Jess, I’ll never do it,” Helene replies with sadness in her eyes. “This confession is gonna put an end to our friendship. But I don’t wanna lose such an amazing man, next to whom I feel so good.”       “But you don’t know how Peter will react to this confession. What if he isn’t also indifferent to you, but is afraid to confess? So, he suffers from loneliness and rejects all girls!”       “Do you wanna say he could feel something for me?” Helene rounds her eyes, looking at Jessica suspiciously.       “Well, I can’t say it confidently…” Jessica rolls her eyes with a slight smile. “But I think you have a chance to hear the words that will make you cry from happiness. That guy does also look at you as if you’re more than just a friend to him.”       “If I dream a little, I can agree with you… Everything is easy in your dreams, but you always run into bad things in real life.”       “Why! Anything may happen! Maybe, Pete is waiting for this moment to say he likes you, as well!”       “I’m afraid to ruin our friendship,” Helene replies with sadness in her eyes. “Yes, it’s madly hurtful for me to pretend that I have no feelings for him. But after that, our relationship will never be the same.”       “I believe you are afraid and worried for nothing. Peter may not also be indifferent to you, and he is sure you’ll not answer his feelings. You do see how tenderly he treats you! He is subconsciously afraid to hurt you. Sometimes I think Rose gave you some hints that show his feelings. But you, silly girl, don’t notice them!”       Helene rounds her eyes, which get a special gloss, reflects on Jessica’s words for two seconds, and smiles slightly.       “Maybe, you’re right…” Helene assumes. “But at least, I don’t doubt my own feelings.”       “I suspected it for a long time ago, but couldn’t find the courage to ask you,” Jessica confesses. “But when you began to worry about Peter’s condition after his return from the tour, I seriously thought about it.”       “So, you heard the truth, Of course, I didn’t get better, but you’ll get off me and stop asking me about my feelings for the blond.”       “Right… I will do it… But I think I’ll start insisting that you tell Pete the truth and confess that you love him.”       “Nobody will make me do it. Neither you and Grandma, nor especially the guys from Rose’s band.”       “It’s okay, maybe, they won’t persuade you, but they will torture the blond and make him confess his love if he really loves you.”       “We should care about our sympathies much less. The most important thing is that Peter gets well, stop thinking about an attempt to harm himself, and asks us for help. So, he gets better, tells us the reasons for his actions, and apologizes to those he didn’t wanna hurt.”       “Yeah…” Jessica pronounces thoughtfully, scratching the back of her head and mixing the rest of her food on the plate with a plastic fork. “He should apologize…”       “Gosh, Taylor, don’t think he treats you worse than the guys from the band or me. I’m sure if he could turn time back upon, he wouldn’t have done that to you. Our friend is really regretting what he did. And I’m sure someday he will regret trying to kill himself if we surround him with care and love and prove that we wish him only the best.”       “Hey, I forgot to say that Peter’s doctor talked to me and the guys about regret, which someone feels after taking it out on a dear person.”       “Really? And what did he say?”       “When one took it out on another, who was dear to him or her, in anger or sadness, he or she would start regretting it later.”       “Lewis meant the fact that Peter took it out on you and Daniel?”       “Yup. Of course, we didn’t tell Lewis what actually happened, but I just wondered, and he started talking about it.”       “That’s how…” Helene frowns slightly and thinks about something for two seconds. “Well, actually, it’s possible… On the day you came to Peter, he was too mad and excited. And he took it out on you and kicked you outta the apartment when you touched his nerve. But later, Rose regretted it and was afraid to even look into your eyes. And you did get an SMS from him with apologies on the day of his suicide attempt.”       “Yeah, I know…” Jessica sighs quietly and glances aside for a second. “But now I don’t care about it much. I no longer have offense against him for his aggression. Not because he wanted to die. I just let the offense go, and I ain’t mad at him now.”       “Really?”       “Yup,” Jessica smiles shyly. “His suicide attempt made me think about much. Now I understand he hardly wanted it. Peter was just sick of talking about what hurt him. Literally all the people in his circle talked about it.”       “So, will you no longer hurt him because of your offense?”       “Pete didn’t deserve it. And if he wanna apologize, I’ll be happy to accept the apologies and show my regret.”       “So, then I’m very glad you forgave him,” Helene smiles shyly and eats some of her food with a plastic fork. “Be sure, if Pete survives, and you come to him, he’ll surely apologize to you.”       “I’m gonna believe it.”       “His aggressive behavior doesn’t mean he’s allegedly horrible, rude, and egoistic. It’s just his negative emotions that made him the one. They made him show the worst side of him.”       “I know…” Jessica drinks some drink. “And yeah, when Lewis talked about aggression, Terrence reacted kind of strangely.”       “What?” Helene frowns slightly. “Why do you think so?”       “He just suddenly changed after his words. He got kind of depressed, pale… Daniel asked if he was okay, and Terrence said that he was. Lewis asked that guy if something like that happened to him, but MacClife said it was okay again and got out of the office so quickly that nobody caught him.”       “That’s how…” Helene thinks for a few seconds. “So, there’s a reason for that. Maybe, Terrence got over that: he showed aggression and then regretted it or saw something like that.”       “Yes, Lewis thinks so and showed anxiety. He believed Terrence was scared.”       “If it’s true, he managed to hide it when we came to him and Daniel at the cafeteria.”       “Yeah, I thought Daniel knew something about it, but he was silent. He wasn’t surprised by Lewis’ words and quietly reacted to them.”       “Ah, Jess, let’s not meddle in their life…” Helene sighs heavily. “Of course, I’m very sorry if something like that happened to Terrence. But it’s their lives. We don’t know them too well to advise something.”       “I know, but I’m kind of sorry for him. Even if we assume Terrence did that somehow, it’s clear he regrets it. Of course, I don’t know psychology, but it’s possible to see that guy is experiencing something bad.”       “But at first sight, you can’t say he can do it. Terrence seems quite a sweet and kind man. And Daniel is very good. Being with them is nice to me. It would be good to befriend them.”       “That’s great they were with us all the time. Because we needed to distract ourselves from bad things and stop thinking about Peter’s death, at least for a second.”       “You’re right… Otherwise, I would’ve gone crazy…”       “Yeah… Those guys helped us do it and got a little better themselves. At least, I hope.”       “Hey, I haven’t met them in the hospital and talked to them,” Helene notices thoughtfully, running her hand over her ponytail. “Don’t you know something about them?”       “Nope, nothing,” Jessica shrugs. “Maybe, they went to the hospital when we didn’t? I stood in front of the room a little, watched Rose through the window, and left!”       “At least, Lewis has their numbers. And the guys have the hospital’s one. They can always call and learn about the blond’s condition. But the doctor of Peter said nothing about Terrence and Daniel’s visits. He doesn’t see them in the hospital. At least on the days when he works.”       “Who knows, honey… They can’t stand in front of his room all day long. The guys have very much to do.”       “And I always have something to do. Though, I’ll always find time for Pete and come to visit him, even at late night. And when Lewis allows us to visit him in the room, I’ll be coming there every day and taking care of him.”       “Hey, how did you persuade the doctor to let you visit Peter?” Jessica wonders, mixing the plastic box with food with a fork. “What kind of spell did you use to get into the room?”       “Erm…” Helene smiles shyly. “Well… Actually, I was begging Lewis to let me see him closer, at least barely. And he eventually agreed to let me in for two minutes…”       “And weren’t you afraid? He hardly looked well in such a horrible condition.”       “When I saw him, I really felt creepy. He was so white and skinny and lying motionlessly with an oxygen mask on his face… His wrists were wrapped in bandages, he was put on some apparatus, drips, and some things… I still hear that disgusting monotonous sound that one of the machines made…”       “Ugh-h-h…” Jessica shakes slightly. “I did even get goosebumps on my skin…”       “At some moment, I thought the dead blond was lying on the bed. My heart was squeezing from just one gaze at him. And the fact that I was saying something, but he never answered, gave me a strong pain.”       “Oh, God, Helene, please, don’t say that!” Jessica exclaims with horror in her eyes. “I get scared when I think he'll die.”       “I’m even afraid to think that we’ll have to organize his funerals. And the guys would have to disband the band. They said they’d perform only with Peter. Without him, Daniel and Terrence see no point in continuing.”       “No, no, don’t dare to think about it! He must not die! Peter must live! None of us wants his death!”       “Yeah, but the doctors don’t know if he survives.” Helene shrugs with sadness in her eyes, looking at her almost empty glass. “The condition is still very hard, and the blood transfusion didn’t help him.”       “Maybe, we wait for a little more time? Everything doesn’t happen immediately! As Peter accepted your blood well, there is a good for the good end.”       “I’m afraid there’s a little hope… Who knows, maybe Lewis will give us a choice soon: letting the doctors keep fighting for his life or insisting that they turn him off all the machines and let him die.”       “No, no, it won’t happen! We won’t let them even think about turning off the machines. They must fight for Peter’s life until the end!”       “If everything was so easy, Lewis wouldn’t tell us all of that and get us ready that we’re about to lose our close friend.”       “I believe he’ll survive! We all must believe in the best! Sometimes people survive even in the worst cases. Yes, maybe, they have to overcome a long recovery, but they stay alive. I think Peter will also have to take a long way to recovery, but he’ll do it for his close people. For example, if he knows you like him, and his possible feelings are mutual, he’ll move a mountain to do everything to get back to a normal life.”       “I believe, Jess, I do.” Helene glances at her hands folded in front of her on the table. “Believe…”       “No, Helene, you lost your belief,” Jessica shakes her head, looking at Helene with sadness in her eyes. “I completely understand how it’s hard for you, but you must be strong. If you wanna help Peter so badly, you should have the strength and a wish to stay positive. Your help wouldn’t make sense if you needed someone’s support.”       “But I’m trying so hard.”       “I know. But please, don’t lose hope. Maybe, you’re now the only one to be able to breathe into Peter, make him feel better, and stop thinking of self-harming.”       “You know that I’m doing my best to help him.”       “Keep doing the same, then! I believe he’ll survive. No matter how hard the situation is, we must believe everything will be okay. And it’s very important to keep a positive mood to give it to Peter and help him come to himself.”       “I know.” Helene sighs heavily and looks at her hands with sad eyes.       “It’s gonna be okay, honey.” Jessica softly takes Helene’s hand, looking at her confidently. “Please, hold on! Peter needs you like never ever. Even the men can’t help him the way you can.”       “You know…” Helene glances aside for a second. “When I was in Peter’s room, I promised that he if he survived, got well, and stopped hurting himself, I’d do something to help other people. Seriously ill people or those, who also harm themselves. I dunno what: giving off blood, donating money, or, becoming a donor of something else… But if Peter survives, I’ll help someone, who needs it.”       “It’s your conscious decision?”       “Yes. It’s not an empty promise. I promise I’ll check the Internet today to search for someone, who needs something and help them. Maybe, someone would need my blood, my bone marrow, or, a part of something else… Or maybe, someone would just love to accept help with money… We’ll see…”       “You’re such a generous person, Helene,” Jessica smiles shyly. “Fate will surely reward you for this sacrifice for Peter and someone, who needs it. And God shall help our friend survive and come back to us alive and healthy.”       “With God’s help… And you know, for me, it’s not just a promise. It’s a wish to prove that I’m different now. Not such a bad girl that I was before…”       “You’ve never been bad, Helene! I’ve always known you as a sweet, kind girl, who has never refused to help me.”       “No, Jessica, there’s something you don’t know…” Helene sighs heavily and glances down for a second, getting a little excited and tightly locking her fingers. “When I was a kid, I wasn’t the one I am now. I changed with time, when I realized I behaved terribly, and when Grandma Scarlett and Grandpa Roger let me know it was wrong.”       “But what did you do?”       “When I was studying at school, I was a friend of a girl, who disliked someone. Who my friend was hurting. And I was also doing that, I silently did all the possible tricks to harm someone, who actually did nothing bad. But at some moment, I started to realize the one, who was bullied by the gang of my friend, didn’t deserve the dirt they showed them with.”       “Wow! You never told me that…”       “I thought you’d find me terrible, and I believe nothing has changed about me since that time. But I swear, I’ve changed. It was a strong influence of a mob mentality. When you follow the leader and do what they want. So, that girl was the leader and decided who deserved her attention or should’ve kept themselves far from her.”       “Wait, were you kind of one of those rams, who insulted innocent people?” Jessica wonders. “Just like one gang in the school of Peter and me turned everybody against that guy to make his life worse!”       “I’m terribly ashamed to think about it, but somehow I swore I’d no longer insult and humiliate anyone for no reason. Though, I didn’t become so good, sweet, and fluffy shortly. I took a very long way and got over much to realize all my mistakes. And… If I met that person in real life, I’d surely apologize for humiliating them so shamelessly…”       “I believe you, sweetie,” Jessica replies softly with a slight smile. “Of course, you did a very bad thing, but who cares what happened in the past. You’ve done nothing bad to me, and I find you a very good person, who is ready to sacrifice much for your beloved people.”       “It’s okay, if you judge me for the mistake of the past.”       “Looking at you, I wouldn’t have thought you’d be one of those beasts. In the time we’ve known each other, you’ve done so many good things. If you were bad, you would’ve hardly agreed to do a test and give blood to Peter.”       “I just love him and consider him a very close person,” Helene smiles shyly. “And now I have such a good chance to prove my loyalty and trueness of my feelings.”       “Hey, doesn’t he know you mocked someone?”       “No, but someday I’ll find the courage and tell him that. I wanna be honest with him and let him know all the good and bad sides of mine.”       “Well, if you wanna be honest with him, tell him about your sympathy. You can’t hide it and pretend to be his friend forever. But if Peter told you he had love for another girl and forced you to hang out with her and watch them kiss and hug, you’d feel terribly hurt.”       “We’ll see, honey. Now I don’t wanna think about it. My only wish is to see the blond alive and healthy. I need nothing more to be happy.”       “As you wish,” Jessica shrugs. “But I’m sure you’ll be happy and loved by the one, who will be with you until the end of your life.”       “Thanks for the support, Jess,” Helene thanks with a slight smile. “I’ve had many, as I thought, friends, who I trusted many secrets. But you’re the only one, who can be true. The others just played the role of good friends. They whispered and did dirty tricks behind my back… They never actually called me their close friend and never stood by me when I needed it. You’ve always been by my side in the hardest times and defended me in some cases.”       “Thank you for coming into my life,” Jessica smiles shyly. “I’ve also never had a more wonderful friend than you. I still remember the day we met many years ago… You seemed very sweet and gentle to me, and I realized I could get on well with you quickly. And after so many years, I can confidently say I wasn’t wrong when choosing you as my best friend.”       “Aw, friend…”       Helene glances down with a wide smile and then looks at Jessica with true kindness, while the blonde answers her back. While the girls are sitting at the table and cannot hug each other, Taylor just caresses Marshall’s hand. After spending some time in silence, the girls keep eating what is placed in front of them on the table and talking about what does not have to do with Peter’s suicide or Helene’s tender feelings that she finally confessed.       

***

      It’s half past two. Terrence is sitting at home and went nowhere again. The man has visited the recording studio “Five Seconds Records” several times in the past few days along with Daniel. The friends kept their promise, worked on songs, played the instruments, and got lessons from a vocal teacher. Even though nobody could play drums better than Peter, the rehearsals were good. Terrence and Daniel got a taste and began playing incredibly, giving their souls and working as if nothing happened.       Today, Terrence decides to spend time at home. But he did not have to be alone after Raquelle went on the shooting. Natalia decided to visit her friends, looking much better, funnier, and more cheerful than a few days ago.       “That’s cool you decided to come,” Terrence says softly, coming to Natalia after he closes the door, embraces her around the shoulders, and takes her to the living room. “You didn’t visit us for a few days.”       “I decided to spend some time with Anna,” Natalia replies shyly. “Well… We went to stores and bought something. I suggested. I forgot about her.”       “I guess shopping therapy was good for you. Because you look much better than a few days ago.”       “Thanks, Terrence,” Natalia replies with a cute smile, tightly squeezing the belt of her little purse, and goes to the living room along with Terrence. “If not for the help of you and Raquelle, I wouldn’t have solved my problem.”       “We just did what real friends would’ve done. It was very hurtful for us to watch you slowly killing yourself.”       “Although it was hard for me to find the courage, I’m glad I did it. I got much better after someone found out what happened.”       “You see, but you were so desperate,” Terrence points at the sofa, suggests Natalia sit down with a gesture, and joins her when she does it. “You thought your life was over and wanted to literally hang yourself.”       “You know…” Natalia puts her purse next to her and glances at her hands, which she folds in front of her. “I still feel awkward of you and Raquelle for what you had to see.”       “Natalia, please, stop apologizing. You’ve got no reason to be afraid, ‘cause you’re guilty of nothing.”       “No, Terrence, I am guilty of much,” Natalia shakes her head. “Much…”       “Don’t think so, honey.” Terrence puts his hand softly on Natalia’s folded hands. “You’re guilty of us for nothing and shouldn’t apologize to Raquelle and me for something.”       “But what about my hysteria? When I almost attacked you, wishing to get outta here?”       “You think we’ll get mad? C’mon, friend! We understand it was just your emotions.”       “Yeah… If I knew I’d get so ashamed of my friends and make myself a hysterical girl, I don’t know what I would do to myself.”       “It’s okay, stop thinking about it. Raquelle and I have no reason to be mad at you, and we just did what we should’ve done.”       “Really?”       “Really. Stop thinking about it. It’s all over.”       “Oh…” Natalia exhales sharply. “Well… Okay… If it’s so…”       “Listen, maybe, I should give you something to drink? Something sweet to make your mood better…”       “Oh, no, no, thanks, Terrence,” Natalia refuses gently. “Today, I overate a little during lunch… Recalled my trip to Italy and the incredible Italian pasta and decided to cook it. It was so delicious that I got too busy and ate much more than usual.”       “Okay…” Terrence laughs shyly, putting an arm behind the back of the sofa and leaning back in it. “I’ve never tasted Italian pasta, but some of my familiar people say it’s magnificent.”       “Knowing what a glutton you are, I’m sure you’re gonna love it. Actually, they cook it in different ways, but I personally liked a few dishes. But after them, I have to have much more workouts, ‘cause this pasta has many calories.”       “It doesn’t threaten me ‘cause I’ve never had a fat gene and work out regularly. So, you can share the recipe, so Raquelle and I can enjoy the pasta. I can even learn a few phrases in Italian to feel like an Italian macho.”       “Okay, Italian macho, okay,” Natalia laughs quietly, shaking her head.       Terrence laughs shyly, and silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which he gets dust out of his eye, and Natalia looks around quickly.       “Hey, where’s Raquelle?” Natalia frowns slightly. “She is up? Or you’re alone now?”       “I’m alone,” Terrence replies, crossing his ankles and rubbing his knee slightly. “Raquelle went to the photoshoot for a magazine today’s early morning. She had met her managers several times and agreed on everything with the organizations, but today the shooting took place.”       “Sorry, buddy,” Natalia caresses Terrence’s shoulder softly. “Our beloved Raquelle got busy with her job again and left you alone.”       “Yeah, I don’t deny it’s boring at home without her. But it’s her job. I can’t ban her from shootings. Moreover, it’s her first shooting in a while. The last one took place about two weeks ago. I don’t remember clearly…”       “Well, okay… She used to overload herself with work and go somewhere every day, even when she was free.”       “No, Raquelle schedules her time much better and became pickier. Now she may refuse to work if she dislikes someone’s offer or is unhappy with something.”       “That’s cool,” Natalia smiles shyly.       “Yeah, but I get kind of anxious when she goes somewhere alone.”       “Why?”       “The threats. I’m afraid that something might happen to her.”       “Do you think those people might watch her and commit an attack?”       “Exactly! That’s why I always wanna be with her and accompany her on all shootings and meetings. But meanwhile, I understand I can’t always be with her ‘cause she needs to be alone and stay apart from me. And they don’t always expect me on the set. No, of course, I may visit her at a shooting sometimes or attend a fashion show with her participation, but constantly following her would be too much.”       “I completely understand your anxiety.”       “Remember, Raquelle and I told you we had to run away from the company with knives and drive on the streets at a crazy speed.”       “Maybe, they need you at the moment?”       “Yeah, but don’t forget what my friend said. They might threaten not only me and him but also you, Raquelle, and even my mother.”       “I know. But I still can’t understand why those people got me involved in this business. Lockhart decided to become rich in an easy way and started to fight with his uncle, but all of us got involved in this conflict.”       “You know, you better be careful. What if Michael tells them to watch you and do something.”       “Oh, I’m starting to be afraid of it…” Natalia confesses with anxiety, grabbing her throat and nervously swallowing up. “But thank God, nothing has happened.”       “Yet. Nobody has lately chased us and sent us threats. But this calm usually precedes a bad event. As they say, calm before the storm.”       “Maybe… But I don’t wanna think we all might die.”       ‘Me too… I’ve got a lot of problems. And those two should cut each other’s throats.”       “Yeah… I’m so sorry for your mother, who got so attracted to him… She must be very disappointed in Edward after all of his disgusting actions…”       “Hey…” Terrence thinks for a few seconds. “I found out some interesting information to reflect on…”       “Really?”       “Yup. My mother recently came here and told me many interesting things.”       “And what did she tell you?”       “Something about my father. And his conflict with his older brother.”       “Conflict with his older brother?”       “The case is not only about the money but also the business that was supposed to belong to my father, but which my uncle got by cheating.”       “Wow…”       “My uncle, whose name is also Michael, has always hated my father because that one got all the best, but nobody needed another. He has always been mad, ‘cause my father got much luckier. He could’ve had big money and a gorgeous house. He’s married for the second time and has become the father of four sons. And my uncle didn’t feel that happiness by marrying at least one woman and making children. So, that man decided to rob my father and, as Mother said, took almost everything from him.”       “So, does your mother knows about it?”       “Yup. She knows about Father and Uncle’s feud, the inheritance, the threat to die, and even the situation of the company. In her opinion, the firm might go bankrupt if Uncle took the wrong step. They have many debts, and the company was nearly saved from bankruptcy after Uncle brought everything to that to frame Father and got his power. Mother says a familiar man of Father is working there and telling him everything.”       “Wow.”       “My father is hiding somewhere because he is afraid to meet Michael and getting kind of ready to make him an unexpected surprise.”       “That’s how?” Natalia frowns slightly.       “Mom says that my father is fine and hiding where Uncle Michael can’t find him. And he manages to be aware of all the events.”       “Gosh…”       “And you know, I got a lot of doubts that Lockhart’s father is really died. Let’s not forget that the asshole didn’t give us proof of his death. He just showed a sad face and said Dad was dead.”       “So, do you think he lied to us? So, we felt sorry for him?”       “I wouldn’t be surprised.”       “But… If he is alive, where’s that man now?”       “Only God knows it. As well as the fact that those people are planning something against us.”       “Hey, why did your father decide to hide?” Natalia asks thoughtfully. “Did your uncle attempt on him?”       “I’m sure he’s done it many times. And I don’t exclude that my mother knows about everything well. She actually knows everything but doesn’t wanna say it. She makes my father responsible for it. It would kind of be better.”       “Don’t you know when they spoke the last time? As I understand, your father is supposed to tell her any information regularly, so she is aware of everything.”       “They had the last talk two days before Edward and I went to Mother’s home, and Raquelle met you.”       “It seems like Raquelle had a shooting on that day. She also complained about the photographer, who's known as the naughty man, who nobody wanna work with.”       “Yes, yes, she also sent me a message, in which she said she’d stay with you for dinner. Well, I texted her that I’d stay with Mother ‘till the evening.”       “And I remember she wanted to warn you that she’d stay,” Natalia nods confidently. “So, you didn’t worry.”       “I texted her for the same reason.”       “And you wanted to find out what happened between Edward and me.”       “As you know, yes.”       “Yeah, now I’m well aware of what you wanted.”       “It was just curiosity and a wish to know the reason for this strange behavior. We didn’t think everything was so serious.”       “As you two heard, I could’ve told you everything earlier, but was afraid to be killed and ashamed. Imagine how I’d feel if my nude photos were spread on the Internet. Which signatures they would have! And what goals they would be used for! Maybe, I’ll promote something banned!”       “I completely understand you, sweetie.”       “And how ashamed I would be of my parents and their familiar people! How shocked they would be to see me naked! They’d believe I have no shame or coincidence if I posted explicit photos. I’ve got nothing to be ashamed of, and I really love my body. But I don’t want similar photos to be published somewhere. I can photograph myself in a sexy bikini and some clothes that would open up a bigger part of my body. And then publish it on Instagram. But the thing I would never do is take nude photos and publish them on a porno site for likes, views, an comments.”       Terrence says nothing for two seconds, glancing aside and frowning slightly.       “You know, Natalia, I didn’t wanna tell you,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “But on the day when you met Raquelle, I talked to your mother.”       “My mother?” Natalia rounds her eyes. “She was here?”       “Yes, Mrs. Rochester came here some time before Edward’s arrival. She wanted to talk to Raquelle, but I talked to her because she wasn’t home.”       “It seems like, Mother said something about it…”       “So, do you know it?”       “Yup…”       “Wait, but you fought with your mother!”       “Yeah…” Natalia glances aside with sadness in her eyes. “She got mad ‘cause I told her nothing, though we were always very close. We didn’t speak for some time, and only my father called me at times. But we had short calls like ‘How are you? – Fine, and you? – Same. – Okay, bye.’ But later he forgot me, as well… Well, on the day you and Raquelle discovered my secret, I called Mother, apologized to her and promised to tell her everything. Of course, she didn’t melt shortly, but she eventually forgave me and promised to call more frequently.”       “Great,” Terrence smiles shyly. “I’m glad you reconciled. And your parents will know the truth.”       “I wanna say it not only to them, but also to the others. They should know what happened to me. But not now. I need a little time to put my mind in order. It’s too hard psychologically, and I don’t wanna experience it again.”       “I get it, honey…” Terrence softly caresses Natalia’s shoulder. “The important thing is to tell your parents everything. They’re your most important people, who must know what you’re worried about. And the friends will get it if you ask for time.”       “I know, that’s why I’m getting ready for the talk with my parents. I promised to tell Father and Mother everything when they’d be back in the USA.”       “But when do they wanna go home?”       “I dunno, but at the nearest time, I think,” Natalia shrugs. “They promised to talk and tell me their decision. But now they need to solve some problems and help Grandmother with something.”       “Don’t you wanna talk on the phone?”       “It would be better to talk face-to-face. I’ve given no hint of the rape attempt, but if they insist, I’ll have to do it.”       “Knowing your parents are busy people, who always go somewhere and do something, they won’t be back soon.”       “Agree… My parents can do a few things at the same time… And sometimes I’m surprised by how they can do it. And the most important thing is that Father and Mother don’t get exhausted and do feel quite comfortable, having such a crazy schedule.”       “Remember your friend, who did a few things at the same time and successfully finished them,” Terrence chuckles kindly. “That girl only had time to go from one shooting to another or attend one event and then go to a fashion show and walk on the runway.”       “That’s right!” Natalia smiles shyly. “But that’s good it’s in the past.”       “Very good! I don’t want us to get cold for each other and start thinking of a breakup again due to her obsession with a career.”       “Hey, is everything fine with your relationship with Raquelle? You decided to remind each other of the past sins the last time…”       “Yes, thank God, it’s all okay now,” Terrence replies with a true smile. “And yeah, we recently had an open talk… Talked about what we were worried about. After that, we got much better. We got quieter and haven’t fought for a few days. And nice talks before sleep in the bed became almost a tradition for us.”       “Talked about what almost made you break up?”       “Yup… I still feel remorse. Although your friend forgave me, it’s hard for me anyway. I’ve lately thought about it much more and felt much guiltier. And my nightmares did their business…”       “You see nightmares about that day?”       “I did. But from a much more horrifying side… I was a nasty bastard that mocked my fiancée many times.”       “My gosh, I’m sorry, buddy…” Natalia says with sadness in her eyes, caressing Terrence’s hand softly. “But how long have you had them? Did that idiot Lockhart make you think about it?”       “No, no, it didn’t start after my friend reminded me of all my sins. It started much earlier… After the day we were at Mother’s home… And I had to hide it from Raquelle for a long time.”       “But why?” Natalia frowns slightly. “You know that you could entirely trust her and tell her everything. Raquelle does worry about what’s happening now, though the situation mainly has to do with you. But you make her guess and reflect on what makes you worried!”       “The problem is not about trust, Natalia, it’s the fact that people have always called me a strong man, who fears nothing and feels too confident. To some extent, they may even consider me senseless. I don’t wanna make people disappointed in me and make them believe that my words about my great confidence in my awesomeness are empty words.”       “Gosh, Terrence, what are you talking about?” Natalia moans quietly. “You’ve always been a strong man! And for us, you’ll always be the one! You never get confused in hard situations and always try to find a solution. The one to be really weak would never follow his beloved girl, knowing it might be fatal. And looking at you, I can’t say you’re weak. And you aren’t lying about your confidence, ‘cause you do spread it.”       “I don’t wanna say I actually find myself non-attractive and suffer from terrible insecurity. No, it’s not true! I’m really handsome, smart, attractive, confident, and not cowardly. I just… I’m just so ashamed of my actions towards your friend that I sometimes wanna cry bitterly. Seriously, Natalia, sometimes I feel I’m so close to a nervous breakdown.”       “Gosh, Terrence, you scare me…” Natalia gets horrified, shaking her head.       “As everybody calls me the one I am for them, I must keep this status. I have no right to show weakness. They’re gonna laugh at me!”       “Nobody’s gonna laugh at you! Don’t worry! Your close people will never doubt who you really are. I’ll personally always call you a brave man, who can do anything. I’d be the happiest girl in the world if I had someone like you. Many girls dream about such a confident and fearless boyfriend.”       “Thanks, Natalia,” Terrence smiles shyly, caressing Natalia’s shoulder. “You’ve always known how to comfort and encourage someone.”       “Think it’s my thankfulness for what you have done to me,” Natalia says amicably. “Now I owe you and Raquelle. Because without you, I would’ve been dead.”       “No, friend, don’t say so. We’re even afraid to think of what would’ve happened if you’d stayed alone.”       “You know, me too…” Natalia smiles shyly. “I dreamed of death before, but now I understand I was an idiot. Because if I had given a fuck about the threats and told you the truth, I could’ve avoided many things.”       “As they say, better late than never.”       Natalia glances down with a slight smile and says nothing for two seconds.       “Hey, is something known about Peter?” Natalia asks with sadness in her eyes.       “It’s still the same,” Terrence throws his hands up. “I recently called the hospital and was told that his condition didn’t get better.”       “My gosh…” Natalia shakes her head. “Didn’t the blood transfusion help?”       “As the doctor said, yes. The organism accepted the blood of that girl, but It didn’t make his condition better. Peter is still unconscious and is not allowed to accept visitors. Though Lewis, his doctor, recently showed us his room and allowed us to watch him through the glass.”       “And you saw him?”       “I did. Lying on the bed motionlessly… Looking terribly white, with lots of cables from machines and bandaged hands… The mask on the face…” Terrence exhales sharply. “Horrible picture… I got goosebumps on my skin…”       “Poor Pete… What’s gonna happen to him?”       “I dunno, Natalia…” Terrence shrugs with sadness in his eyes. “I can’t be sure he can survive. The doctor has been getting us ready for the worst, and I think, for the reason. I wouldn’t be surprised if we had to make a choice: letting the doctors take care of Peter or turning him off the machines.”       “No, he mustn’t die, not this way,” Natalia shakes her head sharply with widely open eyes full of horror. “If he has a chance to survive, they must fight for his life ‘till the end.”       “Nevertheless, we should be realists and try to have no illusions. I don’t lose hope, but it’s getting weaker every day. Thus, my dream of performing in a band and becoming a musician will be doomed to failure. Because without our drummer, Daniel and I refuse to work.”       “Hey, I recently read what fans of your band post on social networks. They’re saddened by this piece of news. Almost none of them wants to see someone else but Peter. Everybody wants that guy. There were even comments from someone saying they didn’t know a more talented drummer, who would also sing. On social networks, there are tons of comments that say he must sing much more, ‘cause he has an incredible voice.”       “You read only what fans posted. And if you read some comments from our haters, you could see a big piece of negative. I saw a couple of them some time ago.”       “They’re just envying you ‘cause they can reach nothing. Don’t pay attention to them.”       “I don’t, but Peter could read similar comments and take them too seriously.”       “Do you think it could provoke him?” Natalia frowns slightly.       “You see… When Daniel, Peter’s friends, and I learned the results, and one of the girls was taken away by the nurse, we three talked to Lewis. I mean, he started asking us about Peter.”       “Why?”       “That doctor just has some knowledge about psychology and wanted to help us figure out the reasons for the suicide attempt.”       “You did?”       “Nope, but he pushed me into some thoughts.” Terrence coughs quickly and leans back in the sofa. “First, Lewis got interested in the relationship between Peter and one of his friends. She was just too worried about Rose. And when I told her what he did, that girl got hysteria.”       “Is there something between them?”       “Maybe. That doctor assumes that the girl has by far no amicable feelings for him. And we’re starting to be sure about it. The second friend of Rose said she suspected that girl could like that guy.”       “Erm…” Natalia frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “Listen, Daniel did say something like that to me.”       “Daniel? You talked to him?”       “Yup… Talked to him a little… He believes that girl could like Peter, but your friend can say nothing about the blond himself.”       “That guy might not also be indifferent to that girl. Because when they talked about her, Pete always smiled and looked much happier.”       “Perkins said it.”       “Hey, how long ago did you see Daniel?”       “Erm, somewhere three days ago,” Natalia shrugs. “I went to visit Anna, but she went to a store. Daniel was home and suggested talking and waiting for Seymour. And some time later, my friend came back with lots of packets.”       “Oh, that couple…” Terrence laughs with a slight smile, running his hand over his hair. “I think, if not for the problems, Daniel would propose to Anna to marry. I feel he’s very serious about her.”       “Yeah. He really thinks that it would be better to think about the wedding when the problems are solved. And Daniel showed anxiety that the parents of my friend might not accept him.”       “Well, he pronounced himself a hero – so, let him agree with them,” Terrence laughs again. “Well, or he can go against the system and propose to Anna to marry secretly, saying nothing to her parents.”       “I already suggested something like a secret wedding, and he promised to think. And he didn’t forget he wanted to make you one of the groomsmen.”       “That’s good…” Terrence smiles mysteriously. “If he did, I would quickly remind him of what he promised.”       “Wanna show off for everyone?”       “I’d look good among all groomsmen, along with whom I’d give one of my best friends to your sweet friend.”       “Oh, MacClife, you’re incorrigible…” Natalia laughs shyly.       “This is me, my darling,” Terrence smiles innocently.       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which the friends keep laughing quietly.       “Oh, it seems like we changed the topic…” Natalia says thoughtfully. “So, what about your assumptions about Peter’s suicide attempt and his friend’s feelings for him?”       “Well…” Terrence stutters, putting a finger on his lip. “In short, I have a few versions. One of them is disliked by Peter’s doctor, and it might have to do with school. He didn’t get on well with his schoolmates in high school. They thought he was weird and even bullied him.”       “Maybe, the doctor is right? It’s been so long…”       “Yeah, but I thought that someone could call him the way he was called at school.”       “Or he somehow read comments that contained similar offensive things about him.”       “Exactly! That’s what I thought. Someone from his school found out what Peter was doing and decided to make his life worse by posting those comments from fake accounts. Or the guys from his school didn’t do that, but the words were very similar. Peter did make himself think he was a loser and a talentless man for the reason.”       “Did he really take criticism of himself so painfully? If everyone swears on him because of something, he will keep harming himself and calling himself worthless. Peter should’ve known what he was doing when wishing to get famous and agreeing to become a drummer. Even the most famous and all-favorite person can’t have zero enemies.”       “Honestly, this is the first case when I meet a guy, who takes bad things so hard. Yes, it could happen due to regular bullying, which left a track for life. But reacting to any bad word like this is wrong. Is Peter gonna nearly take insults all his life?”       “Moreover, he’s a man and must be strong. But it's kind of otherwise…”       “Ah, Natalia, all people can’t be strong…” Terrence sighs and runs his hand over his hair. “There are strong and weak, confident and insecure men… Absolutely different…”       “I know, but I’ve always thought men were strong and enduring.”       “It’s just a stereotype. But as I said, this is the first case when I know a guy, who gets hurt by insults like this.”       “I’ve gotta agree with you,” Natalia nods.       “Do you think Peter could say nothing about feelings for a girl?”       “Oh, I don’t even know…” Natalia shrugs. “Maybe, it’s quite possible… There must be a reason why he consciously rejects all girls and refuses at least to go on a date.”       “I mean the same. It seemed funny before, but now I believe a fear of girls and falling in love a little suspicious.”       “Do you think the problem may be about the girl, who befriends Pete? Since he always smiled cutely when they talked about her, it could mean he liked her.”       “Sometimes I think that guy didn’t say something. It’s hard to believe he’s never had a girlfriend or a crush. I’d personally had many girls before I began to date Raquelle and got engaged to her. Of course, everything wasn’t serious with some ladies, and I, so to say, just had fun with them. But I didn’t fear them. And I rejected only those, who I didn’t like. And if a girl was beautiful and smart, why I couldn’t try to hook up with her.”       “Unlike Cameron, who dated nobody before you.”       “It’s different. If a girl is too young, there’s nothing bad with it. But when a guy is a virgin, has never kissed, and never hugged a girl, it’s kind of strange.”       “Well, I dunno…” Natalia shrugs.       “My friend has also had many girlfriends, and Daniel has never been deprived of girls’ attention. That’s fine! I don’t wanna believe Peter has no experience in communicating with girls and rejects them because of fear or inexperience.”       “What kind of relationship did he have with girls from his school? Maybe, he was in love with someone?”       “One of Peter’s friends said those girls considered him weird as well as boys.”       “In this case, he could have no girlfriend during his school years.”       “Yeah, and then what? His life ended after school?”       “Well… I dunno…”       “His friend said there was a girl, who he liked. He told her that, but Peter has said no word about his other crushes to his friend after that.”       “Was there nothing between that girl and him?”       “Maybe, there was a bad experience… I dunno. I can’t say it…”       “How it’s tangled…” Natalia notices thoughtfully. “Too tangled…”       “Okay, friend, don’t think about it.” Terrence waves his hand. “I know you’re worried about Peter, but don’t make it your main problem. It doesn’t have to do with you, and you shouldn’t worry so much.”       “I just worry about them. Why do we need them? Not only to play the fool and talk about girls and men.”       “You’re right!” Terrence smiles with the corners of his mouth. “Real friends will never give a fuck about your problems and will wish to help you in any way, even by hugs or words.”       “Agree. Even a kind word and an amicable hug can give very much to someone to suffer. That’s cool to have friends, who can use your kindness and give it back.”       “It’s more than just good.”       Natalia smiles slightly, but then glances down and thinks about something, getting sadder and sadder. Terrence looks at the girl questioningly for two or three seconds and then puts his hand on her shoulder.       “Are you okay?” Terrence shows anxiety. “You got kinda sad.”       “Yup, it’s okay…” Natalia replies quietly and moves her sad eyes slowly to Terrence. “Just… I’m just sorry that I can’t turn time back upon to fix all my mistakes.”       “Everybody is wrong, sweetie. I also really regret doing such a disgusting thing to your friend. But I understand I must do my best to leave it in the past.”       “I know. But there are things that I don’t wanna let go.”       “Just don’t say you mean the betrayer, who doesn’t deserve to have the last name of my family,” Terrence frowns slightly.       “Oh, I do mean him,” Natalia sighs heavily, glances aside for two seconds, and looks at Terrence again. “It’s been so long, but I can’t accept the fact that it’s all over.”       “I understand you, but you should stop wasting time worrying. Nothing would change.”       “But sometimes I wish everything was different,” Natalia shakes her head and starts fingering over nervously. “I’m embarrassed to confess that I’d piss off my pride and forget what was done to me. So, my heart calms down…”       “That man doesn’t deserve you, Natalia,” Terrence replies with sadness in his eyes. “He will never change and get better. We all saw the real side of him and knew he only needed our money. Absolutely everybody is disappointed in him: Raquelle, you, me… My mother can’t believe her close person became a bastard and cries in her room. Daniel stood by our side and got disappointed in that stinker. And Anna isn’t gonna defend him. Now Edward has only one person, who supports him. That’s his uncle Michael. I don’t know if they wanna rob us together, or they play against each other, but they’re betrayers.”       “I know… But… I haven’t come to myself after our breakup. And… It’s still hard for me to accept that I’m a single girl… I feel like I keep dating him.”       “You deserve a better man than the stinker, who ruined our lives. I’m sure you’ll meet the one that’s gonna be much better someday. Who will not prefer money over his family and you. And who will not blame you for cheating because of photos, messages, or the words of a hater.”       “I’m afraid I’ll never meet that man. I’ve always run into stinkers, who use me. I’m supposed to get used to it, but I can’t… I always get hurt when I find out that someone is playing with me. I fall in love so easily that I quickly lose my head and notice nothing bad.”       “Don’t lose hope, Natalia. You’re unlucky now, but someday you'll meet the one, who you’ll truly love, and who will make you forget Edward and the other guys.”       “I’m afraid that experiencing it is possible only once. Everything was otherwise about Lockhart.”       “I know it’s hard to forget bastards. But you will forget him, you’ll see. Just start going everywhere and talking to new people. I’m sure you’ll meet the one to be able to make you forget Edward. And that bastard can keep dreaming of a bag of money and keep being jealous of our success and our happiness.”       “Listen, Terrence, I completely understand you’re mad at him, and we’re suffering because of him,” Natalia says hesitantly. “But he was your friend…”       “Edward is no longer my friend,” Terrence throws coldly. “I don’t consider him the one, and do try to stop using this word towards that scum.”       “Just don’t think of anything. I don’t defend or excuse him. And I know he doesn’t deserve forgiveness.”       “You’ll forget. We will forget him. Since he gave a fuck about us and decided to prefer money over us, we don’t also wanna know him.”       “But it’s quite hard.”       “It’s okay. We will manage it. I’ll never forgive him for framing all of us and betraying mainly me. I didn’t actually expect it from Edward. I thought he was a good guy, but as it turned out, I got in touch with a greedy bastard.”       “Yeah… The indifference of his father, a lack of his attention, love, and care, and reluctance to educate his son turned Edward into a real beast. Your mother raised you in love and never deprived you of attention. You eventually grew up into a wonderful man that wouldn’t even think of betraying your close people for money and wealth.”       “Since he decided to do it, he must pay. If he or his uncle organizes an attack or someone’s kidnapping at the nearest time, I swear we will go to the police and report both of them. I give a fuck if we talk to someone not to listen to us. We will go to all stations ’till the police accept the report and start a file on Edward, Michael, and the bastards, who work for them.”       “We should’ve done that a long time ago… Moreover, you and Raquelle have the proof – the letters. And I can get a list of all the messages with threats. The police will get your uncle arrested. Because, as Mr. Lockhart said, he wrote the letters. And the messages were sent from his number.”       “Even if Edward didn’t send them, he’ll get arrested on the charge of being an accomplice and trying to rob and kill us. I swear, I will do my best to put that scumbag in prison for many years. If his father didn’t do it to Michael, I shall not leave it without my attention.”       “You’re right… They must pay for all their tricks. For us, this is the only chance to save ourselves from being murdered.”       “And we’ll use it.”       Natalia sighs heavily and glances at her hands, while Terrence thinks about something for a few seconds. It’s possible to hear a very quiet, distant sound of a working TV in the room of one of the servants, who are doing their business.”       “You know, although it’s disgusting for me to confess it, it’s also very hard for me…” Terrence confesses in a much lower voice. “Hard to make myself go to the police and report my close friend. I kind of should feel relief, but my soul is restless. Something always pulls me back and makes me give up on this idea. I’ve gotta fight with me, recalling everything I heard from that man.”       “I understand you, buddy,” Natalia says with sadness in her eyes, caressing Terrence’s hand. “Do you think my heart doesn’t get heavy from thinking we’d have to do it? No, I don’t want it, either! But sadly, we have no choice. If that stinker Edward betrayed us and wants to destroy us, he must get a punishment.”       “I did respect that man. And I loved him. Loved very much. I got tightly attracted to him and even started to call him a brother. I wouldn’t have thought his feelings were fake. I really believed Edward was also attracted to me and respected me. And… I always felt comfortable with him. I could tell him much more than my friends. With Edward, I wasn’t afraid to be open. And I felt he really supported me. He comforted me in hard moments. My intuition never hinted that my friend might be false and betray all of us.”       “Agree,” Natalia pronounces quietly with sadness in her eyes. “I also got strongly attracted to him and began to think he was literally my soulmate. Edward understood me well and knew what to say to comfort me, cheer me up, and encourage me. He didn’t make me feel bad emotions… Never. With him, I always felt quiet. I didn’t wanna get off him… Vice versa, I was waiting for his call or message with a suggestion to go somewhere. I was always grateful to him for literally getting me out of depression when Raquelle and I fought because of Simon’s tricks. And now… Even if I madly hate him for all the insults and the betrayal, I can’t forget what I’ll always be grateful to him for.”       “Same about me,” Terrence sighs tiredly. “I wanna hate that bastard to death, but I struggle with a wish to close my eyes to that because of what I’m grateful to him for. I’m grateful to him for many things… For example, for supporting me when I was about to lose Raquelle.”       “I was so blind that I would’ve never thought he’d be so cruel and greedy.” Natalia swallows up nervously and starts looking at her hands. “I understand he’s ashamed of being moneyless and homeless. But you can fix it if you work hard and always learn something. Edward is the one to blame for making everyone turn their backs on him. He’s guilty of having no cent. If he had studied in childhood and really aimed to get a job and work all day long, he would’ve had much. He would’ve had money to rent a small apartment.”       “You’re absolutely right. I would’ve also had only my underwear if I hadn’t gotten used to hard work and been too lazy to wake up very early to get ready for shootings that could last all day long, until the late evening, or actually a deep night.”       “I can't believe that he decided to go too far for the wish to get rich easily and the jealousy over your success. That such a sweet and kind at first sight guy became a horrible monster.” Natalia sighs heavily. “And I fell in love with him.”       “Say honestly, do you still love that man?” Terrence asks, looking at Natalia with pity in his eyes, and tears his back off the sofa. “Do you still want to be with him? Are you ready to forgive him for the terrible actions and words?”       Natalia says nothing for a few seconds, still looking at her hands, but then she sighs heavily and moves her sad gaze to Terrence.       “No matter how much I wanna say ‘no,’ I have to say ‘yes,’” Natalia confesses hesitantly with sadness in her half-wet eyes. “I still love that man… And I’d be ready to show that I have no pride and come back to him if he apologized and asked about it. I’d really turn off my brain and listen to my heart, which is getting heavy from thinking this is the end of our relationship. It’s been more than one month, but I still can’t accept it…”       “I’m afraid he’ll never regret it. And we don’t need it! I will never forgive that bastard, even if he’s standing on his knees and begging for forgiveness.”       “And I’m suffering that I can’t give a fuck about that scumbag. I want to forget him more than anything to find someone to be more decent. As wonderful as you are.” Natalia glances down and sighs heavily. “But I can’t do this. Whatever I do, no matter how much I want to fall out of love, I can’t get him out of my head. You know how it’s hard for me to hide my feelings and cover them with aggression not to betray myself. I don’t want him to think that I still have feelings for him after his betrayal. I want that cad to believe I gave a fuck about him and call me what he wants.”       “Are you regretting not telling him the truth about the photos?”       “I dunno, Terrence…” Natalia pronounces quietly, running her hand over her face. “On the one hand, I don’t regret it ‘cause I don’t wanna be with the one, who doubted me so easily. But on the other hand, I’m so sorry for not being able to find the courage and tell him the truth. Everything could’ve been different if I had told him what actually happened between my offender and me. It could’ve gotten him cool. But there is something: even if I’d told Edward the truth, it doesn’t mean he would’ve believed me.”       “It would be better if he didn’t know the truth. And why he needs it! Now Edward cares only about money, our wealth, and Father’s company. He won’t care about your truth.”       “On the one hand, I believe so, as well. But on the other hand, I do wanna slap him in the face by telling him the real truth and seeing his reaction. Watch him after he realizes he’s a brainless idiot.”       “Or better tell him the truth when he kills all of us and gets our money and everything Michael owns.”       “That’s right!”       “Oh, I can’t wait to solve the problem of the inheritance…” Terrence moans tiredly and leans back in the sofa. “But I can’t be sure this story will end at the nearest time. And it won’t lead to some terrible aftermath.”       “It won’t end so easily. And I believe his uncle is not the type of person, who talks to the wind. We should really expect surprises from him or that nasty kid.”       “I’m afraid of it, as well. So, I want you to be careful and worry when Raquelle leaves home alone.”       “I believe we’re supposed to be afraid for a long time. Because it won’t be over in the next few days or months.”       “No, no!” Terrence jabs excitedly. “If I spend two more months with the thought of whether my family and I are gonna be killed today or tomorrow, I shall go crazy. I’m too close to a nervous breakdown because of the remorse caused by my actions towards Raquelle. But this situation will break me down.”       “And if I spend two more months thinking that I’m still in love with Edward and can’t open myself to a more decent man, I’ll also go crazy. The memories of that horrible man with a scar and crazy eyes trying to rape me and leaving me almost naked in the cold weather still give me pain. And I can’t hide that I have remorse because of hiding the truth. I’m kind of ashamed of letting Edward consider me a dirty whore, who sleeps with all men.”       “Oh, everybody has their problems…” Terrence exhales sharply, setting his gaze into the distance.       “And everybody thinks they are insoluble…”       “And everybody gives up, thinking it’s all over, and nothing can be changed.”       “And everybody wants these problems to be solved as soon as possible to start living a quiet life again and get surrounded by truly loving people.”       “And everybody has remorse because of some actions made in the past.”       “And everybody wants to wake up and realize all the problems are solved, or this hell was just a nightmare.”       Natalia sighs heavily and thinks about something for two seconds. Terrence watches the sad girl for some time, realizing that it’s hurtful for him to watch his unhappy friend. The man moves closer to her, embraces her around the shoulders, and presses her close to himself. A little later, he starts caressing the blonde’s head, as she starts making quiet sobs, putting her head on his shoulder.       “Someday it’s gonna be okay,” Terrence expresses hope, caressing Natalia’s head or shoulder. “Nothing lasts forever. Our problems will be solved early or late. There must be a way to end this nightmare.”       “Sometimes I think there’s no way, especially in my situation,” Natalia makes a quiet sob, snuggling her face against Terrence’s shoulder and pressing close to him. “I’m trying to fight and make myself sure that I should forget that stinker forever. But my heart refuses to obey my mind… I can’t do anything with it…”       “Wait for a while, sweetie. There are cases when it takes a lot of time to come to yourself. If you take it, you will realize that the present and the future are more important than the past. You should keep moving on and doing your best to get much happier.”       “Maybe, I’m just making myself think I wanna forget everything. Maybe, I don’t wanna admit that I’m actually still believing in a miracle and wanting that man to know the truth, realize his mistakes, and come back to me.”       “No, Natalia, don’t even think about it. Tell yourself you should overcome it and forget that stinker, who betrayed you. It’s not the case when you can forgive, forget and hope for the best. If you really wanna be happy, forget Edward. He is not your man.”       “Now I understand how hard it was for Raquelle and you to get over yourself and confess that you were actually important to each other.”       “I don’t doubt your love and see you’re suffering. But Edward never loved you. I’m afraid you were just fun for him… Besides, he didn’t even think of finding out if you really cheated on him. He never asked himself, ‘Why? For what? What did I do?’ He wouldn’t have let you go if he’d loved you and wanted to save your relationship. Yes, I also believed that Raquelle cheated on me, but there were reasons. Though, you never gave Edward a reason to doubt you.”       “Still, I understand his offense… Nobody wants to know that their beloved person has a love affair with someone else or has them wrapped around a finger. I’m guilty of bringing everything to a breakup. I could’ve solved everything, but I didn’t do that because of fear.”       “Don’t blame yourself, Natalia, please,” Terrence says softly and confidently and puts his hand on Natalia’s folded hands, still embracing her around the shoulders. “You wouldn’t have stayed with him. Because of his actions. If you hadn’t broken up then, you would’ve done it now.”       “I completely understand everything, Terrence. I know I shouldn’t be with that egoistic man, who’s ready to betray everybody for money and turned into a horrible beast because of jealousy over your success.” Natalia makes another sob and closes her mouth with a hand, looking at Terrence with wet eyes. “But fuck, it’s hard for me to put myself together… I feel like an idiot. A naive, spineless, and stupid idiot…”       While Natalia keeps sobbing quietly and shaking slightly, Terrence swallows up nervously and shakes his head.       “Don’t cry, friend,” Terrence says softly, hugging Natalia with a second arm and pressing her closer to himself while she puts her head on his shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay. You’ve got so many close people, who will help you overcome this pain. We know how hard it is for you. And we won’t believe any insults, whoever people say.”       “Why do we sometimes fall in love with stinkers?” Natalia asks with a louder sob in a shaking, low voice. “Why do those people pretend to be good but ruin girls’ lives and leave them with no regret when they’re sick of acting? Why don’t we fall in love with those, who we’d love to see by our side all our lives?”       “Oh, Natalia, I dunno what to say…” Terrence sighs tiredly. “Maybe, just to wait. Wait for the wounds to be gone.”       “I’ve always been amorous and easily exchanged one guy for another after a breakup or a bad date. But now I haven’t been able to make myself say I’m ready to go to clubs or travel around the world and meet new guys. That scumbag kind of charmed me… It seems like even if I meet a good guy, who I like everything about, I’ll consciously compare him with Edward.”       “You will do it for some time. But it will be gone soon… You dated Edward for only three months. Not one or two years. It’s much harder to break up with someone you’ve loved for ten or twenty years. But you didn’t actually know him well and get so close to him. You just felt good with him, no more.”       “I wouldn’t say he was a stranger. I got attracted to him and began to make myself sure that our relationship would last for a long time.”       “Everybody thinks so. But when you meet someone better, you forget the one, who seemed to be the meaning of your life.”       “Ah, Terrence…” Natalia steps back slowly from Terrence, still crying quietly but trying to hold on not to start a hysteria, and carefully wipes off tears under her eyes. “I’m a little envying you… Because you don’t know what it means to love someone, who doesn’t care about you. Raquelle eventually got the love for you and can’t live without you.”       “No, Natalia, I do know the feeling of one-sided sympathy. You say it as if nobody cheated on me, betrayed me, or left me for no reason.”       “Isn’t that true?”       “Sure! Girls left me and even cheated on me. Even if I’m a wanted man, some ladies weren’t loyal to me.”       “Wow!”       “And somehow I liked one girl, who already dates another guy. And I, so to say, got a hit on my head for daring to put an eye on her.”       “Was your sympathy mutual?”       “Nope, I was just a friend for her.”       “Does Raquelle know it?”       “I told her that when the story of Simon just started. But she didn’t listen closely and wasn’t too worried. Even when I told her that the boyfriend of that girl beat me so strongly that I ended up in the hospital.”       “My gosh…” Natalia shakes her head with horror in her eyes. “Was he jealous?”       “Sort of. He threatened me several times, so I left his girlfriend alone, but I kept speaking to her. But then he got the help of his pals, caught me after the lessons, and started beating me before the eyes of students and even teachers.” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds. “So strongly that I couldn’t get up… And as I said, I was taken to the hospital, eventually.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Natalia pronounces, looking at Terrence with pity in her eyes, and caresses the man’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry, Terrence… I didn’t know it…”       “It’s okay, don’t worry,” Terrence cracks a smile. “It’s in the past.”       “Oh, MacClife, you do love asking for trouble…” Natalia leans back in the sofa, putting a leg on her leg.       “I’ve never been a good boy. No, I didn’t mock weak people along with my friends, as Edward undoubtedly did somehow. I was just looking for what could shake me up and get me tense. Playing with fire was quite a serious hobby for me that I haven’t gotten rid of yet. I still want some spicy feelings.”       “But do you know that playing with fire is dangerous?”       “Yes, I do. But even if I still love that thing, I'm much quieter now. As a teenager, I was a mindless idiot, who never thought of consequences. I always made Mother nervous and literally pull her hair out. But I grew up, changed and got much quieter… So, I’m engaged now, gonna get married, and planning to raise my children someday.”       “Anyway, you’re an amazing man,” Natalia notices with a wide smile. “All your friends must be happy they befriend you, Raquelle must appreciate her fiancé, whom she can’t lose at all, and Mrs. MacClife is undoubtedly proud that her efforts weren’t worthless ‘cause she raised a truly wonderful son.”       “She always says it.”       “And Raquelle finally realized she could’ve lost a real treasure if she’d kept being obsessed with her career and forgotten she had a beloved man.”       “Raquelle has done much for us,” Terrence smiles shyly. “She’s a wonderful friend, who would always come to help and not leave her friends in trouble. And I’ll never regret choosing her.”       “Yeah, you do know how to surround yourself with good people. Of course, there was one cad, but he isn’t with us anymore, and we’re in a good circle.”       “That’s right! I’m really lucky with my friends… Daniel and Peter have always made me smile and laugh, even when I didn’t want to. Those guys literally save me from boredom and know what to say and do to make my mood better. I’ve been their friend for only three or four months, but we managed to become good friends. Maybe, the band’s problems got me kind of distanced from them, but I can confidently call them my close people.”       “What about Ben?”       “I’ve lately, rarely spoken to him, though I’d love to fix it. We’ve been friends since childhood, and he’s very close to me. Almost like a brother. Our mothers still speak very warmly in their free time. Maybe, I’ll solve my problems and invite Parker to go somewhere. Like in old times.”       “I think you lost contact with many friends. For example, Joe and Cody… You haven't told us anything about them for ages.”       “Yeah, the connection with many people is lost… Somehow, I had so many friends, but now I forgot about them. But it’s okay, I’ll surely fix it. If many people agree to have fun, I can think about a party only for men. It would be cool to have some fun…”       “Or you better think about a grandiose party on your next birthday. So, you invite all your closest friends and organize a party of the year.”       “Nice idea… I’ll surely think about it… And I promise that if I organize the celebration of my birthday, you’ll be one of the honored guests.”       “Aw, it’s so nice…” Natalia smiles widely.       “I should invite my beloved friend! Such a wonderful girl, who has done so much for me. Who became like my younger sister that I wanna protect from bad things.”       “Gosh, Terrence, don’t make me smile so widely…”       “But it’s true, Natalia.” Terrence takes Natalia’s hands. “I’m madly lucky you and I became such close people. You’ve always understood me well and known how to support and encourage me.”       “It would be a sin to reject such an amazing older brother like you. Since I have no boyfriend that would stand by me, I’ll be happy to have an amazingly loyal friend, who I’m gonna owe ‘till the end of my life for everything he’s done to me.”       “So, let’s be so-called brother and sister?”       “Hm…” Natalia frowns slightly. “I thought we’d been the ones all the time we’d been friends.”       “Of course, we’ve been! You’ve always been like my sissy.”       “And you’re like a bro to me. A beloved bro that I adore.”       “I love you, too, friend.”       “Aw, Terrence…”       Natalia and Terrence give each other a five and hug each other tightly with wide smiles on their faces, being grateful to have such a close person, who they would always talk with. Who would always comfort them and find the words to cheer them up.       

***

      It’s four o'clock. Raquelle recently finished a photoshoot for a magazine and now decides to have some rest. Because the girl does not want to go home, she drives to one of her favorite cafés located near the model agency, with which she is collaborating. After leaving her car in the parking lot, Raquelle enters the café, where there are many people. However, she rushes nowhere and decides to reflect on what she learned from Terrence.       “My gosh, Edward’s father died, and Terrence's father is now hiding somewhere…” Raquelle asks herself, glancing at two little babies that are sitting on a table along with their parents. “Mrs. MacClife definitely knows where he is. She knows what that man came up with.”       Raquelle throws a one-moment gaze aside, embracing herself with her arms.       “But while that woman tells us the truth, there are lots of doubts in Lockhart’s words. That man could really lie to us by telling us about how his uncle dealt with his father. We haven’t seen any proof of it yet. But believing only words is a stupid thing.”       Raquelle looks at someone, who has already ordered something to eat and gone to look for a free table.       “As Mrs. MacClife said, Mr. MacClife is hiding from everyone ‘cause he’s afraid of something,” Raquelle thinks. “She’s also aware of the story of the rival relationship between Terrence’s father and his uncle. He knows that the man decided to take revenge on his friend and deprive him of everything. And he definitely got success in it. Michael has stolen almost everything from his brother. And he can’t calm down and stop. He always needs much more.”       Raquelle quickly looks around, seeing many children in this café.       “And Edward Lockhart seriously thinks that he could get his inheritance easily? Okay, he’s gonna kill us and his uncle! But what’s he gonna do, then? That guy won’t be able to work in the company ‘cause he doesn’t have any experience. But early or late, the money will be gone. He’ll become a beggar again if he does nothing and spends it on his needs. And yeah, did Edward really agree with Michael? Or is he going against him? Lockhart has never said they’re accomplices! He wanted to do it all alone…”       Raquelle puts a finger on her lips, embracing herself with her arms.       “No, I understand he wanna get what should belong to him by law,” Raquelle thinks. “But doesn’t he understand it’s not worth it? Why doesn’t Edward wanna think about being ready to sign any papers at any time? Why does he need the money? Does he think this is what’s worth fighting for? What he could sacrifice his family for!”       Another person goes by Raquelle with a small plate in their hands.       “Is he doing that just because he really hates Terrence, who is much more successful and richer than him? After they spoke so warmly for a few months, is Edward easily ready to betray Terrence? For the money that doesn’t belong to him! Or was it all well-planned?”       Raquelle stops thinking to look around and find out how long she will have to stand in the line and sees there are fewer people ahead of her.       “I can’t stop thinking that something terrible is gonna happen soon,” Raquelle thinks. “Since Edward is so obsessed with money and power, killing a person is nothing for him.”       Raquelle sighs quietly, being a little nervous because of her own thoughts.       “Damn, no, no, I shouldn’t let it happen,” Raquelle thinks with anxiety. “I don’t know how, but I must do something for anyone not to reach Terrence, Mrs. MacClife, Natalia, and me. I’m not gonna give up on those bastards and let them kill me and my close people. But now the only way to stop this hell is to go to the police. As soon as possible. I’d go there much earlier than Terrence wanna do it.”       Raquelle shakes her head.       “I mean, he wants it, but he decided to wait for those people to start threatening us again. But we can’t wait! We must go right now! I won’t look like I’m trying to slander them. I’ve got proof at least of Michael’s fault. I’d show the police his letters, and they’d be a wonderful reason to start a case. I can’t prove Edward’s fault yet, but I’m sure if the police start getting deeper, they may find a reason to blame him for something and get that guy arrested.”       Raquelle glances aside for a second and swallows up nervously.       “Oh, it’s definitely time to call Hunter and beg him for help again,” Raquelle thinks. “I’ll have a guarantee that Edward and Michael will go to prison. Simon got arrested, after all! But now everything might not end well. Those bastards may easily bribe themselves off and avoid their punishment. Yes, they have some money, and not everyone in the police is decent and honest. There will be a cad that could close all cases and set them free for two minutes. But I don’t need it…”       Raquelle sighs very quietly.       “I must do my best to bring them to prison,” Raquelle thinks. “Edward can’t stay free. I’ll never forgive that stinker for what he did to my best friend and my fiancé. I’ll do anything to get what I want and save my close people. If I have to do it alone, I’m ready to do it… I won’t let Edward and Michael kill Terrence, Natalia, Mrs. MacClife, and me. So, I shall contact Lynwood at the nearest time and ask him for help. I’ve got nobody else to ask about it.”       A few seconds later, Raquelle has to stop reflecting and come back to reality because someone strongly runs into her back. That’s why the girl gives a start slightly but does not fall. After coming to herself quickly, she turns around and sees a young, sympathetic man, who is a few centimeters taller than the girl and wearing dark blue jeans, a gray knitted sweater, and kind of new black shoes. With short brown hair, green eyes, and a small birthmark on his neck.       “Oh, I’m sorry!” the stranger jabs excitedly, raising his hands slightly and looking at Raquelle guiltily. “I did not see you! I’m sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose!”       “It’s alright,” Raquelle replies softly and quietly.       “Are you alright? Did I not hit you?”       “No, no, everything is fine.”       “Forgive me, for God's sake… I did not look ahead and see you were standing here.”       “Do not worry, sir, I’m fine.”       “Oh…” the stranger exhales with relief. “Alright… Then I…”       The stranger slowly glances at Raquelle and, frowning slightly, looks at her face better.       “Oh… Excuse me, but I believe your face is familiar to me… As well as your voice…”       “Really?” Raquelle rounds her eyes. “Saw me on the TV?”       “Erm…” the stranger shakes his head sharply. “No, no… Not on the TV… I just believe I have seen you before. Have you and I met before by chance? I’m starting to think that your voice is very familiar to me.”       “Excuse me, young man, but I do not personally know and remember you.”       “But I probably do…” the stranger thinks better, stroking his chin with his thumb and index finger. “I do very well…”       “Did you not confuse me with someone? I would remember you if I knew you.”       “No, no, I’m making sure that I could know you before.”       “I think it seemed to you.”       “Say, did you study at the New York University in the faculty of English literature about eight years ago?”       “Erm, yes, I studied there…” Raquelle shrugs. “But I studied for one year and then had to drop it.”       “Right!” the stranger clicks his fingers. “Now I know!”       “But why are you asking? Why do you care about whether I studied at New York University?”       “Your name is Raquelle? Raquelle Cameron?”       “Yeah, my name is Raquelle Cameron.”       “I don’t know if you recall something, but my name is Darwin Austin. I also studied at New York University in the faculty of English literature about eight years ago.”       “Darwin Austin?” Raquelle frowns slightly and starts thinking hard, but she slightly opens her mouth a few seconds later and looks at the young man named Darwin surprisingly. “Wait… The name is kind of familiar… Darwin… Darwin… Austin…”       “I am sure that I met you at the university.”       “Excuse me, sir, but could we study in the same group? If you said you examined English literature?”       “I believe we studied together because there was a girl named Raquelle Cameron in my group.”       “And there was a guy named Darwin Austin in mine…” Raquelle cracks a smile. “My gosh…”       “So, Raquelle, do you recognize me?”       “Yeah, it seems like I’m recalling something…” Raquelle nods with a slight smile. “Darwin… Is it really you?”       “I am!” Darwin smiles shyly.       “I can’t believe it…”       Raquelle and Darwin hug each other amicably with slight smiles on their faces. And when the man steps back from the girl, he starts looking at her from head to foot.       “What a surprise!” Raquelle exclaims with a wide smile.       “I recognized you shortly after I looked at your face and heard your voice,” Darwin confesses confidently. “And I’m so happy to meet you so many years later.”       “I’m happy to see you, too.”       “Yeah, we ran into each other, literally,” Darwin laughs shyly.       “Agree, a nice, unexpected surprise.”       “I’m sorry for running into you. I just left my car near the café, came here, and began coming backward to the line ‘cause I wanted to make sure that nobody would touch it.”       “Are you afraid someone can steal it?” Raquelle chuckles kindly.       “Actually, yes. I recently bought it. I had to work hard to earn money and exchange my old car for a new one. A beauty of my dream.”       “Okay… Did you just come here? What if I could see your car?”       “Yes, I just came. I was driving in the city for my business and decided to eat. But there was a surprise here – my former study partner decided to come here, as well.”       “I’ve been awake since the early morning. I just did everything and decided to eat. I don’t wanna go home, to be honest. I wanna walk somewhere.”       “Are you still living in New York, as I understand?”       “Where else! I ain’t gonna leave.”       “Well, you know… What if you wanted to move somewhere to Los Angeles or Miami…”       “No, I’m living well in New York yet. And are you also still living here? Or, you just went by here?”       “Of course, I’m living!” Darwin laughs shyly. “Of course, I sometimes visit my relatives in Detroit but permanently live in New York. I have a job and home here…”       “Okay…”       “Oh, if you don’t rush, let’s talk a little. Tell me about your life. And I will let you know what changed in mine.”       “With pleasure. I’ll just buy something to eat. Moreover, it’s gonna be my time. The woman already paid for her order.”       By this moment, Raquelle waits for her turn, while Darwin is standing after her, and a few more people are standing behind him. After meeting her study partner, the girl forgets what she wants to buy and gets a little confused when coming to the cash. Though, she quickly braces herself and tells the cashier what she wants to order, closely examining the menu that is hanging in front of her. Then the brunette pays for it, steps aside, and waits for them to give her everything. Darwin also buys many delicious things, pays for the order quickly, and waits for his order along with the girl. And when the friends get everything, they come to a free table in an unpopular section of the café and sit in front of each other, starting to sort out what they ordered.       “Hey, you’ve become more beautiful,” Darwin notices. “You bloomed like a flower.”       “Thanks a lot,” Raquelle gets blushed. “I had to work hard to become more confident.”       “Your efforts were worth it ‘cause you look flawless. If the boys from the university saw what you became, they’d be drooling over ya.”       “But many of them put an eye on me, even if I was just learning to love who I was and become more confident and beautiful.”       “Oh, you were the most beautiful girl in our group! The whole university! Seriously, Raquelle, all the boys called you the best one. After you left, everyone thought of you for a long time. There were many girls, but none of them could outstand you. I’m sure if we’d had something like a beauty contest, you would’ve gotten the main award.”       “Aw, Austin…” Raquelle smiles widely, shaking her head. “I see you didn’t forget how to say beautiful words.”       “Hiding some things is just impossible. I’ve always thought you were a very sympathetic girl. But now you became more beautiful. You’re like good wine that is getting better every year.”       “Aw… Something tells me that with your skills of charm, you’re supposed to be lucky in finding a girlfriend. You were surrounded by many girls from our group.”       “I’m already lucky,” Darwin replies with a wide smile. “I’ve been dating a girl for one year and am even thinking of proposing to her. Even if we’re living like husband and wife.”       “You’re living together?”       “Yes. I have an apartment and earn enough to provide for my sweetheart. But my girlfriend wanna go to work and not to depend on me. Though, she can’t find anything good yet.”       “That important thing is that you live in love and peace.”       “I ain’t lack it, and I give it to her. She deserves it like nobody else.”       “Cool,” Raquelle smiles shyly. “I’m very happy for you and your girlfriend.”       “Thanks, Raquelle! I’m really very lucky with her: she’s very sweet, kind, caring and decent. My parents immediately liked that girl when I took her to Detroit to acquaint them.”       “The most important thing.”       Silence settles in the air, during which Darwin and Raquelle keep sorting out their orders and start slowly eating what is placed on their plates.       “Hey, what about your personal life?” Darwin asks. “Haven’t you gotten sick of men’s attention? I don’t doubt any man would love to get such a beauty.”       “Right, men always look at me,” Raquelle smiles mysteriously. “But only one is lucky. Because my heart chose him.”       “So, do you have a boyfriend?”       “He was my boyfriend, but now we’re gonna get married. And yeah, we’re already living together.”       “Oh, you’re almost a married woman!”       “Yup,” Raquelle accidentally shows Darwin her engagement ring put on her left hand. “The ring on my finger speaks for me.”       “Wow, beautiful ring! It’s clear your fiancé is very rich. Similar rings cost very much at jewelry stores.”       “Are you aware of it?”       “I am gonna marry! So, I check out stores and look for a ring.”       “Pick up the most beautiful, so your girlfriend is happy.”       “Surely,” Darwin smiles widely. “And congrats on the engagement.”       “Thanks a lot, Darwin,” Raquelle glances at her cup of coffee with a shy smile.       Silence settles in the air, during which Raquelle and Darwin eat and drink what they bought, and more and more people are coming into the café.       “Well, what are you doing now?” Darwin asks. “What were you doing after you left the university?”       “I had something to do,” Raquelle replies.       “The guys were surprised you studied just for one year and didn’t come to the university the next year. Everybody asked the teachers why you weren’t there, and they told us you wouldn’t study with us anymore ‘cause you took your documents. Though I thought you’d graduate it with distinction, ‘cause you studied very well and loved literature.”       “I had to do it. It was hard for me to build my career and study. So, I had to choose: my career or my studies. And… I decided that I wanted to build my career. My perspectives on my career were much better, and I couldn’t miss a chance to do what I loved and earn great money.”       “And have you never regretted that decision?”       “Not quite. Though, my grandfather swore for a long time and didn’t want me to focus on my work.”       “Many people liked the fact that you were so active and attended all events that they organized. The girls even wondered if there was at least one book you didn’t read. No matter what kind of book a teacher meant, you always said you read it and knew the storyline.”       “I still love literature and read much in my free time. I’ve read tons of books by many worldwide famous writers. And sometimes I re-read the old, my favorite works.”       “Uh, making someone read is impossible…” Darwin leans back in the chair. “For example, my niece… My sister dislikes the fact that her daughter has read only a couple of childhood books by five years. And she literally put the child’s nose in a book like a cat’s one in a litter box. My relatives always read much, but she doesn’t want to.”       “My grandfather is also well-read and still loves reading. But he’s never made me read. He just suggested reading something from his books. And many of them got my interest. Reading has never been torture for me. Vice versa, it relaxes and gives me pleasure.”       “It’s clear. You could’ve become a wonderful writer or at least a literature critic if you’d graduated from the university.”       “I chose the different way and don’t regret it. When I tried to work in that sphere only once, I liked it so much that I couldn’t resist. And I’ve reached much… I got success quickly enough…”       “But what kind of your job is it if it’s not a secret?”       “Not a secret, I’m a model,” Raquelle replies shyly. “A photo model, a runaway model…”       “Model? Do you kind of shoot for magazines and commercials and walk on a runaway with a light walk, slightly shaking your things and shooting your eyes?”       “Sort of.”       “Wow…” Darwin wonders and drinks some coffee from his cup. “I wouldn’t have thought you’d become a model…”       “I didn’t think, either. But somehow, after the lectures, I was called by a woman, who suggested that I work as a model. She kind of saw potential in me. At first, I refused and listened to my grandfather, who banned me from thinking about it. But when we met her again, he got softer, and I agreed to try for fun. Well, it eventually made me a famous around the world model, who has lots of fans and makes men go insane. And I can’t be shy – I was even pronounced one of the sexiest women in the show business.”       “If a beauty like hadn’t been pronounced the one, I would’ve been really surprised. The boys drooled over you, and many girls saw a rival about you for a reason. They did feel this girl would show herself and own everybody’s hearts.”       “Wait, didn’t you know it? People often talk about me on all channels, the Internet, magazines, and newspapers, but you pretend that you don’t know I became a model.”       “Kidding?” Darwin chuckles kindly. “I don’t actually watch the lives of celebrities! I don’t care about it and have no time to. I come back home after work very late and think only of a tasty dinner, a warm bath, and a soft bed. And I spend free days with my girlfriend.”       “Just don’t say you don’t actually watch TV.”       “Of course, I do. I just don’t care about the news about the show business. And I barely have time to find out what’s happening in the world.”       “Well, do you often watch movies?”       “Yeah, it happens – I watch something with my girlfriend, holding a plate of cheeps or pizza in my hands,” Darwin shrugs. “But why?”       “Doesn’t the phrase ‘American Love Affair’ tell you anything?” Raquelle smiles mysteriously. “Maybe, your girlfriend has told you about a movie with this title?”       “Erm… I don’t remember…”       “Well…” Raquelle glances shyly at her cup, from which she later drinks some coffee. “The man, with whom I’m engaged, is just a famous actor. He filmed in that movie in a starring role. And he also wants to become a musician…”       “Your fiancé?”       “Yes. Maybe, you’d hardly watch this sort of movie, but your girlfriend could see it and have a crush on his character named Mason Houston, who my fiancé played.”       “Mason Houston? Mason Houston… Something familiar… My girlfriend did really mention that name with great admiration…” Darwin thinks for a few seconds. “Wait… It seems like I know who you mean! Is your fiancé Terrence MacClife?”       “He is,” Raquelle replies with an innocent smile.       “Right! I do know that actor! My girlfriend adores the character Mason from that movie and somehow dinged into my ears about him. She says she had a crush on him when she was fourteen or sixteen.”       “Well! Now ‘Mason’ is taken by me, and all of his fans ‘fret and fume’ ‘cause I stole their favorite guy.” Raquelle laughs shyly. “But actually, they’re happy for us and really love our couple. We’re one of the most beautiful couples in the show business. We must be pronounced like this, because I’m popular among men, and my fiancé is one of the most attractive men in the show business.”       “Yeah, what a twist!” Darwin takes a couple of sips of coffee. “Hey, I just recalled that I recently saw the photos from the premiere of ‘If Today Was Your Last Day’ on the Internet. I’ve wanted to go to watch that movie for a long time, but don’t have time to. So, I saw the photos of you and your fiancé. My girlfriend also saw them and was happy that guy is gonna marry you.”       “Does she know you and I studied together?”       “Nope, honestly, I didn’t recognize you then. Because you were different at that time. I wouldn’t have recognized you if someone had given me a photo of you and said it was Raquelle Cameron, my former study partner.”       “Many people would be surprised if they knew who I am. Many of them wouldn’t dream of me becoming a model that would be called the sexiest woman and lucky to marry the man, who any girl wanna be with.”       “Hey, you look good together. It seems like you were made for each other. It’s kind of hard for me to imagine you with another man. That actor fits you much more.”       “Everybody says it. But my aunt’s friend says we were destined for each other.”       “I believe she’s right. And I’m not surprised you’re about to get married, ‘cause anyone would sell their soul to become your husband.”       “I had only a light flirt with others, nothing more. But my fiancé became my first one in all senses.”       “Good.”       “I didn’t wanna attack everyone. Before I met Terrence, nobody had been attracted to me, and I hadn’t aimed to fall in love and especially marry. But when I met him, everything turned upside down.”       “Okay…”       “But on the first meeting, we didn’t get on and later fought like a cat and a dog. We barely worked on our together photoshoot.”       “Something like ‘from hate to love?’”       “Sort of.”       Raquelle cracks a smile, while a company of teenagers with big packets of food in their hands are going by her and Darwin and talking about something.       “But where are you working?” Raquelle asks. “As I understand, you have a good job if you earn enough to provide for your girlfriend and buy a car.”       “I’m working for the police,” Darwin replies, holding a half-eaten burger with a fresh, delicious cutlet, potatoes, salad, and cucumbers. “An officer now, but I’m about to become a sergeant.”       “Wow, a policeman with literary education! So, nice composition!”       “Well, not quite…”       “What?”       “I didn’t also graduate from the university.”       “But why? You did like literature! You said your family was well-read, and you loved reading! Why did you decide to do it?”       “I just realized it wasn’t my element. Of course, I love reading and still keep examining modern literature. But I always knew I wanted to be a policeman. I liked this profession. Someday I wanted to work in the police, catch criminals and reveal cases…”       “But why didn’t you go to study to become a policeman earlier?”       “I wasn’t just sure if I could work for the police. It was very hard and dangerous, and I was a little afraid. But after I studied until the third year at New York University, my wish got much stronger. So, I eventually took my documents and went to the Police College of the USA. I studied for a few years and successfully graduated from it. And then I had to pass some tests and get some special preparation. But that’s good I passed the tests with dignity and got a job as an officer at one of the police stations in New York.”       “Great!” Raquelle smiles shyly. “I’m glad you made your dream come true.”       “Thanks, Raquelle. I don’t deny the job is very hard, and I sometimes have to spend a whole day at work and go somewhere constantly, but I love being a policeman. And the forthcoming change in my status motivates me well. They promise a better salary and many privileges.”       “Hey, why aren’t you working now? You have a vacation?”       “I took two days off on my own account, because I had very much work lately. I got a little exhausted and decided to relax. To spend time with my girlfriend, help her at home, buy something… She can’t take it all alone.”       “I get it…”       “I have to work hard with papers, travel in the whole city, and talk with thousands of people every day. Besides, my partners and I got a very difficult case, which we can’t solve yet. And yeah, people with the same last name as your fiancé’s one are a part of it.”       “My fiancé?” Raquelle opens her eyes wider, getting interested in this case. “Does someone with the last name MacClife have to do with this case? Right?”       “Yes, but not one person. Fewer people.”       “My gosh… But what happened?”       “Oh, Raquelle, honestly, it’s such a confusing case…” Darwin sighs quietly and runs his hand through his hair. “And I don’t even know if there’s a solution for it, ‘cause it’s been stuck in the dead point for a long time.”       “That’s how…” Raquelle puts a cup of coffee on the table and folds her hands in front of her. “But could you tell me about that case?”       “Okay, I’ll tell you if you want it,” Darwin shrugs, drinks some coffee from his cup, and puts it on the table. “There are two main characters in this case with the last name MacClife. They are brothers. And the problem is that MacClife wants to defeat his younger brother because of jealousy. He’s already deprived MacClife, Jr, of much, and now MacClife needs only one thing – the inheritance, which his brother bequeathed to his sons.”       “My gosh…”       “But you know, the problem is not even about it… The problem is that MacClife wants to kill those, who are connected with his brother. We don’t know how to find them. There is information that he threatened many people and has tried to kill them several times.”       “Sent them letters or messages with threats and caught them in unpopular or desert places?”       “Exactly! But we can’t prove it because we can’t contact the victims. We don’t know how to find them. Though, the letters would be a wonderful clue.”       “It can’t be true…” Raquelle pronounces quietly, shaking her head. “Gosh, did help come to me by itself? Really…”       “Erm, what?” Darwin frowns slightly, looking at Raquelle questioningly. “What are you talking about, Raquelle?”       “You know, Darwin, I’m afraid I’ll have to use our old friendship and ask you for help.”       “For help? But how can I help you?”       “You can. You’re the one that I need. Because the same situation is happening to my fiancé.”       “Really?” Darwin opens his eyes widely. “Is someone threatening him?”       “Yes. Terrence’s father has the inheritance, which his brother and uncle are fighting for. They are fretting and fuming ‘cause they wanna own the bank account and the stocks of Mr. MacClife’s company. And the uncle of my fiancé is revenging on his brother by taking everything from him and deciding to defeat all his close people.”       “My gosh…” Darwin frowns slightly and shakes his head sharply. “Wait, wait, don’t you wanna say the case I’m investigating and the situation of your fiancé are the same story?”       “That’s what I wanna say! I’m sure we mean the same thing! So, I wanna find out everything about that case and probably provide protection for us.”       “What a coincidence… Are you sure these things are connected?”       “I don’t doubt it! Say, what are the names of the MacClife brothers, who hate each other?”       “Michael and Jamie MacClife.”       “Michael and Jamie?” Raquelle opens her mouth wider and clicks her fingers. “Right! I’m right! Terrence’s uncle is Michael! Edward’s uncle is also Michael! Michael Lockhart. But I don’t know his father’s name, sadly. My fiancé has never called his name.”       “What’s wrong? Don’t you know your future mother-in-law and father-in-law?”       “I know my future mother-in-law and get on well with her. But I have never met my future father-in-law. Terrence doesn’t have a good relationship with him and doesn’t like to talk about his father.”       “Minute!” Darwin starts stroking his chin with his index finger and thumb. “If we assume these cases are the same story, there is no doubt that your fiancé’s uncle is Michael. So, his father’s name is probably Jamie.”       “It seems like true.”       “Hey, you mentioned that Terrence had a friend. What’s his name?”       “His name is Edward. Edward Lockhart.”       “Edward Lockhart?” Darwin thinks for two seconds. “It seems like I know who you mean! My colleague mentioned that name and talked much about him. He’s been a friend of Jamie for ages and is personally controlling the investigation of this case for their old friendship.”       “You see!” Raquelle shrugs. “You and I mean the same.”       “I see…” Darwin frowns slightly, bites a little piece of his burger, and drinks coffee. “In this case, we know who is who… Jamie is a sibling of Michael, a father of Terrence, and, as it turned out, your future father-in-law…”       “That’s correct…”       “So, as everything fits, I believe you could give us great help in investigating this case.”       “And I’m ready to help and wanna ask you for help and protection. The situation is very hard. We are all in despair ‘cause we might be killed at any time. Either by Edward or by Michael.”       “I understand.”       “Say, how long the police have been working on the case of the MacClife brothers? I believe it’s lasted for more than one year. Terrence believes it started when he was a kid. He’s been ignoring his father for almost ten years, though that man wanna tell him something. Something about the situation with Michael.”       “Oh, the case was open a long time ago, not one or two years ago… I believe I just started working in the police, and my workmate had already worked on the materials for that case. But some time were gone before the application was filled officially, and the police started working on that case seriously.”       “But what do you know about Michael?”       “I know Michael has been planning his revenge on Jamie for many years. He’s hated him since childhood ‘cause his brother got all the best. Well, when they grew up, Michael decided to deprive his brother of everything: money, the company, a house, a wife, and even his sons… Everything! Sadly, Mr. Lockhart split with his wife, Rebecca Jonas, because of his brother. And their sons were separated when they were kids: the older one stayed with his mother, but the younger one lived with his father. After that, Jamie married another woman, and they made two more sons, who, however, don’t have to do with this story. But later, he divorced his second wife, and she banned him from seeing their children.”       “Mr. MacClife divorced from his second wife?”       “Yes, somewhere eight or ten years ago.”       “My gosh… But we thought he was still married…”       “No, they aren’t living together and speaking. They broke up with a scandal, as I know.”       “Edward’s father is also married to another woman, but they’re still together. But I can’t be sure because that guy left his home when he was a young guy.”       “Interesting…”       “Don’t you think it happened at the same time?”       “Quite possible… But honestly, I don’t know a lot about this case. Though, my workmate is well aware of the story of Jamie MacClife’s life. He knows absolutely everything that happened in his life and the life of his first wife, Rebecca. Not only that! My colleague can tell you the full story from start to end.”       “If you need it, I can tell you a lot, as well,” Raquelle says thoughtfully.       “Okay… Then say, please, have you or Terrence gotten some threats or been caught on the street? Maybe, you noticed someone watching you or something like that?”       “Yes, it happened,” Raquelle nods confidently. “First, Terrence and I received two letters, one of which was a start, while another was the end. We originally believed it was someone’s bad joke. A hater of our couple decided to joke and scare us. But it turned out that we were wrong. Terrence was attacked the next day. A man threatened him and even beat him strongly. But, thank God, he was fine and easily got off it. And last, a company of five men almost attacked me and my fiancé when we walked in a quiet place. We managed to run away, but then they strongly crushed Terrence’s car when chasing us on the road. He barely left them behind. Only when they crushed a big truck, those men left us alone.”       “My gosh… And how long ago did it happen?”       “Well…” Raquelle drinks some coffee from her cup. “About two weeks ago, we got the letters, and that company chased us more than one week ago. I can’t say exactly, sadly…”       “So, have you gotten no threats after that event?”       “Nope, nothing has happened yet: no threats, no chase, no attacks,” Raquelle shrugs. “Maybe, only my friend got threats, as well…”       “Your friend? But what does she have to do with this story?”       “She’s Edward’s ex-girlfriend and my best friend since school times. Terrence’s friend dated her for three months, but they recently broke up with a scandal.”       “Do you wanna say Michael is also threatening Edward’s ex-girlfriend?”       “At least, Edward said that the messages, which Natalia received, were sent from Michael’s mobile number. When she showed those messages to us, and we read them…”       “That’s how…” Darwin frowns slightly, stroking his chin. “Is a danger threatening her, as well?”       “Maybe, but we can’t see a connection between that girl and this whole story. She’s just a friend of Terrence and me and Edward’s ex-girlfriend. Moreover, we don’t understand how Michael got her number. She is not stupid to give her number to everyone.”       “Well, maybe, she has friends or familiar people, who knew her number and gave it to Michael?”       “Wanna say one of her ex-boyfriends may know Michael?”       “Why ex-boyfriends?”       “Well…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “She’s just always been quite an amorous girl and hasn’t minded a light flirt. Natalia had dated many guys before she dated Edward. Someone could be related to Michael.”       “If it’s so, I assume this version is true…”       “Yeah, but why do you know so little about this story? You’re investigating this case and should know everything!”       “Ah, Raquelle, I would know everything with pleasure, but Victor Johnson, my workmate, rarely comes to his workplace.”       “Investigating other cases?”       “The case is that he drives to one place almost every day to keep Jamie MacClife aware of all the events.”       “But where?”       “I dunno. Only Victor knows where to find him.”       “Wait!” Raquelle exclaims. “What friend do you mean?”       “Old friend,” Darwin shrugs. “As I understand, he is related to Edward or Terrence somehow.”       “Isn’t that Edward’s father?”       “Edward’s father?”       “Yeah, he is dead! He died after his brother gave the order to kill that man?”       “No, as far as I know, he is alive and healthy!”       Raquelle opens her mouth in surprise and shakes her head.       “What?” Raquelle opens her eyes widely. “Alive and healthy?”       “Yeah,” Darwin shakes his head, eats something from his food, and drinks coffee. “I know that his brother really told his people to kill that man, but they failed, and that man managed to survive.”       “But how? How could it happen?”       “I can say just one thing – miracle!”       “My God, it happens that Edward’s father is alive?”       “I can’t say anything. But all these stories are kind of weird. There are too many coincidences about them.”       “Yeah… I started to notice it, too… I’m starting to think more and more that we all mean the same people. It’s like the Lockharts and the MacClifes are related somehow.”       “I guess Victor has an answer to this question.”       “Hey, how was the friend of your colleague tried to kill?       “I don’t know how, but his brother was planning the murder for a long time. The truth is that he never kills someone by himself. Many of his helpers do dirty tricks for him. But as I said, they failed it somehow, and Jamie survived.”       “My gosh… So, do they believe they killed him, but he survived somehow?”       “Exactly! And some time later, after this attempt of the murder, he came to Victor Johnson for help again. They’ve been close friends since young ages. Mr. Johnson has been working in the police for ages and has already become a captain. That man is very smart, has investigated thousands of cases of varying complexity, and has been rewarded for special merits many times. He’s highly valued by the police staff of a higher status and has great respect.”       “I see…”       “So, after listening to the plea of his friend, Mr. Johnson added new facts to the case and promised Jamie to do his best to make Michael pay for everything by law. As I’ve said, that man has already made an official report, and the police are working on this case. Somehow, the investigation was suspended due to a lack of proof, but after Michael’s attempt to kill Jamie, it was started again.”       “But how are they gonna stop him? Michael will hardly give up so easily! He has money. He may know someone, thanks to whom he’d solve any problem for two minutes.”       “Exactly! But the police have reasons to blame him for a few charges. Robbing, falsification of documents, large-scale fraud, an attempt on someone’s life… Michael is about to get a great sentence. And I wouldn’t be surprised if he got a life sentence.”       “But how would you prove Michael tried to kill his brother and got the wealth that belongs to Jamie MacClife in a dishonest way?”       “Well…” Darwin drinks some coffee. “As for the failed attempt of the murder, we found a witness, who could prove Jamie was tried to kill. Victor personally questioned him and added the testimony to the materials of the case. And if he has to come to the court and testify, he said he’d surely come to the hearing.”       “So, the case isn’t hopeless, and Michael could be put in prison.”       “Of course, it’s possible! Moreover, it’s not the first attempt of Michael to kill someone.”       “Lemme guess…” Raquelle puts a finger on her lip. “He tried to kill Edward?”       “Yes, Edward… But do you know it?”       “Edward told us and even showed the scars on his back, when Terrence and I forced him to tell who wrote those letters. The man, who attacked my fiancé, said Edward could know very much, and we realized he was closely connected with all of that.”       “It happened somewhere one month ago. I guess after Michael decided to defeat Jamie. And we also found a witness, who saw that guy getting beaten strongly and seriously wounded with a knife. When Michael’s gang got out, the witness immediately called an ambulance and the police. That guy’s condition was hard for a long time, and the doctors literally had to bring him back from another world. But that guy managed to survive.”       “Wait, wait, there’s something weird…” Raquelle frowns slightly, locking tightly the fingers of her hands folded on the table. “How did you know it was Edward?”       “After hearing about that event, Mr. Johnson and I got interested in that guy. He was very similar to Jamie thanks to his black hair and many facial features. The hospital staff told us everything that happened. They said he had no documents, and his mobile phone was turned off. The witness to the attack took responsibility for him and personally paid for his time in the hospital. And he was regularly told about that guy’s condition. And when Edward woke up some time later, the doctors asked him to call his name, age, birthdate, and birthplace. Then he told them his name was Edward Lockhart.”       “Wow…”       “It’s the truth.” Darwin drinks some coffee from his cup. “And later, the doctors let me and my colleague look at that guy, while he was under the influence of a sedative. Mr. Johnson frowned slightly but said nothing when I asked him what was wrong.”       “I knew that something was not right with Edward. My intuition told me that he was hiding something. And he can tell us much more than we heard.”       “Be sure, Victor knows the answers to all these questions. He was interested and confused because of that guy for a reason.”       “Didn’t the witness tell you anything interesting?”       “No, as far as I know. He only told us about what those people did to Edward.”       “Oh, Edward, what are you hiding? Which secrets don’t we know yet? Who are you really?”       “I would like to know it…”       “You know, Darwin… He is kind of not similar to Terrence, but sometimes I think they’ve got something similar. I sometimes catch myself thinking that I compare them.”       “Many people are similar to each other.”       “By the way, everybody says about the resemblance of Terrence with his father. They say my fiancé is similar to him thanks to his character and appearance, and someone says they’re like two drops of water. They see Jamie at the age of Terrence, or Terrence himself at the age of my soon-to-be father-in-law.”       “Really?” Darwin opens his eyes widely. “But have you never seen your future father-in-law at least in photos?”       “Erm… I did… Terrence and I found a photo of Mrs. MacClife, Mr. MacClife, and his older brother in his family album. At least, Terrence quickly recognized his father, but couldn’t remember who the other man was. I thought Jamie was really very similar to Terrence. And Michael immediately seemed to be very rude and non-attractive.”       “Maybe, Terrence MacClife is really similar to his father… As far as I remember, he has black hair, light eyes, and quite a tall height. The Internet says his height is about six foot.”       “Six foot four inches.”       “Jamie is also tall – he is about six foot two or three inches. And Michael is a little lower than those two.”       “Sort of…” Raquelle sighs tiredly and glances down for a second.       At this moment, a woman goes by Raquelle and Darwin’s table with a little child that makes quiet sounds, as they hold her hand and follow her.       “Hey, you mentioned the conflict between Terrence and his father…” Darwin says thoughtfully.       “Yes, they really have a conflict,” Raquelle confirms. “I mean, there is no conflict… Terrence doesn’t just love his father, ‘cause he believes that man mocked his mother.”       “Did he see it?”       “The case is that he didn’t. But he remembers his father slapping his mother in the face in aggression when Terrence was three. He said he saw and heard their fight, which left a bright print in his memory. He does even remember Mr. MacClife taking his stuff and leaving Mrs. MacClife and their son alone. Jamie disappeared for a few years along with his second little second baby, who we recently learned about, married again, and became the father of two more children. But when Terrence turned eighteen, Mr. MacClife apologized to Rebecca and began to ask his son about a meeting through his mother. But Terrence refuses to do it because he can’t forgive his father for leaving his mother and him at such a hard moment. He kind of showed up when nobody waited for him, and when he didn’t have to work much to provide for his family.”       “Interesting story…” Darwin frowns slightly and thinks for a few seconds. “You say Jamie showed up when Terrence turned eighteen?”       “Yes, he told me that,” Raquelle shrugs. “Although he doesn’t like talking about it, he thought I should’ve known the reason why he hated his father. I tried to change his mind and said believing only one memory and the fact that someone, whom Terrence can’t remember, told him his mother was regularly beaten.”       “No, of course, I could assume that Jamie really got remorse and decided to apologize to Terrence and Rebecca. But what if he also wanted to tell the story of the inheritance? Mr. Johnson said when the children were born in Jamie and Rebecca’s family, Michael had already made their lives worse and deprived his brother of everything. They could barely find money…”       “I think if Terrence wasn’t so headstrong, he would’ve learned about his younger brother, who he hadn’t known about before Mrs. MacClife told him about it.”       “Say, is Jamie still looking for a meeting with Terrence?” Darwin frowns slightly, locking his fingers tightly.       “Yeah, but he’s doing it with the help of his mother, Rebecca. I know they often speak with each other on the phone or meet somewhere. But Mr. MacClife currently stopped contacting her because he is afraid that Michael might hurt her and find out that his brother is alive.”       “Does she know what’s happening?”       “Most likely. That woman knows much more than she says. But she preferred to make her ex-husband responsible and make him sure to tell her son the truth.”       “How does she behave: nervously or quietly?”       “I haven’t spoken to her for a long time, but Terrence said she was quiet and didn’t betray the secrets she was hiding.”       “I guess that woman really knows everything. That’s why she doesn’t care much. Well… Or she’s hiding her emotions skillfully and lets herself cry only when nobody can see her.”       “Listen, don’t you know when Mr. Johnson’s friend was tried to kill? You said it happened after the attack on Edward… If it’s so, it happened one month ago or more.”       “I don’t know, Raquelle, I can’t say it exactly. It’s just my assumption. I don’t know much of the truth about this case. A bigger part of my words are just guesses. If you wanna know the truth, there is only one man, who can tell you everything.”       “Can I meet and talk to him somehow? Do it kind of carefully, so nobody knows it! Since Terrence is in danger, I’m also on the hook and have to do everything very carefully.”       “Of course, I could talk to Victor and tell him about you,” Darwin replies thoughtfully.       Raquelle says nothing for two seconds and then, looking quite confidently and wishing to use the chance given her, nods.       “Darwin, please, organize my meeting with Victor,” Raquelle says confidently. “I wanna talk to that man and ask him for help! If you say he knows everything about Mr. MacClife and this story, I wanna find out everything as soon as possible. I’ve gotta sort out all of it.”       “Okay, Raquelle, I’ll try to do it. I promise I’ll call Victor today and tell him about you.”       “Yes, please, do this. Maybe, for me, this is the only hope to save myself and my family from this hell. And Edward, who’s also planning something against us.”       “Sure. Can you leave me your mobile number, so I can contact you if he agrees to meet?”       “Erm… Yes, sure, I’ll write now.”       Raquelle quickly takes her purse, opens it, takes a small notebook and a pen, writes her number, tears a piece of paper out, and gives it to Darwin, who confidently takes it and quickly runs his eyes over the content.       “Thanks a lot,” Darwin thanks. “Take my card with my phone number. If you have questions or something to say, you may call me at any time.”       Darwin takes a dark blue card from the pocket of his coat and gives it to Raquelle.       “Thanks, Darwin!” Raquelle thanks with a slight smile. “I hope Mr. Johnson and you will help me. Michael must be in prison. And Edward, too.”       “Edward?” Darwin opens his eyes widely.       “Because of this story, Terrence and I fought with him and decided to put him in prison if he tried to commit an attempt on us.”       “Oh, my gosh… I didn’t know Edward also wanted to kill people for money… Mr. Johnson said nothing about it…”       “The fault is in his jealousy of Terrence’s success and wealth and his wish to stop being a beggar and become rich without earning a cent from what he’s gonna steal. His father’s inheritance, his uncle’s wealth, the shipbuilding company, and the wealth that belongs to me, Terrence, and his mother…”       “Are you so sure he’s gonna do that? Why do you confidently blame that guy and say you wanna put him in prison?”       “He did say he refused to give everything to his uncle and wanted to get everything that belonged to him by law. When we made him tell everything, Edward confessed everything and fought with Terrence and me and Rebecca.”       “Maybe, he meant only the inheritance, for which he had a right?”       “Edward didn’t say he wanted to rob us, but his disgusting behavior let us know he’d do anything for money. That guy is terribly mad that my fiancé is provided, while he’s a beggar that lives on someone’s account and wanna get much money easily.”       “What if he doesn’t have the plan to rob and kill you and Terrence? But the fact that he refuses to give the inheritance to his uncle is not so bad. His wealth should belong to the guy by law. His father got the documents that would confirm his rights to the inheritance.”       “No, Darwin, we won’t believe that guy is innocent,” Raquelle throws coldly. “He’s confidently taking after his uncle, dreaming of destroying his brother and becoming something like that stinker. I can’t say if they are agreed or playing against each other. But Edward must pay for the attempt to kill us. And I swear we all will report him if that stinker dares to attack one of us.”       “You know, Cameron, of course, you can think what you want. But still, think well whether what you all believe may be true. Yes, that guy told you everything, but he didn’t say he wanted to rob you. He said he wanted to get what belonged to him by law. By law! Edward did mean only the inheritance, not the money of his brother. That guy wanna fight for what belongs to him.”       “After what he told us, we don’t believe any word from him. We even doubted that Michael existed.”       “You know, something could make him terribly furious, and he didn’t watch his mouth. In anger, you may do what might make you wish to shoot yourself later. Of course, I’ll ask Mr. Johnson what he thinks about it, but I don’t wanna believe he’s the same stinker as Michael is. I dunno… I don’t see him as a criminal. Not that type of person, who can rob and kill with no regret.”       “Oh, I dunno, Darwin…” Raquelle sighs heavily. “Anyway, I really want this story to end as soon as possible. Whoever is guilty, everybody must get a punishment. Both of Michaels will surely go to prison, but if Edward tries to harm someone, he will also get a great sentence. We won’t let Lockhart be free.”       “As for the case, I can exactly say that the police don’t have clues against Edward Lockhart, and he hasn’t been a part of crimes. At least, I don’t know about them. So, charging him may be groundless.”       “I understand… But anything may happen.”       “Believe me, the police also really want to solve this problem as soon as possible. Everybody understands that man got good contacts and knows quite experienced lawyers that would save him from anything. And we count only on an attempt to get him and his people caught in a crime. They wouldn’t run away anywhere.”       “You may expect as long as possible. Who knows how many people he’d kill for money and revenge. Now everything is quiet, but I don’t like this silence, which will definitely lead to a sad event. Very soon, Michael may show up and bring all of us into a trap.”       “You know, Raquelle, I’d advise that you’re careful. Although you’re not the wife of Terrence MacClife yet, Michael may have a grudge against you.”       “I know…” Raquelle pronounces with sadness in her eyes. “So, I’m asking you and Mr. Johnson to help me protect the MacClifes. Terrence wants to wait for a threat, but I believe it’s wrong, and we must do something now.”       “I completely understand you, friend,” Darwin, looking at Raquelle with sadness in his eyes, caresses her hand with a slight, encouraging smile. “But don’t worry. We’ll catch all these people early or late. Even if we have to do too much. I promise.”       “Thanks a lot, Darwin,” Raquelle cracks a smile. “Please, contact me if you know something yet about Michael. And if Mr. Johnson agrees to meet me.”       “Sure, Raquelle, I will do it.” Darwin looks at his watch. “Oh, let’s do something: I’ll go to a couple of places for my business and then call Mr. Johnson, tell him about you and let you know if he wants to meet you.”       “Okay, I agree. I’m ready to meet him at any time. He can choose any day, any time, and any place.”       “Deal. In this case, I’ll contact you later.”       “Sure,” Raquelle smiles shyly.       “Okay, sorry, but I have to go,” Darwin says quickly, drinks the rest of his coffee, and puts the empty cup on the plate. “It was very nice to talk to you.”       “When this situation is solved, we could meet again and recall our university years.”       “With pleasure. We’ll talk about it later.” Darwin slowly gets up from the table and takes something he did not eat. “Bye! Take care of yourself!”       “Bye…” Raquelle says goodbye thoughtfully.       Darwin cracks a smile at Raquelle and leaves the café with a packet of food in his hands. The girl watches him and starts thinking about everything she just found out and prays that Victor agrees to meet her.       “No, no, until I find some good proof, I must say nothing about what Darwin said,” Raquelle thinks, folding her hands on the table and setting her gaze into the distance. “I understand I’d do a bad thing if I hid it from Terrence. But he would hardly believe my words and would demand real arguments. And now there’s only one way to find out the truth – a meeting with Mr. Johnson. I have no choice… I must not wait for Michael to organize an attack on someone or send two more letters to us. But Darwin showed up just in time. I’m sure he will help figure out this story that is getting more information. To be honest, I got confused because of these Michaels and Edwards…”       Raquelle sighs silently and leans back in the chair.       “But I know that Mr. MacClife divorced from Isabella…” Raquelle thinks. “And she banned him from meeting his children from her… Hmm, I wonder, is that her personal decision, or did Michael have to do with it? What if it was a part of his plan? It didn’t probably work with Mrs. MacClife, but Isabella was more flexible and succumbed to his suggestion. But how did that man hurt her so that she agreed to ban him from seeing her children?”       Raquelle takes her half-empty glass and drinks a little.       “And yeah, who is the friend of Mr. Johnson, who was tried to kill but stayed alive?” Raquelle thinks. “Is that really Edward’s father, who Lockhart told us about? Or is he related to Terrence somehow? Or is he related to both of them? But how are MacClife and Lockhart connected? And what was the plan of both of Michaels? And how did the witnesses come from? Could it be the same plan of murder? What if those people were wounded seriously but not mortally in both cases?”       Raquelle tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.       “And yeah, why were the police interested in Edward? There was the reason why they asked the hospital staff about him. So, something is not right with that guy. Besides, he made Mr. Johnson confused. So, he guessed and came up with something. But what? How’s that guy connected with the MacClifes? I am sure that there’s a connection between them. Damn… What if that idiot is hiding something else? Is there something else that would make us much madder at him?”       Raquelle frowns slightly.       “And why did Darwin ask me to reflect on his actions? Edward did clearly let us know that he hated us, and money was more important to him than his family! He didn’t say exactly that he was gonna rob us, but he thought about it. But… Actually, Natalia started talking about it, and we… Were so mad that we listened to her… What if Austin is right? Maybe, we understood him wrongly and thought his aggression was a wish to rob and kill us? Before Edward fought with Rochester, he’d been absolutely quiet. He was kind of replaced after their scandal…”       Raquelle runs her hand through her hair and coughs quietly, getting straight sharply.       “Hey, stop, why I’m thinking about it! No, no, Cameron, get these stupid things out of your head! You saw and heard everything well. Don’t whitewash that guy, who was so mean to my fiancé and best friend, who was guilty of nothing… One little thing before he immediately goes to prison along with his uncle. I swear I shall personally put him in there if he dares to hurt Natalia, Terrence, Mrs. MacClife , or someone else at least with a finger.”       After sitting at the table for some time and eating everything she bought, Raquelle decides to leave this place and go home to have a rest after a long, hard day. But when the girl starts checking her purse placed on the chair placed next to her, someone comes to her hesitantly and calls her quietly:       “Raquelle…”       Raquelle slowly raises her head and sees… Edward?! That’s why the girl gets a little white and nervous, feeling some fear for this man, even if he looks quiet and even upset.       “Edward?” Raquelle pronounces hesitantly.       “Sorry for bothering…” Edward says quietly and hesitantly, locking his fingers tightly. “Can we talk?”       “We have nothing to talk about,” Raquelle cuts off coldly.       “Please, give me two minutes.”       “Sorry, Edward, but I’m leaving.” Raquelle takes her purse and some things with little shaking hands. “I have much to do.”       “No, no, don’t go, please,” Edward jabs with pity in his eyes. “I really to ask you something.”       “Whatever you ask, I can say nothing to you. Better go to your beloved uncle and ask him for help. And leave all of us alone.”       “Please, Raquelle, it’s very important to me!” Edward exclaims excitedly, trying to stop Raquelle, who is going to get up and leave, with gestures. “I need to talk to you about something and ask for help. I know you’d help me.”       “Help?” Raquelle puts her purse on her laps, crosses her arms over her chest, and looks at Edward contemptuously. “What did you decide to ask me for help? Decided to suggest that I join your gang and kill people as well as you and Michael?”       “No, no, I…”       “I don’t want to listen to you, Lockhart,” Raquelle throws coldly. “First, you insult me, my friend, my fiancé, and even my future mother-in-law. But now you come, being so good, sweet, and innocent, and ask me for help. Looking at me with pity in your eyes and believing it’d help you.”       “Oh, listen, Raquelle…” Edward sits on the table in front of Raquelle and folds his hands on the table, while she gets tense and swallows up nervously. “I know I did a disgusting thing to all of you. But I swear, I’m not so bad, as you all think.”       “We understood it a long time ago: you were pretending that you loved us with all your heart, but planning the murder with the hope that you’d get our wealth. If we hadn’t bitten you through, you would’ve brought this case to an end.”       “You got me wrong! I’ve never even thought of robbing and killing my family. My real goal has always been justice. The justice that I shall get if I don’t let Uncle Michael get the inheritance and do take everything he stole.”       “Don’t make me an idiot, Lockhart. I’m not as stupid as you think. And I ain’t gonna succumb to your charm and do anything you want for your pretty face. Tell these tales to someone not to know what a greedy and nasty bastard you really are.”       “I swear on everything in the world, I don’t need anyone’s money!” Edward exclaims with pity in his eyes. “I’ve never even thought of what you’re blaming me for.”       “You confessed everything – so, don’t take your words back. You forgot you were shouting that you wanted to be as rich as Terrence? How you were insulting and humiliating us, even if we’d never done anything bad to you and had always loved you! With the true thought that you were decent!”       “I’m really ashamed of making myself a psycho bastard. I’m sorry for everything I did and said. I have never had such a bad opinion of the people in my family. And I’ve never played love. I really love those I was looking for so many years.”       “You love only yourself and money!” Raquelle says a little rudely. “And you give a fuck about others! Jealousy of your friend, anger caused by having no money, and greed for money turned you into a monster. A senseless monster that’s ready to kill and rob easily.”       “Please, don’t call me a monster…” Edward shakes his head with pity in his eyes. “Even despite the poverty, I’ll never do a crime. I need only what belongs to me by law. The inheritance of my father. I can’t let that scumbag Michael take the last thing from Father and use HIS money.”       “Don’t try to pity me with your stupid tales. The last time, I saw and heard enough for you to disappoint me. Since you chose that way, get out of here and live on the stolen money. But don’t regret and hate yourself when it’s too late.”       “I am not going to steal anything from anyone! I’m not a robber and will never be. And nobody has canceled a fight for your rights and interests.”       “And why do you the fuck need it? To become rich? Did you get happy that your daddy suddenly decided to bequeath some money and a company to you? You began to imagine a wonderful life you could live? For that fucking inheritance, you dared to do such a disgusting thing to all of us! Your friend, his mother, me…”       “Raquelle…”       “You betrayed all of us and now want us to forget your actions and forgive you? No, Edward, don’t even hope! Your friend and his mother turned their backs on you! Because you’ve become a demon! The demon that is ready to kill for big money, no matter if it’s yours.”       “I know…” Edward glances aside for a second. “But I want everything to be otherwise! I don’t wanna be a scumbag to my family ‘cause I didn’t do what they blamed me for. All of you believe I allegedly wanna kill you, Terrence, his mother and own your wealth. But it’s a lie! The lie!”       “I repeat, you confirmed everything.”       “I’ve never openly said I was looking for you to rob and kill you. You heard only about the inheritance and my wish to get it because it belongs to me BY LAW.”       “Stop, Edward! I’m sick of your pathetic attempts to excuse yourself and make us stop blaming you for agreeing with Michael or playing against him.”       “Listen, Raquelle…”       “I considered you a suspicious man from the beginning and was sure you’d drink much blood out of us. And here’s what happened – you gave a fuck about us and betrayed absolutely everybody. If we’d known what a poisoned snake there would be among us, we would’ve never made you our close person. Ne-ver!”       “I completely understand your offense. But trust me, If I had a chance to prove I ain’t so bad and have never had anything against my close people, I’d undoubtedly use it. I do feel so bad ‘cause my family thinks I’m the same stinker as that bastard Michael, who must be burned on the fire for all of his dirty tricks.”       “We aren’t guilty of you taking after him due to greed for money and a wish for revenge.”       “Raquelle, please…”       “And you know, I’m hurt. Hurt because the two innocent people are suffering because of you. Terrence and Natalia are suffering. They loved you and didn’t believe you’d do such terrible things and betray them. I don’t have such a strong offense because I’ve never been so close to you and tolerated you for these two. Yes, Lockhart, it’s true!”       “I swear, I’ve never been jealous of Terrence because he’s better than I am at everything. Vice versa, he was and is my role model, and I wanna be the same as my friend. All my insults were said in anger. When I couldn’t control myself or my emotions. But even being terribly furious, I loved my friend and knew I’d never betray him.”       “You’ve already betrayed him, Edward. When you dared to say such horrible things about him and beat him so strongly that he’s had bruises for a few days.”       “I’m very sorry it happened.”       “MacClife always loved and respected you. He trusted you with all his secrets and revealed his soul to you, probably much more than someone else. Terrence got tightly attracted to you and was happy he got a friend, who understood him so well. And what did his friend do? He betrayed him! Made him disappointed! Got him mad and made him curse the day he met you for the first time. When you showed up, everything turned upside down.”       “I get it…”       “It would’ve been better if you’d never shown up and would’ve kept living your life. It would’ve been better for us. Your friend, his mother, who can’t accept the fact that she got attracted to the asshole and considered you a son, and me.”       “It hurts for me to hear it… Madly hurt…”       “You’re guilty! We didn’t make you a greedy, nasty rat that cared only about money. If we weren’t provided, you wouldn’t have even shown up. You were even looking for a provided girl to become rich thanks to her account or her parents’. But when you realized you’d get nothing, you decided to kill all of us and get everything we’d earned for many years thanks to hard work. You wouldn’t get what Terrence has reached for your whole life. My fiancé is ready to work hard and be responsible for his work. But you want everything to be brought to you easily. You want nobody to make you even move a finger. You don’t know how much effort you’ll have to put in to earn just something.”       “If I have to, I’m ready to work non-stop all day long to get out of poverty and become an independent man.”       “You’ve never aimed it. You just showed off, pretending to be a pathetic hero, who allegedly tried to save his family and covered it with words about justice.”       “If I had a chance, I’d protect you all with pleasure. But sadly, it’s out of my power. I can do nothing against Uncle Michael and do something for him to leave us alone. He will go ‘till the end, despite our actions and attempts to protect ourselves.”       “Of course! You’re making us sure about hopelessness and getting us ready to die soon. So, we do nothing, even when your crazy uncle decides to send more letters with threats or actually organize someone’s kidnapping or murder.”       “I swear, Raquelle, I’ve never been and will not agree with that sick bastard, who must go to a mental hospital,” Edward says confidently. “I’d rather kill that asshole than become his accomplice and dance attendance upon him, as well as his gang. Which must be put to prison.”       “You’d rather sacrifice the lives of Natalia or Terrence. The first one allegedly betrayed you, but the second one just irritates you by the fact that he’s gotten thousands of times more than the one, whom he refuses to call a friend.”       “As for Terrence, I will always love him and protect him.” Edward folds his hands on the table, looking at Raquelle gloomily. “But your friend Natalia is the one to blame for everything. If that girl hadn’t gone to the home of you and Terrence, I wouldn’t have lost patience and become a different man – a wild psycho, who got mad at the whole world.”       “How you dared to insult and humiliate her like that! Call her a whore, scumbag, bitch, asshole, betrayer, liar… I can call many insults that the poor girl heard from you.”       “Ha, is she poor?” Edward opens his eyes widely. “Gosh, Raquelle, how do you dare to defend that false bitch? How aren’t you ashamed of covering her intrigues and making her holy!”       “I am defending her because you did a disgusting thing to her! Natalia didn’t deserve any of the insults you gave her. You know, how it was hurt for me to hear you humiliating and hurting that girl. I swear, Edward, if Terrence hadn’t held me down, I would’ve beaten you. I don’t like fights and violence, but your friend didn’t beat you enough the last time. You deserved a worse kick. And you must pay for every tear of my best friend.”       “Me? Pay for the tears of the bitch, who betrayed me? Shiver me right here! I’d rather get myself ashamed for everyone than suffer because one whore sucks with another man.”       “You insulted and humiliated her and made her pretend that everything was fine with you. Why did you do it? Why? It all looked stupid! Lovers don’t shake from each other and don’t wanna run away from each other as well as you two did.”       “There were some reasons. Maybe, they’re a little stupid, but I kind of got what I wanted.”       “Which reasons, Edward?” Raquelle rolls her eyes. “Natalia did suffer, but your wish to torture her and make her pretend that nothing happened made the terrible condition of Rochester much worse.”       “You know, I didn’t suffer less after I found out that your friend was standing absolutely naked in front of another man, hugging him, kissing him, and also caressing his penis,” Edward says coldly. “Do you think it’s fine? What if Terrence let a girl lick and feel him up! And do a blowjob! What would you feel? Remember what you felt when you saw him almost fucking a blonde! And after you experienced the betrayal, you dare to judge me for hating Ms. Rochester!”       “Yeah, are you sure the betrayal happened?”       “Ha, you doubt it! Do I tell you about the photos of her hugging that man? Tell you about the reaction of your friend? Or did that girl tell you everything? If you were not surprised by the words about that man?”       “Don’t bother yourself, I know everything well,” Raquelle throws in a low voice. “And I’m surprised you believed the photos that don’t always say what’s actually real.”       “Do you think I’m blind and didn’t recognize my naked ex in those erotic photos? I can describe how she looked in them! And I can tell you about that freak, who she preferred over me.” Edward smirks evilly. “What did that idiot need? What? I did everything for her, but that bitch did such a cruel and mean thing to me!”       “And I’m very sorry. Sorry that you believed those photos, knowing that it’s possible to create a fake one and choose a position to make you believe in crazy things.”       “Of course, I believe.” Edward falls into silence for two seconds. “But many people have asked me if I’m sure about what I saw.”       “Because you shouldn’t have believed it blindly!” Raquelle throws rudely. “Instead of getting cool and sorting out everything, you immediately went to Natalia’s home and attacked her from the doorstep with charges of cheating and threw those photos at her face.”       “What?” Edward frowns slightly. “I had the proof in my hands! Natalia saw them and confirmed the betrayal with silence. And don’t forget that she confessed it to you and Terrence.”       “You could’ve avoided it if you hadn’t lost your head and had kept it cold.”       “No, Raquelle, no. Your friend never loved me and used me for her interests! I was another toy in her hands, and now I completely understand why men leave her. If Ms. Rochester keeps fucking with all the men when they call her, she won’t marry. If she wanna show off in a wedding dress and wear a wedding ring, she must start changing herself first.”       “Oh, God, give me the strength to take it!” Raquelle moans quietly, running her hands over her face. “Sorry, Edward, but you’re a brainless idiot! I completely understand you’re insulted and humiliated. But I know Natalia much better than the others. And there’s one very important thing. One thing… That girl is always loyal to those, who she loves, and has never betrayed me, Terrence, or anyone of her friends.”       “But she did betray me! Since that girl easily exchanged me with an ugly, homeless freak, she never loved me. If she appreciated me, she would never do such a cruel thing to me.”       “Maybe, you never loved her if you left her so easily?” Raquelle asks rudely, keeping her arms crossed over her chest, looking at Edward with contempt in her eyes.       “What?” Edward opens his eyes widely, staring at Raquelle amazingly. “Are you kidding me? I did love your friend! Madly loved! And I was ready for anything for her! But she just spat in my face! She had me wrapped around a finger for three months! I believed her for three fucking months like a naive idiot and was blinded by the love and beauty of that girl. Though, she didn’t appreciate it. She didn’t almost get me close to her. As if I was a stranger to her. And Rochester got sick of this show, she decided to get off me by sending those fucking photos to make me think of the betrayal and leave her at my wish.”       “If you’d loved Natalia, you would’ve never left her, even despite the photos,” Raquelle says quietly, barely holding down a wish to tell Edward the truth. “First, you would’ve better found out everything and talked to her quietly, but then made some conclusions.”       “Ha, you must’ve seen the hysteria she started for me!” Edward hums, rolling his eyes. “The only thing I got from her was an ocean of tears, in which you could drown. But all her neighbors could run because of her loud shouts.”       “Almost the whole neighborhood could run to the home of Terrence and me because of your hysterical shouts. You screamed so loudly that we should’ve only called a mental hospital and told them to take you away.”       “You saw I’d been quiet and adequate before that bitch went to your home and messed up everything. It seems like it was also a part of your plan – to tell that bitch to make me enraged.”       “I am happy she managed to bring you to clear water and show the real side of you. Thanks to her, Terrence, Mrs. MacClife, and I got off the rat like you.”       “You better thank your friend for making my relationship with my family worse. If that bitch hadn’t made me enraged, I wouldn’t have turned into a psycho, who didn’t watch his mouth and was ready to kill anyone in his way. I became what I was not! Because of her!”       “Stop blaming my friend for all the sins!” Raquelle cuts off rudely. “Natalia is guilty of nothing! And don’t dare, scumbag, even to say that it’s not true!”       “I’m telling the truth.”       “If that girl had really wanted to leave you, she would’ve quietly told you she didn’t need a boyfriend like you.”       “But she didn’t say!”       “Because you let her say nothing! Though, you could ask her if she loved you and then show her those photos. But instead, you got into her apartment and began to call her a whore, a scumbag, and just a nasty rat.”       “Do you think I didn’t do it? She immediately swore her love with allegedly honest eyes! And when I showed the erotic photos, your friend started crying and screaming at the top of her lungs. She would’ve started that fucking hysteria anyway!”       “Maybe, the hysteria happened for a reason? Didn’t you think of it?”       “I did! That nymphomaniac was probably ashamed to admit what she did! I mean, she thought she’d fuck anyone, and nobody would know it.”       “What if she cried because she wanted to say something but couldn’t do it, because she had no courage?” Raquelle assumes, setting her icy, contemptuous gaze on Edward and leaning on the table with her hands. “Maybe, she wasn’t allowed to say something! Maybe, my friend had to be silent.”       “Minute, Raquelle, what do you want to say?” Edward frowns slightly, looking at Raquelle with suspicion. “Why are you pushing me to the thought that those photos might have another meaning? Why did you the heck become the fourth person, who tells me something like this? Did Rochester lie to you?”       “She didn’t lie, Edward,” Raquelle says coldly. “My friend was open to me.”       “If Natalia told you something, say it to me right now.”       “She said a lot. But you will never know it.”       “Please, Raquelle, I want to know what she told you! I don’t doubt that you know something but don’t want to say!”       “Maybe, I know. I know what would make any decent person shocked. What would make you dream of shooting yourself from shame.”       “Everybody the fuck knows everything, but I know nothing!” Edward resents loudly.       “I’ll tell you nothing. No way.”       “Please, Raquelle, tell me what Natalia told you. The only thing I want to know is why she did that to me.”       “The only thing you want is to get our money by sacrificing our lives,” Raquelle says coldly and rudely. “You care about nothing else. Only money, power, and revenge on your friend for being provided and successful but doing NOTHING bad to you.”       “Is it so hard for you to tell me what your friend said?” Edward wonders. “I want to know the truth! You’re openly hinting that those photos have another meaning, but refusing to say which.”       “If you deserved to know the truth, I’d do it. But since you aren’t worth even a nail of my friend, I don’t think I should get something into your head.”       “If you say it, there’s something I should know. What definitely should change my mind!”       “I will tell you nothing, I repeat. You will not hear a small hint of the truth from me. Even Natalia will say nothing to you. Because she completely understands that her truth will change nothing, and you will stay a nasty, greedy bastard that cares only about money and benefits. She has pride. My friend will not bend under you. She does know she deserves a more decent man that would treat her as touchingly and tenderly as her parents.”       “Please, Raquelle, let me know what happened,” Edward begs with pity in his eyes, feeling hurt by the words Raquelle says. “I need to know why Natalia did it to me, and what kind of secret her nude photos may hide.”       “So, Lockhart, are you getting conscience? Or are you looking for a reason to insult Natalia and give her stronger pain?”       “I shall know the truth! No matter how or from whom!”       “The poor girl hasn’t come to herself after what happened between us a few days ago! Do you know how much effort Terrence and I had to apply to calm her down? The fault is on you!”       “If you tell me why your friend did that to me, I’ll probably understand her and you. I ask nothing special – just tell me the truth and reveal all her secrets that she hid from me.”       “No, Edward!” Raquelle throws rudely, making a sharp gesture. “You’ll never know the truth and won’t dare to get close to Natalia! And believe me, You’re lucky we’re at the café. Otherwise, I would’ve strangled you with my own hands.”       “Please, don’t act like Terrence,” Edward replies tiredly. “As I’m talking to you gently, not insulting and humiliating you, you should answer me back. Yes, I understand you’re mad at me and stood by the side of your friend and fiancé. But I wanna talk to you quietly and start no scandals.”       “And you are VERY lucky that Terrence isn’t with me. If my fiancé saw you coming to me after what happened, he’d give a fuck about being in sociality and beat you so strongly that you’d have to go to the hospital. Your friend won’t tolerate your attempts to start pretending to be good again and try to excuse yourself for your disgusting behavior and wish to kill and rob your close people.”       “The last time, I really did a disgusting thing to you and Terrence. And I’m ready to do anything to prove that I don’t have and have never had any bad thoughts against you two, and especially MacClife’s mother.”       “You don’t want it. You just fear your friend, who’d kill you if you hurt me, Natalia, or Mrs. MacClife. You know Terrence is ready to stand by us and would show no mercy for the one to dare to hurt us. Though, I don’t need his protection and don’t have to hide behind him because I can stand up for myself.”       “I don’t wish anything bad to my close people and ain’t gonna kill them.”       “I swear, Lockhart, if you dare to hurt my fiancé, friend, or future mother-in-law, I’ll do my best for you to be put in prison. I’m even ready to bribe anyone, so you die in prison from anger, as well as your uncle. Michael and you will be there until the end of your lives and not get released from there. I swear on my parents’ grave that I will do my best to protect these people.”       “I completely agree that Uncle must pay for his tricks. But I swear I don’t have to do with his tricks and will not help him with anything.”       “You can deny you agreed with Michael as much as you want. But in case you do something bad again, you’ll immediately go to prison along with the gang that is working for you. We won’t leave it unnoticed, Edward. You’ll have to pay for your wish to kill and own our wealth.”       “I am not going to kill and rob anyone!” Edward says with pity in his eyes, starting to twist in the chair nervously, while his eyes are chaotically running from one side to another. “Kill and rob my own family that I love. I could kill my sick uncle and his gang, but not my close people.”       “If you hurt one of us or especially kill us, you’ll become my biggest enemy that I’ll never forgive,” Raquelle says in a low, threatening voice, setting her contemptuous, icy gaze on Edward. “I will never forgive you if you dare to kill Terrence, make Natalia feel much worse, or harm his mother. You’ve done enough and lost our trust, love, and respect. But the attempt to attack or kill us will make you our number one enemy, along with that psycho Michael.”       “No…” Edward shakes his head, while his eyes are running from one side to another, and his voice is strongly shaking. “No, Raquelle… Please, don’t say it! Don’t make me a beast!”       “Don’t blame me for growing up in a stinker. I’m not guilty of the fact that your friend is more successful and richer, and you’re furious from jealousy and evil. Not guilty of the fact that Terrence has everything for a happy life, and you’re a beggar that drives in the city in an old car released in the 90s, wears old clothes, hasn’t bought a house, and lives with kind people or your friend’s mother.”       “I’ve never been jealous of Terrence and wished him anything bad, no matter how different our statuses are. He’s my friend, and I’ll never forget it.”       “You forgot it when you said all those terrible things about him, attacked him with fists, and beat him so strongly that his mother was shocked!”       “I already said that your friend was the one to blame,” Edward says coldly. “If Natalia hadn’t gone to your home, I would’ve quietly told you everything and let you and Terrence know that my goal was justice and a wish to make Uncle Michael pay for robbing my family and killing my father. Not revenge and a wish to own as much money as possible. I don’t just want to give him the pleasure of stealing ABSOLUTELY everything that belonged to my father.”       “Don’t take it out on Natalia and make her guilty. That girl made only one mistake… She fell in love with a bastard like you and is now suffering because her feelings were mixed with dirt. This is her only mistake that she can fix, luckily. My friend will surely be happy, while you’ll have only dollars. With such a disgusting character and a wish to get everything, you’ll never marry and become a father. Because no good girl will tolerate such a greedy rat like you. I bet you go to divorce with a girl after she does any little thing. Or leave her as well as you left Natalia.”       “That girl is guilty of all my problems. And I regret getting in touch with her. If I hadn’t fallen in love with that bitch, everything would’ve been much better. And I wouldn’t have made myself a bastard for my close people that consider me a betrayer and… Want to put me in prison…”       “It’s the place where you belong! And I wouldn’t be surprised if we knew you were a part of other criminals and got good experience in murdering and attacking. Who knows which demons your pretty, insolent face is hiding…”       “Gosh…” Edward pronounces in a shaking voice, setting his dumbfounded, widely open eyes on Raquelle, getting a little pale, and starting to breathe heavily. “Raquelle… What kind of demon got obsessed with you? Why do you say such terrible things about me? I’m not as horrible as you think!”       “What kind of demon did you get obsessed with, Edward?” Raquelle leans back in the chair with her arms crossed. “Is getting that fucking inheritance so important to you? Yes, I know Michael stole everything from your father, but you better piss that man off and wish him to choke with the money. Is money more important to you than the lives of your relatives?”       “I want justice!”       “Gosh, leave that bastard alone! Forget about the inheritance! Early or late, he will pay for his tricks and spend the rest of his life in prison. You must fight for justice in another way. Not the one you chose.”       “I can’t give up after I’ve taken a bigger part of the way! So many years can’t be gone for nothing!”       “Yeah, and what have you gotten? Why did you the hell meddle in a conflict that doesn’t have to do with you? Why did you start pretending to be a hero that wanna prove that he wouldn’t be worthless and act like a fearless savior that everyone would thank?”       Edward says nothing and swallows up nervously.       “Is showing off so important to you?” Raquelle wonders. “Is THAT more important to you? We did accept you when we found out who you were. Your family… Anna, Daniel, Peter, Benjamin… Yes, everybody thought you were suspicious, but nobody refused to give you a chance. However, as it turned out, you took after your uncle and wanna live his life – to have no wife and children but own the stolen money and have nasty stinkers, who would be ready to dance on the head for money.”       “But I want everything to be otherwise.” Edward glances at his hands folded on the table. “I want to prove that my goals have nothing evil. That I don’t betray my family but vice versa, aim to protect it. Even if I know I can do nothing against Uncle.”       “I can’t believe you became a scumbag, for whom killing for a bag of dollars is nothing.” Raquelle exhales sharply with closed eyes. “I understand you’re embarrassed by your poverty and mad you can’t buy anything and don’t have a home. But you must not do that to your close people. Money isn’t the most important thing in your life. You can’t buy someone’s love or bring someone dead back to life. You would never bring back those, who you’d betray one day for beautiful banknotes. If you kill your family and regret it later, it will be too late to change something.”       “But what do I do? Tell me! What do I do for my close people to believe me and stop calling me a bastard, who wanna take after Uncle?”       “First, reject the inheritance.”       “Nope…” Edward shakes his head and swallows up nervously. “Everything isn’t as easy, as you think… Even if I reject it, Uncle won’t leave us alone. He swore to kill all of us anyway, no matter if I gave up on fighting with him.”       “It doesn’t matter! You should’ve done that a long time ago, when this story was just starting. And you mustn’t have meddled in this case! The conflict between your father and uncle had to do with them, and you had no right to put your nose in it. I don’t actually understand why you’ve loved getting in trouble since childhood and can’t quietly stay in the same place! Was it how you tried to get the attention of your father?”       “Listen, Raquelle…”       “Of course, I really doubt it, but if there is at least one person, who you love and respect just a little, do it for them. Give up on the fight for the inheritance and stop pretending to be a hero, who wants to get nobody knows what. All these attempts look fun. People will not be proud of you.”       “But…”       “Forgiveness is also under question. You won’t surely deserve my forgiveness and the forgiveness of Terrence, Natalia, and his mother if you keep showing off. If you want to prove that we can trust you, you must mainly reject your father’s money. And then you’ll have to ask your close people for forgiveness. Your friend, his mother, me… And if you’re just talking and doing nothing, you’ll never deserve our trust. Yes, getting forgiveness is not easy, but the most important thing is to take the first step toward reconciliation.”       “Raquelle…”       “And don’t think you shouldn’t apologize to Natalia,” Raquelle says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You MUST! I will tell you nothing about what she’s hiding. But I can say one thing: you’ll have to regret doing a disgusting thing to her. She must tell you everything, though I doubt it would happen. However, if it happens, you’ll have to apologize to her.”       “Why is it supposed to get me shocked?”       “And don’t dare to scream, humiliate and get mad again if she has hysteria again. Otherwise, you will get nothing and stay an egoistic bastard, who thinks only of himself.”       A young guy and a young girl go by the table, at which Edward and Raquelle are sitting, talking about something cutely with plates in their hands.       “Well, at least drop a hint!” Edward begs with pity in his eyes. “Please, Raquelle…”       “If you haven’t forgotten how to love and do have something good, her confession will get you deeply shocked and make you feel a real brainless asshole,” Raquelle replies coldly. “I can’t be sure, but maybe, it will make you get cool and think about what you did and what might do at the nearest time.”       Raquelle shakes her head to move strands of hair that annoy her off her face.       “Remember, Edward, if you say ‘I can’t’ and always find excuses not to do what someone wants from you, it says you don’t need it much,” Raquelle says confidently. “Since you refuse to stop this meaningless fight with Michael, it says you do need the money, and you don’t wanna refuse an easy way to get rich and lucky. But if you want to fix everything and prove that there’s no fault of yours in this story, do it now. Because it may be too late later. I hope you will make the right choice and won’t go too far when trying to pretend to be a hero and fight for what’s not worth it.”       Raquelle takes her purse and some things and gets up from the table.       “Raquelle, wait!” Raquelle exclaims.       “I said everything, I’ve got nothing to add,” Raquelle replies without emotions, placing the belt of her purse above her shoulder. “And you think about your actions well.”       Raquelle turns around and, quietly knocking at tiles with her heels, leaves the café, in which much more people have come. Edward keeps sitting at the table all alone and thinking about everything the girl told him.       “Raquelle is absolutely right,” Edward thinks, massaging his temples. “If I don’t try to change something, everything might lead to a catastrophe. And I may not have a chance to get better and fix all my mistakes. That old geezer will surely get what he wants and press on me so that I won’t be able to resist. He’s about to ruin my whole life! I mean, he already did! If not for that bastard, everything would be fine. I wouldn’t have fought with my close people and…”       Edward glances at the window, watching some people standing near a car placed in front of the café and smoking a cigarette.       “Stop, why did Raquelle begin to openly hint that the situation of Natalia’s betrayal might be different?” Edward frowns slightly. “She’s the fourth person, who lets me know that those photos might have a different meaning! Chris, Mrs. MacClife, Uncle Michael, and now Raquelle! Nobody believes she cheated, and Cameron didn’t even deny the photos had a different meaning. What if it’s very important and could change a lot? Raquelle knows something and doesn’t hide it! She talked to her friend, and Rochester confessed what I don’t know yet.”       Edward shakes his head, still looking through the window.       “I must know the secret… To find out the secret of the girl that I still love… And I’ll find out the truth, even if I have to go to Raquelle’s home and make her tell me everything. Since everybody doubts the betrayal of Ms. Rochester, they must explain what it means. But if I have to, I will talk to that girl, as well! I shall make her explain her disgusting act. She must pay for turning everybody against me.”       Edward glances aside for two seconds and runs his hand over the top of his head to the nape of his neck.       “I wanna get the inheritance that belongs to me, not Uncle Michael. He shouldn’t own it and be happy that Father lost everything! I will not let him take what that bastard hasn’t stolen yet. I have no right to give in and let that stinker keep robbing me. So many years mustn’t be wasted! Father bequeathed the money to me. So, it must happen!”       Edward shakes his head and glances at his hands folded on the table.       “And this time, I’ll have to go to the police again. Report that stinker and do my best for him to be put in prison. Somehow, I went there unsuccessfully. But now I must annoy them and find someone to agree to open the case. It’s really time to stop wasting time and do something. If I want to put Uncle in prison, I’ll have to go to the police again. Maybe, it would let everybody know that I ain’t gonna rob and kill them. I wanna get back their trust and respect and know that they love me. It’s gonna be very hard, but I must do my best for Mrs. MacClife, my friend, and his fiancée to forgive me. I don’t wanna lose them because I let them think wrong things about me.”       Edward swallows up nervously and quickly looks at what’s happening around him, seeing many people, who do not pay any attention to him.       “Raquelle kind of feels that I might become a killer at any time. She kind of knows that I might kill Terrence after succumbing to Uncle’s rich speeches. That girl sees me through… But she doesn’t wanna believe I want it less than anything. Despite what happened between us, he’s still my close person that I won’t betray. I don’t want to kill my friend, his mother, and his fiancée. Nobody! But Uncle Michael! I’d murder him if it gave me a chance to save my family from trouble. That old, crazy man would defeat us anyway, no matter if I rejected the inheritance. He doesn’t care about it. He wanna kill those, who are related to Father somehow.”       Edward moans quietly and runs his hands over his face.       “Damn, it’s gonna be hard for me to forget the words she said,” Edward thinks, starting to breathe much heavier but trying to hold on while being where there are many people. “But… Maybe, it won’t let me turn into a bastard and make a wish of that psycho come true. Ain’t sure whether it’d save me from my uncle, but I’ll do my best not to let it happen…”       Edward closes his face with his hands for two seconds.       “Holy shit, what a moron I am…” Edward moans quietly with remorse. “Just a moron… I’m really sorry about insulting Terrence and Raquelle for nothing and quarreling with Mrs. MacClife. Succumbing to my emotions after the talk with Ms. Rochester and made myself a shameless bastard… A brainless, egoistic bastard! I’ve actually never judged Terrence for his actions toward Raquelle. I’ve never thought she was such a terrible girl… And I’ve done nothing good for someone to be proud of me. How could someone be proud of someone who doesn’t have money, a job, or even the worst apartment in the country at the age of twenty-five? Everything is fair. Terrence gets love and praise, and I… I’ve done nothing to be called someone’s pride. I’m a worthless kid that is living in this world for an unknown reason. My mother should’ve gotten the abortion not to let me be born…”       At this moment, Edward notices his hands start shaking slightly, feeling that it’s getting harder to breathe and that something is squeezing his chest.       “Terrence kicked my ass for the reason,” Edward thinks. “I did really deserve it… And if he wanna attack me again, I shouldn’t resist. He can beat me… Even ‘till death… It’d be madly hurtful for me morally and physically. But I’ve made too many mistakes and must pay for them. It’s hard to confess it, but I have to, sadly…”       Edward puts his hands together with a slow, quiet sigh and brings them to his mouth.       “I’d rather let MacClife kill me than succumb to Uncle and kill him,” Edward thinks. “I swear I’ll never forgive myself, even if I just take a pistol and point it at Terrence. I’d prefer shooting myself before the eyes of that man. Or killing Uncle Michael and getting a punishment. I would not be ashamed of killing that man, ‘cause I’d save my close people from this curse. I’d feel quiet if I knew all of them were alive, and that scumbag was rotting under the ground. I’d better go to prison for many years and let the others live quietly.”       Edward runs his hand over his little disheveled hair, feeling he is breathing much heavier because of the excitement and the shake that get obsessed with him entirely. Though, the man tries not to show it, keeping an indifferent face and struggling with the ocean of emotions inside him because he does not want to and answer annoying questions about whether he is fine and rejects the help that he does not need.       “I hate this man!” Edward thinks, tightly clenches his hands into fists, and squints his eyes slightly. “Because of him, innocent people are suffering! Just like Natalia, who doesn’t have to do with this story. I still can’t understand why Uncle got her involved in this fucking business. Even if he knows something about her betrayal with that freak, it doesn’t have to do with the inheritance or the wish of that old bastard to destroy my surrounding.”       Edward leans back in the chair.       “That’s why I must immediately learn the fucking secret of Ms. Rochester. Maybe, it would let me find the reason why Uncle Michael is chasing that girl and threatening to destroy her. And I should do it as soon as possible. Before he decides to do something. In order to know everything, I’m even ready to go to her home. Nobody will stop me or dare to kick me out. I shall find everything out. Anyway. From Natalia, from Raquelle and Terrence, from Uncle Michael – I don’t care. That secret will not remain hidden!”       A few seconds later, Edward glances aside, exhales sharply, strokes his hair down, gets up from the table, and leaves the café shortly, getting sick of too loud noises made by little children, who feel free to shout, run and jump in the whole room.       

***

      It’s about twenty-six past five. After Natalia spent some time with Terrence, she went home to eat a little and then decided to walk in the city. No matter how much she wants to stop thinking of Edward, the girl cannot do it. She understands she must fall out of love with that man, but she cannot do anything. Natalia has to fight with two opposite feelings that do not let her make a choice. She is madly sorry for not finding the courage to tell Edward what happened to her much earlier before. Meanwhile, the girl is still terribly mad at Lockhart because nobody has humiliated her like that. And because of the situation of the inheritance, the girl believes that if she had kept dating the man, her life would have been much worse.       However, the offense against her ex-boyfriend does not stop Natalia from thinking about the wonderful moments the young people spent together. There are many things, for which she is grateful to Edward anyway. She has never forgotten and will not forget what he did for her. She has not felt as good with any other guy as she felt with Lockhart Their magical tale and touching relationship could have continued, and their feelings would have gotten stronger if not for that fateful day when Edward got the photos of the half-nude Natalia that made him sure that she was not loyal to him.       Thinking about all of it and getting sadder and sadder, Natalia is slowly walking in a certain place where there is usually nobody. It’s something like an empty automobile crossroad, on which people rarely drive. Some road signs and pointers are placed across the roads, there is a lot of sand around, and small bushes or trees are growing in some places. If you look further, you can see half-destroyed buildings, reaching which would take a few kilometers. It’s very quiet here. It’s impossible to hear the noises that are usually heard in the center of the city full of people, cars, and transport. The weather is not rainy, but gloomy and a little cold. The gray sky got covered with clouds, and a little shoot of the sun will hardly show up on it at the nearest time.       Feeling the slight coldness getting underneath her clothes, burning her skin, and covering it with goosebumps, Natalia is walking slowly on the empty path with her hands put in the pockets of her little shabby denim jacket. Walking on black boots with small heels that make a quiet sound from knocking on the asphalt. Her old dark blue skinny jeans without patterns, paints, and sparkle stuff perfectly express her good body. Her light, gray shirt, which is unbuttoned above and shows her naked collarbones, raises slightly because of the weak wind. Her long, loose straight golden cascade hair that frames the perfect form of her face sometimes gets into the girl’s eyes. And her makeup, which is made in brown colors, looks quite natural.       Everything seems quite enough. Natalia enjoys the silence settled in this deserted place. She believes someone would hardly go or drive here. But at some moment, somewhere not far from her, a very old white car sharply stops and stands for a few more seconds before… Edward gets out of it sharply. The man, seeing the girl, who is slowly going on the path with her head inclined and her arms crossed over her chest, decides that he should talk to her right now. Not hesitating much, he comes to her quickly and confidently and calls her loudly when he gets very close to her:       “Natalia!”       Natalia, shaking slightly from fear, turns around slowly and rounds her eyes when she sees Edward, who is running up to her, looking excited enough but trying to hide it. The girl’s scared gaze is focused on this man, who is the reason why her body gets strongly tense, and her breath sharply gets slower. She gets horrified by the thought that he would do something terrible to her, using the fact that there is nobody here. However, Natalia quickly makes herself hide her emotions and starts speaking very coldly, maybe, even rudely, crossing her arms over her chest:       “What did you forget here, scumbag? I don’t want to talk to you! Get out and leave me alone!”       “I’m not also obsessed with this wish,” Edward replies quietly in a low voice. “But we need to talk.”       “We talked about everything a long time ago. I have nothing to say.”       “No, not everything. You are hiding very much. And I am going to find it out in any way.”       “We’ve got nothing to talk about, Lockhart. I’ve already told you everything I should’ve said.”       “But I do have something to discuss! I will know the truth, even if I have to do it by force!”       “I know nothing! Ask someone else and leave me alone.”       Natalia, crossing her arms over her chest, turns around sharply, and goes to another side in a quick step. But Edward immediately follows her, deciding to get an explanation from the girl this time.       “I know seeing each other is disgusting for us two,” Edward says quickly enough, but quietly. “But no matter if you want it, I need to know everything that’s still hidden from me.”       “Get out, I said!” Natalia throws rudely, still going straightly in a sharp step. “Get out before I hit you!”       “Telling me the truth you’re silent about is the best thing for you.”       “You’re nobody to make me tell you everything.”       “No, Rochester, you will tell me everything. Right here and now. Even if I have to get the truth out by force.”       “I said everything, Lockhart, get out and leave me alone! Go to your freaking uncle and plan the murder of your family.”       “I’m gonna kill and rob nobody and have never wanted to! And I’m not in agreement with that bastard and terribly want to put him in prison until the end of his life.”       “COME ON?” Natalia wonders loudly, sharply stops, turns on Edward, and claps her hands with rolled eyes. “GOSH, WHAT A MIRACLE!”       “Listen, Natalia, let’s not start another scandal, so we talk quietly,” Edward suggests quietly. “Talking to you doesn’t also give me pleasure, but there are things you must explain to me.”       “I’ve said everything you should’ve heard,” Natalia says coldly. “And I do not want to repeat it like a parrot. But if you want to hear something from me, I can repeat that you’re a greedy, nasty, mean, and disgusting bastard that belongs to HELLISH HELL!”       “My sick uncle does belong to hellish hell. But I didn’t do anything to deserve it.”       “My gosh…” Natalia crosses her arms over her chest, looking at Edward with contempt in her eyes. “Why you’re saying it about your favorite uncle! He is gonna help you become rich! Give you a job! KILL YOUR FAMILY AND STEAL THEIR WEALTH!”       “I’ve never loved that man and terribly hate him for harming us. And I’m not gonna dance attendance upon him and kill all people that he dislikes.”       “Damn, did your uncle deprive you of a chance to get at least two cents from your daddy’s inheritance and show you the middle finger? You’ve got no opportunity to become rich easily! That man deprived you of everything, for which you betrayed your family.”       “I’ve never betrayed anyone!” Edward protests. “My actions were understood wrongly. I do remember I’ve never openly said I want to kill my family without a reason.”       “Yeah, I did believe you!” Natalia rolls her eyes and puts her hands on her hips. “You came up with such a good plan of robing your family, but you met a failure! What a misfortune! And you thought up everything so well: first, you got my trust, but then you had Terrence and Raquelle and his mother wrapped around your finger. And when you realized nobody would help you and use their money and contacts to give you the best job, you decided to get rid of such terrible people.”       “Don’t make me a monster. You all thought up those reasons and blamed me for what I never did and would never do. Yes, I gave a reason, but everything is otherwise.”       “So, what’s your next step? Kill all of us from jealousy, evil, and hate? Huh! Why are you staring at me as if you understand nothing? You know what I mean, but keep pretending to be an innocent lamb, even after you were revealed.”       “I don’t pretend, I am telling the truth. I don’t have the wish to do at least one thing, which you all thought up.”       “Ah, we did think up! Are you trying to make us feel guilty and fall on your fucking legs and beg you for forgiveness for insulting and slandering you?”       “Only one person is guilty of the trouble in my family – it’s my uncle Michael. That hard-to-drown rat that’s lying under a fence and can’t die.”       “Stop making someone else guilty,” Natalia demands rudely. “After how disgustingly you behaved, nobody will believe you. You can forget about forgiveness. Nasty and greedy rats like you never get forgiveness. Gosh! Why doesn’t shit drown? Why does it live quietly, while good people have to suffer? It’s unfair!”       “Yes, it’s unfair! But the fact that everybody calls me a bastard, who betrayed his family, is more unfair.”       “Hey, we are in such a good place! A wonderful place for killing! Since you decided to kill everybody you hate, I’m suggesting you start with me – the one, who you think is a false whore.” Natalia throws her hands aside. “Come on, Lockhart, do it right now! There is nobody around! Nobody will catch you! Where is your gun or knife? Take it and kill me! I’ve got nothing to lose!”       “What are you talking about, Natalia?” Edward wonders, shaking his head and looking at Natalia a little surprisingly. “Do you really think I want to kill you?”       “Don’t you?” Natalia opens her eyes widely. “I do not let you live! I ruined your whole life! Showered you with mud! So, your uncle gave you a chance to kill the one you hate so badly. Not using it would be a sin!”       “Damn, how could you actually think I’m able to kill? Maybe, I madly hate you for your cruel betrayal and wish you to suffer. But it’s not a reason to go to prison for twenty years.”       “Aren’t you a bastard?” Natalia wonders loudly. “You are the real scumbag that must burn in hell! Betrayer! Rat! Jealous bastard! After you clearly let everybody know that you needed only money from your relatives and me, you dare to pretend that it’s not true?”       “It’s not true! Only a total psycho like my uncle could come up with the idea of murdering. Murder his own relatives for money.”       “You’re the same psycho as that stinker!” Natalia hums and crosses her arms over her chest, still looking at Edward with great contempt. “The same piece! Someday, you’ll surely wish to kill Terrence from jealousy of his success. To finally stop hearing everybody praise him, love him, and feel sorry for him, while didn’t deserve this honor. You’re terribly sick of being constantly compared with your more successful friend, and you decided to kill him.”       “Never in the world!” Edward exclaims with despair. “I won’t dare to kill my friend, whom I love, despite nothing!”       “Ah, my gosh! As it turned out, you love him!”       “Everybody saw that I had always been attracted to him and called him my best friend. And I still think so.”       “Close your dirty mouth!” Natalia cuts off sharply, waving her hands. “I’m sick of your pathetic attempt to whitewash yourself!”       “I don’t make you believe. The fact that I know the truth, which nobody believes, is more important.”       “So, put your fucking truth in your ass. Nobody needs it! Well, why do you call it the truth if it’s a lie? Now everybody knows your real plans and learned about your cruel betrayal. About your wish to kill your family for money.”       “I think you made them believe in this lie. You were the first one to shout that I kind of wanted to kill everybody and own someone’s money. And everybody the fuck believed you!”       “You’re guilty of making yourself a hysterical girl and insulting Raquelle and Terrence, whom you beat cruelly.”       “If you hadn’t come to them, nothing would’ve happened! You made me enraged at the wrong time. So, my fight with my family is your fault.”       “Oh, maybe, it is my fault for the fact that you grew up into a lazy beggar, who wasn’t used to hard work?” Natalia wonders loudly, pointing at herself with her fingers with widely open eyes. “Or that your uncle also put an eye on the inheritance? Or maybe, am I making you kill Terrence and Raquelle? Do two things: getting your friend out of your way and letting my friend stop suffering?”       “You’re saying bullshit.”       “I’m telling the truth that you don’t wanna confess. You will never do it, because you’re obsessed with greed for easy money. Taking after your uncle! I see you’ve learned much from him.”       “I’m obsessed with a wish to restore justice. Get back everything that bastard stole from my father. I can’t quietly watch him insolently using what’s NEVER belonged to him.”       “Yeah, but then use it later? You will not give everything to your late father, who is terribly ashamed of you! And your friends and even MacClife’s mother will not deserve this honor!”       “Listen…”       “If you want to make your uncle pay for his tricks, why didn’t you go to the police earlier? Got scared that Michael would find a way to make you guilty? Worried about your skin, for which I would not give even a cent! So, that’s why you’re cowardly and doing nobody the fuck knows what!”       “I shall do it at the nearest time. Now it’s time to end it once and forever and make him pay for everything he’s done to my family.”       “Aha, who would listen to you, shabby puppy?” Natalia simpers. “You think that man would be put in prison after your words, which would not be proved? Ha, they will turn you around!”       “You shouldn’t care about it. Don’t meddle in the business of my family. Everything you need to know is that I will put that bastard in prison early or late and make him give back everything he stole from my father.”       “I will meddle in this case! Because the lives of my close friends are in danger BECAUSE OF YOU. And if something happens to them, I shall put you in prison. After they know everything, my parents will have the pleasure of using their contacts and helping me get rid of the scumbag, who ruined my life, and save the MacClifes from THE REAL DEMON!”       “You’ll just waste time because I’m guilty of nothing and haven’t violated the laws.”       “Remember, Edward, if you dare to hurt Terrence or Raquelle or especially kill them, you will be my biggest enemy that I will never forgive,” Natalia says in a threatening voice, looking at Edward with greater hate. “I will testify against you if you have to be on trial for trying to kill my best friends.”       “I’m not going to kill them!” Edward moans tiredly, sharply running his hand over his face. “Not go-ing to! I need nothing from them!”       “You can’t even imagine how much I’ll hate you if I lose the people, who have done much more for me than I want, because of you. Who are like my brother and sister. Who helped me get rid of the burden that I was carrying on my shoulders.”       “I guess you told them what happened between us,” Edward says quietly, frowning slightly and crossing his arms over his chest. “Told them how you betrayed me!”       “Yes, I told them everything!” Natalia says confidently with her head proudly raised, setting her contemptuous, icy loo into Edward’s eyes. “And I’m madly ashamed of what they had to see after you did your best for me to wish the fuck to die.”       “Ha, and how did they react to what you said? Your colorful story about you fucking another man and pleasing him!”       “They supported me.”       “What?” Edward opens his eyes widely with a contemptuous sneer. “Supported? What were they thinking of? Did they go insane if they supported the fact that you CHEATED ON ME?”       “Not only them, but also very many people, who think you’re an egoistic bastard that loves nobody but himself,” Natalia replies without regret.       “Idiots… How did they dare to support you after you’d slept with some freak and been running almost NAKED in front of him? Since when has it been FINE? WHEN, THE FUCK? SINCE WHEN HAS CHEATING ON A BOYFRIEND AND SUCKING THE PENIS OF ANOTHER MAN BEEN OKAY?”       “If there was something to judge me for!” Natalia throws rudely, humming loudly. “I did nothing bad for my closest friends not to stand by me.”       “So, you didn’t tell them everything. You got embarrassed by telling them how you had fun with that freak when you were in a relationship with me. But I’m sure if they knew what you did to me, there’d hardly be someone, who would appreciate your act.”       “No, Mr. Lockhart, I told them everything.”       “I’m overwhelmed in this case!” Edward smirks contemptuously. “I am shocked! Shocked by those people, who see nothing bad with a slut that gives herself to everyone. But it’s amazing that being a nymphomaniac, you didn’t suggest I DID fuck you as well as those people from your long list of lovers. Instead, you always kept me as a reserved player. Though, I was YOUR FUCKING BOYFRIEND! WE DATED AND WERE A COUPLE! BUT YOU FORGOT ABOUT IT!”       “I’ve never betrayed anyone!”       “What you’re talking about! Don’t say those stories about your lover and prostitution are false, and you’re actually a virgin that’s been touched by nobody.”       “I’ve never been a prostitute!”       “Don’t make me laugh, Rochester!” Edward smirks ironically. “Don’t pretend to be a victim, who someone allegedly tries to slander as well as one man somehow slandered your beloved friend, whom you call your sis.”       “Maybe, it’s true!” Natalia exclaims insolently, raising her head and looking at Edward with contempt in her eyes. “You’ve got no proof that I really sleep with a few men at the same time! You only saw photos of one man!”       “I don’t need a whole collection of photos. I should’ve just seen how confident you felt in front of that freak when you were almost naked, letting him feel your boobs up, and caressing his dick. Which he definitely got into your mouth, so you shut up and use it for a better thing.”       “Ha, you say we are slandering you and believing the lie that we thought up. You are trying to slander me and saying what hasn’t been proved!”       “It’s been proved, sweetie. I got you caught with one of your lovers. I’ve got a reason to be mad, to hate, and to despise you. The real one – your fucking betrayal! I’ll never forget how meanly you acted toward me. And I will be cursing you and feeling sorry for getting in touch with such a nasty bitch. And I hope there will be someone to fuck you hard or drag you by the hair so that you lose any interest in men and sex.”       “You can do this by yourself! Nobody will see you in this place,” Natalia sharply throws her hands aside. “Come on, Edward, what are you waiting for? Slap me in the face! Strike me down the ground and try to beat me with legs or hands and strangle! That’s what you’re dreaming about it! So, go, cowardly puppy, show your uncle how far you can go for the money!”       “Stop provoking me, otherwise I will not be responsible for myself,” Edward cuts off sharply. “You want me to get enraged and turn into a monster and kill you? You will ask for trouble, Rochester, I do swear!”       “So, don’t you like being called a coward? Do you think I like being called a whore and blamed for what I have NEVER done? Don’t even dare to think I get the pleasure of hearing you insulting me the way no other guy has done before.”       “I’m also telling the truth, confidently looking into the eyes of someone! Or do you think it’s bad? You wanna drown in your endless lie?”       “You drowned in it when you made a whole show for your family and pretended that everything was fine. And actually, I believe you should first listen and give someone a chance to explain everything before you leave someone with trouble.”       “Ha, should I listen to you, nasty prostitute?”       “I don’t mean only myself.” Natalia glances down, keeping her arms crossed over her chest. “But I have something to say to defend myself. And while I have an opportunity to speak, fight and bite, I’ll be protecting myself and keeping my name honest and kind.”       “Huh, getting something out of you is impossible!” Edward hums loudly, rolling his eyes. “The fact that you weren’t pleased to confess your betrayal is enough. Though, you could be silent because I understood everything anyway. You never loved me. You did use me and decided to leave me when you got sick of playing with me.”       “Ha, do you wanna say I sent you those fucking photos?”       “Who else?”       “I didn’t send those photos!” Natalia shouts loudly. “I DID NOT THE FUCK DO!”       “Really? But who, then? Your ugly lover, whose penis you were caressing?”       “I don’t know who did it. Maybe, him. Though, I don’t know how he found your home address.”       “You gave it yourself!”       “I DID GIVE NOTHING! I’m not such a brainless idiot that gives my nude photos to someone and asks them to send everything to you!”       “Ha, why do you say it? What would the fuck change? You or that freak – I don’t care!”       “Nothing, for me. I’m not gonna forgive a scumbag, who did such a disgusting thing to me and is planning to kill his whole family.”       “WONDERFUL THEN!” Edward screams at the top of his lungs and starts waving his hands actively. “Live your life, enjoy every single moment, and get pleasure from a together pastime. May God bless your relationship! Be happily together! Play a wedding, make lots of children, and die on the same day.”       “Ha, in this case, you can also live with an ugly, dyed bitch!” Natalia shouts, also starting to wave her hands sharply. “Or get a whore and fuck her as much as you want. You do care about sex! And you got so mad because you hadn’t had it for ages. Or maybe, you’d find a stupid chicken that would make all your caprices come true and look at you with an open mouth to please her fucking king.”       “Don’t worry about my personal life, Rochester. I’ll surely have a wonderful girlfriend, who will be much better, more honest, and more loyal than you. I’ve never been deprived of girls’ attention and can easily find a decent partner for life and be sure that she belongs only to me.”       “Having such a disgusting character, you’ll be single but with a big bag of money and a few committed murders until the end of your life. You will be happy to have just one night of love with a decorated mop with silicon boobs and ass, big lips, fake hair and nails, and one hundred layers on her face that has gotten thousands of plastic surgeries.”       “You will not also date your lover for too long,” Edward replies rudely. “When another slave of yours sends him a new collection of photos of the nude Ms. Rochester being in the arms of another hairy gorilla.”       “HE IS NOT MY FUCKING LOVER!”       “Oh, Natalia, stop denying it and screaming to hide the truth…” Edward moans loudly, running his hands over his face. “Stop excusing yourself and saying nothing happened between you!”       “I wasn’t gonna excuse myself!” Natalia throws rudely and looks at Edward with contempt in her eyes from head to foot. “Excuse myself for the egoistic, greedy rat. May the ground swallow me up right here if I do it!”       “You know, I wasn’t also gonna explain anything to such a nasty liar like you. I am not going to excuse myself and try to deserve your forgiveness.”       “Then why did you the fuck stop me and start this fucking quarrel? AS IF I WANTED TO WASTE MY TIME ON YOU AND GET ENRAGED!”       “I hoped I’d talk to you quietly!”       “So, you did?”       “Nope, and I think it was worthless.” Edward steps two steps back from Natalia. “Too worthless…”       “Then get out of here!” Natalia grabs her hair and starts actively gesticulating with a heavy breath. “GET OUT OF MY LIFE! GET OUT OF THIS CITY AND THIS COUNTRY ONCE AND FOREVER! I CANNOT SEE YOU! IF I HAD A GUN, I WOULD SHOOT YOUR HEAD BECAUSE YOU ANNOY ME TO DEATH!”       “I would have the pleasure to stop being in the same territory as you. But sadly, it’s impossible… I have to live with you in the same city and the same country. Though, it would be cool to run away somewhere where nothing would remind me of you! NO-THI-NG!”       “It’s okay, Edward, you’ll kill your family soon and start living as you’ve always wanted. You’ll be able to travel around the world and buy clothes, houses, cars, and much more. But remember, real happiness is not money that you would get dishonestly. I really doubt you have at least a little bit of shame to start to regret and wish to get your family back. But it’ll be too late. Because bringing dead people to life is impossible, and no memories can be erased from your mind.”       “Stop making me a beast!” Edward cuts off sharply. “I wasn’t gonna and am not gonna kill my family. And I wanna steal nothing from anyone. I'm not a killer or robber to do what I’ll surely regret.”       “What if it’s who you are! If you’re a nasty beast! No matter how hard you try to whitewash yourself, you can’t do this. Nobody will believe the bastard, who says that he wanna become rich and be much better than his friend by killing those, who accepted him warmly.”       “Ar-r-r, fuck…”       “What were you thinking of when you decided to do it? Or are your brains turned off? Do you think only of money and revenge? No thoughts about the love for your relatives, which you talked about so much?”       “I’ve already realized that getting something in the head of the brainless blonde, who thinks only of sex, is worthless.”       “What did your uncle promise that you’re ready to sell your mother?” Natalia shakes her head. “You’re pretending that you can’t stand him, but dreaming of becoming his ally and killing your relatives with his help.”       “He promised me nothing, and I’ve never been and will not be his ally!” Edward says loudly, confidently, and comes to Natalia sharply two steps closer. “That man is threatening me and wants to get what belongs to me by law! Why should I let that man own what my father bequeathed to me?”       “Why do you need it? Is the fight worth these sacrifices? I don’t understand why you the fuck started it and meddled in the conflict that you weren’t connected to? It would be okay if someone wanted to steal something you got by working hard. But it’s not the fuck your money! And the company doesn’t belong to you!”       “It belongs to me! And very soon, I’m gonna have the documents that will allow me to use the bank account of my father.”       “Don’t be naive, Lockhart!” Natalia simpers. “First, prove the death of your father to all of us, lawyers, notaries, judges, and those, who are responsible for that. Without documents about his death, you can do nothing. And your uncle will not especially get it! Don’t even hope!”       “So, do you think I should give up on this long-time fight and give a fuck about what’s gonna happen to the last thing that belongs to my father?”       “Yes, you must do it! If you want to prove your love for your family, end this senseless show! Stop pretending to be a pathetic hero with the hope that someone will say, ‘thank you’ for the wish to fight ‘till the end.”       “At least, I just must do my best to put that bastard in prison. That scumbag must pay for all his sins. So, I’m gonna go to the police again and blame Uncle Michael for killing my father. I’ll do my best to make the police sure to start the case. Moreover, I’m absolutely sure that Father could ask them for help when that old donkey began to rob him.”       “You’ll go to prison along with that scumbag if the police find something interesting about you and find out that you planned to send your family to another world and get their wealth in a dishonest way.”       “I don’t worry about it, ‘cause I’ve never done and will not do anything like that. Blame me if you want. But you will not prove it. Because I’m guilty of nothing.”       “We’ll see, Lockhart.” Natalia crosses her arms over her chest, squinting slightly and setting her contemptuous gaze on Edward. “Terrence has many contacts and is deeply respected by many people. Your friend said that if you did at least one little thing, he would call all of his familiar people and do his best to put you in prison. Where you would be dying from anger and jealousy, as well as your uncle.”       “Oh, holy shit…” Edward exhales slowly, putting his hand on his forehead and running it over his face. “How much it gets me exhausted…”       “Don’t say I ain’t right!” Natalia throws irritably. “You were bitten through a long time ago and caught on the lie and betrayal. Your friend and his fiancée do know what a dirty thing you did. And be sure, Edward, they won’t leave it unnoticed. MacClife’s mother is also ready to go against you and forget that she got so attracted to you.”       “Don’t pretend to be holy, Natalia! You made the people sure that you loved me, even if your love didn’t belong to any men you’d ever slept with. You washed everybody’s brains so well that they believed you had feelings for me and even turned them against me by saying I allegedly wanted to kill and rob them. You needed just one word to make them sure about my betrayal. ONE, THE FUCK! You became an innocent lamb for them and made me a bastard. You are happy that everybody calls you holy, innocent, poor, and unhappy.”       “They pity me because they are worried! None of them would wish even their biggest enemy to have the situation that I got into!”       “Ha, what kind of situation did you get into?” Edward asks coldly, crossing his arms over his chest. “You did your best for everybody to pity you, not to judge?”       “I did nothing bad to be judged. I didn’t betray, didn’t kill, didn’t rob, and didn’t slander. I am really holy!”       “Aha, as innocent as a virgin! Ugh! How many stupid and blind people are living in the world! Even your fucking lover doesn’t know what a false egoistic bitch you are!”       “I’m not false!” Natalia shouts, starting to breathe heavily, struggling with a wish to cry and barely holding herself down not to tell the truth about who Edward thinks is her lover actually is. “Not the fuck false! NOT FALSE! AND THAT MAN IS NOT MY LOVER!”       “Oh, she is not false!” Edward smirks with irony, rolling his eyes, and tightly clenches his hands into fists. “NOT FALSE!”       “YES, NOT FALSE!”       “Stop continuing this freaking show, you, fucking actress! Is it so hard to confess that you cheated on me with that ugly cad? Why can’t you still say, ‘Yes, I cheated on you and don’t love you anymore! I’m sorry about it!’ Is it so hard to find the courage to say the words you should’ve said on the day when I showed the photos to you?”       “Why do I explain something to the one, who turned into a psycho and was almost ready to kill me in anger?” Natalia wonders irritably and loudly.       “But no!” Edward starts gesticulating actively, being excited and breathing heavily enough. “Instead, you started a wild hysteria and pretended to be a victim of a crime! To pity me and make me sure that you were the fuck slandered!”       “I was really slandered!” Natalia shouts with wet eyes. “SLANDERED! I’M GUILTY OF NOTHING!”       “Stop, Rochester, enough!” Edward sharply waves a hand. “You’ll never understand what I felt when I saw those photos. I refused to believe that my girlfriend dared to do such a cruel thing to me. I was calming myself down with the thought that it wasn’t true. I thought my eyes lied to me. I wanted to fret and fume in anger! You don’t imagine how terribly I felt! How many hairs I’ve pulled out after your betrayal was indirectly confirmed by you. You denied it and explained nothing. So, you confirmed you fucked that freak.”       “I DID NOT FUCK HIM! I DID NOT FUCK!”       “Why’s that bastard better than me? WHY? TELL ME! He’s more terrifying than a monkey! Or is he so good at sex that you give a fuck about his ugly appearance? Or does he take care of you much better and can give you what I couldn’t do? WHY? WHEN WAS I WRONG IF YOU DID IT TO ME? FIRST, YOU GOT ME TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU AND THEN GAVE ME A HIT IN MY BACK!”       “It’s a lie!” Natalia shouts with despair. “LIE!”       “After that, I am dreaming of forgetting that you were my girlfriend that I liked even more than you think,” Edward says much quieter, barely holding down a wide hurricane inside him and feeling that every single muscle of his body is tense. “You were the one, who I really fell in love with! I haven’t felt as good with any other girl as I felt with you. But I became another toy in your hands. And I’m not going to forgive it! NO WAY! I will not let a whore have me wrapped around a finger and have affairs with other men secretly from me.”       “I didn’t betray you! I was framed! WRONG!”       “But don’t worry, we’ll never meet again. Because I’ll do my best to never meet you on the same street. If I have to do it, I’ll be happy to go to another city or even another country, so nothing reminds me of someone, who spat in my face. How I was insulted, humiliated, and made a bastard for everyone!”       “Shut up, Edward, SHUT UP!” Natalia screams, shaking her head sharply with her ears closed with her hands. “I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR IT! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”       “I wish you knew how disgusting it is to be used. I wish your lovers realized what an asshole you are. I want no man to wish to lie in a bed with you, play the wedding with you, and make you the mother of his children. Acting like a prostitute and doing a blowjob for anyone, you will never get married. You will live with your mommy and daddy until the end of your life. And you will die, being an old maid, who wouldn’t show off in a wedding dress in front of thousands of guests. I WISH IT HAPPENED! I wish no man in the world wanted to fuck you, even despite being lacked sex. STAY SINGLE, ROCHESTER! YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HAPPY BECAUSE YOU CAN’T LOVE AND BE LOYAL!”       Edward turns around sharply and steps a few steps back from Natalia with a wish to leave as soon as possible. Feeling a strong pain after another piece of charges for the betrayal, the girl loses patience and realizes that she cannot hide the truth. She was fighting with herself with the thought that saying something would not make sense. But the blonde eventually gives up and screams with despair and tears in her eyes:       “And you will never know what a girl feels when she GETS THE FUCK ALMOST RAPED!” Natalia grabs her hair sharply and starts breathing heavily. “You, asshole, don’t know what you can feel when you are FELT UP and LICKED AGAINST your wish and then GET NAKED and PHOTOGRAPHED on phones! When you beg to let you go, but your offender slaps you in the face and keeps UNDRESSING you and FEELING you up! To take off his clothes and GET HIS PENIS INTO YOU BY FORCE! You, bastard, will NEVER understand it! Because you are a senseless rat that would not have thought that I could be fucked BY FORCE! You will NEVER understand what I felt! NEVER!”       Natalia’s throat starts hurting, and she is shaking strongly, breathing three times heavier, and stopping to hide tears that are rolling over her cheeks from her wet eyes. This statement definitely gets Edward sober. The man feels like he got an electric shock after he heard the word “rape”. The man sharply stops and stands like a column, looking into the distance with dumbfounded, widely open eyes, getting sharply white and becoming absolutely overwhelmed. But then he turns slowly on Natalia, who starts crying bitterly, pulls her hair out strongly, and nervously walks from one side to another. That’s why the man being overwhelmed swallows up nervously and tries to make himself come closer to the excited blonde, on who he sets his dumbfounded eyes for two more seconds.       “What…” Edward pronounces in a strongly shaking voice. “W-w-what did you say?”       But Edward hears no answer from Natalia, who starts slowly falling into hysteria and stops holding down her emotions, letting herself cry bitterly and strongly shaking because of the memories that give her such a strong pain. At first, the man wants to shake her and make her speak by force, but then he recalls Raquelle’s words and decides to be much softer with the hope that this tactic will work. And a few seconds, Edward decides to come closer to Natalia, who sets her tear-stained gaze aside and embraces herself with her arms.       “Repeat, what you said,” Edward says quietly.       “Nothing,” Natalia throws coldly in a low, hoarse voice. “You wanted to get out. So, get out.”       “I heard everything! You said about the rape, and I want to know what it means.”       “It seemed to you. I didn’t say it.”       “Stop lying to me! You’ve lied so much that you don’t know the truth from a lie.”       “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”       “You do understand it. And I will learn the truth you’re hiding.”       “Do you care about it?” Natalia moves her tear-stained eyes sharply to Edward. “You really care?”       “Yes, I do! And you will explain everything to me right now. Now I will not get off you and will order you to answer my question.”       “Why? You won’t believe me and say I’m a false whore that tries to pretend to be a holy victim!”       “I will not insult you if you explain what your words about the rape mean.”       “I don’t believe you!” Natalia shouts with a loud sob. “YOU’RE LYING, ASSHOLE! LYING!”       “Natalia, please! I really want to know what happened to you. Telling all the truth and explaining the reasons for your disgusting behavior is for your best.”       “Get out, bastard, I’m going to tell you nothing. And those, who should know it, already know everything.”       “So, your friends know everything, but I’m not aware? DO I HAVE TO LEARN EVERYTHING LAST?”       “You’ll never know anything! You don’t need the truth. Because you’ll kill me and your family and own the money with the help of your uncle, who found a wonderful successor. THAT MUST MEET ALL OF HIS EXPECTATIONS!”       “Do not avoid the topic. If you started to speak, be nice to explain it all. Otherwise, I will really decide it’s another lie.”       “Do this, then!” Natalia throws rudely and turns her back sharply on Edward. “The important thing is that my close people believe me and won’t listen to a nasty, greedy bastard, who will definitely wish to slander me for everybody.”       “Do not make me enraged, Rochester. And do not make me use force to get the truth out of you.”       “If you touch me with a finger, you will regret it a lot,” Natalia says coldly, threatening Edward with a finger. “I can stand up for myself and will be protecting myself in all ways from such a nasty bastard like you.”       “You want me to make Raquelle explain it? She does know something, but doesn’t wanna say it! She is covering you so hard and denies any charges against you for the reason!”       “I doubt that she’ll wish to talk to you. And don’t even count on Terrence. He will immediately kick you out of his home if you show up on the doorstep.”       “You can hide the truth as much as you want, but I will find out everything. Everything you refused to explain when I gave you a chance to do it.”       “I will tell you nothing! GET OUT OF HERE, ASSHOLE! I CANNOT SEE YOU!”       “Okay, what do I do for you to explain the meaning of this fucking phrase?” Edward asks quietly, doing his best to control himself and completely understanding he has no right to break down and turn into a demon. “What your fucking words about you ‘almost being raped and photographed on a camera’ mean!”       “Disappear…” Natalia glances down and crosses her arms over her chest, sniffing quietly with wet eyes full of tears. “Get out of my life and let me forget you.”       “Okay, I will do that. But at first, I want to know the truth about what happened to you.”       “You don’t need to know it.”       “I do.”       “Stop pretending that you care. I give a fuck about you – so, you shouldn’t also care about what’s happening to me.”       “If you think I will never know your secrets, you’re deeply wrong. Early or late, I will find out what you hid from me. From anyone: you, Raquelle, Terrence, your parents, or my uncle.”       “I’m taking my words back. You better think I’m a dirty whore than get the honor to know the truth. Only those, who I love, and who LOVE me back, know it. AND SOME GREEDY RATS SHOULD NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED!”       “So, I don’t know everything about that story. And you will tell me what you’re hiding now!”       “No way!”       “Natalia!”       “Get off me, Lockhart!” Natalia throws rudely. “I’m wasting my time on you.”       When Natalia turns sharply and wants to go, Edward quickly catches her and takes her under an arm and by her wrists, saying:       “No, we haven’t ended!”       “Let me go!” Natalia demands rudely and loudly, trying to get out of Edward’s grip. “Let me go, I said! Hear what I say? LET ME THE FUCK GO! LET ME GO, DOG!”       “Until you tell me the truth, you will not go anywhere,” Edward says confidently.       “You, jackass, will regret it if you don’t let me go! I AM SAYING THE LAST TIME, LET ME GO AND GET OUT OF HERE!”       “You can’t be silent ‘till the end of your life! You better make it all clear now, than when it’s too late. Stop lying! I’m sick of the lie! I want to know the TRUTH!”       “SCUMBAG! LET ME GO! HEY! NOW!” Natalia barely sets her hands free and starts beating Edward strongly on everything she sees. “SCUMBAG! ASSHOLE! JACKASS! BASTARD! I HATE YOU! CURSE YOU! CURSE! DIE! DIE!”       Understanding that showing aggression might deprive him of a chance to find out the truth, Edward does not react to Natalia’s attempts to beat him and just tries not to let her hit some vulnerable areas. However, later, he grabs her by the wrists and squeezes them tightly, while she is resisting, trying to get out and still beating this man.       “LET ME GO, BASTARD!” Natalia stresses her vocal cords with tears in her eyes. “LET GO! I WILL TELL YOU NOTHING!”       “I will do,” Edward says quietly. “When you tell everything. Then you can do anything you want. But now I want to hear the truth from you.”       “Stop pretending you care about it!”       “It’s very important to me!”       “You decided to use this truth for your dirty things and talk to your uncle about how to make my life much worse, turning it against me, as it happened once?”       “I want to know the truth!”       “Nothing connects us! You’re nobody for me to try to explain something to you!”       “But I still love you, and you mean very much to me!” Edward says in the same breath.       Natalia gets sharply frozen and stops trying to resist Edward, at whom she sets her red, dumbfounded, tear-stained, widely open eyes.       “Please, Natalia…” Edward pronounces much softer and quieter, looks at Natalia with pity in his eyes, breathing heavily and looking too excited and tense. “I want to know what actually happened. I have a right to know it. You don’t need to do anything more but explain everything.”       “I don’t want,” Natalia blunts, moving her eyes aside. “I want you to choke from anger, greedy, jealousy, and envy.”       “You’re unfair to me.”       “No meaning to come back to that.”       “There is! Since there are hints that there’s something else about the story of the photos, I must know it.”       “Fuck yourself, scumbag!”       “Please, Natalia, I just wanna know the truth. And if you don’t want me to know it from someone else, say it yourself. If some people already know the truth, everybody is gonna know it very soon. Including me.”       Natalia thinks for a few seconds and then exhales sharply, deciding to tell Edward what happened to her. Though, she is not sure the man would believe her, even if he looks like he is starting to believe in the story of the rape.       “Okay…” Natalia pronounces in a low, shaking voice and falls into silence for two seconds to exhale slowly, trying to look into Edward’s eyes at least rarely and make no gestures that would make the man stop believing her. “Something happened five months ago… A few days after we met… Someday I decided to walk somewhere. The time was quite late, and I was an absolute idiot when… When I thought of walking on almost the same street where you and I are now… Empty, dark, and dangerous…”       Natalia swallows up nervously, trying to hold herself down but meeting a failure in it. Nevertheless, she exhales slowly and keeps speaking, no matter how much her voice is shaking, and how it’s horrifying for her to recall that horrible day, which became the reason everything in her life got ruined:       “For the time being, everything was fine, and I was quietly walking in that place… Nothing bad could happen, but…” Natalia starts shaking much stronger, often making very quiet sobs. “But at some moment, a certain man began to accost me… With a big scar on half of the face and terribly horrifying eyes… He was similar to an ugly freak, being with whom got me madly frightened.”       Natalia falls into silence for two seconds to catch a breath, while Edward is listening to her.       “That man began feeling me up and licking me… Invited me to ‘have fun’… He didn’t care that I didn’t want it at all. At some moment, a miracle helped me get out by hitting him in the groin and running as fast as possible…”       Natalia closes her face with a hand for a moment and moves her eyes down, still sobbing quietly.       “I was running for a long time, until I realized I got terribly sick. And then I found a place and stopped to catch my breath. I thought I got off him and wanted to get out of there, but I didn’t…”       Natalia closes her mouth with a hand, understanding that it’s getting harder for her to contain herself and not to fall into a non-controlled hysteria. But the girl understands that she must tell the true story until the end, as she began to speak. Moreover, Edward is closely listening to her and kind of starts believing her, getting more and more nervous and white from horror and looking at her with widely open eyes.       “That man showed up from nowhere… Pinned me to the wall, began to strangle me, scream and threaten that he would kill me… He even beat me with his legs several times ‘cause I tried to scream, ask for help and run… And then… Then he started kissing me, licking me, biting me, and feeling me up by force. I still remember how rude and stubborn he was. How he beat me after every attempt to run and scream. And the disgusting smell from his mouth made me wish to vomit right on his face.” Natalia falls into silence for a few seconds and makes two sobs, but then exhales with a shake and closes her eyes. “That was horrible! I was praying about salvation and begging that he stopped it, but he was just beating me, insulting me, strangling me, closing my mouth with a hand and trying to get his tongue into it and biting everything he saw… First, I resisted it so hard… But at some moment, I realized it was worthless and let him do what he wanted to me, crying quietly and cursing myself for my wish to go to that place.”       It’s getting harder for Natalia to say every word, but she tries to find the strength to keep speaking in a shaking, low voice. Edward sees the girl’s terrible condition and starts to believe in her words, which already got him shocked.       “And when I realized the situation was hopeless and stopped resisting, that man took off my clothes…” Natalia says in a shaking voice, sometimes making quiet sobs. “Got his tongue and fingers into everything, bite me with his teeth… Caressed his penis with my hands… I felt terribly cold and ashamed of standing almost nude in front of the unfamiliar man and his company, and I barely held down my vomit when feeling the touch of his finger. I wanted to scream for help, but I knew… It was worthless… And it led to getting tons of painful hits on my face and stomach… I felt so frightened… Terribly ashamed… So ashamed that I wanted to die…”       Natalia tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and wipes off tears under her eyes, while Edward shakes her head with horror in his eyes, getting much whiter and literally stopping breathing.       “I thought that nightmare would last forever… Well, or before I died or lost consciousness… That man began to take off his pants and suggested his pals do the same, while I… While I was lying on the ground naked and crying from hopelessness… But suddenly, a police car was driving by that place and ruined their plans for the group rape… They decided to get out. But before leaving, my offender slapped me in the face, grabbed me by the hair, and threatened… If someone knew what he wanted to do to me, that man would kill me… Until I said I’d be silent, he didn’t leave me alone and kept screaming and beating me… And he promised to get me out of the ground if I told those policemen everything. Lastly, his pals felt me up and bite everything was possible, and caressed themselves with my hands… I wanted to die of shame when they forced me to caress their dicks… But when the policemen were very close, they left me alone…”       Natalia falls into silence for two seconds and gives a few loud sobs.       “Some time later, a policeman came to me and asked if I was fine, and why I was alone at that place. But since I was terribly afraid to be killed, I was silent about what happened and lied that I got lost… Of course, he didn’t believe me and wanted to drive me to the police station to write a report, but I refused… Then the officer just suggested driving me home, but I asked them to stop at a different place. I’ll never forget how bad I felt for the rest of that day… Nobody treated me like that before. I didn’t think someone would love to rape me someday… Still… Since I decided to be silent, I had to brace myself and pretend that nothing happened…”       By this moment, Natalia falls into the same hysteria that she had on the day when Edward blamed her for cheating. She is terribly shaking, her heart is beating very fast, and she looks terribly white and feels strong weakness in her legs, which is the reason why she can barely stand.       “And I slowly began to forget that nightmare…” Natalia says quietly. “I reconciled with Raquelle and… Started to date you… I was happy, but that event always had me tensed… That’s why it was hard for me to relax and enjoy the happiness I was looking for so long… But one month ago, you went to my home and blamed me for cheating… I didn’t really know why you thought so… But then you took those photos… My nude photos…”       Natalia closes her face with her hands because of shame or horror for some time, sobbing much louder and barely having time to wipe off tears under her eyes, but then sharply exhales and continues speaking in a shaking voice:       “When you showed them, I instantly recognized the man, who almost raped me… I will never forget that face and that scar… The memories of that day got into my head… I wasn’t able to speak… But I was surprised that the photos were taken at such a short distance. I began to reflect on how it could happen. And I didn’t know how you got them…” Natalia makes a sob and sighs heavily. “When that man was harassing me, I paid attention to nothing else… But then it turned out that I forgot… Forgot how the pals of that man took tons of photos and videos… From all positions… There should’ve been much more photos than the bunch you got. They just picked up those, in which I looked like I got pleasure and pleased that man and his pals at my wish… And yeah, that man also threatened to publish the dirt on me on the Internet if I told someone about that case.”       Natalia makes another sob and barely finds the courage to move her eyes to Edward, who shakes his head with horror in his eyes and losses the ability to speak.       “Those photos were fake, Edward!” Natalia exclaims with despair. “That’s the hidden meaning! I don’t know how he found your address. But he definitely wanted to ruin my life and make me remember that nightmare until the end of my life… Decided to break me down… I forgot what peace was and can’t remember when was absolutely relaxed the last time.”       Natalia makes a sob and shakes her head.       “I felt terribly bad. So bad that I really wanted to kill myself. I thought I couldn’t take that tense. I was terribly afraid of being killed and ashamed of the whole world, and made you believe in my betrayal… Call me a prostitute, liar, betrayer… But the thoughts of my parents and close friends helped me put myself together and… Pretend that nothing happened again… Before the day when we two ended up at Terrence and Raquelle’s house… When I wanted to die again… And I would've killed myself if not for those two…”       Natalia shakes her head with tears in her eyes.       “So, here’s the truth…” Natalia whispers. “Why my problems started… If you wanted to know what actually happened, it’s here. And you decide if you believe it or not. I told you everything. I hid nothing.”       For Edward, this story is probably the most shocking one he has ever heard. After listening to the truth, he finally starts realizing he really betrayed Natalia, left her at such a hard time, and insulted the poor girl, who was actually guilty of nothing, for no reason. The man feels a strong disappointment and hatred for himself. He wants the ground to swallow him up, to disappear forever, or actually to die.       Edward getting sharply white and being overwhelmed by what he heard can say no word. At some moment, he hides his face with his hands, claps himself on the forehead, runs his fingers through his hair, and pulls it, nervously walking in circles and looking at everything he sees with widely open eyes. He feels his heart is beating three or four times faster than usual and has discomfort in the chest. As if he cannot breathe… His legs are getting weak, and every muscle in his body is strongly tense. As if he is going to fight with someone. Lockhart needs a few seconds to accept what he heard and make sure it’s the clear truth. But a few seconds later, Edward breaks this awkward silence that settled in the air after Natalia finished her story and kept standing in the same place with her head inclined.       “Oh, shit…” Edward barely pronounces in a low, strongly shaking voice, running his hand through his hair and setting his gaze into the distance. “Shit… I can’t believe it…”       Edward hesitantly moves his dumbfounded eyes to Natalia and shakes his head.       “Holy shit, Natalia… You… You… Were you silent all the time? You made me believe the lie?”       Natalia says nothing and just nods, inclining her head guiltily and embracing herself with her arms.       “But why?” Edward asks, looking at Natalia with dumbfounded eyes. “Why did you say nothing? Why? How could you be silent about almost being raped?”       “I did say…” Natalia makes a quiet sob and finds the courage to look at Edward. “That man said, if someone knew what he wanted to do to me, I’d be killed, and my corpse would be buried somewhere in a wood or given to dogs. His voice was so horrifying and disgusting that I always heard it in my head. It was something like a hallucination. If I thought of trying to share my feelings with someone, his voice immediately stopped me.”       “Now it did?”       “Nope, now I didn’t want to say that because of our relationship. When you showed the photos, I was afraid to speak because of the voice in my head, but when you started insulting and humiliating me for no reason, I just didn’t wanna say anything.”       “Oh, holy shit…” Edward shakes his head, looking at Natalia with pity in his eyes, sharply claps himself on the forehead, and grabs his hair. “I can’t believe you were silent for five months! Five months! You never hinted at almost being raped!”       “I hinted, not once. Nobody just paid attention to the fact that I shook up every time someone talked about violence. One word made me remember that hairy gorilla feeling me up and making me feel like a little girl, who got lost and ended up in a dangerous place.”       “Did you actually tell nobody about that? Nobody knew what happened?”       “I said nothing to anyone for the five months. Terrence and Raquelle became the first ones to discover my secret on the day when you told us about Michael, the inheritance, and your father’s death.”       “And nobody else?” Edward specifies hesitantly, starting to understand why Raquelle openly hinted that she knew something.       “I told Daniel and Anna that you blamed me for cheating and insulted me for nothing,” Natalia confesses, embracing herself with her arms. “But I was silent about the rape ‘cause I wasn’t ready to talk about it. Gonna tell them later. If Raquelle and Terrence don’t speak first…”       “Unbelievable…” Edward shakes his head sharply and closes his mouth with a hand. “Just unbelievable…”       “Now do you understand why everybody supported me? It’s easy. I became a victim, who was almost raped.”       “Wait, wait… So… Are those photos not real? The one, who took them, just framed you and made it look like you cheated on me?”       “Haven’t you realized it yet, huh?” Natalia hums without emotions on her face. “The photos are real. There is me, my own body, my head… No Photoshop… Just a good position, from which a picture seems not what it really is.”       “And didn’t you cheat on me with that freak?”       “I never thought about it.” Natalia steps two steps back from Edward and sets her indifferent gaze into the distance, but then looks at him again. “I was always loyal to you, Edward. I don’t have lots of lovers and don’t work as a prostitute. I don’t speak to the men, who I had dated or just had fun with before you. None of them. And when I dated someone, I never looked at another man as a lover.”       Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which Edward tries to come to himself after what he heard, wishing to be swallowed by the ground in great shame.       “Fuck, what an idiot I am…” Edward whispers, putting his hand on his forehead. “Such an asshole… A brainless asshole that didn’t even want to think of something else but a betrayer!”       Edward tightly grabs his hair with his hands, breathing heavily with dumbfounded eyes.       “Gosh, Natalia, how could you?” Edward wonders, setting his overwhelmed eyes on Natalia. “How could you make me think it was the truth? I can’t believe I considered you a false bitch and dirty whore all this time! But you never denied it and didn’t try to explain anything? You didn’t deserve it! I did insult you for nothing!”       Edward shakes his head, feeling he can barely breathe in and breathe out, as something strongly presses on his chest, his heart is beating crazily, squeezing and bleeding, and his legs can barely hold his weight.       “Fuck, what a jackass I am…” Edward keeps swearing at himself, nervously walking in circles. “Why were my brains turned off? Why did I, idiot, let myself believe in the betrayal and ruin everything? I did know that getting fake photos was possible, but I was so obsessed with evil and believed that you cheated on me! Fuck, what a moron I am… A brainless moron…”       “It’s only my fault, Edward, don’t blame yourself,” Natalia says quietly, setting her wet, dead eyes into the distance. “I messed up everything. I should’ve told you the truth much earlier. When we didn’t date but were just friends. Nothing would’ve happened if I hadn’t listened to that fucking voice and activated the time bomb that was slowly killing me more and more every day.”       “Exactly!” Edward sharply stops and glances at Natalia. “Everything would've been otherwise! If I’d known all the truth, I would’ve done my best to help you forget that case. If you’d wanted, it would’ve stayed between us. But you did say nothing to me and didn’t try to deny it on the day when I began to blame you for cheating and being a prostitute.”       “I swear I wanted to tell you everything on that day, but that voice sounded in my mind again!” Natalia excuses herself desperately. “I had a terrible hysteria. It was hard for me to say something. Even if I wanted to tell you everything, I wouldn’t have done it. It was madly hurtful for me to realize that I could’ve lost you because of my cowardice and silence, but I couldn’t put myself together. And after all those insults, I made much more sure that I’d rather be silent.”       “And let me do that to you! Do a terrible thing that I have never done to any other girl! Why did you let me turn into a beast and not make me give you a chance to calm down and say something to defend yourself? Why did you easily let me start blaming you?”       “I would've been able to say nothing.” Natalia sniffs quietly. “I didn’t wanna tell you everything. I was mad because of your insults and false charges and… Doubted that you’d believe me. Though, I had no right to be mad ‘cause… I did provoke the conflict.”       “But…” Edward hesitantly comes to Natalia, still looking at her with true pity. “You should’ve known that silence would lead to nothing good.”       “I did. And as you understood, I cursed myself for bringing everything to our breakup.”       “But you could’ve tried to say it! That’s what made me sober and forget about my wish to humiliate you.”       “You were in such an exciting condition that you could’ve easily killed me… Or raped me. Like that man almost did it.”       “No, Natalia, you should wish to kill me. Because of my belief in the lie, I was out of my mind. Because of my strong hate for lies, I let myself go SO far! You’re not a betrayer. I am.”       “I’ve never wanted to kill you.” Natalia comes to Edward and looks at him with pity in her eyes. “Yes, I hate you because you did a disgusting thing to me and insulted you for no reason. But even having a strong wish to strangle you, I can’t do this because I’m not a killer. I am a terrible coward. I didn’t even find the courage to forget about my fear of the voice of that man that I would hardly meet and tell someone what happened to me. But instead, I obeyed the will of that stinker and decided to be silent, hoping I wouldn’t be killed and ashamed of the whole world. And here’s what the silence eventually led to – our breakup. That I didn’t want at all. I didn’t wanna break up with you and never thought about it.”       “But how could you have this endurance and be silent for five months? How much were you supposed to be terrified that you got stuck and tried not to show that one bastard tried to rape you and decided to frame you with the photos?”       “I said you got in touch with a terrible coward that pretended to be sassy,” Natalia replies quietly, moving her eyes down. “I do seem to be fearless and sassy. Actually, I’m a thousand times more cowardly than a bunny… I’m surprised I didn’t die from a heart attack on the day of the rape attempt. I guess a miracle saved me from not dropping dead right there.”       “You wanted to die then… But I wanna die now… I… I can’t show up to someone after I found out this truth. My mental health is so weak because of what’s happening in my life, but…” Edward shakes his head with half-wet eyes. “It’s too much…”       “No, no, don’t dare to make Peter’s mistake!” Natalia jabs loudly, excitedly, moving her dumbfounded, widely open eyes to Edward. “Don’t even dare to think about it, hear me! Don’t dare!”       “Peter has many close people that love him and wanna see him alive,” Edward shrugs without emotions. “But I lost all my close people. Because of the mistakes I’ve made. Even though everybody understood many things wrongly, I’m by far not holy and have done many things, because of which I can’t be called innocent.”       “But it’s not too late to fix everything!”       “No, Natalia, I can’t change anything,” Edward replies in a quiet, shaking voice. “I lost the trust of all my close people! And I’m ashamed of showing up to those, to whom I said many bad things… It’s too late to ask my friend, his mother, his fiancée, and those, who think I’m a bastard, for forgiveness.”       “If you reject the inheritance, explain that you’re very sorry about what you did, and prove that your family is more important to you, the people will change their point of view. If you didn’t sink your teeth into the money, nobody would’ve thought you had the plan to rob your own family.”       “Everything isn’t so easy, get it! Even if I refuse to fight for my inheritance, Uncle Michael won’t give up on the idea of killing all of us. That man is obsessed with this idea and wanna revenge on my father for living in the world. That bastard already got Father out of his way, and he’ll deal with Terrence, his mother, and me next. By killing all of us, he will be the only applicant for my father’s inheritance and be able to get documents that will let him get access to the bank account and own the shipbuilding company.”       “Just reject the inheritance and stop this fight! No matter if your uncle refuses to kill the MacClifes or not. Just do it for your family and prove that you love them, and money doesn’t matter to you. Go to the police and report that stinker. So, you can let everybody know that your family is wrong. Because they thought… My charges were true…” Natalia shakes her head, looking at Edward with pity in her eyes. “Leave this fight, Edward. It doesn’t make sense.”       “But I don’t want that man to use what will never belong to him. The inheritance belongs to me by law, and I don’t wanna give it to another man. Though, I understand that the continuation of this fight will deprive me of a chance to reconcile with my close people. If I choose one thing, I shall lose another.”       “Do you really care who the money belongs to?”       “I just wanted everything to be fair. And…” Edward moves his eyes aside and swallows up nervously. “Maybe, the people are kind of right that… I wanna show off and become a hero. Maybe, a worthless one, but a hero. I wanted to do something to hear praise. To be the pride of someone… I… Never heard anything like that when being a kid… And then I got a chance…”       “So, you got it?”       “Nope. I messed up everything… Ruined my relationship with those I had been looking for for so many years… And I heard no hint of praise or the fact that I did it right.”       “You will not get it. Because it’s not what people should thank you for.”       “I know… But there is no way back now. If I started this story, I have to end it. I don’t know how. But I got in trouble. And I will have to fight with Uncle until the end.”       “Is he blackmailing you? Maybe, there is something that Michael knows, but you don’t wanna say it to anyone? What if there’s a secret that you’re hiding?”       Edward opens his eyes widely and struggles with the wish to say that Michael forces him to commit the murder of Terrence. But the man decides to be silent, inclining his head guiltily, swallowing up nervously, and exhaling heavily but slowly.       “Okay, if you don’t wanna say it, I don’t make you,” Natalia says quietly, moving her eyes to her hands bent at her elbows. “You don’t have to tell me anything, ‘cause we’re nobody. Maybe, there will be another person, whom you’ll wish to tell everything. But it won’t be me.”       “I don’t think so,” Edward replies hesitantly and falls into silence for two seconds. “Maybe, we broke up, but you still mean very much to me. I did care about this story of the betrayal and was mad… Mad because I was hurt and terribly jealous.”       “I get it,” Natalia cracks a smile. “If someone showed me photos of you kissing and hugging another girl, I’d go crazy from jealousy and be ready to kill you and her.”       “Anyway, I’m very sorry about what happened. My fault is so serious that I could hardly make amends. I’ve said so much that it will never be forgotten. But if there is something that could help me make amends, I’m ready to do it.”       Although it’s a pleasure for Natalia to hear these words, she does not show her real feelings and smiles just to be gentle. But her attitude toward Edward gets much softer because the girl no longer covers her refusal to tell him the truth with aggression.       “You know, Edward…” Natalia pronounces hesitantly, looking at her hands or at Edward, and falls into silence for two seconds. “Maybe, I’m still mad at you, but… I want to try to show you the right track.”       “Really?” Edward opens his eyes wider. “You really wanna help me?”       “Yup… Well, despite what happened between us, there were many very good moments that I’ll always remember with a smile on my face. There are things I will always be grateful to you for. Get mad or not, I can’t forget what made me feel happy and relaxed. Just a little bit.”       “Even though I insulted and humiliated you for nothing?”       “If you let me help, I’ll do anything I can to help you find yourself. And make amends for making you suffer, hate me, and believe I allegedly betrayed you.”       “Actually, I should make amends for you…” Edward inclines his head guiltily and looks at Natalia hesitantly, swallowing up nervously. “Because I blamed you for cheating and called you a whore that… Allegedly slept with all men.”       “Still, we can take the first step to recovering our relationship. If you want it, of course…”       “Would you let me do everything to make amends?”       “I’m ready to give you a chance if you want it,” Natalia replies softly with a shy smile, looking at Edward a little hesitantly.       Edward also smiles, but does it to be gentle. Natalia keeps sobbing with a slight smile, and her eyes became wet and red from tears. Despite a fear of looking into the man’s eyes, the girl tries not to look aside. While she feels relief after finding the courage to tell the truth, the man cannot quietly look at the white, scared blonde with tear-stained eyes and a guilty gaze, who is still shaking strongly.       Natalia and Edward look at each other guiltily for a few seconds. They understand that they cannot see their close person so unhappy and tear-stained. In the end, they take each other in a tight hug. While the man hugs her around the shoulder with one arm and presses the blonde to himself and keeps another hand on her back, one of her hands is placed between the man’s scapula, and a second one is holding the nape of his neck. The girl snuggles her face into Lockhart’s shoulder, on which she also puts her head. A little later, she gets obsessed with strong emotions, which make her start crying bitterly. However, her former boyfriend also feels his eyes get quite wet. Anyway, this hug becomes really wanted to them. It’s like a breath of air they needed so badly. At heart, every one of them wanted to press close to the close person and feel the warmth that warms them up nicely and the calm that helps them breathe in with relief.       Probably, this is the first time in a while when Natalia felt relief and smiled much wider. Despite the offense, the girl does not even think of rejecting this hug and has the pleasure of hugging this man, to whom she is still attracted. She feels calmed and relaxed in a strong but madly tender hug from her ex-boyfriend, who is pressing her to his chest and tightly holding her with both arms, sharing the warmth that is still living inside him. She does not want to let this man go so badly and prays that this hug lasts as long as possible.       Edward feels the same great relief when finding himself in Natalia’s hug and pressing her to his body, which is shaking from too strong anxiety. From the realization that he made one of the greatest mistakes and ruined what was so important to him. A sense of fault is literally eating him inside, and his heart is squeezing badly when he hears the girl crying on his shoulder quietly but bitterly. Because of the strong, excitement, it’s even hard for him to breathe. He really wants the ground to swallow him up and starts hating himself and cursing everything in the world.       “Holy shit, what did I do?” Edward gets horrified with widely open eyes, tightly hugging Natalia, tenderly caressing her head and back with his hands, while she starts crying more bitterly and running his fingers through her hair, and raises his head to the gray sky. “The fault for our breakup is on me! I was insulting, humiliating, and hating Natalia all this time! She is guilty of nothing and didn’t cheat on me! Fuck, what an asshole I am… An absolute moron that messed up everything…”       Edward sniffs quietly and snuggles his nose in the top of Natalia’s head, while his fingers tenderly stroke her hair, and she gives more and more sobs, hugging him much tighter than before and pressing herself as close to his body that is full of the madly nice warmth as possible.       “Is this another punishment for meddling in the fight for the inheritance and might betray my close people? No, no, it’s too cruel! I’m ready to accept the fact that I have no cent, no job, no home. But I can’t lose the people that I truly love. I can’t! Neither my close people nor the girl that I madly love…”       At some moment, Edward glances at Natalia, who is enjoying this strong but tender hug but shakes strongly and can barely stand on her feet.       “I can’t believe I called her a betrayer, being terribly mad and jealous over her and that man,” Edward thinks with horror in his eyes, caresses Natalia’s head tenderly, kisses her on the top of her head, and snuggles his nose in it. “But it was someone’s lie that I believed. Fuck, I’m a real bastard that is ruining his life and depriving himself of some hope for the best! I wasted my life on nobody the fuck knows what, and now it got much worse than ever! My family considers me a greedy rat, that old bastard Michael wanna turn me against Terrence, and one scumbag framed Natalia and made me believe in her betrayal and leave her. It’s not the life I dreamed about…”       Edward raises his head to the sky for two seconds, closes tightly his eyes, in which there are so many tears that some of them start rolling over his cheeks, and makes a very slow, shaking sigh.       “I wish nobody else suffered…” Edward begs with pity in his eyes, putting his forehead on the top of the head of Natalia, squeezing her in his hug tighter, and putting one of his hands on her cheek, while she runs her shaking hands over his back. “Please, God, don’t let it happen… I won’t take it if that asshole harms someone else. You better point all those lightning strikes at me and make me suffer. I’m the only one to pay for everything that happened. If it should happen, I’m even ready to die or kill and go to prison ‘till the end of my life. I’m ready to pay for everything, no matter how high the cost is. Take it out on me! For my close people, I’ll take anything and sacrifice myself.”       No matter how much Edward would like to cry bitterly, he understands he cannot let himself break down and must stay strong and brave. Especially now, when he has a too heavy burden on his shoulders. Besides, the piece of news about his ex-sweetheart, who was almost raped, made him feel much worse.       Some time later, Natalia and Edward step away slowly and look at each other hesitantly, calming down but still shaking slightly and wiping off tears under their eyes. The two feel kind of shy because of this kind of tenderness, but they kind of get a little better. The awkward silence settles in the air for a few seconds, which the girl breaks very quietly and guiltily, raising her eyes to the man or moving them to her hands bent at her elbows:       “I’m very sorry that you had to think I cheated and betrayed you. I didn’t want this result and didn’t think it would lead to that.”       “But I’m madly sorry for making you suffer,” Edward replies guiltily with pity in his eyes. “And for insulting you so cruelly and making you a horrible girl for everyone all this time.”       “I know I should’ve told you everything earlier. I swear I wanted to do it, but I… I… I was madly afraid that the man would kill me or publish the photos on a porno site, giving me dirty fame and getting me ashamed of those I know.”       “Please, Natalia, stop excusing yourself.” Edward softly grabs Natalia’s face and caresses her cheeks tenderly, while she looks at him hesitantly with tear-stained eyes. “I understood everything and know you’re guilty of nothing.”       “I completely understand the feelings you had to experience. But I'm a coward. A terrible coward. I put my tail between my legs and was silent for almost six months.”       “The most important thing is that you actually explained it. And let me know that the bastard had actually tried to rape you before we started to date.”       “Did you believe me so easily?” Natalia wonders, shaking her head. I thought you’d think the truth was a lie and insult me much more.”       “I believe you,” Edward replies confidently, grabbing Natalia softly by the shoulders. “Now I feel you’re telling me the truth and not trying to lie.”       “No, no, I told you everything.”       “I know. I should’ve paid attention to your condition after you saw those photos. I should’ve done my best to calm you down. Everything would’ve been otherwise if I hadn’t let me turn into a psycho and start to treat you like shit.”       “Oh…” Natalia sighs heavily and glances down. “It’s late to regret it… What happened is happened.”       “Well…” Edward bites his lip slightly, fingering over nervously. “What now? What do we do?”       Natalia says nothing and glances aside, but she glances at Edward hesitantly a few seconds later.       “Erm, if you want, we can go to my home and talk about everything,” Natalia suggests quietly. “To decide what to do…”       “Yeah…” Edward pronounces hesitantly. “I think it would be better…”       “We should talk about much. And… I’d like to try to understand why your uncle decided to defeat me, even if I’m not a member of your family.”       “Sure… You’re right… If you have questions, I’ll answer them.”       “Okay. Let’s go, then. Walk to the center of the city and then reach for my home.”       “I’m in my car. We can go in it.”       “Well, it’d be much better, then.”       “Okay, let’s go…”       Natalia nods, turns around with her eyes down, and goes to where Edward points at. He hugs hesitantly her around the shoulders and presses her to himself tenderly. The girl does not mind it and is glad to hug her ex-boyfriend again, who gave her pain but still remains her close man. However, Edward and Natalia do not come to the man’s car because someone calls Lockhart some time later in a very low, loud, and disgusting voice:       “Hey, kid, come to me with that gal!”       Natalia and Edward turn sharply to the side from where this voice sounded and see how a company of five men wearing black clothes and having a very unpleasant, rude, and horrible appearance is coming to them. Some of them are wearing dark glasses, and one of them is hiding his hair with the hood of the hoodie that is put underneath a leather jacket. One of them is going ahead and kind of leading his friends, who obey him immediately.       “Oh, shit!” Edward resents, recognizing those people and understanding that it might lead to something bad.       Seeing those horrible men, Natalia’s breath gets heavier, her heartbeat gets faster, and she feels that her legs getting weak though they can barely hold her.       “Calm down, Natalia, calm down,” Edward says softly, grabbing Natalia tightly with a second arm and does not let her fall, while she looks at the company of the horrible men coming here confidently. “They won’t hurt you.”       “Holy shit…” Natalia pronounces in a shaking voice with dumbfounded eyes. “Did your uncle tell them to watch one of us?”       “I dunno, but those bastards are really from his gang.”       “Oh, my gosh, my gosh…” Natalia closes her mouth with a hand with horror in her eyes. “I’m afraid… I’m so scared… I have a very bad presentiment…”       “It’s gonna be okay, don’t worry,” Edward promises, hugging Natalia tightly and pressing her to himself. “I promise, I won’t those people do anything to you.”       “No, no, I don’t believe it, I don’t…”       “Sh-h-h, don’t be afraid, I won’t let them hurt you.” Edward caresses Natalia’s head tenderly and presses the girl much closer to himself. “Nothing will happen to you.”       While Natalia’s fear is getting stronger, her legs are getting weaker and refusing to obey her, and she is shaking as well as a bunny in front of a wolf, the company of the suspicious men is getting closer to her and Edward, who is trying to calm the girl down and getting ready for the worst. But even her ex-boyfriend’s confidence that nothing would happen to her gives the girl no hope that it will stay safe and sound after what might happen to them right now.