The Secrets Hidden In The Scars

      Two days later. In one of the hospitals in New York, everybody is working hard. It’s about twelve o'clock. Helene is now in the office of Lewis Todd, who is trying to recover Peter. The girl is really worried about the condition of her friend and is afraid to hear that the man will be forced to turn off the machines. However, that’s what Lewis is getting Helene ready for slowly but rightly, having no hope for the best but trying to do his best to help the young guy.       “Sadly, the condition of Peter has not changed in the past few days,” Lewis says with sadness in his eyes, wrapping his glasses in his hands and sitting on his working table. “Of course, he wakes up from time to time and even tries to say and do something, but his consciousness is unclear enough…”       “And what did he try to say?” Helene asks, sitting on the chair in front of Lewis and looking at the doctor with pity in her eyes.       “Hard to say. Something unclear. But that guy often pronounces involuntary sounds. I don’t know… Maybe, he is trying to call someone or something like that.”       “But is there hope that he will survive?”       “Honestly, the doctors are losing hope for a happy end every day.”       “But why?” Helene wonders, opening her wet eyes widely. “Can you do nothing? People can survive in much harder cases! Someone may stay in a coma for a long time and then recover successfully. Maybe, it takes a lot of time, but they come back to a normal life.”       “Believe me, Ms. Marshall, we are doing our best, but Peter’s condition does not get better.”       “But what about the blood transfusion? You asked me to give off blood for the second time, and I did it. You said it would help him.”       “Actually, I never said it would save him. Yes, maybe, he is no longer under the threat of dying from massive blood loss. But his condition may lead to death at any time.”       “The problem is my blood? Or him?”       “No, no, your blood perfectly fit him, and his organism accepted it well. He could have gotten well after a blood transfusion. Peter is quite healthy and strong and could have gotten well. But the situation got worse because one of the doctors made serious mistakes that led to blood poisoning in his organism during the second blood transfusion.”       “Blood poisoning?” Helene opens her eyes widely.       “Yes. The doctor violated the safety and was committing that procedure in unsterile conditions. Though, during any kind of surgery, it’s very important to follow it. Of course, we could excuse it with the fact that he has been working in our hospital for a little time. But he was supposed to be taught that safety and sterility were very important.”       “As far as I know, many cases of blood poisoning bring people to death.”       “Correct. If you don’t go to a doctor just in time, you either have to get long therapy or just die.”       “So, is the same waiting for Peter?”       “We are doing our best to struggle with the infection thanks to necessary cures. Watching closely his body temperature, blood pressure, and heartbeat. Because of the infection, his organism is poisoned now. The poison spread all over his body and harms all organs.”       “My gosh…” Helene shakes her head with her eyes that are wet from tears. “So, is there no hope? Can we get ready for the funeral?”       “Well, talking about the funeral is too early yet,” Lewis replies thoughtfully and quietly. “We are giving Peter all the necessary antibacterial cures and closely watching his condition. We will wait for some time and see if something changes. Yes, I don’t say the doctors have no hope that he will get well. We do. But it’s very small. So, you must be ready that one wrong step may cause your friend’s death.”       “I understand…” Helene pronounces and sniffs quietly, closing her mouth with a hand. “But I’m terribly afraid to think of his death. He’s too young to die! He’s only twenty-five!”       “I promise, while the doctors can support the life of your friend, we will be fighting for his life,” Lewis promises confidently. “Even having no hope, I never refuse to fight for the lives of my patients until the end. There were cases when relatives of my patients literally begged me to let them die because everything seemed hopeless. But I did not succumb to them, and I was fighting for their lives. And a miracle happened in many of the cases.”       “So, are you quickly losing hope to save Peter because of that doctor? Because he got his blood infected!”       “Don’t worry, that doctor already has a claim and has been suspended from his duty to take care of your friend. We got one of the best doctors, who has brought many people back from another world. He is much more experienced than me and now tells the doctors what to do and regularly watches the state of Mr. Rose.”       “I still can’t understand why Peter didn't value his life so much that he was ready to lose it. Yes, he had a hard childhood and teenage period, many people disliked him, and he had failures in love relationships. But it’s not the reason to bring yourself to the corner, harm yourself consciously, and plan your death.”       “Ah, Ms. Marshall…” Lewis sighs heavily, looking at Helene with sadness in her eyes. “Unfortunately, many people don’t value the lives they were given by God. Not many of them understand that life is not a toy. We can’t easily play with fire because it would lead to a catastrophe early or late. If a person wants to deprive themselves of life, they will hardly get a chance to come back from the dead. Yes, there are cases when people get clinically dead and survive. But if someone dies biologically, they cannot be brought back in any way. Neither money, love, tears, nor begs to all Gods.”       “I know…” Helene sighs heavily and runs her hand through her hair, leaning on the table with her elbow. “But I can’t understand… Peter has got so many friends that would support him. Why didn’t he want to trust someone, tell us everything, and ask for help? Why did he bring everything to this catastrophe?”       “You know, when the nurse took you for the examination after I announced the results of the test, I talked to your friends,” Lewis says thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “First, I told them why they weren’t able to give blood, and then we started a talk about the reasons for that act.”       “Really?”       “I have two high educations and am a psychologist thanks to one of them. I know people very well and can see a lot by just looking at someone's face. And after talking to your friends a little, I suddenly wondered why Peter had tried to kill himself.”       “And what did my friends tell you?”       “Well, judging what all the three knew, I made a conclusion that Peter wasn’t open to you,” Lewis confesses thoughtfully. “I noticed that they just thought they knew everything about that guy, but Mr. Rose was actually hiding very much.”       “Actually, we know it. Peter was kind of open, friendly, and funny, but kind of hid something.”       “And I believe the reason for the self-harming and the suicide attempt may not be hidden in the school issues.”       “What?” Helene looks at Lewis surprisingly. “Why do you think so?”       “I don’t mean it. There may be several reasons. As your friends said, Peter suffered because of his terrible relationship with his schoolmates and regular bullying. And judging from Ms. Taylor’s assumption about his mother being an alcoholic, that guy could lack attention and love. As I understand, he did not have a father as well as brothers and sisters.”       “It’s the most possible reason. We’re sure he still remembers that and believes what they said about him.”       “Maybe. But there’s something else. For example, he may also be worried about his love relationships with girls. He may be hurt by the fact that his friends have sweethearts, while he does not. I don’t exclude that Peter could take mockeries of his friends too hard, but he kept his pain inside. For example, Mr. Perkins confessed he often laughed at him and pressed on the hurt area.”       “So, do you want to say Peter could kill himself because he didn’t have a girlfriend?” Helene arches her eyebrows amazingly.       “Likely. Early or late, he will wish for someone to be by his side. I think Peter already wants it, but it’s clear his relationships with girls are kind of bad.”       “But he does not want it. He could’ve gotten many girlfriends, but he rejects everyone. No problems with communicating with them friendly, but when girls start hinting that they want something more, Peter literally runs.”       “Yes, your friends told me. And I don’t also exclude that a one-sided love could be the one to blame. There is possibly a girl, who he is secretly in love with, but he doesn’t want or is afraid to say it to her.”       “One-sided love…” Helene gets quite nervous, shifting in the chair.       “The reason why he is hiding it may be different. Maybe, he got hurt somehow and is afraid to experience the same again. Or maybe, that guy is just insecure and believes he does not deserve a girl. If Peter finds himself ugly and talentless and is sure nobody needs him, he is afraid that the girl he likes may reject him.”       “All of us told him it wasn’t the truth. Peter is a wonderful man. Kind, honest, caring… And very attractive. Girls would hardly pay attention to him if he wasn’t handsome. And after getting to know him better, someone could see what he was inside. I’m well aware of how Peter is wonderful outside and inside.”       “I think your friend doesn’t just understand it. If your friends said he was always hurt, insulted, and humiliated, he probably started to believe it and does not still believe he is not so bad. All of it is one of the possible reasons why Peter dooms himself to loneliness. If he were confident, everything would be otherwise. He needs someone to make him believe he is better than he thinks.”       “I know,” Helene pronounces quietly, slightly shaking her leg, knocking at the table with her fingers, and setting her gaze into the distance. “I could try to help him and do something that would make him happy. If there is a girl he loves, I could find her and do something for him to confess his feelings to her. If she is also not indifferent to him, they could try to date.”       Helene says it very quietly, looking at her hands with sad eyes and looking tense enough. Lewis notices it and closely looks at the girl, who does not even look at him at this moment.       “Ms. Marshall, excuse me for this question, but tell me, please, do you actually feel amicable feelings for Peter?” Lewis asks carefully. “Or something more?”       This question makes Helene awkward. She looks at Lewis with little scared eyes running from one side to another and swallows up nervously.       “Listen, miss…” Lewis says softly, folding his hands on the table. “I completely understand that it’s probably hard for you to talk about it, or you have not figured out your feelings yet. But I think the way you treat that guy is not quite friendly. You are too worried about him. As Ms. Taylor said, you are literally ready to leave everything and become his babysitter.”       “Erm…” Helene pronounces hesitantly, looking at anything but Lewis, gets a little white from the excitement, and bites her bottom lip. “Excuse me, Mr. Todd… But I don’t understand what you are talking about.”       “Your friends have been suspecting that you have something for that guy. They told me about it when the nurse had taken you away. Those people see that you are worried about Peter much more than they are. I’d say you kind of shake after every little piece of bad news related to that man. Yes, Peter is very close to you, and you are afraid to lose him, I understand it. But it doesn’t look like friendship. You are really ready to leave everything for Mr. Rose.”       “I wish Peter only the best. My heart is tearing apart from thinking he is by far not fine. It’s hurtful for me to see this man like this. I want to see the true smile on his face, hear his loud, happy laugh, want to know he does what gives him pleasure… I want that guy to be happy and find someone to make him feel better. He deserves the best and shouldn’t suffer from loneliness and insecurity.”       “Well, I can say nothing about Peter, even if your friends suspect that he could feel something for you. But everything is literally written on your face. You are a young, sympathetic girl and could get attention from men on you. But instead of paying attention to someone and trying to speak to a guy, you think only of Peter. Your world goes only around him. Ms. Taylor noticed it, and she finds only one explanation for your addiction to him and your refusal to pay attention to someone else. She said many guys paid the attention to you, but you ignored it. As well as Peter refuses to get closer to girls.”       “I don’t deny it.” Helene sighs heavily, glances at Lewis hesitantly, and looks at him with sadness in her eyes. “I don’t really care about other men. I communicate with many people: someone is my colleague, and someone is just my familiar. But I have no feelings for them. Peter is the only one to make my heart tremble. And the only one I care and worry about much more than someone else.”       “That’s what I mean.” Lewis quickly clears his throat. “You confess that you are attracted to that guy and reject the attention of other men because of it. I don’t know, maybe, you hope that Peter will answer your feelings someday… Or, maybe, it’s some kind of addiction. Sometimes you may be so attracted to someone that other people don’t exist for you. No matter if you are despised, unnoticed, or getting pushed, you are addicted and do not want to fight with it.”       “But I don’t think it’s an addiction. Peter and I have always been very close. We have the pleasure of spending time together. He’s never made me feel terrible and has always surrounded me with love and care. I’ve also done my best for him to feel good with me. Why should I find it an addiction if I feel very good with that man?”       “But if you don’t wean yourself from this addiction, you will hardly have a good personal life. You will not meet and love a man, will not get married, will not give birth to children, and will not educate your grandchildren… If you want to get happier, you must struggle with it. You must not get yourself attracted to someone and reject the attention of others because of it. You must not spend all your attention on someone and forget about your wishes.”       “Undoubtedly, I want to get married and give birth to a child. But I don’t rush with it. I want to make this decision consciously, when I’m sure I have a man, except who I need nobody.”       “I don’t rush you with marriage and motherhood. I just want to tell you that if you don’t stop being so worried about Peter, you will hardly get happy. And if he starts dating another girl, and you, being in love with him, have to watch them and suffer because your friend looks at her with a tender, ogle gaze. Do you understand what kind of pain is that?”       “I understand,” Helene sighs heavily. “I understand everything. I know I’d be kind of happy for him, but kind of start crying all day long and being terribly jealous of him hugging and kissing another girl. But I don’t want to ruin his happiness, and I will not. Moreover, I will even be ready to help him with a relationship with a girl. I’m ready for anything to see him happy.”       “Well, maybe, that guy will be happy. But trust me, it will give you no happiness. So, if you don’t want to stay alone until the end of your life and cry bitterly because of Peter dating another girl, you should do something.”       “And what do you suggest? Will you say I should tell Peter about my feelings, as Jessica did?”       “By the way, what do you feel when being next to him?”       “Well…” Helene bites her lip slightly and tightly squeezes the belts of her purse placed on her laps. “On the one hand, I feel happy with that man and want to see him every day. I want to smile and laugh after I just look at him. And I love the way he hugs me.”       “And on the other hand?”       “On the other hand, I’m a little nervous and even afraid. No, I’m sure that Peter wouldn’t dare to scream at me and do something bad. Just… I just may get so excited that I sometimes feel I have dizziness and weakness in my legs. Sometimes I get a wish to run away somewhere to calm down and not to let my heart stop or jump out of my chest…”       “So…” Lewis smiles slightly, nodding confidently. “Your friends were right. You are really not indifferent to Peter. What you described is quite a possible reason for a crush.”       “I think there’s no meaning to deny it,” Helene shrugs. “I’m in love with Peter. Everybody noticed it, but I denied it until the end. Though, Jessica got what she wanted and heard what everybody had guessed a long time ago.”       “And how long have you been in love with that guy?”       “Actually, I’ve known Peter for three years… Jessica acquainted us. We got on well quickly and often spent time all together. But I liked the moments when Pete and I got to know each other better and began going out somewhere together. I’ve always had the pleasure of spending time with him, and I could even miss a workday just to spend two hours with him. The longer we knew each other, the more he seemed kind, funny, decent, and interesting to me. I didn’t realize how I started feeling something more for him. At first, I ignored it, but the feelings were getting stronger. Even not seeing him for one day was very hard for me, even if I made myself stop thinking of it to do my business. However, it was unbearable. I could say I literally lost my sleep and appetite because of a strong wish to see Peter.”       “Three years?” Lewis frowns slightly, looking at Helene a little surprisingly. “So, have you had feelings for that guy for three years?”       “No, no, I didn't get the feelings three years ago,” Helene replies quietly. “It started one and a half years ago, if I’m not mistaken…”       “That’s how…” Lewis pronounces with sadness in his eyes. “A long term, as well… And have you suffered from your feelings for one and a half years?”       “People often say love might come to you at any time, even when you don’t expect it.” Helene sighs heavily and looks around the whole office. “It happened to me… But now, I can’t say what that is: just a crush or real love. But the fact that I literally can’t live without Peter is clear.”       “I doubt you may have a crush for one and a half years,” Lewis assumes thoughtfully. “This feeling usually, suddenly starts and fades away in the same way. If it was something passing, you would’ve forgotten it a long time ago and kept speaking to that guy as if nothing happened. But… Who knows… People say love remains alive for three years… Maybe, now, it’s early to say it’s real love. But it can hardly be called a passing infatuation. In my opinion. If you feel so good with that man and love him for his care, tenderness and attention, I could hardly say you are sexually attracted to him.”       “Well…” Helene pronounces shyly. “I have a crush on his appearance, as well… I find him a very attractive man. But as you said, I love Peter for his care, tenderness, and attention. I can always count on him, knowing he wouldn’t refuse and would always listen and help. I’m sure his shoulder is trustful…”       Helene sighs heavily and inclines her head, moving her eyes to her hands.       “For such a trustful man, I’d do anything,” Helene confesses quietly. “I will die if that man is not by my side. No friends will save me from depression if I lose him. No matter how: he dies or just ends our friendship for some reason.”       “Say honestly, are you afraid this feeling may be one-sided?” Lewis asks quietly.       “Oh…” Helene leans on the table with her elbow and on her hand with her chin. “What do you think, doctor?”       “I understand. And it happens that Peter knows nothing about your feelings and doesn’t guess you’re in love with him?”       “I’d better burn from shame than tell him about it,” Helene replies in a little shaking voice. “Peter will never know what I feel for him. He will not know I’m struggling with a wish to kiss him and show a different sort of love.”       “Bad, Ms. Marshall, very bad,” Lewis shakes his head in disapproval. “I understand you’re afraid to be rejected and lose friendship with that man. But I would advise you to try to do it.”       “No, Mr. Todd, I will not do it,” Helene shakes her head sharply. “I’d rather keep being his friend and hide my feelings than tell what will end our friendship forever.”       “Bad then. If you want to do it later, it will be too late. You will be crying your eyes out if he starts dating another girl. And even if you make the confession of love later, Peter may reject it because he loves the one he chooses.”       “He will reject me anyway because he considers me just a friend.” Helene sniffs quietly. “I’ve got nothing to lose.”       “So, are you going to suffer all your life from the love for him and reject the attention of other men that would love to be with you? Want to doom yourself to suffering, tears, and depression?”       “It’s alright, I will overcome it.” Helene shakes her head and sighs heavily. “Moreover, I will probably not need it soon. If you say Peter has a little chance to survive, I doubt I will be able to tell him about it. I will have to accept the fact that I will never be with Peter as his girlfriend, as I often imagine it in my dreams.”       “You know…” Lewis pronounces thoughtfully, looking at Helene with sadness and stroking his chin. “Sometimes I think when people are unconscious or in a coma, they may hear everything people near them say.”       “What do you mean?” Helene opens her eyes widely. “How could they hear something if they are unconscious?”       “I know many cases when someone talked to an unconscious patient, who confessed that they heard someone’s voices and followed their sound after walking up.”       “Do you think if someone talks to Peter, he may survive?”       “At least, he’d feel the pretense of someone, who means a lot to him. But trust me, I have seen that and know sometimes talks and a pretense of someone might do real miracles.”       “Which I believe in less and less every day…” Helene says in a lower voice.       “Don’t say it, Ms. Marshall. Let’s go to his room, so you talk to him for two minutes.”       “To his room?” Helene moves her widely open eyes to Lewis. “Will you let me in?”       “I think I can let you visit him. But for a few minutes. Actually, nobody should go to Peter’s room because his condition is very hard, and the situation is harder because of blood poisoning. But you can stay with him for two minutes.”       “I would be very happy to see him,” Helene replies with sadness in her eyes.       “So, in this case, we can go to his room together. I wanted to check his condition and the indicators on the machines. Now he needs very close attention.”       “I agree. I promise I will leave after you tell me to do it.”       “Good.” Lewis slowly gets up from the table. “Follow me then.”       Helene gets up from the chair, takes her purse, places the belt above her shoulder, and follows Lewis. While the girl goes with the doctor, she thinks about everything he said to her and makes much more sure that he is getting her ready for the worst.       After going down a long hall of the hospital by offices, rooms, and people standing near them, Lewis brings Helene to the room under the number “767”. On the special white surface, from which any signatures may be erased, there are not only the numbers but also the line “Peter Jackson Rose, 25.” The doctor stops in front of the closed room and makes a gesture to let Helene in. While the white, shaking girl comes to the door hesitantly, opens it, and comes into the room, Lewis stays in the hall and decides to see how many machines, on which Rose is turned, would behave. He crosses his arms over his chest and starts watching his patient through the window, which can be closed with white shutters.       Helene, being a little scared and very excited, carefully comes to the bed, on which the alive or dead blond is lying. The wheat-blond hair color literally merges with the pale skin of his face with no emotion. Peter’s eyes are tightly closed, there is an oxygen mask on his face, his arms are pressed to his body, and his wrists are wrapped in white bandages. Needles and little tubes, thanks to which his organism gets the necessary medicines, are put in the curves of his arms, and some sensors and cables are turned to his chest.       Helene is holding on bravely and finds the courage to look at the sad picture that she sees. The girl keeps getting closer to the bed slowly but confidently, feeling everything turns upside down inside her from the monotonous sounds that the machines make every second or two. But a wish to help the helpless blond is many times stronger than a fear of what she sees. Though, the brunette does not hold down her tears rolling down her cheeks and feels that she is shaking.       After coming to the bed on her weak legs, Helene hesitantly sits on the edge and looks at literally every single centimeter of the terribly white face of Peter with her sad, wet eyes. The girl cannot find the courage to start to speak because she feels it’s very hard to pronounce at least one word. Besides, Helene can barely breathe because of the strong excitement. Yes, the brunette tries not to succumb to her emotions, but it’s unbearably hard. It’s hard for her to accept the fact that her close person is in the hospital and is between life and death. She cannot stay indifferent, looking at her friend, with whom she is secretly in love, lying on the hospital bed without movements with his hands bandaged, with an oxygen mask on his face and lots of tubes and cables turned on his arms and chest.       But some time later, Helene finds the courage to start speaking, still looking at the deathly white face of her best friend with eyes full of tears and shaking her head.       “Why did you do it, Peter?” Helene asks in a whisper. “Why? Were you so unhappy inside that you brought yourself to this condition? Why did you never tell me what happened to you? You got so many wonderful friends, whom you could tell everything! Nobody would’ve judged you if you’d explained what made you so anxious for all those years. And if you didn’t wanna talk about it with the guys from the band, you could tell me what you were worried about. I swear, I would’ve done my best to help you. I’m ready for anything for you. Even sacrifice my wishes and feelings for you to feel good. If I knew how I could make you feel better, I’d do it. Even if it was impossible, I would find a way to make you feel better. I don’t care that people say I got stuck on you and would never be happy because I am obsessed with your well-being. I want one thing – to see you healthy and happy.”       Helene stops speaking for two seconds to calm down a little and catch a breath because it’s quite hard for her to breathe from the excitement, feeling tears slowly rolling down her cheeks.       “Please, Peter, don’t die!” Helene begs with pity in her eyes. “Please, don’t leave me! I don’t wanna lose you! I need you! I will have no meaning in life if I lose you. Please, for God’s sake, don’t give up! Fight for your life! You must survive and come back to us. We’re given life once and can’t get it back after dying. No tears and begs will bring a dead person to life. They won’t bring you back.”       Helene blinks her eyes two times.       “Lewis says a person can hear everything, even if they’re unconscious. So, if you can hear me now, I’m begging you to do your best to come back to us. Fight! I know you can do this! You should only wish and apply some effort! Do it, Peter, please…”       Helene sniffs quietly, looking at Peter with wet eyes full of pity, and softly caresses his shoulder.       “Please, sweetie, if I mean just something to you, fight for me,” Helene says with sadness in her eyes. “If your friends are not a too good reason to live, do it for me, the person that you always call a very close one to you. Though, I’ve said many times that you mean very much to me, as well. You’re my closest person, without whom I will have no meaning in life. I’m too attracted to you to give a damn about your problems. I will always care. You became the first one, for whom I’m ready to do anything. I used to never have people, for whom I would’ve been ready to sacrifice something.”       By this moment, Helene stops hiding her emotions and starts making sobs louder and louder.       “But you’re close to me not because of friendship,” Helene says in a shaking voice. “Every day, I’m starting to realize that you’re becoming someone more important. I madly want to press myself close to you, hug you as tightly as possible, and kiss you with all my love. But I’m afraid… No, not the fact that you’d harm me. Just… I’m just shy about being with you… So much that I wanna run. I’m obsessed with so many feelings… All of it pushes me to the thought that… That I’m starting to fall in love with you… Yes, Pete, I like you not just as my best friend, but as a man. I don’t wanna be your friend. I wanna be your girlfriend. Because of you, I reject the attention of all men and don’t start a relationship with anyone.”       Helene sighs heavily and glances aside for a second, feeling her eyes getting wetter.       “Now it’s easy for me to say it. Because you can’t hear me. You can’t answer and give me pain if you feel nothing for me but amicable feelings. I don’t know if I can take the refusal… No, I’m not gonna die or start to cut myself, but it would be very hard for me. I know I will have to take it and start to open myself to other men because I can’t live alone forever. When my grandmother Scarlett dies, I will have nobody. Though, I don’t wanna stay alone. Though, you’re the only one to be able to make me stop feeling lonely and fill the emptiness that I’m gonna have inside when I lose the last person in my family.”       After finding the courage, Helene slowly touches Peter’s cold hand with tears in her eyes and puts her hand on it hesitantly, touching it slightly, running her fingers over it, and drawing some patterns.       “But I promise I won’t be chasing you if my feelings are one-sided, and you want us to remain friends. If you want, it will happen as you want: we’ll be friends, but I won’t talk about being in love with you. Also, I promise to do nothing to me and to always be your best friend, who will come to help you even at night. I will not betray you, even when you’re hugging and kissing another girl before my eyes. If you want, I will introduce you to someone and make you happy. I could do anything you want – just tell me what you want.”       Helene makes a quiet sob, shaking her head, feeling tears slowly rolling down her cheeks, and looking at the deathly white Peter with pity in her eyes, while she tenderly touches his cheek with her palm.       “Just don’t die and don’t leave me…” Helene begs a little louder. “Please, Peter, don’t do it… I need you! I need you to get help in surviving what gives me strong pain. All this time, you’ve been the only one to be able to comfort me. You’re the only one to have a key to my soul, which may be okay only in case you’re with me. Nobody would’ve helped me accept the death of Grandpa Roger than you did: neither Grandma, Jessica, nor someone else. You were the only one to find good words and let me cry on your shoulder, hug you and talk as much as I wanted. It was a madly hard time, but it was much easier thanks to you. There have been many moments when you were with me just in time. And I am sure there could be much more if you managed to survive.”       Helene tenderly caresses Peter’s cheek, puts her hand on his forehead for a second and runs her fingertips over his little matted blond hair.       “And knowing you may have remorse, I promise I will never say what I actually feel for you,” Helene promises in a shaking voice. “I’ll never confess that I like you and wanna be with you. The one I love for the tenderness, love, and care that I’ve been getting for the three years that we’ve known each other. I will keep this secret under lock and key and will not tell you I’ve been in love with you for one and a half years. I can’t do it because of fear that you’d reject me as well as you’ve done to those, who’ve tried to get your love. And not to become one of them, I’m ready to be just a friend of yours. The best friend that will not let anyone tell you about it. Though…”       Helene quickly calls the memories about her friends being aware of her feelings for Peter and is a little afraid that if he survives, someone may tell him that she is not indifferent to him. But if it happens, she will not avoid the talk that she is terribly afraid of.       “Jessica already knows what I feel for you,” Helene says with sadness in her eyes. “And your friends from the band. The guys just suspect something like this, but Jess knows the truth. She saw that I wasn’t indifferent to you and was surprised by the fact that I was ready to give all of me to you. Taylor always said I should’ve stopped thinking only of you and started to look at other men. Many of them pay attention to me and sometimes try to make an acquaintance. But I don’t wanna think of anyone else but you. I know I look like an obsessed girl. But I can’t tell my heart to stop loving you. I tried, but I lost. And here’s the result – I’m falling in love with you and am terribly afraid to lose you.”       Helene looks at Peter with pity in her eyes for two seconds, then carefully takes his white hand and squeezes it in her hands.       “And I can’t keep this secret under lock and key because they see how tremulously I treat you,” Helene adds hesitantly. “And at heart, I’m afraid they could tell you this secret. However, anyone would guess I’m not indifferent to you, seeing me literally sacrifice myself for your happiness. And nobody doubts it after your friends saw me getting shocked by your suicide attempt. They were all shocked. But they believe I was much more worried. And I believe it’s the truth. I’m really worried very much. And I’m terribly afraid to hear you died. Every day, I live with this fear. With fear of losing the one I want to be with. To be anyone: a friend, a sister, a girlfriend… It doesn’t matter! The important thing is to have a chance to be by your side. Jessica is right: I’m literally ready to leave everything to become your babysitter. It’s madness, but I want it. I’d do it if it helped you get better, stop cutting yourself and thinking of the self-murder, and come back to the band of the guys. Who need you. Not only as a drummer. But also as a wonderful friend.”       Helene cracks a smile, moving her eyes down for a second.       “Believe me, Peter, none of them is mad at you,” Helene says confidently and softly. “Neither Daniel nor Terrence judge you or call you an egoist. They really want to help you and know what bothers you. If you tell them everything, the guys will think up something. Just let them know what’s happening to you, and what made you commit the suicide attempt. We are all worried about you: the guys, Jess, Grandma Scarlett, and the girls of your friends are also worried, as Terrence and Daniel said. Every one of us wants you to come back to us and become the smiling, happy, and funny Peter Rose. The one we’ve always remembered. We’re missing you so badly, Pete. You can’t even imagine how deeply we’re shocked by your act. Sometimes we think it’s just a nightmare, but sadly, it’s not the truth.”       Helene stops thinking for some time, sighing heavily, but then continuing to talk and slightly squeezes Peter’s hand, which she also caresses tenderly.       “And we also wanna see you play drums,” Helene says with sadness in her eyes and smiles with the corners of her mouth through tears. “We wanna hear your play and singing… The energy that you give to your play is so powerful! Maybe, I know nothing about music, but the way you play is amazing. I’ve always died when you sing or perform something on guitar, a cajon, or drums. You madly liked it and looked so happy at those moments. I kind of see a professional, who was learning to play all days, all nights for many years. Not the one, who learned everything by himself. You couldn’t play, but you learned it. And now you can play not worse than a professional.”       Helene caresses Peter’s shoulder and runs her hand over his arm, which has lately been much thinner but still seems tough to touch.       “You play guitar rarely and learned to do it for pleasure, but you do it divinely. Many people spend years learning to play and may remember nothing. But you learned it for two or three months. And how you sing! Your voice is just angelic! The fans of the band love your singing so badly for a reason. They always scream loudly when you sing a solo. I think you should sing much more lines in a song and make people happy.”       Helene shakes her head with sadness in her eyes.       “Are you ready to give up on everything you’ve reached? You’re supported by so many people, but do you wanna leave everything? Were your efforts worthless? It’s wrong, Peter! Wrong! Don’t betray the band that needs you. They really want you to come back to them. Without you, there won’t be a band that has an army of fans. They’re expecting your debut album and are truly worried about you. I read everything they write about you. Your fans are praying for you, writing nice words to you, and wishing you to get well soon.”       Helene looks at Peter with greater sadness, still holding his hand.       “And I swear nobody calls you terrible,” Helene says confidently. “I’ve seen no negative comments about you. But even if someone humiliates you, don’t pay attention. Some people are just jealous because they can’t get what you’ve reached. Strong and happy people never say bad things about others and pay no attention to the dirt they get showered with. Those people just do what they want and will always be happy with their lives. They always know what they want, never give up and fight ‘till the end, even if everything goes wrong, and they can do nothing. The one that works hard and fights until the end always gets what they want.”       Helene softly caresses Peter’s cheek, saying:       “Be one of them, Peter! Prove to everybody that you’re strong and can pay no attention to those idiots, who try to insult you with the thought that they’d get better by humiliating the innocent person. You can! I know you can! I’ve always believed in you and will do. And you can start it right now. Just start fighting for your life. For the happiness of your close people, who love you. For the evil of those, who would be happy about your death. If we have to, we will help you survive this hard time. Start to fight right now, and never look back to change your mind and go the wrong way. Look forward and go to the light that is somewhere very close. That’s what will bring you to the right place. Where you will become happy and surrounded by those, who love you.”       Unfortunately, nothing changes after Helene begs Peter to come back with tears in her eyes and not to leave her and his friends. The man is still unconscious, does not answer the crying brunette, and looks deathly white. The machines turned on him still make monotonous sounds with constant intervals that got shorter or longer only several times. But a few seconds later, Helene notices the white lips of the blond start moving slightly, and he tries to say something very quietly. The girl can hear painful moans and unclear words that could hardly be connected with one another. She briefly thinks Peter may wake up and starts looking at him with some hope. But then she recalls Lewis’ words about the man, who might say something unclear when being unconscious, and sighs heavily, looking at her moaning friend with sadness in her eyes.       “You can always count on my support,” Helene says softly and caresses Peter’s cheek and head with the back of her hand. “I’ll always be by your side. No matter who we are and who we will be in the future, I will not leave you and will be the loyal and loving friend that I’ve always tried to be. You’re always on my mind. I pray to God that you survive and come back to us. Don’t give up, Peter, I’m begging you. We all need you! We can’t lose you. You can’t leave us so easily.”       Helene looks at Peter for a few seconds, whose bad appearance makes her heart squeeze. But then she sighs heavily, puts his hand near him, gets up from the bed slowly, and leaves the room, crossing her arms over her chest and still crying quietly and shaking slightly. She forgot that Lewis had been watching her all this time. The man did not step away from the room and watched the girl with sadness in his eyes. And when she leaves the room and starts going down the hall, he says:       “I think I will make an exclusion for you and allow you to visit Peter every day and spend as much time as you want.”       “Erm…” Helene stutters, turning on Lewis. “What?”       “From today, you are allowed to go to Peter’s room whenever you want. Although his condition is hard, he is not in too great danger. He was brought from the intensive care chamber to a regular one. So, if you want to spend one or two hours with that guy, you will have the opportunity.”       “So, can I visit him every day and talk to him?” Helene makes a sob and wipes tears off her cheek.       “You can. I noticed the machines reacted kind of strangely several times. I think there is a sign about it. I think he felt your pretense and even heard everything you told him. And now he definitely needs the pretense of his close person. Who knows, maybe, it will help him get well soon.”       “And will I not get kicked out?”       “Only if his condition gets worse, and he needs CPR or surgery. But now we are just giving him some anti-biotic cures intravenously and watching his body temperature, blood pressure, and heartbeat.”       “Oh, gosh, thank you so much, Mr. Todd!” Helene thanks with a shy smile. “I’m madly grateful to you.”       “But remember, this exclusion is just for you. Ms. Taylor, Mr. MacClife, and Mr. Perkins are not allowed to visit Mr. Rose before his condition becomes stable. I told them that they could only watch him through the window if they wanted.”       “Yes, yes, I got it. Thanks a lot again. I’m sure he should get well thanks to such a wonderful doctor.”       “My job is saving people’s lives,” Lewis shrugs with a shy smile. “I’m doing what I should do.”       “Thanks, anyway. We will all be grateful to you if Peter survives.”       “I can only advise you to pray for a miracle and believe he will survive. If he needs a blood transfusion again, I will let you know. And I will be telling you about all the changes in his condition.”       “Sure,” Helene nods.       Lewis closely looks at the tired, tear-stained, and white Helene, who looks so unhappy and depressed that he feels madly sorry for this girl.       “Yeah, I would advise you to go to the cafeteria and drink a cup of coffee,” Lewis advises. “You look like you did not sleep all night. Or you better go home and have enough sleep. Your appearance gets me a little scared.”       “Oh…” Helene glances aside for a moment and moves a strand of hair off her eyes. “Honestly, I haven’t slept well since Peter ended up in the hospital. As you heard, I literally lost my sleep and appetite.”       “Bad, Ms. Marshall. Very bad. By the way, sleeping is very important for good health. It helps you get rid of many illnesses. But if you have no time to sleep, just go to the cafeteria right now and drink a cup of coffee. It will help you shake up a little.”       “Alright, I will go,” Helene shrugs and glances at Lewis. “Thank you so much for everything again, Mr. Todd.”       Helene turns around and slowly goes to the cafeteria, while Lewis watches the girl with sympathy in his eyes, feeling more and more sorry for her.       “Oh, I’d like to do my best to help that girl and her friend,” Lewis thinks with sadness in his eyes. “But sadly, the doctors are not so powerful. They did what they should’ve done, and they keep doing it. Now everything depends on Peter. Though, I really want that guy to get well. He is so young and hasn’t lived enough. He could put himself together, at least for the band, for his close people, and for his fans. If that band keeps existing after losing Peter, it might happen that people will not recognize a new drummer and will always compare him with the previous one. For someone, Rose will always stay in the hearts of the fans of the band. And the guys might not get on with a new member. Anything may happen. And I would like everything to end well.”       After thinking a little, rubbing his forehead slightly, and fixing his glasses, Lewis goes to Peter’s room, checks the indicators of the machines, and makes sure that there is no reason to panic, examining the blond and hearing him try to say something. And then, the doctor goes to the hall and, crossing his arms over his chest, goes to do his business, passing by many doctors, whom he greets with words or a handshake, patients, whom he asks something, and someone else, to whom he does not pay attention.       

***

      It’s somewhere half past two. Terrence decided to walk in the city and enjoy the sunny but cold weather. Wearing a black leather jacket, dark blue jeans, and a simple gray t-shirt, the man slowly walks on the streets with his hands put in his pockets, having not the best mood because of what’s happening between him and Raquelle.       “The relationship between me and Raquelle is getting worse every day,” Terrence thinks. “We kind of started to grow apart from each other. It seems like we’re about to break up because being together is getting more unbearable. At least, for me… I can’t stand these hysterics and scandals for no reason. Cameron does really make me enraged, even if I do nothing to make her mad or upset.”       Terrence glances aside for a moment.       “No, I understand every one of us is busy with our careers and the problems and is worried about it. But it’s just madness. Everything has changed suddenly… Changed for the worst. She kind of started making the same mistake and treating me the way she did when we almost broke up. Though, I’m terribly afraid that Raquelle would wish to leave me someday. I don’t understand how I made her so mad that she always finds reasons to find fault in something and hasn’t almost talked to me? I give her no reason!”       Terrence moves off his hair that got into his eyes because of the strong wind.       “But I think I should support Cameron, or at least pretend that I understand her. Who knows what my reluctance to agree with her might lead to. Because all my decisions have lately had some consequences, and my assumptions might be wrong. I always try to think soberly and do what I need to. But sometimes it leads to a bad result.”       Terrence glances at someone, who goes by him, listening to music on headphones and checking something on their phone.       “Sometimes I think Raquelle and I changed our places. She took my skill to think soberly and act determinedly, but I got her stubbornness and wish to do what I wanted. But… She still has stubbornness. While I just got it and might be headstrong. There’ve been so many cases when I did what I wanted, listening to nobody, and eventually paid for the consequences.”       Terrence shakes his head sharply to move strands of hair off his eyes again.       “Maybe, Edward was right when he said Raquelle and I should’ve had a rest apart from each other or together but far from our familiars and problems? I think he said the right things. The situation with Michael got us exhausted. We’ve had great stress for a long time. Before this story started, everything was fine, and we were happy. Raquelle loved me, and I loved her. We decided to get married and were sure everything would be okay.”       Thinking about what Edward said about him and Raquelle, Terrence starts thinking of his relationship with his friend, which makes him worried, as well.       “Oh, I’m kind of still mad at Edward, but I feel sorry for him,” Terrence thinks with sadness in his eyes. “It’s clear that the guy is definitely trying to make amends and prove to everybody that he is not so bad. For the past four days, he hasn’t dared to deny his fault, and he confesses it every time someone blames him for all his sins. Edward’s words have trueness and regret. And his wish to save Natalia makes me happy. No matter how much I want to ban myself from thinking about it, I must confess that I get a feeling that he’s true. Now that man tells us everything and doesn’t try to think up anything. This time, I have to believe him. I don’t want, but I must.”       Terrence glances at some people going by him.       “And I can’t give a fuck about him… Because he’s my friend. No meaning in pretending that he’s dead for me. And even if I told everybody I give a fuck about him, it’s not the truth. I still keep finding him my close person. I wouldn’t have agreed to have a temporary reconciliation if I hadn’t treated him the way I had done before. Even Raquelle’s pleas and Natalia’s problems wouldn’t have made me help Edward if I’d hated him with all my heart and wished him to die. But I don’t even dare to think about it. Edward is still my very close person, who I could tell anything to, and who would always help with a piece of advice and a good word. Maybe, he’s got shortcomings, but he’s quite a good man. Not a monster, as we believed…”       Terrence frowns slightly and glances at his shoes.       “Even if Edward is ashamed of his poverty, he has a right to fight for what belongs to him. His father bequeathed the money to him. So, my friend should fight for his rights. And let’s be honest, I’ve never heard Edward saying he wanna get someone’s money… Never heard about his wish to kill me, Raquelle, Mother, or someone else. And he openly said Michael wanted to force him to kill me. Someone to wish to kill someone would hardly confess it earlier to their victim.”       Terrence clears his throat quickly.       “Maybe, we shouldn’t have attacked him with charges for being a bastard, who wanted to kill his family for money? None of us heard Edward showing this wish. He always reminds us that he’s never expressed a wish to kill and rob. Now, when I calmed down a little, I could start excusing him somehow. Of course, it doesn’t mean there will be peace between us again. No, the agreement will be valid until the story ends. But… Now, seeing that man is not disgusting for me.”       Terrence rubs his forehead slightly.       “Anyway, I’m glad he’s taking confident actions and agreeing on everything to end this story. I think we may change our minds about him if Edward proves that he never thought of killing and robbing his family. We gave him a chance to prove it – so, may he do it. And we will see how much he wants to get back our trust and show we understood him wrongly.”       A little later, Terrence recalls the day when he fought with Edward hard and attacked him with fists, not being able to hold down his aggression. That’s why the man starts feeling kind of guilty and understands that he should not have acted like that.       “At least, I can say one thing: I shouldn’t have attacked Edward with fists and beaten him so strongly,” Terrence thinks with sadness in his eyes. “I should’ve held my aggression down, no matter how hurt I was. I shouldn’t have started a fight. Still, that’s my own friend. By far not an angel, but a friend. I didn’t even dare to think of controlling my emotions, but now I’m starting to regret it. I would’ve rather grabbed him by the collar and kicked him out like a dog. It would’ve been much better.”       Terrence shakes his head, feeling his body is really tense.       “I’m really sorry for attacking him with fists and beating him strongly. Sorry for attacking by far not the stranger person for me two days ago. I can’t be discreet at all. If I’m mad, everybody better run because the one to stand in my way may regret it much.” Terrence exhales sharply. “Oh… What do I do? How do I fight with aggression and control my emotions? Will I show aggression toward those, who will make me mad? And get known as a sick, hysterical girl that gets excited for any reason…”       Terrence looks around and runs his hands through his hair, making his slow step much slower.       “Holy shit, I’m so sick of all of this!” Terrence thinks gloomily. “I do wanna deal with this shit and live quietly! I want Michael and his pals to go to prison. I want Natalia to be free. And… I want to find the courage to forgive Edward. Yes, I'm mad at him and won’t forgive that man so easily. But I must confess that I lack his support. I lack simple talks with him. He’s always known how to help me get better. He sees me through and knows me as if we grew up together. Maybe, someday, I’ll be able to talk about my relationship with Edward, but now I ain’t ready for it. May it happen as it happens. I shall help him save Natalia and defeat Michael, and I will probably support him with a couple of good words. He does look too broken and depressed… Not sure if it would help him, but still…”       Some time later, Terrence stops slowly, looks around, looks into the distance, and sees a little fence placed in front of the place where it’s possible to see the risen sun. A young black-haired guy with little disheveled hair is sitting on the fence, slouching strongly and inclining his head, while his strands are sometimes blown by the strong wind. MacClife quickly recognizes him as Edward thanks to his hair color and the old, shabby leather jacket that he wears very often.       Edward is sitting on the fence, leaning on it with his legs and hands, not noticing Terrence and watching what’s happening in front of him without emotions on his face. It should be noted that this place is beautiful! Today the bright sun is shining outside, and there are lots of thick trees, grass, and flowers. Little crowds of birds are flying in the sky, doves are sometimes walking near, or some little insects are creeping. Some places are covered with grass, and some places are covered with asphalt. The wood fence, on which Lockhart is sitting, closes a high abyss. Jumping from it, it’s possible to fall down and crush. If you stand on the edge and look down, you may believe you are standing above a very high abyss. However, Edward is not going to kill himself and jump from the elevator. He is just sitting on the fence and watching nature with sadness in his tired eyes, thinking about something and paying no attention to the black strands of hair that get into his face.       Terrence watches Edward sitting on the fence with his back turned to him. And then, letting himself confess that it’s hurtful for him to see his friend so depressed, he decides to come to him and make company for him. The man slowly but confidently comes to the fence, sometimes looking into the distance and stopping to pay attention to the strong wind that ruffles his hair. Even when Terrence comes close enough, Edward does not still feel the pretense of his friend and keeps looking into the distance with sadness in his eyes. That’s why, MacClife decides to call the guy some time later:       “Edward…”       Edward immediately reacts to the call, half turns, sees Terrence in front of him, and rounds his eyes, being surprised by the fact that his friend decided to come to him.       “Oh, hey, Terrence…” Edward pronounces hesitantly. “I didn’t know you were here…”       “Hey,” Terrence greets amicably. “I went by and saw you sitting here.”       “That’s how…” Edward pulls his leather jacket slightly. “Recognized me thanks to my jacket?”       “You always wear it, and I remember how it looks well,” Terrence shrugs. “Well, your hair as well.”       “I don’t have a rich choice,” Edward chuckles quietly, turns upon Terrence, and sets his gaze into the distance. “I wear what I have…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Terrence watches Edward with sadness, while his friend sets his gaze into the distance.       “Don’t you mind if I make a company for you?” Terrence asks.       “No, of course,” Edward shrugs, looking at Terrence without emotions. “Join if you ended up here.”       Edward turns on the perfect view of the horizon and sets his sad eyes on them. Terrence easily climbs over the wood fence, climbs up on it, and sits down comfortably, leaning on it with his hands and legs. The man also sets his gaze into the distance and starts thinking about something, looking quite sad and tired.       Silence settles in the air for some time. The guys are silently watching the sun rising far away very slowly. And then Edward slowly moves his eyes off the horizon and hesitantly looks at Terrence for two seconds, seeing that his friend looks quite sad and definitely thinks about something bad. Later, he finds the courage to ask about it, but Terrence becomes the first one to break the silence, still looking at the horizons:       “Any news? Didn’t Uncle call you?”       “No, sadly,” Edward replies with sadness in his eyes, moves his eyes off Terrence, and sets them into the distance. “Uncle got kind of swallowed by the ground. He sent that message and disappeared. No pieces of news from him have come yet.”       “I wonder, how long will it last? How long is that man gonna torture us and the poor Natalia?”       “I don’t know. I always have my phone, but that old man hasn’t called and sent messages.”       “Oh, shit, it all makes me exhausted…” Terrence sighs tiredly. “I’m so sick of being afraid of what’s waiting for you tomorrow. I do wanna live a quiet life and think of no problems or cares, at least for a few days.”       “It’s been my dream for many years. I want to live without thinking that something horrible should happen, at least for a few days. I got fucking sick of waking up and being afraid of what might happen. Now it’s not time to think of old age, death, the rest of the time… But sometimes I have these thoughts in my head…”       “Why?” Terrence frowns slightly, while his eyes are still focused on what they have been from the beginning. “How did you get these thoughts? Don’t say you find yourself an old, helpless man that is gonna leave this world once and forever at the age of twenty-five.”       “Oh…” Edward sighs tiredly. “Honestly, so much has happened in my life… Sometimes I really think I’m not twenty-five, but fifteen. People often say your age doesn’t depend on your birthdate. It depends on how much you’ve experienced. And now I’m making sure it’s the truth. Because sometimes I think I’ve tasted everything in my life and lost interest in living. Sometimes I wanna experience new, bright emotions that would help me feel happier. But alas, there’s nothing that would, so to say, breathe into me.”       “I understand you,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “Because I’ve lately thought about it, as well. I started to understand there were no excellent emotions. I’ve experienced everything! I didn’t have a normal childhood because I literally had to survive. Yes, survive. Because Mother and I lived in poverty and barely had the money for what we needed. Thinking of some new toy or little thing was a forbidden fruit for us. I was even afraid to talk about it, ‘cause I knew I wouldn’t get what I wanted. Only when I got older and started looking for ways to earn some money, I became able to buy something cheap.”       “You said you started working literally since you went to school.”       “It’s true. I was too little to work somewhere officially. So, I had to do something. I helped familiar people sell food and drinks outside. And then I began to give papers, deliver newspapers to houses, and something else. I remember that I even watched a little child one time. Actually, I’ve worked in many places, but now it’s hard to remember all of them. Though, due to my age, it was hard to earn something honestly.”       “And I started to earn money when I left the house of Father and Stepmother,” Edward confesses, glances down, and looks at the abyss under his legs. “My father gave me some money, but it was enough only for a couple of chocolate bars that I loved. I loved sweet food so much that I could spend all the money on chocolate. Of course, sometimes I contained myself and saved the money that Father gave me every week. I wanted to save more and have fun to the fullest. But knowing he gave me little amounts of money, I didn’t manage to do it. I thought I’d buy a ticket to a cinema, but it wasn’t enough.”       “Well, I understood that the way you treat money is very serious,” Terrence chuckles quietly.       “I had to learn it,” Edward replies without emotions. “I had no chance to have much fun. I never got much money, so I spent it on anything I wanted. Sometimes I even had to demand some money because Father couldn’t give it to me when he promised. My stepmother didn’t refuse, but she was also never generous.”       “Hadn’t you tried to find a job before you left home?”       “Nope. I had only incidental expenses. And if I had gone to work, I would’ve been terribly exhausted. I wouldn’t have cared about studying at school.”       “As if you cared about it,” Terrence chuckles quietly.       “I wasn’t a horrible student. I could understand many subjects easily. Yes, I don’t deny my behavior was rarely good, but my studies weren’t so bad.”       “But why did you drop school?”       “For several reasons. First, my behavior, repeated claims, and regular truancies. And second, my stepmother didn’t just pay for the last year of my studies. So, I got kicked out of the private school. And I didn’t wanna go back to the public school and decided to leave studies forever.”       “Haven’t you regretted it?”       “Maybe, only because I can’t find a good job without a school education. Though, I wouldn’t like to work for pennies.”       “And did you find something?”       “Yes. I often changed my job. Gave papers, washed floors… Worked as a delivery guy that delivered something bought in online stores.”       “I worked as a delivery guy, too. But I was delivering pizza. Though, I must confess that driving in the city all day long is a little exhausting.”       “Hey, when you started filming in movies, did you stop working?”       “No, I kept working in different places. At first, I didn’t have so many roles. So, I had to work hard and study at school. I stopped working at the age of eighteen, when I started getting offers of acting in movies and TV shows after the role of Mason Houston from ‘American Love Affair’.”       “Had no time?”       “Yup. And I started earning enough to stop driving in the whole city with lots of packs of pizza on a patrol car and keep in my mind the addresses where I should’ve brought the orders.”       “There are some pluses about working as a delivery guy. For example, you can get to know the city better and discover some cool places where you could walk and have fun.”       “I thought you knew the city badly.”       “I used to know only a few places. But now I know more.”       “Did you find nothing when working as a delivery guy?”       “My career as a delivery guy didn’t last for too long. I quit this job after working for a few months.”       “You got fired?”       “Sort of.”       “You did something wrong?”       “Erm…” Edward bites his lip slightly. “Yeah…”       “It’s clear you screwed it up well. A person doesn’t get fired for nothing. There must be a reason.”       “Oh…” Edward looks at what’s surrounding him and glances down. “Honestly, I don’t wanna talk about it… Thinking about that time doesn’t give me pleasure… I left that job with a scandal that gave me bad feelings.”       Terrence glances at Edward and frowns slightly, unconsciously thinking his friend definitely has something to hide because he refused to explain the reason for getting fired. However, the man decides to say nothing and not to try to find out something.       “Okay, as you want,” Terrence replies quietly and sets his gaze into the distance. “I don’t make you speak.”       Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, after which Edward, still looking into the distance without emotions, decides to change the subject. Though, he gets a little nervous because he definitely gave Terrence a reason to doubt that he told him the truth.       “Oh, why we always talk about me and my life…” Edward says thoughtfully. “You better tell me what’s happening to you and Raquelle. I can’t forget Anna and Daniel getting scared when your fiancée started screaming at you and blaming you for nobody knows what.”       “Raquelle and I don’t almost talk,” Terrence confesses with sadness in his eyes. “I mean, she ignores me and may snap for nothing.”       “But what makes her so angry? She got mad?”       “If I knew it. But I don’t remember her tolerating bad things because of me. I did nothing bad for her to listen to stupid charges.”       “If she acts like this, there’s a reason.”       “I don’t know what came into the head of that girl. But she’s lately been kind of strange. The case is not only about the fact that Raquelle is rude, blames me for nobody the fuck knows what, and starts groundless hysterics. Sometimes I just think she is doing something secretly from me.”       “Why do you think so?”       “I dunno. But I’ve noticed Cameron going somewhere and calling someone in the past two days.”       “For her job?”       “Nope. Her business isn’t connected with her job.”       “What?”       “Yesterday, her manager called, and I answered the call. Serena wanted to meet Raquelle for an offer of work and asked me to tell her that. Well, I asked her if they had a meeting one or two days ago. And she said they didn’t have meetings for a long time.”       “My gosh…” Edward shakes his head. “But where did she go? And where does she go now?”       “I don’t know, Edward. But honestly, that girl started to make me so enraged that I give a fuck about where she’s hanging around. I feel kind of better when she’s not with me. I’m freaking sick of her hysterics and tears.”       “Where’s she now?”       “Stayed home. She was working on the computer when I decided to walk into the city. And when I warned her that I was leaving, Raquelle didn’t even look at me. As if there was something more important than her fiancé.”       “Sorry… But I don’t understand her behavior, either. I thought you’d support each other in this hard situation. But you fight like a cat and a dog…”       “I thought so, but the further, the worse the situation is getting.” Terrence thinks for two seconds. “But before we got the problems with threats, everything had been fine. We lived well and were happy with everything. And then suddenly something happened, and we got loose.”       “Maybe, you have secrets that make you worried? Don’t you wanna share them?”       “We recently had a talk. Closer to five hours in the morning. I confessed that I was still worried about how meanly I behaved toward her a few months ago.”       “Closer to five?” Edward stares at Terrence surprisingly. “Who was the one not to sleep at that time?”       “Me. I had insomnia for some time and couldn’t fall asleep. And on one of those days, I woke up first, and then Raquelle wanted to make sure that I was fine. But I didn’t notice her immediately, ‘cause I decided to go outside and breathe in some air, but she was in the kitchen and then went to the living room. When I saw there was a light in the house, I went in and came to her. Thus, we started a talk.”       “You know, I kinda wanna ask, ‘Why do you the fuck think about it? It’s been so long, and your fiancée forgave you a long time ago!’” Edward glances at the horizon. “But I don’t wanna do it. Because I completely understand you.”       “Understand!” Terrence smirks without emotions. “You said you’d always judge me for those actions.”       “Oh, Terrence…” Edward exhales slowly, closing his eyes for two seconds. “How many times will I say that I said it when I was excited? All the words I said to you and Raquelle were said because I was too excited and irritated after the fight with Natalia.”       “Who cares! You did say that!”       “I’ve never hidden that I find your actions wrong. But I’ve never said I hate you for them and believe you must be isolated from people.”       “Yeah, but who resented that it was allegedly unfair that everybody quickly forgot what I did? Who said I deserved all the problems that I got?”       “I already explained everything when I went to the home of you and Raquelle. You decide if you believe me or not. But I will keep saying that I said so many bad things because I got excited after fighting with Natalia. Who made me enraged.”       “Excuse me, Edward, but I will not forget everything you said soon. How you insulted me and acted like a betrayer.”       “I don’t deny I’m guilty. But I’ve never thought of betraying you or someone else. That old bastard Michael can do what he wants, but he won’t make me go against my family and especially kill it.”       “I’d like to think it’s the truth. But you’ve given bad proof of the fact that we can believe you. I see no reason to trust you and pretend that you’re forgiven for all your insults and humiliations.”       “Then why’d you agree to help me rescue Natalia?” Edward moves his indifferent gaze to Terrence, who looks into the distance and squints slightly. “For me, it’s not a secret that you didn’t wanna do it from the beginning. But you agreed to help after Raquelle screamed at you. It seems like you did a favor when agreeing to conclude a temporary reconciliation and set up some rules.”       Terrence says nothing for two seconds before he says quietly:       “Now, I will not explain why I agreed to help you. Be happy that I agreed to tolerate you for Raquelle and Natalia.”       “I don’t ask for more. I just wanted to understand why you decided to get over yourself and swallow up the offense, at least for a while. I mean, I understand you just didn’t wanna make Raquelle mad and upset and decided to act like a certain benefactor.”       “If we decided to conclude a temporary reconciliation and follow some rules, let’s keep doing it.”       “Okay… But why did you come to me now and ask me if you could make me a company?”       “Just wanted to talk to someone.” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds. “Raquelle and I talk coldly and rarely. Being home, I’m silent almost all the time ‘cause that gal refuses to be with me.”       “What about Daniel and Benjamin? You say it as if you stopped speaking to them, and the only person you keep speaking with is Raquelle.”       “Daniel knows everything. What’s the point of meeting and talking about the same thing again and again? If something changes, I will surely tell him. But Michael hasn’t shown up and said what to do for Natalia’s freedom.”       “What about the studio? You stopped going there after Peter and Daniel fought to the fuck. Aren’t you afraid George might disband the band and stop working with you?”       “He does know what happened to Peter. Dan and I keep him aware. Though, we hear nothing good. Rose’s doctor said he recently got a blood transfusion, during which something happened and caused a poisoning.”       “My gosh…” Edward pronounces with sadness in his eyes.       “Maybe, he would've gotten better if not for the doctor, who did everything wrong and got Peter’s blood infected with something that might easily kill him.”       “Sorry… You started getting hope, but now…”       “That’s right! Of course, we’re still trying to believe in the best, but we can barely do it.”       “Is this the end of the band? Will your story end after it barely started?”       “I already got myself ready for that. Though, Daniel and I work at the studio by George’s plea. We were stuck in there all day long and worked hard on songs before you went to my home and told me about Natalia.”       “So, I kind of ruined your plans?”       “Nope, Daniel and I decided to have some rest for two days and spend time with the girls. But now the situation has changed, and I can think of nothing else but my family. About how to end this story once and forever.”       “Oh, I feel you’re gonna stay home for a long time, ‘cause Uncle may let us know about him not very soon. That deadbeat can torture us for a very long time, getting much pleasure from it.”       “It’s okay. We’ll wait as long as needed. Anyway, that stinker will pay for his dirty tricks. We shouldn’t let him destroy all of us.”       “You can call Ben and go somewhere with him. Perkins is gonna be busy with his business, but you talk to Parker.”       “Honestly, I haven’t talked to Benjamin for ages and don’t know what’s happening to him,” Terrence confesses thoughtfully. “The last time we talked happened before I went to the tour with ‘The Loser Syndrome…’”       “Fix it then! I think you’d spend a cool time with a bottle of beer in a quiet place.”       “I’ll think about it. I wanted to call that jackass and invite him somewhere. So, he explains where he’s been all this time.”       “You’d better get lost in a cool company with a glass of something strong than get tortured by suspense and attempts to guess when everything will end.”       “Oh, how much the word ‘suspense’ scares me…” Terrence confesses gloomily. “That disgusting feeling when you live and don’t know what’s waiting for you: an inevitable death or great happiness…”       “Although people say we must believe in the best, my hopes are very little.”       “Why?”       “The situation seems too hard. Sometimes I think I wouldn’t take it and end what we all got into against our wish.”       “So, don’t you believe in your strength?” Terrence slowly moves his eyes to Edward. “You wanna give up and let things happen as they want?”       “No, of course. I will be dying, but I won’t let things happen as they want. Though, I have less and less strength to fight with all of it. And my belief in the best is almost gone.”       “Wouldn’t you get better if you had support?”       “I don’t know, Terrence…” Edward inclines his head with a quiet sigh and looks at the abyss under his legs. “Hardly… Honestly, I’m so sick that I wouldn’t get better even if I had hundreds of friends, who would come to solve my problems. And… I kinda wanna believe everything’s gonna be okay, but I believe we only have to accept what’s waiting for us at the nearest time.”       “I can understand you. When Daniel and I didn’t know what was happening to Peter, and the story of Uncle just started, I had the same changing mood. Just like Daniel did. But he believed in the best much more than me.”       “And now what? Suddenly got hope?”       “Ah, if I did… Everything seems so hopeless that sometimes I wanna strangle myself. And Raquelle started getting hysterics again and making me regret proposing to her… Nevertheless, I’m trying to hold on and seem quite a strong man, who wouldn’t get confused and weak in a hard situation. I have no right to do it.”       “But you don’t seem to be the one.” Edward glances at Terrence, who looks at him sharply and rounds his eyes. “You just want to be the one. You want to keep the status of a confident and proud man, who never doubts what he does. You’re afraid to show your weaknesses because you don’t want people to doubt your bravery and self-confidence.”       “Why do you think so?”       “The fact that you’re not the one, who you want to be, is written on your face. At least, now you’re just trying to keep the status of a strong man, who couldn’t be struck down with anything. No, don’t think I doubt you, consider you an insecure coward, and wanna say you’re weak. I recognize your superiority and believe you’re the one you want to seem. All your energy just disappeared. You’re kinda fully emptied. Maybe, you wanna show much more emotions than everybody else sees. But you’re hiding them deep inside ‘cause you’re afraid to become a weak man for everyone. But there’s nothing bad about it. There’s nothing bad with the fact that a person shows their weakness and shows their feelings.”       Terrence cannot disagree with Edward because his friend described everything he actually feels, making sure much more that this guy literally reads him like a book that he knows by heart.       “You know, Edward, you’re absolutely right,” Terrence agrees thoughtfully and puts his hand on his forehead, running it over his face a little later. “You exactly described what I feel now. I don’t really almost have the energy. I feel empty, exhausted, and tired… And due to the stress, I became too irritated. Too many problems have lately rained thick upon me… It’s all too hard…”       “I understand you,” Edward says quietly. “I think we are all in the same condition. The case of Raquelle shows it exactly. She snaps because she is experiencing strong stress. Her best friend got in trouble, and nobody knows what’s happening to her now.”       “Yeah, you were right when you said Raquelle and I got tired and should’ve had a rest from all the problems apart from each other.” Terrence glances at the abyss under his legs. “Although I don’t stop loving that girl, she makes me irritated now. I don’t wanna see her or talk to her. But if she starts snapping again, I will strangle Cameron.”       “So, have a rest after the problems are solved. Let Raquelle do her business, and then you go somewhere to have fun. With so much money, you can let yourself have any sort of fun.”       “Honestly, I’m starting to think about it seriously. I think a short separation would be good for us. The last time, it was really good for our relationship. We lived apart for some time and realized we missed each other. Now, we should do the same.”       “And don’t forget you were on the road with Peter and Daniel and Zachary, Bradley, Liam, and Nathan from ‘The Loser Syndrome’.”       “I remember,” Terrence nods. “I think that separation helped us, as well. Although Raquelle and I often talked on FaceTime and texted each other on WhatsApp, I missed her and wanted not just to see and hear her on the phone but to hug and kiss her.”       “I’m sure if you have a rest apart from each other for two weeks, you’ll miss each other.”       “I think I’ll do it. When all these fucking problems are solved, I’ll get out somewhere all alone. Raquelle can stay here. When she puts her mental health in order and calms down, we’ll talk.”       “I’m supporting you. When you two calm down and have a rest from each other, your relationship will be different.”       “I’d like to make it happen. But I could expect anything from that headstrong gal. She does adore making me nervous and showing her great stubbornness.”       “Raquelle and you just love being independent. You two are two wild animals that can’t live in captivity. That can live in nature and be independent of people. If someone puts you on a chain or locks you in a cage, you’ll feel bad. You two are strong and independent personas that must not be limited by something. You love freedom.”       “We’ve never limited each other. Every one of us can do anything and be independent. But now I have to limit Cameron’s freedom ‘cause we’re in a dangerous situation. Raquelle will have nobody to protect her if she stays alone and runs into a stinker from Uncle’s gang.”       “I know you do all of it for Raquelle’s best. And she does understand it well. Even if she wanna get off you for a while.”       “Raquelle doesn’t like when someone limits her and cuts off her wings, even for safety. That girl adores freedom. She wanna be independent and do whatever she wants. My fiancée doesn’t care how her actions will be rated by those, who dislike her, and what it might lead to. She listens only to those, who play a major role in her life.” Terrence chuckles quietly. “Though, sometimes she doesn’t listen to those people, as well. If that girl comes up with something, those stupid things can’t be kicked outta her head, even with bats and hammers.”       “As I said, she knows you’re doing all of that to protect her. But since you decided to marry her, you have to tolerate her character and love her for what she is. Your father never had a perfect character, but your mother loved him anyway and knew she wouldn’t make him what she wanted to see him.”       “I know. But sometimes I try to fix it, ‘cause her stubbornness and wish to do what she wants might lead to some trouble.”       “Don’t try to change her, Terrence. It will lead to nothing good. Alicia and Mr. Cameron weren’t able to fight with stubbornness and wish to be independent, and you won’t be able to do it, either. You can’t educate and change an adult person, who has character, habits, and preferences. But sometimes even a little child might show themselves and not think of changing.”       “I don’t try to educate her. I just want her to be less stubborn. I want her to hear me at least sometimes and do what’d be better for her.”       “But notice that sometimes Raquelle is right when she shows stubbornness.”       “You’re right,” Terrence smiles slightly. “Raquelle may really hit the bullseye! And now I start to think that we exchanged our places: she gave me her stubbornness, and I ‘rewarded’ her with the skill to think soberly. While Cameron is right when doing some things and really may foresee something bad, I started to suffer from some consequences of many actions of mine.”       “Don’t regret making mistakes. You can’t live without them, ‘cause we’d always learn from them and get some lessons. Maybe, you’re making mistakes now, but you’ll someday do something grandiose that will make you proud of yourself. It’s fine! By doing the wrong things, we don’t get worse. We get better. Better because we get some experience and know what we shouldn’t do. There is no person, who's never been wrong. But even if there is one, they know nothing, can do nothing, and can reach nothing. People get success only after making lots of mistakes and keeping going on, having the knowledge gotten after running into something hundreds of times.”       Edward’s words make Terrence chuckle quietly and smile shyly.       “How long ago did you become a philosopher, Edward Lockhart?” Terrence asks. “Why did you decide to recall something from the philosophy of mistakes?”       “I dunno, I just went on the wrong side,” Edward shrugs. “But it’s the truth. Of course, you feel bad if you make an unforgivable mistake and lose too much. But next time, you’d be smarter and think better before doing something.”       “It only has to do with fewer people. Unfortunately, life can teach someone nothing. No matter how often they get their asses kicked, they understand nothing.”       “Agree… And actually… Our life and life experience are wonderful inspiration for songs, movies, and books. If you’ve experienced a lot, you’ve got lots of ideas you’d love to show on a piece of paper or a screen.”       “It’s right. I like songs based on personal experiences or real-life events. That’s how you can get to know someone and know what’s inside them. Sometimes you may know everything about anyone thanks to music if they sing songs about their personal lives. People could find out much about me if I wanted to write a song based on my personal experience or act in a movie that would be about my life.”       “I think it would be a cool project. Your life is like a fire. Something always happens to you… You never feel bored and always experience different emotions and feelings. It’s possible to describe your whole life in bright colors. Nobody would be bored when watching a movie or listening to a song about you. Everybody would love to know the end of your story.”       “Maybe, someday, I will find the courage to write a song that will let people know very much about me,” Terrence shrugs. “But not now. Now, I’m not ready to live my whole life again for one song.”       “Maybe, I shall do the same, as well,” Edward says quietly… “But I can’t be sure someone would hear and see it. Even if I have something to say about myself…”       Edward inclines his head and starts looking at his shoes. Terrence says nothing and just glances at his friend and then at the horizon. The two stay silent for a few seconds. Every one of them thinks about something with a sad face, looking into the distance and noticing the sun has been half-closed behind clouds or at their shows or what there is on the ground. Silence settles in the place where the guys are. It may be broken by insects flying in the air or the quiet singing of birds. It’s very nice to be here, relax and put the nerves in order. There are no people around, and reaching the center of the city would take some time. You would unconsciously forget about your problems and start to remember something good that makes you put on a slight smile.       But some time later, Edward’s mobile phone starts ringing. The man, sighing quietly, puts his hand in a pocket of his leather jacket, takes the phone, and answers the call without emotions, not even looking at the screen to know who is calling him.       “Hello,” Edward says without emotions.       “Hello, dear nephew!” Michael’s happy, loud voice pronounces. “It’s your beloved uncle, Mikey! How are you doing there, baby? How’s your head? Doesn’t it hurt after you got a strong hit on it?”       Edward shakes and opens his eyes widely when he immediately realizes he got a call from Michael. The next second, he quite sharply jumps off the fence and goes aside quickly. Terrence, who was looking into the distance, frowns slightly and glances at his friend, whose behavior makes him suspicious.       “So, old bastard, I do want to know what you did to the girl,” Edward says rudely, clenches his free hand into a fist tightly, and raises his voice, getting immediately enraged. “ANSWER WHAT YOU DID TO HER! ANSWER, ASSHOLE!”       “Calm down, guy, calm down,” Michael replies quietly. “Do not scream at the phone and make me deaf. You can speak quietly. Although I am old, I still have a wonderful ear.”       “That’s wonderful!” Edward cuts off sharply. “So, hear you are an ASSHOLE, WHO WENT INSANE AND WENT WAY TOO FAR!”       “Damn, you have a talent – to make me enraged from the first seconds of a talk. I barely started talking with you, but I already want to crush my phone against the wall not to hear YOUR FUCKING VOICE!”       “Stop palavering me and answer what you did to the girl, who has been in your house for the fourth day! ANSWER, JACKASS, WHAT YOU DID TO HER! OR I SWEAR, YOU WILL REGRET BEING BORN IN THE WORLD!”       “Calm down, my dear, your gal is fine so far. She is under a close view of my people, who make sure that she does not even think of running.”       “What do you mean ‘fine so far?’” Edward resents irritably. “What are you the fuck going to do to her? ANSWER, THE FUCK!”       “Nothing yet. But the time when I will have the pleasure to give her to my people will come very soon,” Michael laughs evilly. “They are so excited, I’m going to tell you a secret. They cannot wait to play with that beauty. They’re standing in the line and waiting for her to suck them before her death.”       “I swear, Uncle Michael, if you or your nasty pals touch her with a finger, you will have to regret it. I’m not kidding! You have gone too far, and I am no longer going to be good for you. You got what you wanted and deprived me of the last drop of my patience.”       “Do you still naively think you’d save that beauty from me? You lost when you barely started pretending to be a hero. I understand you are enraged because you lost, and that beauty became a welcome guest at my gorgeous house. But you will not help her. Today will be the day of her death. The day when my dearest Eugene will have fun with her. Just like he’s dreaming.”       “Do not make me enraged, asshole!” Edward hisses through his teeth, clenching his hand tightly into a fist, starting to breathe heavily, and tensing the muscles of his body. “If I know you or that hairy gorilla dares to come to her, I will not be responsible for my actions. DO I THE FUCK EXPLAIN IT CLEARLY? DON’T EVEN DARE TO COME TO THAT GIRL!”       Meanwhile, Terrence sharply jumps off the fence and comes to Edward, getting interested in the talk with Michael, who makes his friend so enraged. Edward himself glances at him and turns on the speakerphone, so he can hear what his friend’s uncle says.       “Listen, Edward, stop waving your hands and making your worthless threats,” Michael says quietly. “You will do nothing against me because you are terribly afraid of your uncle.”       “Don’t be so confident,” Edward says coldly. “If I know you or someone from your gang of deadbeats did something to Natalia, I shall do anything. Kill you or burn your fucking house down along with all those nasty bastards.”       “Ah, my boy…” Michael sighs quietly. “When will you finally grow up and stop playing a hero for nothing? Of course, I highly appreciated the way you were protecting that sweet girl from my people. But sadly, you did not save her. Natalia ended up in my house and is now crying quietly in the room where she is locked all alone and waiting for me to let my people play with her and then kill.”       “I would have protected her until the end if one kiss-ass that worked for you and did your dirty things, had not pushed me so that I hit my head against the wall and passed out,” Edward says rudely. “If I had been standing on my feet and been awake, those jackasses would not have dared to take her away.”       “Eric and Eugene told me everything.” Michael laughs quietly and evilly. “Told me how you wanted to show your ex your strong power and endless bravery. Of course, you have a tough head, but it did not take strong hits from my helpers. Ah, so sorry that I didn’t see my beloved nephew protecting his ex-girlfriend, who cheated on him…”       “And you were VERY lucky that your pals did not let me in the house when you texted me that you hid that girl there. If I had been there, I would have killed you on that day. YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE HOW MUCH YOU MADE ME ENRAGED.”       “You know, you and your pal have made me enraged since you were born. Just like your pathetic father did, since my parents made a great mistake and gave birth to that nasty bastard. I hated him when he was in the belly of Mother and cursed that embryo. I wanted him to never be born.”       “Don’t dare to stand in my way, Uncle Mikey!” Edward pronounces in a low voice. “Don’t dare to run into me. I swear, I will turn you to dust! FOR DARING TO DO THAT TO THE INNOCENT GIRL! SHE IS GUILTY OF NOTHING, BUT YOU, SCUMBAG, MADE HER A VICTIM!”       “And yeah, I’d see that blondie shaking from fear at the sight of Eugene, hiding behind your back, and falling into despair when she realized her protector had nearly died. I was told that she was screaming loudly and fighting, while my people were trying to catch her. Oh, I would’ve had the great pleasure of watching that grandiose show and laughing loudly after Eric’s hit knocked you out, and Eugene put that lady to sleep.”       “But I would have THE GREAT pleasure of shooting at your head and would NOT regret watching you choke with your own blood,” Edward says rudely, clenching his hand into a fist so tightly that his chuckles get white and fighting with a wish to throw his phone far not to hear the disgusting voice of Michael.”       “Don’t try to do it, my bloodthirsty boy. Otherwise, you will go to prison for many years.”       “I give a fuck! If Natalia suffers and especially dies because of you, you can say goodbye to your fucking life and get ready to go to another world. Right in hell. Without the money and wealth that you stole from my father. You will not need them.”       “And nobody in hell will need you showing off. Do you think I don’t know you are actually a cowardly puppy that tries to cover his cowardice? Maybe, someone like your ex would believe you are a hero, but I know you too well. You are a liar, Edward. A liar. A cowardly puppy that can only bark on the corner, but is afraid to show up.”       “I said everything to you! If you touch her with a finger, you will be dead!”       “You got a too puffy tail. At first, you insulted the gal, but now you are ready to cut anyone’s throat to save her from your uncle.”       “Alright, stop palavering me!” Edward cuts off irritably, sharply waving a hand. “I don’t care about what you have in your old head with the brains that barely work. You will tell your people to let me in the house when I come there. I will take the girl with me and take her far from you and that sick bastard Wainwright. And after that, you will forget her once and forever. And you better leave my family alone and stop chasing us.”       “Huh, you are so naive, boy!” Michael simpers. “Do you still believe in tales like a girl and think any story has a happy end, in which kindness wins over evil? Wake up, baby! Stop being so sentimental! Start the fuck growing up and becoming a man! How long will you be a girl, who has always been too sentimental, cowardly, sensitive, and terribly naive? Will you believe in tales until the end of your life? Don’t start reading fucking tales about princes and princesses and discussing them with girls. Men would be laughing at you hard… No good man would be so tender and act like a woman!”       “It would be good for you to read a couple of kind tales,” Edward says rudely. “Maybe, you’d get kinder.”       “I have no wish to listen to the barking puppy that will never become an adult guard dog. You are actually worthless! I still cannot understand what’s the meaning of your life is. Though, even if you had a goal, you would reach nothing. Because you are an insecure, cowardly boy, who is terribly afraid to confess it.”       “Don’t hope I'll be the same nasty and jealous man, who hates the whole world like you. And you underrate me, Uncle Mickey. Because if I know you or your pals harm Natalia, you can forget about the former Edward. I shall become the one, who will show no mercy to anyone if something happens to my girlfriend.”       “You are wrong, my boy. That beautiful blonde is no longer your girlfriend. You should not actually care about it. But you and I know why you are fretting and fuming because Natalia is at my house and waiting for her time to please my people and die because of them.”       “Do not wake up an animal inside me, old bastard,” Edward hisses with evil in his eyes, tightly clenching his hand into a fist and tensing his tense muscles. “Your sick pals will not dare to come close to her. If they dare to look at her, I will skin them alive. AND DO IT TO YOU! FOR DEPRIVING ME OF THE LAST DROP OF PATIENCE!”       “Oh, Edward, how it’s funny for me to see what you are doing,” Michael laughs evilly. “You think I’ll put my tail between my legs and stare at you scarily after your threats? Ha, I’m not afraid of some barking shit! You want to seem dangerous, but it looks too funny. Your show is just an act! An act for your relatives, from whom you are waiting for thankfulness. For whom you don’t want to be so worthless… An act for your ex, who you want to get back with being an alleged hero, knowing well that girls get excited by those things.”       “Don’t wait for me to shake when standing in front of you. I have warned you many times about what would happen if you made me enraged. Maybe, I was afraid of you because you were sick and must’ve gotten therapy. But now even your mental health will not scare me. Especially, after you organized the kidnapping of the innocent girl. You, old sick bastard, cannot even imagine how much I have hated you since I learned about it.”       “Yeah, you will never forget how to snap and be rude… As long as I remember you, you have always been a brute, who has never been taught to be polite, respect older people, and succumb to those, who know MUCH more than you.”       “Ha, respect? YOU?” Edward wonders loudly. “Why should I respect you for? For making the life of my family worse and dreaming of being carried in the arms and served by lots of people? You have done nothing to deserve someone’s respect. And yeah, do not think those assholes really love you. They love the money you give them. Check it – don’t give them money for two weeks, and you will see they will immediately stop dancing attendance upon you.”       “That’s why I’ve hated you to death all my life,” Michael says rudely. “You have always been a pain in the ass! Always been a rude scumbag and loved sticking your fucking nose in everything. Your father was the same, and he taught you nothing! You learned some shit from your pals, with whom you were hanging around all day long.”       “It’s none of your business, Uncle Michael!” Edward replies coldly. “And actually, I am sick of listening to your delirium! Just tell your bastards to let me in the house, so I take out the girl, who those deadbeats insolently took away under from my nose.”       “Ar-r-r-r, how much you make me furious, fucking scumbag!” Michael growls loudly. “Your fucking blonde will leave my house dead! And you will not prevent it!”       “If I have to, I will get into your house by force and kill that fucking gang! And that girl will leave that house WITH ME ALIVE! YOU GOT IT, THE FUCK?”       “Stop, Edward, STOP, JACKASS!” Michael gets furious. “YOU MAKE ME MUCH MORE FURIOUS THAN YOUR FUCKING FATHER! IF YOU WERE WITH ME, I WOULD BEAT YOUR FACE SO STRONGLY THAT YOU’D REGRET BEING BORN! A LITTLE FUCKING BASTARD!”       “Stop screaming at the phone! I’m not deaf and can your evil tirades that make me feel sick. No matter if you want it or not, I will take Natalia from your house. But before wishing to see her safe and sound, I want to hear her voice! Give her the phone now and let her say just a word! NOW!”       “I’m afraid, my dear, that girl cannot talk because she definitely has a strong shock, which is the reason why she does not always answer my people when they say something to her,” Michael replies thoughtfully. “But I shall let you see your ex-girlfriend for the last time. But at first, you need to do easy things.”       “You will not make me kill someone,” Edward says confidently. “For Natalia, I’m ready for anything, but I do not want to curse myself for killing those, who I HAVE NEVER wanted to and WILL NOT kill.”       “Calm down, baby, I will not make you kill yet. First, you have to do something easier.”       “Call me the claims that I should do for the life and freedom of the girl,” Edward throws rudely. “NOW!”       “So, listen to me closely and remember, barking puppy,” Michael says confidently. “Tonight, at six hours o’clock, I will be waiting for you at my home. By that time, I will tell my people to let you in.”       “Do not even doubt, Uncle! And if I do not see the girl, I will turn your whole fucking house upside down and find Natalia wherever you locked her.”       “BUT! But! You must not come alone. With your friend and my eldest nephew, Terrence MacClife. Who I will finally see for the first time and find out what the favorite boy of the MacClife family became. I do not care how you will make that psycho bastard go with you. Do what you want: agreeing with him in a good way or hitting him on the head and carrying that guy’s body in a car. But in six hours, I must see you two at my house.”       All this time, Terrence is closely listening to Michael and Edward and quickly understands that the man is really so disgusting and nasty. And when Lockhart’s uncle demands that the friends go to his home together, they look at each other questioningly.       “Ha, don’t you want anything else, lord?” Edward smirks contemptuously.       “I said everything, Edward, if you want to see the gal, you will have to come here with Terrence,” Michael says quietly and clears his throat. “Ah yeah, I want to warn you two: if you want to take someone else with you, especially the police, the blonde will be dead. My people will kill her before your eyes. I hope you got it, my dear Edward?”       “It couldn’t be clearer!” Edward throws in a low voice. “Your wish will come true!”       “Wonderful! And yeah, of course, you can come alone if your friend kicks you out of his home when you show up on the doorstep. It’s fine. But tell that idiot that he will not hide himself and his fiancée from me forever. I will find Terrence and his beauty Raquelle, whom he is protecting from my people, who cannot also wait to have fun with her.”       “Don’t think he will give his fiancée to you and your people so easily. Terrence will not do it, and he will protect her until the end. And I will help him with pleasure.”       “It’s alright, my boy, my people will defeat that psycho quickly,” Michael replies confidently. “I don’t doubt he is the same fucking bastard that can only wave his hands and scream like a hysterical girl.”       “You’d make any normal person a hysterical girl! Just standing next to you is impossible because you’d make anyone enraged!”       “Hinting that MacClife is kind of normal?” Michael smirks loudly. “Ha! No, my dear! Terrence has always been a hysterical psycho. Who, however, has reached what you can only dream about. Even despite his mental issues, everybody loves him. Nobody cares that that man could easily stab someone. That peacock is well aware of it. That’s why he acts too confidently and tells everybody he is the all-favorite man loved by his mommy and daddy, his fiancée, and little children from the whole world.”       “Alright, done!” Edward exclaims loudly and irritably, sharply waving a hand. “I’m sick of listening to your bullshit that makes my ears bleed! In short, Uncle, your claims will be done! Terrence and I will come to you in time. And I truly hope you will leave the girl alone and set her free immediately. And it would be much better if you left the lives of all the MacClifes. We’d give you everything we have for you to leave us alone and choke on what you stole.”       “Oh, you know, my sweetie, I think I will not waste my nerves on a worthless talk with you. I have so much to do, but you made me so exhausted. I will go to drink a glass of strong wine and probably take a gorgeous bath. So, see you soon, Eddy. Tonight, everything will be over. Tonight, you will have to make a choice that your life will depend on. Only yours. Or you will die along with those, who are expected by your father in heaven. Though, he’s hardly waiting for you because he never loved such a worthless and talentless puppy like you.”       Michael sharply turns off the call, and Edward can hear monotonous beeps. But two seconds later, he locks the phone and squeezes it tightly in his hand, breathing heavily enough and feeling he is literally boiling from evil. Terrence also starts getting nervous after this call from the man that seemed nasty and horrible from the beginning.       “Fucking asshole…” Edward barely holds his evil down, looking around the whole place with a heavy breath. “Hate that scumbag! HATE! BASTARD! I WISH HE DIED!”       In anger, Edward hits his fist right against the wood fence and immediately feels a strong pain in his hand.       “How much I hate that deadbeat!” Edward hisses through his teeth, clenching one hand into a fist and holding his phone tightly in another. “Sometimes I wanna throw the most powerful bomb at him. So, he explodes along with all of his plans TO THE FUCK!”       “Yeah, it’s clear that’s the deadbeat,” Terrence notices, frowning and crossing his arms over his chest. “When I heard his voice, I realized that he was such a nasty bastard.”       “Yeah…” Edward says much quieter. “I’m still surprised that such wonderful people like Grandpa and Grandma gave birth to this bastard. They’re probably rolling in a grave from seeing what that rat does.”       “Sadly, you can often find a rotten fruit in a basket with beautiful and fresh ones at first sight.”       “You’re right…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Edward calms down a little and gets control over the negative emotions that Michael caused.       “Damn, honestly, I don’t like the fact that he asked us two to come,” Edward frowns slightly. “It won’t lead to anything good.”       “I know,” Terrence nods. “But we have no choice. We must go there together. Natalia’s life depends on it, but we can’t risk it.”       “If only those scumbags had done nothing to her before we came. And have they done something to Natalia for the four days she’s been in the house of that old bastard?”       “Michael would hardly love to harm her. He said he’d let you see that girl. So, we’ll see her alive when we come there.”       “Uncle said we’d supposed to be there at six o’clock. How much time do we have? I believe it’s about three o’clock now!”       “So…” Terrence looks at the watch that he is wearing on his left hand. “To be clear, it’s a quarter to three.”       “A little more than three hours… So, we have three hours until six o’clock. But we should go on the way earlier, ‘cause the way to his home takes a lot of time.”       “How long do we have to go to his home?” Terrence frowns slightly.       “If we went from your home, we’d spend one and a half hours.”       “So, we should go at half past four or even earlier. And in this case, we have very little time.”       “Maybe, we have a little time, but we can still get morally ready for this meeting.”       “And warn Raquelle about it!” Terrence exclaims confidently. “She should know it! We should immediately tell her that Michael has shown up and asked us about the meeting.”       “Then let’s go to your home now. You said she was there.”       “Yeah, we’ve gotta go home…” Terrence runs his hand over his hair sharply, being a little excited. “Holy shit, I didn’t take Raquelle’s car and decided to walk on my feet. But the way to my home is gonna take thirty or forty minutes… Did you come in your car?”       “No, I’m not in my car,” Edward shakes his head. “I didn’t think I’d need it today.”       “Fuck! Okay, we better hurry up! We have a very little time!”       “Let’s go then!”       Edward becomes the first one to give a start, and then Terrence follows him shortly. Both of them climb over the fence, behind which they are standing, quickly enough and go on the straight road almost in a run, wishing to reach the home of Terrence and Raquelle as soon as possible to tell the girl about Michael’s call.       

***

      It’s three o'clock. The house of Michael. The man is looking forward to a taste of victory and is impatiently waiting for Edward and Terrence to come here. He is determined to bring the case to an end and is not going to give up when he is so close to the finish.       “Tonight, I shall finally make my plan come true,” Michael says confidently, slowly walking in circles at his office with a sly smile and holding a glass, which is quarter filled with expensive dry wine that he drinks at times. “Tonight, the MacClife family will die… I should only wait for the guys to come here to send my people to Terrence’s home and tell them to bring Raquelle here. These two will be able to do nothing and will have to spend some time with me and that charming blonde. That sweet girl will become a witness to how her ex will kill her best friend. Or he will die if he keeps being a coward. I don’t doubt it will happen. I want Edward to refuse to kill Terrence. I want that fucking kid to die. And my people will defeat those two charming beauties, who will be protected by nobody after those bastards’ death. One of who doesn’t know that he is my eldest nephew. And last, I will defeat their mother, who will go where her sonnies and her hubby will be waiting for her.”       Michael stops in the middle of the room and proudly drinks some wine from his transparent glass, enjoying the incredible taste of this expensive drink and smiling widely.       “I shall do what I have wanted for so long,” Michael says confidently. “Soon, I will take revenge on all the MacClifes. No scumbag will dare to take what I was deprived of in childhood. Everything that belongs to my family members yet will become mine at the nearest time. Only mine. Neither my brother Jamie, nor my nephews Terrence and Edward, will stand in my way. Ar-r-r-r… I hate those bastards. I hate them for depriving me of everything that could have been MINE by just being born. But now justice will glory. I will get what I was deprived of all my life.”       Michael takes a couple of more sips of the wine with a sly smile and a proud gaze, and glances at the personal computer, on which a website on the Internet is open. And a few seconds later, someone carefully knocks at the door of the office. Not being surprised, Michael puts his glass on the table and crosses his arms over his chest.       “Come in!” Michael exclaims, moving his eyes to the door.       The door opens quietly, and Eric shows up on the doorstep, having a wonderful mood, smiling widely and holding a small box made of black velvet.       “Come in, Eric,” Michael says gently, making a calling gesture. “Don’t be shy.”       Eric comes into the office, closes the door, tightly pressing the box to himself, goes to Michael’s working table confidently, and puts what he is holding on it, saying:       “Here, my lord. I brought you what you wanted.”       “Brought?” Michael asks and confidently comes closer to the table with a sly smile. “Great, I want to look at that!”       Michael slightly raises the black box and looks at it from all sides for a few seconds. And later, he puts it on the table with a quiet smirk, takes off the lid, and looks inside. The man slowly, carefully takes a new black pistol that has probably never been used with a much wider smile. This thing makes him highly admired, and he starts looking at the gun like charmed, wrapping it in his hands and examining every single detail.       “Excellent!” Michael pronounces with enjoyment. “That’s what I need for tonight!”       “I just took it from the safe,” Eric replies confidently with a sly smile. “This gun has never been used.”       “Ah, wonderful! I kept this thing safe for a special event. For what will happen tonight.”       “Don’t worry, Mr. MacClife,” Eric crosses his arms over his chest. “Everything is going to be alright. You will finally get what you deserve!”       “Yes, Eric…” Michael turns to Eric and looks at him proudly. “Tonight. Tonight, I will finally get everything that was stolen from me. I cannot wait to defeat all those people and say my revenge has come true.”       “Just a little time to go, my lord. You need to wait for only three hours.”       “They will go fast. I have been waiting for this day for about fifteen years, and I can wait for more.”       “I do not doubt your win over all those people. You planned everything well.”       “But I would not have done it without the help of my loyal people.”       “We just helped you. You came up with this plan. We will not dare to call your success ours.”       “I like your modesty,” Michael smiles slyly. “Nevertheless, don’t forget that much of what we’ve done together was thought up by many of you. Everyone suggested some ideas, and I accepted many of them.”       “If you say so, I will not deny it. And I will keep doing what you want.”       “I’ve never doubted your loyalty to me.” Michael carefully puts the pistol on the table. “I promise I will reward you generously when all the MacClifes are defeated. I’m sure you will be delighted by a little surprise that I prepared for you as thankfulness for your braveness.”       “Thank you, honorable Mr. MacClife,” Eric replies confidently, proudly looking at Michael and inclining his head slightly. “For me, it’s an honor to serve such an amazing and generous man like you.”       “You are not just my servant, Eric.” Michael puts his hand on Eric’s shoulder with a slight smile and claps on it. “You are my loyal friend, who has done much for me. I’ve tested you for loyalty many times. But you passed all the tests easily and proved that you would do anything for friendship with me.”       “Anything for you, lord. If you need something, let me know.”       “Sure.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Eric and Michael just smile shyly. And then Mr. MacClife becomes more serious, takes the glass of wine from the table, and drinks a little bit.       “Alright, stop these snotty talks,” Michael says confidently. “We should get ready for fun. Check everything well, make sure that everything is fine, and tell the guys what they should do again.”       “I talked to them,” Eric replies confidently. “They remember everything well.”       “And watch the gal better. Until tonight, nothing should happen to her.”       “We are watching her very closely,” Eric replies confidently. “Eugene remembers your order and is waiting for you to allow him to get closer to her.”       “Tell him he should wait for a little time. When the MacClife brothers come here, and the guys bring Raquelle, the fiancée of the all-favorite Terrence, I shall give the blondie to him. As well as the brunette, if his instincts work when seeing that sexy dolly.”       “Of course, Mr. MacClife. We are all impatiently waiting for the moment to fuck those beauties.”       “Hey, how is our blonde-haired beauty doing?” Michael simpers quietly. “Hasn’t she died from a heart attack? And how many times has she fainted?”       “No, the gal is holding on. She does not resist and eats everything we give her… She even goes to the room after doing her business in a bathroom. But sometimes a wild cat wakes up inside her, and Natalia snaps and bites a little.”       “She can snap as much as she wants,” Michael laughs. “She has no place to go, and she understands it well. At first, everybody wll know all the dirty secrets of Eddy, and that he is the member of the MacClife family, and then all of them will die.”       “And she can keep naively believing her ex will rescue her. That idiot always says Edward is about to come to save her.”       “But he will come. She will meet my nephew. But it will be their last meeting. As well as her meeting with Terrence, Raquelle, and Rebecca. At first, everybody will know all the dirty secrets of Eddy and the fact that he is the member of the MacClife family, and then they all will be defeated.”       “Our cutie still believes in tales and believes she’ll be saved as well as a prince saves a princess from an evil person or a dragon.”       “I know. Edward and she still cannot grow up and stop thinking of what stupid children believe in. The puppy is too sentimental and believes kindness gets victory over evil, and that cutie still considers herself a princess that must be saved by a charming prince, get married to him, and taken to his kingdom.”       “Ugh, these fucking snots make me sick,” Eric throws gloomily. “I’ve always hated these tales and don’t understand why someone the fuck teaches children that you can be happy and reach for success thanks to kindness.”       “That’s good I don’t have sisters. Otherwise, Father and Mother would’ve made me sick of kind tales and lectures about being sweet, kind, and good to get something. I would’ve done something if I had constantly heard something like that. And I will kill that gal and that barking puppy if they dare to talk about this bullshit.”       “Huh, if I could, I would’ve killed her when we had to bring her here. That gal did make us so furious by her shouts that Wainwright and I were ready to hit her head against the wall.”       “I get it. I completely get it. But I’m the only one to give orders here. And I remind you that I haven’t told you to kill her. I need that gal to be alive before my nephews come here, and the guys bring the fiancée of my eldest nephew here.”       “Oh…” Eric inclines his head guiltily, bending his arms at his elbows. “I’m sorry, my lord. Of course, we will do nothing to that gal before you allow us to do it.”       “That’s good. None of you has a right to get closer to her.” Michael smiles evilly. “If that gal gets a heart attack before my nephews come here, it will be too bad. Her soul is tender, and she may not take this shock.”       “I got you, my lord. Do not worry. Nothing will happen to her, I swear on my life and my head.”       “Good,” Michael nods with a slight smile. “I’m glad you are so understanding and do not argue with me. I really like people, who obey my orders without minding.”       “Trying to do my best to please you,” Eric says gently.       “It’s nice to me.” Michael drinks some wine from his glass. “Alright, you can be free and do your business. Leave the box with the gun here. I want to protect this treasure personally.”       “Sure. With your permission.”       Eric leaves the office, closing the door. Michael drinks the rest of the wine, puts the empty glass on the table, takes the pistol, and starts looking at this again. A little later, the man looks into the black velvet box and finds a few bullets carefully placed on a small pillow. He looks at all of them and, making sure that he has everything, puts the gun in the box and closes it with the lid. Then Michael proudly comes to the window with his head highly raised and starts smiling evilly while watching four guards, among whom there are Andrew and Otto, walking in circles and talking about what makes them laugh loudly.       “There is no way back, my revenge will come true tonight,” Michael says confidently. “Tonight, you will pay for everything, my dear Edward and Terrence. Just like the blonde Natalia and the brunette Raquelle. And your mother, who will go to heaven with her hubby and sonnies soon. Everything is ready to have a lot of fun tonight. I need only to wait for the two parasites.”       Michael smiles widely and shakes his head, crossing his arms over his chest.       “Ah, Jamie, Jamie, how naive and stupid you were… And why did the fuck everybody say you were smart and talented? How could a person without brains reach for something if wrapping you around a finger was so easy? You, moron, thought I’d change and get kinder. Give up on my revenge and love my younger brother, as Mommy and Daddy always wanted. They always told me that I must love my younger brother as an older brother. I should’ve stood by him, wiped his saliva, and given in to him. I did not the fuck need it! I never wanted to have brothers and sisters and was going to be a babysitter for nobody. Why did the fuck my parents decide to give birth to another child? As if I begged them to give me a brother or a sister!”       Michael smirks evilly.       “Yeah, brother, you ran into the wrong man!” Michael exclaims proudly. “You didn’t understand that I’d never love you. And befriend someone, who deprived me of everything you got. And I will not calm down until my revenge comes true. I will never give up on my wishes and will bring the case to an end. Very soon, your sons and beloved women and two wonderful girls will join you somewhere in heaven. Your bodies will be getting rotted in the ground, and every one of you will have your own grave. And I will keep living and doing my best to become more successful. So, my name is known around the world. So, I’m included in the list of the richest and most successful people in America and the whole world. Maybe, I will even become a politician and an initiator of many laws that will change the lives of people in this country. You will see, my dear relatives, I shall reach as much as you haven’t reached in your short life. However, none of you will see my success.”       Michael stands in front of the window for a few seconds, fills his glass with some wine, and keeps slowly drinking it. He does not even want to think that something might ruin his plans, and he is sure he can do it. The man is enjoying every second that gets him closer to the moment when all his dreams will come true.       

***

      It’s half past three. Edward and Terrence quickly went to the home of the latter one to tell Raquelle that Michael had asked them for a meeting. And the girl understands Victor was right: there is really a trap for the men. And even if she agreed with Darwin and Victor about help, it does not mean everything may end badly.       “What?” Raquelle gets horrified, sharply jumps off the sofa, and stares her dumbfounded gaze at Edward and Terrence, standing near her. “Michael wants to see you at his home?”       “Yes, we should go to his home in six hours,” Edward replies quietly. “And sadly, we have no choice. We should go.”       “Is it his claim to set Natalia free?”       “He said nothing about setting her free,” Terrence notices, keeping his arms crossed over his chest. “Michael said he’d let just Edward see Natalia, but he should go to his home with me.”       “Are you gonna go with him?”       “I have no choice,” Terrence shrugs. “He said I wouldn’t run and hide from him forever. I’d better deal with him now than delay it for later.”       “But why did he ask you to come, as well?” Raquelle pretends to be surprised, opening her eyes widely. “What does Michael need from you?”       “I don’t know. But that man clearly let me know: either I go to him at my wish, or someone from his people brings me to him by force.” Terrence hums quietly. “And judging the talk, it’s clear that he is a jackass. You should’ve heard how rudely he talked to Edward. And how he insulted me… Even if we don’t know each other.”       “No…” Raquelle shakes her head, getting more and more nervous. “No, it’s dangerous… I feel it wouldn’t lead to anything good.”       “We understand everything,” Edward replies with sadness in his eyes, putting his hands on his hips. “But we should end this story and take your friend away. She’s been stuck in that house along with those psyches, who can do anything to her, for the fourth day. I’m even afraid to imagine how she’d look when we saw her.”       “Oh, gosh…” Raquelle puts her hand on her forehead, being more and more afraid that her worst expectations and Victor’s warnings are confirmed, and starting to breathe much heavier from the excitement and tension that gets obsessed with her body. “What if he does something to you? Didn’t you think it happened for the reason?”       “If it’s his claim for setting Natalia free, we must go there,” Edward says confidently and sits on the sofa, slouching slightly and starting to rub his hands nervously. “We will take her away from there in any way and protect her and ourselves much crueler than ever.”       “Don’t worry, we’ll do our best to save your friend,” Terrence promises, sitting on another sofa. “She will no longer stay in the house with the sick Michael and his gang, among whom there is Wainwright.”       “Gosh, I’m even afraid to think she’s where that beast is.” Raquelle sighs heavily and sits on the third sofa. “What have they done to her for four days? Would she survive that nightmare? That girl is so sensitive and vulnerable. I’m worried about her.”       “Agree, it’s gonna be hard for her to forget everything that happened to her,” Edward says with sadness in his eyes. “But the sooner we will save her, the sooner Natalia will come to herself.”       “Maybe, we’ll make Michael sure to leave all of us alone,” Terrence adds. “If he wanna see our signatures on papers for the refusal of the inheritance, we will do it with pleasure. So, he chokes! And leaves us alone!”       “Exactly! We won’t even think about it and will sign everything he gives us. He can go to the fuck with the money! We shouldn’t care about it.”       “My gosh, I don’t like all of it…” Raquelle says excitedly and takes her phone from the pocket of her jeans. “I don’t really like… You’re risking much by deciding to go there all alone.”       Raquelle unblocks her phone and starts typing a message for Darwin, doing it so that Terrence and Edward do not see who she is contacting, and what she wants to send someone.       “We understand it may be risky,” Terrence says quietly. “And we know we should’ve asked the police for help. We didn’t have time to do it. And if it’s so, we will count only on ourselves.”       “I know, but…” Raquelle replies with sadness in her eyes, still typing the message carefully, and moves her eyes off the phone. “I don’t feel quiet. I have a bad presentiment, you know… Going to Michael’s home doesn’t give us a guarantee that it will save Natalia.”       “Listen, Raquelle, Terrence, and I know we may expect anything from Uncle,” Edward says softly. “But understand, we should do it. For Natalia. She’s in great danger, and we must save her. We’ve been waiting for too long and can’t give up now, when that man finally showed up.”       “You get nothing, Edward…” Raquelle sighs heavily and continues to type a message on the phone. “I’m worried about her and you two. Since Michael hates you so much and wants to destroy you, you should be very careful with that man and think better before doing what he wants. Besides, don’t forget that he wanna kill all of us and can tell his people to do it at any time. Being at his home, he can do it easily. Nobody would guess what would happen if all of us ended up there.”       “But we’ve gotta risk,” Terrence replies confidently. “Don’t worry, in case we’re in danger, we won’t give up and will stand for ourselves. As Edward said, we’ll be crueler than ever. We’ll take Natalia away from that house. That girl should not suffer because that deadbeat went out of his mind.”       “I’m horrified, you see. I can’t get rid of the feeling that this trip may be fateful for you. You do know it well: when I get a presentiment, something surely happens later.”       “I know, Raquelle, but we can’t hide like mice and wait for everything to be solved by itself,” Terrence replies quietly. “If we want that stinker to leave us alone and set Natalia free, we should leave our hideaway and fight. We’ve got nobody to count on. Only ourselves.”       “Oh, Terrence…” Raquelle sighs tiredly and runs her hand over her face. “How naive you are… Don’t you understand that Michael might make you go to his home to do anything to you? Wake up, MacClife! You can’t go there, ask them to bring Natalia to you and take her out.”       “I said we’d take her in any way. Nothing will stop us.”       “So much has happened for a reason! First, the letters, then the attacks and chases… Michael may come up with anything! He’s really mentally sick! He must get therapy!”       Raquelle finishes typing the message for Darwin, reads it quickly, and sends it to her friend. The girl does not notice that Edward unconsciously glances at her, sees her typing something on her phone, and frowns slightly. Maybe, he gets some suspicions, but he says nothing and excuses it with the fact that Cameron just texts someone from her friends and workmates.       “Hey, Darwin, It’s Raquelle Cameron. I finally got some news for you and Mr. Johnson. Terrence and Edward just told me Michael showed up and asked them to go to his home tonight at six o’clock. It seems like Jamie’s friend was absolutely right: that man really wants to get them caught in a trap and leave me without support. The MacClife brothers will have no time to come back and protect me… I’m terrified and don’t know what to expect…”       “He tried to terrify us,” Terrence replies quietly. “So, we didn’t even think to do something.”       “It was just the beginning,” Raquelle says and puts her phone in the pocket of her light blue jeans. “And his next step is murdering someone. Michael won’t play with us until the end of his life, and someday will surely wish to kill us by one or all together.”       “Gosh, Cameron, how did you get these assumptions?” Terrence opens his eyes widely. “Do you think Michael told us to come to him to kill us and Natalia at his home and get rid of all the clues?”       “I wouldn’t be surprised if it were the truth. And since you two are his biggest enemies, Michael will start with you. After, he’ll deal with me! Mrs. MacClife! And Natalia! He’ll defeat us when we have nobody to be protected by.”       “We know, Raquelle,” Edward says a little hesitantly. “But he'd probably love to wait for some time. That old bastard can spend a lot of time enjoying the moments when we suffer and don’t know when we may die.”       “God, Edward, since when have you been so naive?” Raquelle resents, running her hand over her face. “It seems like you don’t understand why your uncle invited you and Terrence.”       “I understand. Completely understand.”       “Damn, wake the fuck up, you two! Do you think Michael will let you take Natalia out so easily? You’re wrong! He demanded nothing for her freedom: neither money nor anything else. A chance to see my friend is just a cover. The reason to make you go there!”       “Now our main goal is to take Natalia out of Uncle’s home,” Edward replies confidently. “We were waiting for the call from him for four days to know how to help her.”       “I know.”       “Don’t worry, Raquelle, it’s gonna be okay,” Terrence assures softly. “Even if Michael wanna harm us or your friend, we will be protecting ourselves from him and his people. That old moron shouldn't think we’d give up so easily and let them destroy us. They ran into the wrong people!”       “Please, guys, don’t go to Michael’s home together!” Raquelle begs with pity in her eyes. “Please, Terrence, Edward, give up on it! I feel it might lead to something bad!”       “What?” Edward opens his eyes widely. “Raquelle, what are you talking about? Don’t you want Natalia to be free? You want her to die because of that sick bastard? I won’t personally let it happen and will go to Uncle’s home and take her away! Even if I have to use force, I will leave only with that girl!”       “Yes, I want her to be free…” Raquelle replies hesitantly, biting her lip slightly and barely holding down a wish to tell the truth about the trap for Edward and Terrence and Michael’s plans for all the MacClifes. “But…”       “What ‘but’? You’re acting like you don’t want us to save your friend! You were crying and worried that Uncle could do anything to her! But now you’re asking me and Terrence not to go. How do we understand it, Raquelle? I don’t get it!”       “Please, don’t do this…” Raquelle begs in a shaking voice, looking at Edward and Terrence with pity in her eyes. “You will be dead…”       “But, Raquelle…”       “Raquelle, let’s go aside for two seconds,” Terrence says confidently, frowning strongly. “C’mon, c’mon, get up.”       Terrence gets up from the sofa, takes Raquelle under an elbow, raises her from the sofa, and takes her aside to figure out the girl’s strange behavior that makes him confused. Edward watches them questioningly and falls into his by far not the best thoughts, doubling over and getting very nervous because of the upcoming meeting, during which, as he believes, Michael might really kill MacClife and Lockhart.       “What’s wrong, Cameron?” Terrence wonders. “What’s happening to you? Why are you acting so strangely and insisting that we don’t go? Don’t you really want to see your friend alive?”       “Terrence, I’m begging you, don’t go to Michael’s home with Edward,” Raquelle begs, looking at Terrence with pity in her eyes. “It might lead to a catastrophe.”       “It’s gonna be okay, you’ve got no reason to worry.”       “Who knows, how he’d love to deal with all of us. We may expect anything from that man!”       “Michael will be able to do nothing to you ‘cause you’ll stay home. But I’ll go to his home with Edward and end this fucking story.”       “Do you wanna leave me alone?” Raquelle opens her eyes full of horror widely, being surprised that Terrence seems so quiet and being worried not about herself but the man. “But why? You said you wanted to be with me!”       “While you’re home, you’ve got a lower chance to be caught by Michael’s people,” Terrence replies quietly and confidently. “I mean, you’re absolutely safe here.”       “Please, Terrence, don’t go. Stay home! Michael might kill you, and I might not even know it! Please, give up on this idea. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”       “Nothing will happen to me, sweetie. You know I can stand up for myself and won’t let that bastard and his pals kill me so easily. They’ll have to run after me to deal with me.”       “I don’t wanna stay without you,” Raquelle says in a shaking voice with pity in her wet eyes. “I’m terrified… Who will protect me if something horrible happens? You won’t be by my side, and I won’t be able to deal with those, who may be way stronger than I am.”       “If you don’t leave home, nothing will happen to you. But if you’re so afraid, the security system and cameras are working. The neighborhood is under a good view, and strangers can’t end up here. When a suspicious person comes here, security calls the police. You have no reason to be afraid.”       “No, Terrence, please, don’t do it!” Raquelle shakes her head sharply, trying to hold down tears coming to her eyes, and tightly grabs Terrence’s wrists. “If you go there, you may never come back home.”       “I’ve gotta go, get it,” Terrence protests. “Moreover, I can’t leave Natalia in trouble and wanna help her. The poor girl needs our help so badly, and we can’t let her die from the fear that Michael may kill us.”       “I understand, but it’s very risky.”       “You want your friend to stay alive and unharmed?”       “Of course, I want! Very much! But I don’t want her to be saved at the cost of your life! Michael hates you much more and wanna defeat you. You do know he killed your father. And if you go to his home to see Natalia, you’ll be killed as well as Lockhart’s father.”       “Listen, I completely understand the risk and know Michael’s might kill me. But if he told me to go, I will go. I heard his talk with Edward on the speakerphone and know it was his demand.”       “Don’t risk so much, I’m begging you… Don’t go anywhere with Edward. I still don’t trust him and am terribly afraid that he might betray and do something to you.”       “I don’t trust him as well, and I haven’t forgiven him for what he did to us. And I’m suspecting that he’s hiding a lot of dirty secrets. But now I see Edward is telling the truth and trying to get better. And he’s said many times that he isn’t gonna do anything bad to you and me.”       “What if Michael presses him against the wall and makes him go against us? That man may press on his weaknesses much stronger, and Edward may go against us because of fear! He may easily kill you on the order of his uncle!”       “I know, Raquelle. But I wanna believe he won’t do it. The more time goes on, the more I’m starting to think Edward is a victim of that sick man. Michael started to press on him so strongly because this guy stood in his way and was the son of the one, who he couldn’t take. I’m sure Michael will hate me when he meets me. I don’t know what I did to the one I’ve never met, but still…”       “I don’t wanna lose you because of those people!” Raquelle says in a shaking voice and sniffs quietly. “You doom yourself to death by agreeing to go to his home.”       “But we must help Natalia! We must end this story! It won’t last forever! Either we’ll do it now, or we’ll hide in busts and wait for everything to be ruined to the fuck.”       “Stay home, Terrence, at least for me!” Raquelle begs in despair and grabs Terrence’s face. “Edward can go to Michael’s home alone, take Natalia away, and drive her here.”       “No, he will not go there alone!” Terrence protests. “It’s excluded!”       “Why?” Raquelle throws her hands up. “I’m sure he’ll do it this time! This time, Edward will be much crueler and more careful!”       “He won’t do it alone. But it will be easier together.”       “Do you worry about him? Is that why you don’t wanna let him go alone because of that? How could you explain your wish to go there, even if you know about a danger that’s threatening you?”       “Michael will find me anyway, no matter how hard I try to hide,” Terrence excuses himself. “He said he’d find me early or late. But I’m not cowardly and am not used to hiding in busts when someone wants to see me. If I’m told to fight, I must go and fight, no matter how afraid I am.”       “But you may be deprived of life this time. Won’t a threat of death stop you?”       “I’m doing this to end this story once and forever and set your friend free. Our friend. Who must not suffer because of Michael and his pals. One of whom tortured her so much that she was dumbfounded and afraid to open her mouth for a few months.”       “No, Terrence, please…” Raquelle pronounces in a shaking voice, shaking her head sharply, not holding down tears coming to her eyes and looking at Terrence with pity. “Don’t leave me alone… I’ll be terrified if you leave…”       “Strange… When you left home, you weren’t terrified. But when I decided to go, you started shaking.”       “Don’t go, honey…” Raquelle caresses Terrence’s cheek softly, sniffing quietly and looking at him with wet eyes. “For me… If you love me and don’t want me to go crazy from grief, let Edward go alone.”       “Oh, Raquelle…” Terrence shakes his head and softly caresses Raquelle’s forearms. “I promise it’s gonna be okay. Natalia, Edward, and I will be fine and come here after we do away from Michael.”       “Don’t do it!” Raquelle begs with despair, shaking from the strong excitement and tension in her body much stronger and constantly making quiet sobs. “Please!”       “Gosh, what’s happening to you? Your behavior changes every second!” Terrence tenderly caresses Raquelle’s cheek and head with one but then two hands, later carefully wiping off tears under her eyes. “Calm down, sweetie, it’s okay. I understand you’re worried about me. But we’re doing this for the best of Natalia. So, we can finally start living a good life. We have no choice. Edward and I will have to go to Michael’s home.”       “No, Terrence, don’t do it… Don’t do…”       Although Raquelle tries not to have strong hysterics, tears are still rolling out of her eyes over her cheeks, and she is quite excited and shaking strongly. Terrence looks at the girl with pity in his eyes for a few seconds, caressing her shoulders. And one moment later, he silently takes the brunette in his tender hug and presses her closer to himself, caressing her back with one hand and her head with another hand and cutely kissing her on the top of her head. Raquelle herself just closes her face with her loose hair and snuggles it in Terrence’s shoulder, squeezes her hands into fists, and keeps them on his chest, in which she puts her nose later, still shaking strongly and making quiet sobs.       A few seconds later, Terrence steps back from Raquelle, caresses her head tenderly, and slightly fixes her hair. While she, inclining her head, sniffs quietly. After this, the man suggests to the girl that she come back to Edward, who is still sitting in the living room. But she does not hurry to do it and keeps standing where she is standing. The man looks at her with suspicion for a few seconds, then goes to the living room and sits on the sofa in front of his friend, who slowly raises his head and gets a little straight.       “Oh, honestly, I started to feel kind of weird,” Terrence confesses, running his hand over his hair and leaning back in the sofa. “She doesn’t want me to go to Michael’s home with you… It seems like she literally needs a little to tie me to a chair.”       “I think she’s afraid that Uncle may kill us,” Edward assumes with anxiety, suspecting that Raquelle could make Terrence sure to stay home because she was afraid something would happen to him because of him or Michael.       “I know we’re risking much and could hardly leave his home so easily. But we should do it. We should take Natalia away from that house before Michael or his pals do something bad to her.”       “No, I’ll surely go there,” Edward says confidently. “No refusals – it’s excluded!”       “You know, I wanna listen to Raquelle and stay home. But I understand I can’t hide from Michael forever, and I know he’ll wish to kill me anyway. I’d rather stop this bullshit now than delay it for later. Otherwise, this story will never end. Or it will lead to our tragic death.”       “Listen, Terrence…” Edward pronounces hesitantly. “Maybe, you really stay with Raquelle? Keep protecting her here, but I’ll go to Uncle’s home alone. When we leave his house, I’ll drive Natalia here, so you and Raquelle make sure she’s fine.”       “You think Uncle wanna kill us, as well?”       “I have no doubt. I suspected Uncle invited us to his home for a reason before the talk with Raquelle. But now, after her words, I made much more sure that we might really not come back home.”       “And do you think Michael wouldn’t kill you if you went there alone?”       “I don’t think.” Edward swallows up nervously, looking at Terrence hesitantly. “But I somehow said that Uncle wanted to make me kill you. Though, I can’t let it happen…”       “What are you afraid of? Just piss that old scumbag off and tell him you aren’t gonna do it.”       “I don’t want that to happen…” Edward says a little excitedly. “I don’t want… Believe me. Please.”       “I believe you, Edward, I do. You do say you wouldn’t succumb to that man, but you are terribly afraid he’d make you do it. It seems like you’re afraid of something.”       “Please, Terrence, stay home and don’t go with me,” Edward begs with pity in his eyes. “Uncle made us go to his home to kill us. I’m sure about it!”       “Damn, did you also start changing my mind? What are you and Raquelle afraid of? I completely understand that it’s risky! But we will have to do it early or late. I must meet Michael and deal with him!”       “I know. But I don’t wanna put you in danger and look like you did it because of me. If I have a chance to protect you from Uncle and his pals somehow, I must use it. If I got into this bullshit, I must solve it. Alone. And as Natalia got into trouble because I couldn’t protect her, I will have to rescue her.”       “No, Edward,” Terrence shakes his head sharply, looking confident and collected. “You will not go there alone! We will go there together!”       “Raquelle is right. Listen to her words. You know that presentiments don’t lie to her, but you put yourself in danger. Uncle said you didn’t have to come to him. That man is probably waiting for me.”       “I know I may suffer. But I must risk. And you and Raquelle will not stop me.”       “But, Terrence…”       “I said everything!” Terrence exclaims a little colder. “If we don’t stop that asshole, Michael will bring the case to an end.”       “Don’t worry, I will do my best for that. Or at least just take Natalia away and bring her here.” Edward glances at Raquelle standing near the window for a second and still crying quietly. “Stay with Raquelle and calm her down. Otherwise, she will go crazy because of this situation.”       “No, Edward, you will not dare to go there alone!” Terrence says confidently. “Stop pretending to be a hero saving the whole world alone. There are things you can’t do without someone’s help. As if you didn’t understand anything after Michael’s pals easily knocked you out to take Natalia away. You aren’t Superman to deal with lots of scumbags alone! You have no special power! If you hit the face of one and deal with another, a third will creep to you from behind and hit you on the head with a bat.”       “Listen, you are crazy if you wanna go where we might be killed easily! Where Uncle may put a pistol in my hands and shoot at you by pulling the trigger. You’re doing it consciously! At your wish!”       “Maybe, I’m crazy, but if the case has to do with me, I must not hide in busts and shake like a cowardly bunny. If Michael challenges me, I’m accepting it. As a man, who fears no danger. I ain’t gonna stay in my hideaway and wait for someone to get me outta there by force.”       “Terrence…”       “Moreover, agree that if we were together, it would be easier for us. We could cover for each other and Natalia. Yes, maybe, it wouldn’t get better, but still…” Terrence swallows up nervously. “We should be together.”       “Do you really want it?” Edward opens his eyes widely. “Wanna put yourself in danger of death? Not just because of Uncle or his pals… But… Because of me…”       “Yes, I want to do it!” Terrence says confidently. “And I will do it. I know the risk, but I will go to the house of Uncle. We should bring this case to an end.”       “Oh…” Edward exhales sharply, looking tense, excited, and a little scared. “Okay… Do what you want if you’re sure about what you’re doing…”       Terrence says nothing and just sighs quietly, still trying to seem cold and hiding his anxiety deep inside. He is ready to risk not only to end the story and save Natalia, but also because he is truly worried about Edward and does not want to let him go alone because of fear that something might happen to him. Every day, the offense is getting weaker. It lets the man get softer, more patient, and more able to admit at least to himself that he is still worried about his friend and cannot let him risk and solve the problems alone. Even despite the threat of being killed by him, MacClife is ready to risk and protect Edward.       Edward is terribly afraid that Michael may kill Terrence this time by putting a pistol in his hand. Yes, the man knows that he would not do that at his wish. But he is afraid that he might succumb to his diffidence and wish to prove to his uncle that he is wrong by calling him a cowardly, hesitant puppy.       “Damn, if only I stood against Uncle and didn’t kill him,” Edward thinks with pity in his eyes. “I don’t want to kill Terrence! I don’t! If that bastard just puts a pistol in my hands and points it at him, I’ll never forgive myself for that. Holy shit, how do I get over that? I won’t survive this torture! How would I look into the eyes of all his relatives? And especially into Terrence’s eyes?”       Meanwhile, Raquelle, who is standing aside and keeping her arms crossed over her chest, gets a message from Darwin. The girl takes her phone from the pocket of her jeans, unlocks it, and reads what her friend sent.       “Hey, Raquelle, I got your message. Mr. Johnson and I have already started getting ready to make our plan come true. While I’m talking with the guys, who will be helping us, he just went to Jamie to tell him about the meeting. Everything is going well so far. We just need another signal from you. Please, text me or call me shortly after Terrence and Edward go to the meeting. I will immediately come to you and take a few policemen, who will be told to protect the house and get accomplices of Michael arrested when they come to take you.”       This reply pleases Raquelle, but she cannot get rid of her anxiety. The girl understands that everything depends on her, Victor Johnson, and Darwin Austin. The only thing the brunette can do is pray for the good end of the story and wait for the moment when Terrence and Edward get into the car and go to the meeting with Michael, who is impatiently waiting for them to kill them once and forever.       

***

      It’s four o'clock. Victor quickly reached the highway of his friend Jamie to tell him the good news that his friend had been waiting for a very long time.       “Mr. Johnson?” Jamie opens his eyes widely. “I didn’t expect your visit.”       “I’m sorry for not warning you about my arrival, Mr. MacClife,” Victor replies a little excitedly. “But it’s important!”       “Gosh, what happened to you?” Jamie lets Victor into the apartment, stepping back from the doorstep. “You look so excited, as if something horrible happened to you.”       “Oh…” Victor comes into the apartment and sits on the chair, breathing a little heavily and looking quite excited. “I was just rushing to come to you to tell you a good piece of news that you had been waiting for so long.”       “Really?” Jamie closes the door quickly, comes to Victor, and sits on the chair in front of his friend. “But what happened? Did you find out something new? Raquelle told you something else?”       “Almost. Now I can make you happy because we can make what we want come true.”       “What do you mean? Tell me more about it!”       “You asked me to tell you if we got a chance to harm Michael. So, we got a wonderful chance to give a hit to the back of your brother.”       “But how?” Jamie looks at Victor surprisingly. “Did Michael do something else?”       “Yes, Mr. MacClife! Some time ago, Raquelle sent Darwin a message, in which she said Michael had called Edward and told him to go to his home.”       “So, the scumbag showed up? Four days later, after kidnapping that poor girl, he decided to leave his hideaway?”       “Exactly! But the case is that Edward should go with Terrence.”       “With Terrence?”       “And as you understand, my informant was right when she said this meeting could be a trap for your eldest son.”       “Freaking scumbag!” Jamie hits his fist against the table with evil in his eyes. “He did prepare a trap for Terrence and Raquelle! Just like we thought!”       “And when Terrence leaves, that girl will stay alone, and people of your brother will go to her home and take her with them.”       “Damn, I hope those stinkers will do nothing to her…” Jamie expresses hope with anxiety. “If something goes wrong, she will be in the same situation that her friend is in.”       “Don’t worry, Mr. MacClife, we keep everything under control,” Victor replies confidently. “Raquelle and we agreed that she would call me or Darwin, and we would send policemen to her house after her fiancé went to Michael.”       “It's so good you managed to find that girl. If not for the help of Raquelle, it would be very hard for us now.”       “Agree, that girl is helping us well. Raquelle keeps us aware of what’s happening to Terrence, Edward, and Rebecca. And she tells nobody that she asked us for help. And that Edward Lockhart is actually Edward MacClife. We completely trust her and know that she wouldn’t betray us. She should only give us a second sign, so we get ready for the operation of getting Michael and his pals arrested.”       “And when should my sons go to Michael’s home?”       “Raquelle said they’d supposed to be there at six hours. But knowing the time of the trip, they will probably leave home one and a half earlier.”       “At six? So, we have only two hours? You will have no time to get ready!”       “Don’t worry, Jamie, we will do it. Everything has been ready for a long time. We need only a signal from Raquelle to keep moving on. We got the news that Michael had shown up, and now we should know when Terrence and Edward go to the home of your brother.”       “What if Michael’s people go to her home earlier than the police?”       “The way from Terrence’s home to Michael’s home takes one and a half hours,” Victor replies confidently. “They will not reach her for one minute. Moreover, the guys will go to Michael by six hours. So, when your brother sends his people to take Raquelle, the police will be protecting her house.”       “But being alone at her own home is dangerous for Raquelle. Even if the police come there, it doesn’t mean Michael’s people will not get into the house.”       “After Terrence left home, Darwin would go to Raquelle along with a few policemen. Michael’s people will believe she will stay home alone, but we will take her away and provide her with protection until your brother and his accomplices get caught.”       “What?” Jamie gets horrified. “House of my brother! You went crazy! Do you want to give her to that snake and his henchmen?”       “Don’t worry, Mr. MacClife. Do you think we are so stupid to let her go into the house of your brother? No! Raquelle will not be allowed to leave a car until the operation is successfully over. The policemen will not leave her alone and will be next to her until the end. They will allow her to see the guys after getting a sign from Darwin or me.”       “Do you think she will be in safety?”       “She will be with us. You said staying at her own home would be dangerous for her. If it’s so, we should take Raquelle away and provide her with security.”       “Alright… Do what you need. Just end this story and destroy that scumbag.”       “Everything will end tonight. Now we can stop getting tortured by guesses and suffer from hopelessness.”       “And as the meeting will take place at six o’clock, I must get ready to make a surprise for Michael.”       “I came here to warn you about it. We have a little time. You must get ready now. Because the policemen, you and I should come together and discuss the operation again at least in half an hour.”       “Of course, Mr. Johnson,” Jamie replies confidently. “I can go to the home of that cad right now.”       “We have half an hour to get ready.”       “I know.”       “Now, I advise you to eat and drink coffee.”       “Thanks, but I already had lunch. And now, after you gave me hope, I lost my appetite.”       “I can tell you again that everything is going to be alright. That man will not run away from us and dare to harm anyone.”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, after which Jamie sighs heavily, gets up from the chair slowly, and comes to the window, saying:       “Finally, this day has come… God, I can’t believe I lived until this day. The day when I can finally show myself. Let everybody know that I’m alive, not dead! When I meet that cad and beat his face. When that bastard will pay me for ruining all my life.”       “Don’t go down to his level, Mr. MacClife,” Victor says quietly. “For him, harming someone is a fine thing, but you may regret it.”       “If I have to take revenge on that man, I will have no regret,” Jamie says coldly and confidently. “I believed Michael and closed my eyes to his dirty tricks for a too long time. But now I’m done! I’m no longer going to let him hurt me and get caught in his traps. It’s time to put him where he belongs.”       “Sadly, there are many people, who don’t know pity and can’t recognize their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. Michael will hardly do it. As they say, nothing can fix the devil.”       “Huh, even if that scumbag wants to regret and apologize, I will not forgive him.” Jamie sharply turns on Victor, still standing near the window. “I will never forgive that man for everything I’ve experienced because of him! Because of that sick bastard, I lost my beloved woman! Because of him, I didn’t give my children the love that they deserved. He deprived me of EVERYTHING! Family, home, money, and firm… I’m a homeless beggar because of him! If not for that scumbag, I would have everything now. Michael needs only to kill Edward and Terrence and do something to Rebecca to make me absolutely broken. And if that cobra thinks of harming the innocent William and Jeremy, it will be the last drop of my patience. If that cad deprives me of FOUR children of mine, I swear I will do something to him that he will regret being born.”       “I understand you, my friend,” Victor replies confidently. “If someone wanted to deprive me of my wife and daughter, I would tear anyone for them. You know well that I madly love Lydia and Diana and consider them the meaning of my life.”       “I love all my sons and the mother of my older children, as well. I’m fighting against Michael just for them. For their lives. For my love for them. For a wish to do what I should’ve done a long time ago. Make amends to them for giving every one of them so much pain: insulting and raising a hand on Rebecca, abandoning Terrence, and never paying attention to Edward. Even if I don’t deserve their forgiveness, I’ll at least know they’re alive and healthy.”       “I’m sure they will understand everything and forgive you early or late. Maybe, someday, you will reunite again and become a family. Of course, I’m sorry that so much time is gone, but better late than ever.”       “Damn, I give a damn that Michael stole my money, my company, and my house where he’s living now,” Jamie confesses, breathing too heavily. “Give a fuck! That cad can choke! I will find a way to earn money for what I need. It’s alright! I’m used to this life! But I will not let him deprive me of my children. My sons. My flesh and blood. The closets and dearest people I have.”       “We will save your sons, I promise. And their mother. And the girls. Nobody will suffer because of Michael.”       “I’m even horrified to think about how I’d live, knowing my children and beloved woman are lying under the damp earth. After being killed by my sick brother, who must be put in a mental hospital.”       “Mr. MacClife, don’t be so nervous, please,” Victor says quietly. “You should not get too tense at your age. You may get worse health due to the stress.”       “I am always tense, Victor!” Jamie throws gloomily. “Because of Michael, I’ve never known what leaving in peace means. That scumbag has been doing dirty tricks towards me since childhood and has never thought of getting close to me. Though, I tried to befriend him many times. How many times he cursed Father and Mother for letting me be born! How many times that snake said he wanted to be the only child that would’ve gotten everyone’s love. That bastard has wanted to be the number one for everybody all his life. Though, he has done NOTHING good or necessary! Nothing for everyone to praise him! He is a worthless creature that can only poison everything and ruin everybody’s lives!”       “Yes, I know…”       “I lost everything because of that rat’s jealousy.” Jamie starts walking in circles in his house. “First, he framed me and got me ashamed of the whole company, depriving me of the job of the manager. Then he deceived me when I sold my house to him and paid half of the promised amount. Because of him, Rebecca, my children, and I lived in horrible conditions. Because of him, I worked like crazy to feed my family with the little money I was earning. It made me so sick of that bullshit that I eventually took it out on Rebecca, whom I left, as well as Terrence. Because of shame and fear, I acted like a real stinker and will never stop regretting it. Even if I took Edward with me because of a wish not to make her educate two children, it didn’t make me better. Vice versa, that woman suffered from not being able to see her second child. Who eventually found his mother and brother by himself. Even if they don’t know it yet.”       “Wasn’t it hurt for you to separate your child from his mother? Didn’t you think about how bad Rebecca would feel because of being deprived of her son? Was it right to separate the younger child from his older brother? They should’ve been growing up together and building a good relationship.”       “Of course, Mr. Johnson!” Jamie sits on the chair with a quiet sign. “But I just wanted to make Rebecca's life easier. I thought it was the right decision, but now I understand I shouldn’t have taken the child away. Maybe, after becoming an adult, he would’ve helped his mother as well as Terrence. It would’ve been easier for them, as I think.”       “But I think if they had been growing up together, Edward would’ve also considered you a beast and hated you for doing that to his mother.”       “He doesn’t love me because I didn’t pay attention to him.” Jamie inclines his head and looks down with sad eyes. “Edward often stood in my way and asked me to give him time when I wanted to see nobody. Sometimes I was furious and asked everybody to leave me alone. But at those moments, that guy came to me and wanted to ask me something. At first, I asked him to leave me alone and come later, but he was so stubborn that I was shouting. After that, Edward left somewhere and wasn’t home for a whole day, spending time with his friends. By far not the most trustworthy people. Honestly, I never liked them… I’m afraid he learned bad things from them.”       “You know, children and teenagers often do bad things: smoking, swearing, sniffing pounders and grass, and drinking alcohol. Everything starts with curiosity, but then it might drag them down so that they can’t get stupid things out of their mind.”       “No, thank God, Edward didn’t take drugs. He tried smoking. And I caught him drunk several times. Also, I know he was a friend of some tough guys that were older and loved driving in the city on their cars and bikes.”       “He loved extreme?”       “I think he had an interest in it. But I never gifted him motorcycles or cars. Even if he was driving something, his friends let him do it. At that time, I didn’t meddle in his life and didn’t care about him much. Though, I should’ve paid attention to him not only when he got into trouble and behaved disgustingly. Maybe, Edward wouldn’t be trying to get attention with all his actions and think I loved only Jeremy and William. He thought I loved them more. But it’s not the truth. I’ve always loved my sons in the same way. I don’t have favorite guys and make nobody a role model. It just happened that William and Jeremy came to me when I wanted and could talk to them. They knew when I would’ve better stayed alone and saw me getting tired at work. Sadly, Edward didn’t get it and wanted to get someone’s attention in any way.”       “Did you never show father’s tender feelings for Edward?”       “There were moments when I talked to him about important things and even supported him,” Jamie replies with sadness in his eyes. “But it happened rarely that he hardly remembered them. And now I understand it was my greatest mistake… Being a child, Edward needed my support, love, and care… I know he wanted attention… He wanted to talk about his problems… Ask something, find out something… He thought I’d teach him everything I knew. But… I turned out to be a horrible father, who made his child believe he didn’t need him. And I understand that a lack of care and love forced Edward to try to get attention on him in any way.”       “And Isabella?”       “Isabella didn’t spoil him much. She treated him well and never said bad things about him. She was paying for his studies at the school before we broke up. But she never found him a close person. Edward just existed for her as my younger son from the first marriage.”       “I’m sorry for that guy, Jamie,” Victor says with sadness in his eyes. “He’s felt lonely all his life and still seeks someone’s love. That’s good your son kept something kind inside him, even though he doesn’t know much about this feeling. You could’ve easily had someone like Michael, who would hate everyone.”       “That’s why I’m ashamed of him…” Jamie sighs quietly. “And I’m terribly afraid that Michael might turn him against his family and make him forget about his good side.”       “Let’s hope everything will be alright. And believe that Edward loves you deep inside, even if you didn’t almost pay attention to him. Anyway, you are his father, and he understands it well.”       “Even if it’s true, he may never forgive me and understand why I did that,” Jamie shakes his head. “My older children are so headstrong that they wouldn’t love to listen to me and learn about my feelings. It was kind of easier with the younger children… We always got on well and loved each other mutually.”       “Never say never, Mr. MacClife. Your older sons just don’t know the truth. I’m sure they will think better when they hear your explanations.”       “Do you think my sons will forgive me?”       “Of course, they will. If Terrence listens to you and understands you’re sorry about doing such a bad thing to Rebecca, and Edward realizes you’ve always loved him and never made him your burden, they’ll forgive early or late. As far as I remember, you said Terrence was closely attracted to you when he was a baby.”       “Yes, Terrence loved being in my arms and was attracted to me a little more than to Rebecca. He quickly fell asleep when I was shaking him and wasn’t almost capricious when he should’ve taken a bath, changed his clothes, or eaten. Terrence was a little restless with his mother, but he was also attracted to her and had the pleasure of playing with her. But I always thought it was easier for him to speak to me.”       “I guess because he’s a man. You know how it happens: girls are closer to their mothers, and boys get closer to their fathers. For example, my Diana trusted more secrets to Lydia.”       “I believe so. But Terrence got attracted to his mother as much as he was attracted to me. Because I left her on her own because of a sense of shame.”       “He will understand you someday,” Victor assumes. “As well as the younger son of Rebecca and you. Moreover, something tells me that your children changed their mind about you after they learned about your fake death. And your older son will decide something.”       “You think?”       “We often start appreciating some people after their death, even if we disliked or hated them when they were alive. Many people start thinking about their attitude toward someone and understand they mean much more to them than it seemed.”       “I agree with you… But I don’t know how they’d react if they knew I was alive. Maybe, they would remember their offenses and deprive me of hope to get their forgiveness.”       “Don’t rush time, Jamie. Now you should think about how to destroy your brother that has given so much pain to you and your family.”       “Yes, Victor…” Jamie nods and looks at Victor confidently. “You’re right… Let’s think about how to deal with that cobra.”       “Oh…” Victor glances at the watch that he is wearing on his left hand. “Gosh! We have a little time! Soon, I will drive you to the place where we will meet the policemen and probably Raquelle. But now, let me tell you everything we decided to do again.”       “Sure, sure, let’s do it!” Jamie jabs excitedly. “So, when will I be able to make a surprise for that scumbag?”       Victor starts telling Jamie the plan of the police again and tries to comfort his friend, who is terribly excited before the meeting with his enemy. He does not have hope that Terrence and Edward could forgive him someday. But he wants to prove to them that his family is very important to him, and he will never leave or forget about it. Though, he understands he will have to apply some effort to deserve forgiveness from those, who think he is a horrible man.       

***

      It’s fifteen past four. Terrence and Edward are about to go to Michael’s house. Although Raquelle stopped persuading her fiancé not to go with Lockhart, she still cannot calm down. And because of the strong tension, the girl does not feel hungry. She barely makes herself take a couple of sips of water. The only thing the excited brunette can do is nervously walk into the living room, walk in circles, and get horrified by thinking about what might happen where danger is waiting for the men.       Terrence and Edward do not feel easier. Every one of them is also worried about the upcoming meeting and wants to end this story as soon as possible. The tense and excited guys are silently sitting on the sofa for some time, doubling over and falling into their thoughts. However, they feel a little better because they will be doing it together. Despite the fear and reluctance to frame his friend, Edward is glad Terrence did not refuse to help him. And Terrence is less able to pretend that he does not care about what’s happening to his friend. Even having a great wish to hold down his feelings, MacClife sometimes lets himself show a little bit of anxiety.       “Damn, how much I hate this feeling when you don’t know what to expect,” Edward says excitedly, leaning back sharply, raising his head, and closing his face with his hands. “I wanna end this shit as soon as possible.”       “We’ll start getting ready now,” Terrence replies quietly, sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed over his chest. “The way is gonna be long. So, we better go earlier.”       “Oh, I don’t know what it will lead to…” Edward starts nervously rubbing his hands, looking quite excited and even shaking slightly. “Though, I’m scared…”       “You look too tense,” Terrence frowns slightly, looking at Edward closely. “Of course, I’m terribly nervous, as well, but you look like you’re about to explode like a bomb. Your hands are shaking.”       “I can’t be quiet, ‘cause I’m gonna have to see the old face that I wouldn’t see for ages. I always start to shake every time I have to go to that house and meet Uncle and his fucking gang.”       “I don’t also wanna go to the meeting with the man I don’t know. But we can do this. Together, it will be much easier for us.”       “You don’t understand… Just his appearance makes me wish to run with loud shouts as far as possible. I barely hold myself down not to show it and to stay cold toward that cobra. He’s much more horrible and disgusting in real life. You just need to stand next to him to wish to run away from him one minute later.”       “Poor Natalia… How has she been able to survive four days with your uncle and his pals?”       “I can’t even imagine… But I’m much more terrified that we may see Natalia in a horrible condition. Who knows what those people did to her.”       “At least, she’s still alive. Michael would’ve hardly said it if Rochester had been dead.”       “Ugh, don’t say these things!” Edward winces strongly and shakes. “I do feel bad, but the thought of her death is gonna drive me insane.”       “I’d also pull my hair out if something similar happened to Raquelle…” Terrence glances at the stairs and his hands. “Just thought of me sitting here and being nervous before meeting Simon… Sadly, I had nobody, who would’ve supported me. But I knew I should’ve stayed collected to save Raquelle.”       “Were you very nervous when it was time to go to the meeting of Raquelle and Simon Ringer?”       “Very much.” Terrence massages his neck with both hands. “The feeling when you might lose a close person is disgusting. You think you’re ready to die, so your important person stays safe and sound. Suspense and a long expectation kill you more than someone’s bad word. When you expect something and are afraid you might expect nothing good, you understand your soul is tearing apart. You’re shaking, getting obsessed with fear and horror… Your whole body is terribly tense… Even if you wanna try to distract and think of something else, you can’t do this ‘cause all your thoughts are about what makes you worried. You torture yourself with fears and doubts… And you can go crazy.”       “How exactly it’s described…” Edward thinks for two seconds, moving his eyes down. “How rightly you described what I feel now. Now I really want to distract myself for some time and think about something else except the problem with Uncle and the danger that’s threatening Natalia and my family. But my thoughts eventually lead to what’s gonna make me crazy.”       “You have literally to put all the pieces of you together to get ready and do what people are expecting from you. To do your best not to show what’s eating you inside…”       “And the worst thing is that you won’t solve one problem after solving another,” Edward replies in a depressed voice. “One problem always comes to replace another. You’d get a new reason to start worrying about something. After solving one problem, you won’t solve others. At least, I have tons of problems alongside the situation with Uncle Michael.”       “Sometimes I wanna do something to solve all problems at the same time. But sadly, it’s impossible.” Terrence puts his hand on his forehead and rubs it slightly. “Every person fights with someone or something all their life. When you’re born in this world, you run into problems. At first, you’re afraid your parents won't take care of you and buy a toy that you see in a store. Then you get school issues… After you graduate from school, go to a college or university where you’ll get new problems… Then work, family… This vicious circle will not end ‘till your death.”       “Sometimes we are guilty of these problems because we make mistakes that are the reason why they and their close people may suffer. For your close people, you’d do anything to make this right and prove that you wanted to harm and hurt nobody.”       Terrence says nothing and just glances at Edward, while his friend fingers over nervously, setting his tired gaze into the distance. And some time later, after getting tired from a long walk in the living room, Raquelle comes to the men and slowly sits on one of the sofas.       “What kind of vicious circle do you mean?” Raquelle asks without emotions.       “The one we get into after coming to this world,” Terrence replies gloomily, doubling over.       “Unsuccessfully trying to distract yourself by talking about life philosophy?”       “Sort of. We’d love to joke less than anything.”       “Agree,” Edward agrees in a depressed voice. “We could hardly joke about a fight with a wish to piss everything off and hide where nobody would find you. But sadly, I can’t do this… Because I’d behave like a coward and egoist if I tried to run away from my problems.”       “Sometimes we think running away from our problems is the best decision,” Raquelle notices. “It helps in some cases. Because time is the best thing that could solve many problems. Nevertheless, there are those that you can’t run away from, even if you want it so badly. They would be chasing you everywhere. There’s only one way to end it – to turn your face on them.”       “I don’t mean I wanna run away from my problems,” Terrence specifies. “I just wanna run away somewhere from this madness that’s gonna drive me insane.”       “I think all of us need it…” Raquelle sighs heavily, setting her gaze into the distance. “I’d also love to forget this nightmare and leave somewhere far away to focus on my mental health and me.”       “Maybe, we should think about it when the problems are solved? And then start doing our old business and start a new one?”       “It would be great.” Raquelle leans back in the sofa, raises her head, and closes her eyes. “But I can’t imagine when it would happen. Who knows how long it will last. Maybe, we won’t be able to think about relaxation at the nearest time.”       “Someday it will be over,” Terrence expresses hope thoughtfully. “We can’t live like on a volcano forever. I’m sure it’ll get better someday, and we’ll be able to exhale and relax.”       “I’ll be madly happy if this day comes,” Raquelle replies tiredly. “And I’ll be much happier if, one beautiful day, we realize that we’ll no longer get chased by such horrible problems. That we won’t have to worry about our lives and the lives of our close people… Run away from someone… Chase someone…”       “If that day comes, I will be terribly happy…” Terrence chuckles without emotions on his face. “We can’t live without problems. But I want them not to be so hard and horrible.”       Silence settles in the air, during which Terrence, Raquelle, and Edward say nothing and look around or at their hands. And then Edward moves his dead eyes to the watch hanging in the living room on the wall.       “Oh, I think it’s time to go,” Edward pronounces in a little shaking voice.       “It seems like, yes,” Terrence looks at the watch, as well. “Yes, time to go.”       “What?” Raquelle expresses scare, opening her eyes widely. “It’s time?”       “Yes. The way is gonna be long, but we’d better come in time.”       Raquelle sighs heavily, inclines her head, gets up from the sofa slowly, and goes to her purse lying on the table near the stairs, starting to check something in it. A little later, Edward and Terrence get up a little lazily and throw a quick gaze on different sides.       “Damn, I should’ve opened the maps and seen how to go to that house,” Terrence says, pulling down his t-shirt and fixing the shoulders of his leather jacket.       “No need,” Edward replies quietly. “I’ll show you how to go there. I remember that way like my five fingers.”       “Okay. Then I’ll be driving, and you’ll be telling me where to go.”       “No problem.” Edward puts his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. “Hey, I’d like to ask you, where’s your car? I’ve come here for the third time, but I don’t see your car in the parking lot?”       “I left it for a repair some time ago. After the attempt to run away from the people of Michael, my car got fucking crushed, and I had to leave it at the service center.”       “My gosh… And when will you take it?”       “I don’t know yet,” Terrence shrugs. “First, they said the repair would be quick, but it’s kind of lasted for too long. However, I decided to upgrade my car and have a full diagnostic. So… That’s how.”       “Oh… Okay then…”       Edward steps aside, starting to think about something not very good. And some time later, Raquelle comes to him, bending her arms in her elbows.       “Hey, Edward, as I understand, do you have no car today?” Raquelle asks, fingering over nervously.       “Yup…” Edward nods and runs his hand over his hair. “I thought I wouldn’t need it today and decided to walk on my feet…”       “I got it…”       When Edward wants to say something, Terrence comes to him and Raquelle, fixing a black leather belt on his dark blue jeans.       “Raquelle, I’d like to ask…” Terrence says hesitantly. “Can I…”       “Take it!” Raquelle nods in approval, literally reading Terrence’s mind, and gives the man a bunch of keys with a slight smile. “You can take my car.”       “Yeah…” Terrence takes a bunch of keys from Raquelle and slightly squeezes it, while Edward goes aside and runs his hands over his face. “Thanks a lot.”       “Since you and Edward don’t have a car, I’m letting you use mine.”       “Thanks,” Terrence smiles shyly. “I promise nothing will happen to your car. I’ll give it back to you safe and sound.”       “Even if something happens, it’s okay,” Raquelle replies with a slight smile and caresses Terrence’s cheek tenderly. “The important thing is that nothing happens to you. That you come back alive and unharmed.”       “I’ll do my best to come back home as soon as possible,” Terrence smiles much wider, feeling he is getting a little better.       Raquelle looks into Terrence’s eyes for two seconds and then takes her fiancé into a strong, tender hug, putting her arms around his neck and snuggling her face in his shoulder. The man answers the girl with pleasure, putting an arm around the small of her back and caressing it tenderly with one hand and stroking her shoulder with another. A little later, he runs his hand over the dark, soft strands of her hair, snuggles his nose in them, and breathes in the smell that helps him feel better. But Raquelle is still very tense and terribly worried about how everything would be over. Though, she has to be silent and hide what she is going to do secretly from her sweetheart.       “Take care of you,” Raquelle begs with pity in her eyes, still being in Terrence’s hug, pressing herself tightly to him and making very quiet sobs. “Please, sweetie, be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to you.”       “It’s gonna be okay, sweetie,” Terrence replies quietly, being terribly nervous but trying not to show it, caresses Raquelle’s head tenderly with a slight shake and kisses her on the top of her head. “Soon, it’ll be over. I promise.”       “Don’t let those people do anything to you.”       “I’m ready to stand up for myself if I have to.”       Raquelle sniffs quietly, kisses Terrence on the cheek with little shaking lips, and steps back from him, looking at the man with wet, red eyes. He caresses her face with his hands and moves aside some strands of her hair that get into her eyes. While the girl keeps her hands lowered and is breathing heavily from strong excitement.       A few seconds later, Terrence and Raquelle go on different sides: the man comes closer to the exit, and the girl comes to Edward. She looks at the depressed man with sadness in her eyes, while he can barely hide his nervousness. The girl notices his eyes are widely open and full of a scare, and he acts like he is dumbfounded and reacts to everything kind of slowly. Feeling pity for him, the girl decides to support her fiancé’s friend verbally.       “Good luck, Edward,” Raquelle says softly. “Do your best to save Natalia.”       “Thanks, Raquelle,” Edward nods, looking terribly excited and scared but trying to look at least a little confident. “Your friend will be free soon.”       “And prove to us that we can trust you, and you aren’t the one, who we think you are. Telling all your secrets would the best thing for you. As well as revealing your real identity.”       “I promise I’ll prove my loyalty and pay for my actions. I’ll do what I should, and then we’ll see. If something changes for the best, it will be wonderful. If everything stays the same, I won’t be chasing you.”       “Don’t forget what I’ve told you. I don’t know if it helps you, but I’ll give you a little advice: when Michael presses you against the wall and makes you do what might make us lose trust in you, remember my words. Maybe, they’ll impact you and make you stop doing what everybody will hate and curse you for. And what you may regret.”       “It’s gonna be okay,” Edward promises in a low voice, getting much more nervous and shaking strongly. “I’ll betray nobody.”       “Good. You can go.”       Edward nods and slowly turns to the hall door, while Terrence is standing near and waiting for him. And after getting rid of the tension in their bodies, they slowly but confidently go to the exit from the house. The friends look back two times and see Raquelle watching them with tears in her eyes and a feeling that something presses on her chest and does not let her breathe well. No matter how much they want to give a damn about this meeting, Terrence and Edward understand they cannot delay it forever and know they must help Natalia. So, they have to put themselves together and, biting a bullet, go to the meeting with Michael.       Raquelle barely holds down her emotions that are about to go out, embracing herself with one arm and closing her mouth with a hand not to scream from the pain that she is feeling, as she is letting Terrence get into the trap of Michael. The girl cannot be sure this meeting will go well, even if the police and she have a plan. But she decides to trust them and try to do something to save the lives of Terrence, Natalia, and Edward and put an end to this horrible story.       

***

      Natalia does not know the meeting of Michael with Edward and Terrence will take place in two hours. The girl is sitting on the bed and, setting her dead eyes into the distance, praying silently for her salvation. She takes the gilded necklace with the letter “N” hanging on a thin chain out from her shirt and starts looking at this one and running her fingertips over it. This necklace kind of gives Natalia hope and makes her believe in the best. Moreover, every time she looks at the necklace, the girl thinks of Edward. To be clear, the fact that he is Edward MacClife. The person, who might have to do with the murder of a man named Nicolas Carter. Maybe, the girl is disappointed in the man, but something tells her he does not have to do with the murder. It’s a kind of fantasy of Michael and his pals, who want to do their best to turn his close people against the guy.       “No, no, Edward couldn’t kill the person,” Natalia thinks with anxiety, squeezing the necklace hanging on her neck in her hands. “I’m supposed to believe it, but I can’t… Something tells me he didn’t do anything like that. I’m sure Michael is trying to slander him and make everybody believe that man is heartless enough to turn everybody against him. That man doesn’t look like a killer. He’s got no reason to kill that man. He said he was terribly afraid of a gun, and I wanna believe him. Yes. That man isn’t perfect and has shortcomings. Yes, he was hiding his real identity. But Edward would not commit murder. At least, if nobody provokes and blackmails him. If Michael or someone else doesn’t press him to the wall, that guy will even be afraid to think of just taking a gun.”       Natalia moves her eyes off the gilded letter “N” that she is tightly squeezing in her hand, and sighs heavily, quickly looking around the whole small room where Michael’s people locked her.       “God, if only Michael didn’t provoke Edward to kill Terrence…” Natalia begs with pity in her eyes. “That man must not succumb to the provocations of his sick uncle. I wish Terrence didn’t get caught in the trap of that man. If he gets caught, Raquelle will have no protection. She will be dead! Michael said he might send his people to her if my friend stayed alone. They’d do what that they did to me to bring her here.”       Natalia shakes her head sharply.       “Damn, what I’m thinking about! Of course, he will do it! Michael will make Terrence come here and do his best for MacClife not to be able to protect my friend. Either his people will bring both of them here, or they will destroy that man and then do it to Raquelle.”       Natalia sighs heavily and runs her hand over her face, quietly sniffing.       “No, no, I don’t want it to happen!” Natalia thinks with anxiety. “I don’t want that stinker to win and kill all of us… God, what do we do? How do we get out of it? There must be a decision! Will we die soon and not be able to save ourselves from that scumbag and his gang? I don’t wanna die… Don’t wanna lose my close people… Don’t wanna be in the hands of that horrible man, who will rape me, just like he almost did the last time. Nobody will protect me if we don’t find a way to save ourselves. God, please, help us! Do something…”       Some time later, some noise rings. As if someone unlocks the room with a key. Natalia sharply hides her necklace underneath her shirt, being afraid that someone would take her jewelry away, and sets her dead eyes on the door that opens with a squeak. Later, Michael shows up on the doorstep with a wide smile. The man comes into the room with a proud look and disgust on his face, holding a button on his blue-black jacket.       “So, how’s my captive doing here?” Michael asks and closes the door after him.       “Do you think someone, who stays in this fucking room all day and wants to get out of here, can feel good?” Natalia asks coldly, sitting on the bed and leaning on it with her hands.       “Nevertheless, I can praise you because you’ve been almost a good girl,” Michael smiles slightly. “You understood that you had no place to run away from me and have not tried to run.”       “Anyway, you will not break me down. No matter how much you want it, you can do nothing.”       “You know, if your tongue wasn’t so long, my people and I would like you more. Of course, you can snap and be rude as much as you want, but remember that our patience is not endless. We could easily do something horrible to you if you made us furious.”       “Everybody would love you much more if your mouth never opened. Because when you open it, everybody wants to close their ears and not to hear your disgusting squeaking voice and your verbal diarrhea.”       “Wow, wow, easy, my dear, easy,” Michael raises his hands. “You are a woman. A lady that must be very shy. But you act like a rude scumbag. What have your father and mother taught you?”       “Sometimes a mother and a father may teach their children nothing, but they become nasty stinkers by themselves. After they get something into their heads and believe it.”       “Hinting at me being jealous of my brother, finding him guilty of having my life ruined and not forgiving my parents for letting him be born?”       “As it turned out, you are not such a stupid man. Of course, you’re mentally sick, but you’re not an idiot.”       “Ah, my girl, if I was stupid, I wouldn’t have gotten what I got. My brain helped me find a way to restore justice and make many dreams of mine come true. I planned everything. I should only wait for some time before my enemies are defeated.”       “Dream as much as you want,” Natalia says coldly, feeling the smell of the expensive wine that Michael drank some time ago. “I will not stop believing that we will get a victory, and you will pay for everything you’ve done to those, who did nothing bad to you.”       “So, if you want, you can believe it as much as you want.” Michael laughs evilly and sits on the shabby chair in front of Natalia. “But it will help none of you. Because everything will be over tonight.”       “Tonight?” Natalia hums and crosses her arms over her chest. “Will you finally leave all of us alone?”       “Ha, why!” Michael smirks loudly. “I have been waiting for so many years not to give up on my wishes. And tonight, what will make me terribly happy will finally happen.”       “Oh, what is that?” Natalia smirks sarcastically. “Will hundreds of fireworks be let out in your honor?”       “You know…” Michael smiles much wider, putting a finger on his lip. “It would be great! Wonderful idea! I think I can do it when I get a victory over you, your ex, and your best friends.”       “You’re happy for nothing, Sir, it’s not the end,” Natalia replies in a low voice, trying to keep cool. “Don’t think you won this game. We have a chance to take a victory over you and the herd of sheep that do what you tell them, waving a bag of stolen money in front of their eyes. It impacts them like a red color impacts a bull.”       “Really?” Michael wonders, looking at Natalia questioningly, and crosses his arms over his chest. “Why do you think so, my dear Natalia? Can’t you still accept the fact that you and your friends lost?”       “I shall never take it and will believe you will pay for your tricks until the end. Maybe, I can do nothing now, but my close people can do a lot. And trust me, they are looking for ways to save me and themselves.”       “All their attempts will be worthless when I bring them together in my house and tell my people to defeat them.”       “You think so?” Natalia smirks contemptuously, setting her cold gaze on Michael. “Wrong, honorable, wrong… You don’t know what someone can do to save themselves or their close person.”       “Yeah, I see Uncle Mikey united all of you,” Michael simpers quietly and thinks for two seconds, stroking his chin and frowning slightly. “And I must confess that it surprises and amuses me. Enemies can forget any offenses and unite for a common rival, who you made me. I’ve never understood how it’s possible to tolerate the enemy that you want to strangle to solve a problem. Nothing would have made me unite with my brother Jamie.”       “Sometimes it happens. You can do a lot to solve a problem. If it’s important for two people.”       “Right, you are all interested in destroying me. I don’t know if Terrence can forget that Edward behaved cruelly toward him and unite with him. But I clearly see you and your ex could not live a day without mutual insults at first, but now you suddenly recalled your feelings for each other and started protecting each other so hard.”       “I don’t doubt Edward would do his best to make Terrence sure to become allies, at least for a while,” Natalia says confidently. “He will prove to everybody that he has never planned anything bad against his close people, and he was just understood wrongly.”       “We will see, Natalia, we will. Don’t think that even if he washed your brain and used the fact that you were still in love with that little kid, it would work with MacClife. I doubt Terrence got so attracted to Edward to forget all offenses. He had lived very well before he learned about that puppy. Who has been imposing himself on him for a reason. Who wanted to win his trust so badly for a reason.”       “Despite nothing, Terrence loves his brother and would like to reconcile with him. And they will reconcile, I’m sure about it. It’s just a matter of time and efforts that Edward can apply to get the trust and forgiveness of MacClife and those he hurt.”       “And as I understand, you forgave your ex and would be back to him if he asked you for forgiveness and started to beg you to be with him,” Michael laughs quietly. “Because you don’t say bad words about him and are protecting and whitewashing him so hard.”       “I’ve got no reason to be mad at him. The way he behaved toward me was fair. But if I had told him the truth about your pal, we wouldn’t have broken up.”       “Yeah, as it turned out, my boy is quite jealous and didn’t get control over his emotions when seeing you naked in the arms of another man. Edward just seems to be quiet and collected. Actually, he may be as furious as his pal Terrence. You should only give him a reason to start screaming like a hysterical girl and outstand Terrence, the mental issues of who everybody knows about.”       “And you were happy to break our couple. How skillfully you used the fact that I was silent about the rape attempt by your sick pal. Confess that you framed me with those photos. And you can also confess that you told your people to do those horrible things to me and get explicit photos of me and Wainwright.”       “Do you really think I sent the photos to Edward?”       “Who else? That sick stinker told you about me, and you came up with the idea to send the photos to your nephew. For five months, Wainwright could tell you about how he left me almost naked and dreamed of fucking me against my wish many times.” Natalia stares at Michael, frowning slightly and shaking her head. “Congratulation, Sir, you got it! I did the fuck lose my boyfriend, whom I still madly love! Whom I still wanna be with, forgetting all his insults and humiliations that I heard because of my fault. Because of my silence. Because of my fear of opening myself to the one, who could’ve helped me overcome what still can’t be forgotten.”       “So…” Michael laughs evilly. “I guess your brain can work if you started to suspect that I had to do with your breakup. I fitted the facts and found a way to explain your point of view.”       “It was easy to guess it when I saw Wainwright among your pals, who defeated Edward and brought me here.”       “Yeah, Eugene has been working for me for ages. A very obliging man, who does everything I say. Of course, he gets too hard on young, beautiful girls with gorgeous bodies and prefers cruel sex. But I don’t care about it. I care about the fact that he succumbs to me and never argues with me.”       “Why did you do it?” Natalia asks in a little shaking voice, shaking her head. “Why did you hurt me, make me suffer, and make Edward sure that I deceived him and allegedly slept with lots of men when dating him?”       “It’s time for him to stop doing these stupid things and turn from a little sensitive boy to an adult, tough man. Love is what prevents him from becoming successful. And to destroy it, I should provoke him into aggression. Hate for the one, who fucking love is given to.”       “Edward will never become your image. A senseless stinker, who cares only about his own interests. If you have nothing kind, it doesn’t mean other people don’t have a good side.”       “We will see, my sweetie. We will see how disappointed you will be if that man agrees to be by my side and forget those, to whom he swore his love.”       “I will never stop believing he is good and kind. And I’m always ready to remind him of that and make him think he is actually stronger than he thinks.”       “Alright, I shall not try to change your mind. Because saying something to the one to be totally fallen in love with someone is worthless. But I can say one thing: you will know everything very soon. Everything, Natalia.”       “I know enough to believe in the decency of that man.”       “Soon, you will know much more of the truth that will not leave you indifferent. But I don’t think you will need it.” Michael looks at the expensive Swiss watch that he is wearing on his right hand. “So, it’s now a quarter to five. It means, your ex and his brother will be at this house in less than two hours.”       “What?” Natalia opens her eyes widely. “My ex and his brother will come here?”       “Yes, my radiant lady,” Michael smiles slyly and widely. “Some time ago, I called the one, who makes your tender heart beat much faster, and told him to come here by six hours. And bring here Terrence.”       “No…” Natalia shakes her head with widely open eyes. “I don’t believe it… Did you really make Edward and Terrence come here?”       “Of course, I did.” Michael carefully fixes his tie with a slight smile. “And very soon, they will be sitting in my office in front of me. Of course, Edward can come alone, it’s alright. But Terrence will have to come anyway. My people will bring him here by force. Even if they have to hit him on the head with a brick, they will bring MacClife here. Who will have to know some secrets about the one, who got so close to him. Though, I should stop talking with guesses. You already know that Edward is a younger brother of Terrence, and it means he is not Lockhart. I guess you got enough time to accept this information.”       “No!” Natalia gets horrified a little louder. “Not this! No!”       “And alright, I shall show great generosity and let you see them the last time. So, they admire you. Maybe, your ex will wish to hug and kiss you to say goodbye. And your best friend will be happy to see you.”       “My gosh…” Natalia pronounces quietly in a shaking voice. “Will you kill us tonight?”       “What should I wait for?” Michael shrugs, rounding his eyes. “I’ve been waiting for this day for more than forty years! And now it’s finally time to get everything. I need only to get off Terrence and Edward, those two bastards, who are similar to their fucking father in all senses. And I don’t know who I want to kill more: the older one, who is an absolute image of Jamie, or the younger one, who annoyed everybody with his pathetic attempts to prove his usefulness. I don’t terribly want to give Edward at least a cent, but I’m used to keeping my promise and have to give him what I should give him in case he kills Terrence.”       “What a nasty and shameless stinker you are. How could you live a whole life and regret nothing? Aren’t you ashamed of what you are doing? Would you have been the same even if your brother had not been born, and your parents had given their everything to educate you and thought of your well-being, education, and brilliant future?”       “My dear, if I was the same sentimental kid as your ex and let myself cry and give up, I would never get anything and could become a homeless beggar. It’s life! Kind people don’t survive in this world and have nothing! If you want to get something, you must fight in any way and step on others.”       “Yeah, but not through killing people!”       “I kill nobody,” Michael opens his eyes widely, throwing his hands as if he is guilty of nothing. “I’m just ordering. My people kill those, who I point my finger at.”       “Do you think if other people do your dirty trick for you, you will avoid your punishment?” Natalia wonders. “No, Sir, you will have to pay for everything and give back what you did not earn and stole from your brother. You’ve reached nothing. Stealing and deceiving are not the way to become successful. It’s the way to make people hate you and wonder how you could do that.”       “I just want to get what I deserve. What I was deprived of after the birth of my younger brother. I would’ve ended this story much earlier if Jamie hadn’t gotten married and become the father of Terrence and Edward. Because there were so many people, I couldn’t end it twenty years ago. And your friend is about to become a part of our family…”       “I will never get it. I don’t understand how you can be happy by killing someone. What’s supposed to happen in the mind of someone that they are happy after killing?”       “You’re right – you will never understand me. So, I will not explain anything to you. And you will not need it. When I tell Edward to kill my eldest nephew Terrence or kill both of them in case he refuses to do it, the next victim will be you and your friend.”       “No!” Natalia yells, shaking her head sharply and not holding tears down. “No, you will not dare to do it! Edward will not dare to kill someone! He will have not the courage!”       “Huh!” Michael snuffs. “If he doesn’t have the courage, he will die along with you and his pathetic brother. But I think he will subordinate to my wish. Because I’ve had the talent to make people sure to do what I wanted since childhood. And that puppy will wish to prove that he is brave and confident when I start to say he is terribly cowardly and insecure. Edward is terribly afraid to confess it and will do anything to prove that it’s not the truth. No tears and shouts from you will stop him if I’m pressing on him psychologically.”       “It will not happen! NOT HAPPEN! HE WILL NOT DO THAT!”       “Alas, Natalia, you can do nothing,” Michael throws his hands up. “You only have to watch your ex putting the shutter on the pistol pointed at your friend.”       “Edward knows if he does it, he will get enemies, who will hate him until the end of their lives.”       “Right, he will have many enemies. But what do we usually do to enemies? Right! Destroy! So, we have those, who would support us, despite nothing. You and your friend will become enemies of Edward and be killed either after Terrence or after him and his brother.”       “Terrence will not let you hurt my friend!” Natalia says confidently. “He would rather die than let someone do something to her! That man would cut the throat of the one, who would dare to touch Raquelle with a finger.”       “I know, my girl, I know everything well,” Michael smiles slyly. “That’s why he will die first because of his brother, and then you and your best friend will do. And in case that idiot Edward refuses to kill Terrence, I will tell my people to kill him first. Sadly, he was madly lucky the last time that he didn’t get stabbed to death. But this time, he has only one life that will be gone tonight.”       “None of us will let each other die! Every one of us is ready to protect ourselves and each other until the end! And we will protect those, who are dear to us!”       “Okay, okay, if you and someone else want it, it’s fine,” Michael smiles shyly, raising his hands up. “Of course, I highly appreciate your love for each other, but it will not help you. You will die anyway. Everything is ready – I only have to wait for my beloved nephews so that the bomb is activated. So, you have two hours to live, meet your ex and your best friends.”       “I wish everything was ruined to the fuck!” Natalia snaps loudly. “I wish plans never came true.”       “Ah, yeah, I almost forgot…” Michael strokes his chin with a sly smile. “Your best friend will stay alone soon. Because her fiancé will go to meet me. And when both of my nephews come here, I shall send my people to the house where she is living with Terrence and tell them to bring her here. I don’t know if Edward will explain everything to his brother and tell him to go. But if only one comes, another will be brought here by the collar.”       “You are a scumbag!” Natalia throws in a low voice, looking at Michael evilly. “What a nasty and mean man you are!”       “You know, Natalia, if I didn’t have to use you as bait for your ex, I would give my people the order to kill you a long time ago. I’m truly sorry that the guys have to tolerate such an annoying gal like you. Many of them have complained that you are sassy and don’t act as a real lady should do.”       “Are you expecting me to bow to you and thank you for holding me here for the fourth day?” Natalia smirks contemptuously, crossing her arms over her chest. “Ha! Do not hope! I can only split at your nasty face and remind you that you are a nasty bastard.”       “Don’t make me tell my people to call you down.” Michael tightly grabs Natalia by the chin and sets his contemptuous gaze into her scared, widely open eyes. “Your ex would hardly love to see you half-beaten or dumbfounded after cruel sex.”       “Are you threatening me?”       “Remember, beauty, I need you alive until your ex and your best pal come here. I want to make Edward burn from evil, while he is not able to do anything and has to watch my people have fun with you. Maybe, I wouldn’t even have to kill him, and he would die from evil. Or a heart attack. He’s got such a tender heart. You only need to give a reason for him to lie on the floor unconscious.”       “We will see!” Natalia sharply steps back from Michael and sets her cold gaze on him. “I do believe we will be lucky, and all your plans will be ruined to the fuck. Justice will glory: we will live a quiet life, and you and your pals will be put in prison for many years.”       “Believe as much as you want if it calms you down,” Michael replies confidently with a sly smile. “Well, I will no longer waste time talking to you and go to get ready for my triumph.”       Michael sharply gets up from the chair and waves a hand at Natalia, saying:       “See you in two hours, Natalia Rochester! Get ready for the meeting with my nephew. And be ready to make some of my people's wishes come true. Eugene is impatiently waiting for the moment he can have fun with you and caress your body. That is freaking sexy when it’s naked.”       Michael leaves and locks the door with a sly grin, leaving Natalia alone and not seeing her watch him with her dead eyes. When the door closes, the girl closes her eyes, exhaling slowly, and lies on the tough bed like a stone, which is the reason why her body hurts. Two seconds later, the blonde opens her eyes and sets them on the shabby yellow ceiling. A fear that something horrible might happen makes her forget about any discomfort. She thought everything would be fine, but now something could hardly be changed.       “Gosh, Terrence, why are you doing this?” Natalia thinks with pity in her eyes. “Don’t you understand that Michael prepared a trap for you and Raquelle? Damn, stay home with Cameron! And if you and Edward are here, Michael may make that guy kill you. You will be dead! Don’t do this, Terrence! Don’t go here! I don’t want you to die! I don't want all of us to die!”       Natalia closes her mouth with a hand, breathing heavily enough from strong excitement.       “And I don’t wanna die… I dream of finding a way to save myself, but I understand I can do nothing. If I could impact this situation, I’d use a chance. But I can’t do it! All of us are about to die! Edward, Terrence, Raquelle… Even Mrs. MacClife may suffer… She is… Edward’s mother?! Fuck! How do we get out of this situation? How? I will never accept it! No!”       Natalia sighs heavily, scanning the ceiling with her dead eyes and sniffing quietly.       “Two hours…” Natalia thinks with sadness in her eyes. “In two hours, that man will do that. When Edward and Terrence come here, it will be the start of the end. And if Raquelle is in the hands of those bandits, nobody will be able to save us. Gosh… Gosh… What do we do? What do we do? There must be a way! This story can’t end in such a sad way. If there is justice in this world, Michael and his pals must go to prison. So, they pay for everything they’ve done to us.”       Natalia sharply sits up, takes her gilded necklace from underneath her shirt, and tightly squeezes it in her hand, closing her eyes and exhaling slowly.       “Please, may everything end well,” Natalia begs desperately. “Even if the situation is worthless, I must not let Michael win this game. If I have to protect myself and even save someone, I shall do it. If I get a small chance, I will use it. Even if it’s risky and may be worth my life. He must not win. We must not die. If we truly believe and don’t stop hoping for the best, a solution will be found.”       Natalia glances at the pendant in the form of the letter “N” that is lying on her hand and smiles slightly.       “There are the people I wanna fight and not give up for. And I’d love to make them proud of me. To find out the limit of my possibilities and understand what I’m ready for love and friendship. If I can forget about my fears and become brave, at least at such a hard moment. Now, I can’t be a coward and hide behind someone’s back. It’s time to go and fight by myself. It’s time to become truly tough and sassy. And I shall do it. For my close people, I’m ready to fight. Ready to test and protect me. We should bring this case to an end and win this war.”       The gilded necklace kind of gives Natalia courage, strength, and a wish to fight until the end and gives her a belief and hope that everything might end well. This thing is like a mascot that protects its owner from problems, jinxes, and what can harm somehow. As if that’s why the girl is terribly afraid that someone will take this thing from her. As if her hopes for salvation would be gone, and she would not become brave and determined if it was the time to forget about all her fears and doubts.       

***

      It’s a little more than five hours. Edward and Terrence are on their way to the house of Michael. They have taken a bigger part of the way, not almost talking and thinking about surprises they could expect from this meeting. By this time, the weather had gotten sharply worse. No hints that the sun that was making the people in the city happy today’s morning will rise again. The gray sky closed with clouds, out of which even a little shoot of the bright sun could not show up. Edward is sitting in the passenger's seat, leaning back, and looking through the window with sadness in his tired eyes. His hands are shaking strongly, and he gets horrified by thinking that Michael may make him do what he will regret for the rest of his life. However, the man completely understands he has no right to leave Natalia and wants to do his best to prove to his family that he is not so bad and has never thought of killing and robbing them.       Putting his head on the door of the car, leaning on the glass with it, and tightly locking his hands, the quite tense Edward recalls the moments he spent with Natalia and his close people. When he was nervous and terribly afraid to get rejected. But when he got to know them better, the guy stopped being timid and let himself get attracted to them. He felt true happiness from realizing that he was not alone and could count on the attention, care, and love. Edward still craves it. But he understands it may be impossible because he lost the trust of those, who accepted him with open arms. And if Michael kills Terrence with the hands of his nephew, that one will lose a chance to become good for everybody.       Although Terrence is focused on the road, he cannot quietly think about the meeting with Michael, whom he will see for the first time in his life. He is obsessed with the anxiety that he felt after Raquelle begged him to stay home. There is something that sometimes makes him regret the decision to go to Michael’s home because her presentiments have never betrayed the girl. Nevertheless, the man understands he would rather end it now than wait for nobody knows what and hope everything will be solved by itself. And his anxiety about Edward is also a reason why he agreed to do it. MacClife confessed to himself that his attitude toward his friend has not changed, and the wish to keep protecting and supporting him has not gotten weak.       At some moment, Terrence stops reflecting on what he has been thinking about for half of the way and exhales slowly and quietly. A little later, he glances at Edward sitting next to him as quietly as a mouse. His head is lying on the door and leaning on the glass, through which he looks with a broken and depressed gaze. The guy looks quite exhausted, judging by his white face covered with light stubble and dead eyes that he sometimes closes, definitely fighting with a wish to fall asleep. Terrence watches Edward for a few seconds, not forgetting to look at the road, and then decides to talk to him with a wish to encourage him a little.       “Hey, are you okay?” Terrence asks quietly, not moving his eyes off the road. “You look depressed.”       “What would you like to see me?” Edward asks in a low voice without emotions, still leaning on the glass of the car with his head.       “Collected and self-confident. I’d like to see the man, who would fight ‘till the end, despite nothing.”       “I’m ready to fight. When I see that bastard, I shall kick his old ass.”       “Looking at you now, I wouldn’t think so. Now, you look like someone, who wants to jump off the root.”       “Maybe. But now I have no right to it. First, I must deal with that bastard and take Natalia away from that fucking house.”       “Don’t say you’re gonna die after everything ends.”       “Well, when you’re guilty of problems that are happening to your close people, you unconsciously wanna jump off the root,” Edward says in a quiet, broken voice.       Terrence moves a scared gaze to Edward for a second, squeezing the steering wheel with both hands tightly.       “Edward, stop saying these things!” Terrence sharply cuts off and changes the speed with a gearbox. “Don’t act like a wuss, and don’t give up in a hard situation. Otherwise, I will start thinking Michael told the truth, and you’re really pretending brave and sassy, while you’re afraid of everything in the world and ready to hide behind someone’s back.”       “Would I go to the home of that sick bastard if I was really cowardly?” Edward chuckles without emotions.       “You said you were afraid of that man to the shake in your legs.”       “Yeah, but for me, it’s not the reason for me to hide, as Uncle said, behind someone’s back and do nothing to end this story. I don’t deny that I really fear him. But knowing that danger is threatening Natalia and my family, I have to put my fear in my ass and continue a fight with that bastard. Which I actually started.”       “But now you don’t look like you’re ready at one hundred percent. You’re afraid and terribly nervous. Look, you’re shaking. Your hands are shaking. And you’re breathing heavily.”       “Confess that the same happened to you when you were about to break up with Raquelle,” Edward says without emotions. “When you had to go nobody the fuck knew where to save her from the sick man, who killed her parents. And I’m sure you had the wish to kill yourself from shame and the thought that you wouldn’t take it all.”       Terrence swallows up nervously and grabs the steering wheel tightly, while his eyes start running from one side to another.       “Why do you think I had these thoughts at that moment?” Terrence asks in a low, shaking voice. “You know that I felt lousy, but I didn’t wanna jump off the roof. I believe I’m quite a strong man to survive much.”       “But you looked like you’d do it at the nearest time. At least, even after the story of Simon Ringer ended, you didn’t calm down. You were afraid of the day Raquelle would leave you.”       “It goes without saying, it would’ve been madly hurtful for me if we’d broken up. But I would’ve had to accept it and find the strength to keep living. Millions of people break up, divorce, and cry over someone’s death. It’s fine to be a little sad and cry. But it doesn’t mean life ends after that. You can always find a reason to keep living and doing your business.”       “Are you sure you would’ve quietly taken a breakup with Raquelle?”       “At least, I would’ve tried. I couldn’t make her stay with me by force. If she’d wanted a breakup, I would’ve agreed to let her go. Now we’re together ‘cause Raquelle showed a wish to try to start everything again, and I apologized to her and asked her to give me another chance.”       “Any statement has at least one exclusion. Not everyone is so strong to experience grief. Someone breaks down and can’t find the strength to keep moving on.”       “What are you hinting at?” Terrence frowns slightly. “You think I’m weak? Or you are the exclusion from this rule?”       “I called nobody and do speak without any hints,” Edward replies without emotions. “But I can make an example… For example, Peter. At first sight, he seemed like a funny and sanguine guy, for whom everything was cool. But as it turned out, he had personal problems, and that guy was too weak mentally to survive all of that.”       “Maybe, he’s really weak mentally. But the problem is that Peter never told anyone about his problems and kept them inside. If someone is silent about something for too long, it might lead to sad consequences.”       “I know. He probably thought nobody would help him. Or he was afraid to seem weak and decided to pretend that everything was fine not to let anyone know he wasn’t fine.”       “Nevertheless, I think Peter will tell us everything if we try to talk to him. Don’t make him speak by force. Do softly push him, so he wants to do it.”       “Maybe… Maybe…”       Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, after which Terrence decides to change the subject, closely watching the road and going by the places where there are tons of thick trees.       “Hey, I still can’t understand why Natalia and you were pretending that everything was fine and denied any problems,” Terrence says thoughtfully.       “Oh, Terrence…” Edward moans tiredly, running his hand over his hair. “Let’s not talk about it…”       “What was the point in doing it? What did you want to get?”       “I’ve told you why I did it many times. Didn’t you listen to me?”       “You only told me about the situation with Michael.” Terrence changes the speed with a gearbox again. “And we still have to guess the reasons why Natalia and you had everybody wrapped around your finger.”       “What’s the point in talking about it now? We’re now not solving the problem of my relationship with Natalia. We’re gonna save her and defeat that old jackass.”       “I just wanna know everything and understand the motives for that act.”       “It doesn’t have to do with what we’re gonna do.”       “Did you wanna kick Natalia for allegedly betraying you?”       “Oh, I did wanna kick nobody.” Edward tears his head off the door and leans back in the passenger seat. “I didn’t wanna kick Natalia or revenge on her.”       “It looked like you didn’t want anyone to know about your breakup.”       “I just knew a danger could threaten her and wanted to protect her, even when I was mad at her.”       “Stupid excuse.”       “It’s true. Uncle started to think about how to scare her a long time ago. And the breakup happened at a bad time. Of course, this situation got better for one month when I was pretending to be dead for Uncle. But then… Then I started to realize that doing something didn’t make sense.”       “You made her pretend after you got wounded or before?”       “After. I sent her a message one or two days later after the breakup and said nobody should’ve known about our breakup. And… I got a message from her one day before dinner at the home of you and Raquelle. I reminded her that we should’ve pretended that everything was fine and dared to say nothing about our breakup.”       “Damn, I can’t believe what I hear!”       “I know it sounds stupid, but I really wanted to hide our breakup from everybody.”       “And is that why you started that senseless show?”       “Sort of.”       “But it was stupid, Edward. Really stupid! Do you understand how stupid you two looked on that day? You didn’t even try to show love and didn't hide it was unpleasant for you to be together. Did you think Raquelle and I were idiots that would guess nothing?”       “It’s hard to understand, but much harder to explain. To explain it so that people don’t think I’m a moron.”       “No, it would’ve been okay if you hadn’t broken up and had wanted to pretend that everything was fine. I would’ve understood it. But what was the point in pretending when you broke up because you blamed her for cheating, called her a whore several times, and said she slept with all men and suffered from nymphomania?”       “There were many reasons. One of them is that I thought if Natalia were near me, it would be easier for me to protect her from Uncle. I knew that the bastard would show up early or late… And I would do nothing then… Well, it happened…”       “Excuse me, Edward, but I don’t believe you. It’s a stupid reason to start that show. Do you think someone needed it? Do you think Michael wouldn’t have done away with her if you had kept pretending to be Natalia’s boyfriend? No! Since that man had a grudge against her, he would've found her anyway, no matter if she was your girlfriend or not.”       “I know. Anyway, I answered your question.”       “Yeah, and how could you exactly know something could happen to Natalia? Did Michael say he was gonna kill all the MacClifes and her, as well?”       “He already knew about her when I was dating her. Of course, I was surprised how, but after seeing Wainwright among his pals, many things got clearer.” Edward falls into silence for a few seconds. “I dunno… Or maybe, he didn’t learn about her from that sick asshole. Paparazzi could notice Natalia with you or Raquelle and photograph her. I don’t also exclude that Uncle learned about her parents, who were known in some circles.”       “But wait…” Terrence frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “Even if he knew about that girl, how could he know you dated her? How did Michael know Natalia was the girl he needed? What if even Wainwright didn’t know who she was and met her by chance?”       “I don’t know… Honestly, it’s all too weird… But I have only one explanation for the fact that Uncle knew who was my girlfriend.”       “Hey, didn’t anyone watch you when you were walking in the city or spending time with Natalia? Maybe, you noticed someone from Michael’s pals?”       “Nope… But I don’t exclude that someone could see me with that girl. Even that sick bastard Wainwright could see us together and guess Natalia was the girl, whom he tried to rape.”       “Maybe, someone from Michael’s people saw you on the day you met Natalia?”       “Maybe. But if someone had seen us, I would’ve recognized many of them. I know almost all the pals of that old bastard. Of course, there are those, who recently joined his gang, or those, who stay hidden, just like Wainwright. But I know those, who’ve kissed his legs for ages.”       “Hey, when the rape attempt happened? I remember Natalia saying it happened already after you met.”       “Right,” Edward frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “A few days after we met. After our attempt to run away from Uncle Michael’s people, I talked to her a little. And I found out one little thing: Rochester said the rape attempt happened four days before one of our hangouts. I called her and suggested going to the beach, and she agreed. Natalia was strange and a little timid and behaved kind of scarily. I tried to find out if she was fine, but she said nothing and made me sure that nothing happened. I didn’t even guess she’d get almost raped.”       “How do you think much time passed between your acquaintance with Natalia, Wainwright’s attempt to rape her, and the day you met?”       “Erm…” Edward thinks for two seconds, setting his gaze on what he sees ahead. “Listen, I don’t even know…”       “Think better. Of course, it doesn’t matter now, but just a curiosity…”       “Okay, I’ll try to remember…” Edward presses in the back of the passenger seat tighter. “Okay, so… I remember that a lot of time passed between my acquaintance with Natalia and our trip to the beach… Maybe, even one month, I can’t say exactly…”       “And how often did you meet? When did you notice she was strange for the first time?”       “When we went to the beach. Nothing weird happened before. She honestly told me she was worried because of her fight with Raquelle. We didn’t meet every day, but we did it often. On the day we met, Natalia and I shared our numbers, and I called her with a suggestion to meet two or three days later.”       “That’s how…”       “Oh…” Edward runs his hand through his hair, starting to pull it sometimes and making it much more disheveled, and then glances at Terrence sharply. “Listen, Terrence, say, how much time passed between your cruel fight with Raquelle, her departure from home, and your acquaintance with Peter and Daniel? At least roughly!”       “Erm…” Terrence frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “Well… I met those jackasses somewhere one week later after my fight with Raquelle…”       “Not shortly after that?”       “Nope. Shortly after that, I talked to Ben and met Rachel, the girl I cheated on Raquelle with later. I asked her to talk to her father and give me a chance to join his band. She agreed, but had to persuade him at least to look at me for one week. So, it happened that I met Albert one week later. And the next day, I met Rose and Perkins and Marty Patch, their vocalist.”       “Hm…” Edward frowns slightly. “Natalia and I got on well one week later after we met… Moreover, I was even at her home and met her father… Her mother was in Mexico, but, as Natalia said, she knew about me.”       “And I started to get on well with Dan and Pete one week after meeting them,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “Of course, I couldn’t call them my best friends, and they weren’t too close to me. But we got on well, spent a lot of time together, and joked at our vocalist to get her rid of arrogance and kick the ass of that little kid.”       “So, it’s two weeks… So…”       “Listen, kid, why do you wanna know it?” Terrence glances at Edward for a moment. “You think it will help you?”       “I think so. If those events were happening in parallel, it would be easier for me to remember how much time passed between my acquaintance with Natalia and our trip to the beach.”       “Erm, okay,” Terrence shrugs and changes the speed with a gearbox. “If it’s easy for you, let’s try.”       “Okay… But how much time passed after you met Daniel and Peter, fought with them, and found out Raquelle would be meeting Simon Ringer face to face?”       “I don’t remember exactly, but probably two weeks… First, I fought with Raquelle, then told Rachel I deceived her, left Alert’s band at my wish, and became an enemy of Peter and Daniel… Two days later, I talked to Alicia and Frederick and barely made them sure that I didn’t wanna hurt Cameron… And then I learned about Raquelle’s with Simon from them.”       “Two more weeks…”       “Oh…” Terrence shakes his head sharply. “Listen, Edward, what’s the meaning of thinking about it? It won’t help you anyway!”       “Four weeks!” Edward exclaims and thinks for a few more seconds, looking into the distance with widely open eyes. “A little more than four weeks! Right! One month passed between my acquaintance with Natalia and my invitation to the beach! And four days before, Wainwright tried to rape her.”       “You’re sure about it?”       “I am!” Edward nods confidently. “I remember exactly that one week Natalia and I kissed for the first time and confessed our sympathy one week later. Then we met you, and she introduced us to each other and then disappeared for two weeks… Later, Rochester showed up, and we started dating… And you reconciled with Raquelle.”       “Wow!” Terrence exclaims with a slight smile. “You’re a genius, Lockhart! Restored the sequence of events so easily and rightly! Bravo!”       “You just gave me a reason to think – so, I decided to restore the chain of events. For curiosity.” Edward falls into silence for two seconds. “So, four weeks, four weeks… Uncle annoyed me with calls and threats enough… He already started threatening you, Mother, Father, and me… And he didn’t forget to mention Raquelle…”       “And when did that man mention Natalia for the first time?”       “He mentioned Natalia when…” Edward glances sharply at Terrence, who is focused on the road. “When I met Raquelle… He knew I was spending time with one beautiful blonde and started talking about her on that day.”       “And as I understand, the call that made you go to the back of my house, was from Uncle?” Terrence frowns slightly.       “Yup. And on the day when I met you for the first time, Uncle called me, as well. But that old bastard just insulted me, told me about my shortcomings, and talked about his hate for Father.”       “Listen, Edward…” Terrence thinks for two seconds. “What if Eugene, who mocked Natalia, didn’t work for Michael at that time? What if he didn’t know him and wanted to mock that girl just because he was going by the place where she was walking?”       “But when I got Natalia’s explicit photos, that man was supposed to work for Uncle. What if that stinker was already working on that old asshole at that time? And on one of those days, he showed Uncle the photos, which were sent to me by one of them?”       “I wouldn’t exclude this version. But Eugene might also have to do with her parent. Natalia said that man called her by her name. And even if he and Michael knew she dated you, how did they know her name? Unless they found out something about her parents or knew them.”       “Her parents? Do you wanna say Mr. and Mrs. Rochester harmed Wainwright somehow, and he wanted revenge on them by using their daughter?”       “I know it may be a stupid assumption, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the truth.”       “But how could they be connected with him? What could they do that he wanted to mock their daughter?”       “I don’t know… Or maybe, Natalia didn’t please someone to know that man. It might happen that her offended familiar person could persuade Wainwright to scare her.”       “Oh, I don’t know…” Edward sighs tiredly, closing his eyes for a second. “I can say nothing…”       “What if my first and second versions are connected? I mean, what if Wainwright didn’t work for Michael but knew Natalia’s parents or someone from her familiar people?”       “Or he worked for him but knew them?”       “Maybe. Anyway, we shouldn’t drop charges against Michael for framing Natalia. The idea of sending the photos could belong to him, and he could do it by himself or give someone the order to send them to you, calling your home address.”       “Let’s better hear what he’s gonna say if he starts talking about it. I shall make that scumbag confess that he and Wainwright framed Natalia and made me believe she was a betrayer.”       “He’ll have to explain very much.”       “It’s okay, that scumbag will tell us everything. Confess all his sins and set Natalia free, no matter if she or her parents are connected with that sick deadbeat. She doesn’t have to do with the problems of the MacClifes and must be free and live a quiet life.”       Edward inclines his head and starts looking at his shoes, the mat under his legs, or his hands, which are still shaking from a strong tension. Silence settles inside the car for a few seconds, after which Terrence decides to change the subject.       “Hey, I recalled how you said you weren’t indifferent to Natalia,” Terrence says thoughtfully.       “Oh, Terrence…” Edward moans quietly and slowly glances at Terrence.       “Does she really mean so much to you?”       “I’ve already answered this question and said I couldn’t give a damn about her.”       “I remember. But I’d like to hear it again to make sure you told me the truth.”       “But I did tell you the truth! Don’t you still believe me?”       “Nope, I believe you.”       “Then why are you asking me?”       “Just wanna know why you’re helping Natalia and worried about her so much.”       “As if you don’t know it,” Edward hums quietly.       “I’m guessing. But I want you to say it aloud.”       “Do you think I’m doing it just because of a sense of shame for her? For the wish to make amends for finding her a whore for one month?”       “I doubt it’s the only reason.”       “Okay. You answered your question. So, I see no meaning in saying it again.”       “I’ve asked you nothing yet.” Terrence falls into silence for two seconds and changes the speed with a gearbox. “But now answer the question… What are you feeling for Natalia?”       “Why do you want to know it?” Edward asks without emotions.       “Don’t answer a question with a question.”       “I see no meaning in talking about it. And I don’t really want to, honestly.”       “But I do want to talk and know the truth.”       “You shouldn’t care about it. And you won’t believe me anyway.”       “Why? I do believe you aren’t indifferent to her!”       “I don’t want to talk about it, Terrence. My mind is busy with thoughts about how to get away from Uncle and save Natalia and my family.”       “If you do care about Natalia’s salvation, you still think of her.”       “Is it supposed to mean something? I worry about her because I don’t want Rochester to suffer because of that old man. I feel the same strong anxiety toward her that I feel toward my family.”       “Listen, Edward, I know you can talk someone down so that a person might change the subject. But don’t do it this time. If I don’t do it, someone else will ask you the reasons why you’re pulling your hair out because of your ex-girlfriend. You won’t avoid questions. You’ll have to answer them.”       “Why do we talk about what doesn’t have to do with the current situation? We must be focused only on a fight with Uncle Michael and his pals.”       “Trust me, you aren’t the one, who dislikes someone telling a lie. I can’t also stand someone, who doesn’t say something or hides any truth.”       “I’m not trying to lie. We just need to think about more important things. We’ll drive to Uncle’s house soon and meet him face-to-face.”       “Distract yourself from the thoughts about that deadbeat at least for a while, and think about something else. You may go out of your mind. If you haven’t done yet.”       “I’ve been insane for ages. If I let all my emotions out, it would lead to a sad aftermath. This situation got me too exhausted.”       “Damn, Edward, stop avoiding the answer,” Terrence says tiredly. “Is it so hard to tell me what’s happening in your soul? Tell me about what you feel for Natalia!”       “I’m not indifferent to her – that’s all. She will never be. That’s all you should know.”       “But it’s not enough for me. I wanna know what’s happening to you and understand the motives of your actions and words.”       “Don’t try to understand me,” Edward says quietly and glances at Terrence. “My emotions and feelings are like a ball of tangled thread that you can’t untangle. That you can cut or throw off.”       “If you explain everything, I’ll probably be able to help you figure it out. If there’s something you don’t understand, you can tell me.”       “I don’t wanna talk about it. Let’s close this topic and stop talking about it, at least now.”       “Want me to start to doubt your trueness and think you’re lying again?”       “If you want to know it, just remember yourself when you could’ve broken up with Raquelle. Everything is the same. There’s no point in asking me about me, ‘cause you know what it all is.”       “Fuck, why are you afraid to confess that you still love Natalia? Nobody’s gonna judge you for loving someone!”       “You will do,” Edward hums without emotions, throwing a gloomy gaze at the window.       “Oh, okay, boy, stop being dramatic and trying to get attention on you like a girl. As if you like that someone runs after you. When they beg and persuade you.”       “Stop, MacClfie…”       “I understand you’re our too sentimental and vulnerable one. But fuck, be a man! Say you love Natalia honestly and confidently and are doing all of this not only to make amends for her but also for your love for her that is still alive.”       Edward says nothing for two seconds, setting his dead eyes down, but then gives up under Terrence’s pressure and exhales sharply, saying:       “Okay, if you wanna hear it, please. Yes, I love Natalia. I love her as much as you love Raquelle. And I will always love her.”       “You see!” Terrence exclaims with a slight smile. “You see how easy it was! You should’ve just said a few words!”       “You wouldn’t have gotten off me if I hadn’t confessed it. But now I hope you’re gonna be pleased with my answer.”       “Well, since we started, call all the reasons why you’re helping her and wanna save her from Michael.”       “I wanna help her, ‘cause I feel guilty about her and wanna make amends for insulting and humiliating her for nothing and turning everybody against her.” Edward locks his fingers tightly. “Well, and I madly love her and can’t stay indifferent to what’s happening to her. I will not forgive myself if Natalia suffers or especially dies because of Uncle Michael or his pals.”       “Is this really your true wish? Not an attempt to whitewash yourself for people?”       “I wanna get better for everybody and make amends for all my actions. No matter how much I’ll have to pay, I’m ready for that. Natalia has had to suffer because of me, Uncle, and that bastard Wainwright. And I wanna do my best to let her live a quiet life. For my love for her that’s still alive in my heart.”       “That’s what I wanted to hear,” Terrence nods with a slight smile. “The answer I was trying to get outta you.”       “Congratulations, you won,” Edward shrugs. “I don’t know why you wanted to talk about what didn’t have to do with the situation with Uncle, but still…”       “Now you’re telling the truth and not trying to lie.” Terrence smiles much wider and glances at Edward for a second. “I’m glad you’re trying to get better and decided not to bury your head in sand. And it’s very good you’re doing your best for Natalia’s salvation. I think she will highly appreciate your act, even if you can barely do something.”       “Maybe, she will appreciate it,” Edward sighs quietly. “But that girl will never forgive me for what I did to her.”       “You think the situation is hopeless?”       “It’s gonna be very hard for her to forget those insults. Natalia is too vulnerable and sensitive. She got too hurt by what I said in anger.”       “Natalia isn’t too resentful. She can’t be mad for too long. Maybe, she’d be mad for some time and calm down then. It happened in the case of Raquelle. At first, Rochester didn’t wanna see her and hated her for what she did to her. But later, she melted and started to realize she missed her friend.”       “Hey, in confidence…” Edward glances at Terrence hesitantly. “Did she say something about me? Our relationship?”       “M-m-m, maybe…” Terrence smiles mysteriously.       “What?”       “Although Natalia was mad, she understood she was guilty of your scandal. If you didn’t know the truth about the photos, Blondie understood your reaction well. She was hurt, but she always said what happened was her fault.”       “I’ll understand her if she doesn’t find the courage to forgive me. I’ll just save her from Uncle Michael and let her live as she wants.”       “Dude, remember my situation. Everything wasn’t better in the case of me and Raquelle. I was insulting and humiliating her so much that I’m still ashamed of it. I was shouting and insulting her, and I raised a hand at her. Because of believing she betrayed me. But I had a reason to believe ‘cause that girl was very cold to me and stopped showing love and care. But Natalia gave you no reason to doubt her feelings.”       “Honestly, I always thought she was kind of timid and didn’t show all of her feelings. There were cases when Natalia even pushed me off. I thought she didn’t love me much and dated me just because she didn’t wanna stay single. But now I understand what prevented her from becoming open and relaxing.”       “It’s the truth.” Terrence changes the speed with a gearbox. “She confirmed the reason was about that.”       “I guess I should’ve shown some cruelty and insisted that she tell me what happened to her. I saw that Natalia wasn’t fine and tried to talk to her many times, but I didn’t actually care much about it. Though, if I had insisted, everything could’ve been otherwise.”       “All of us tried to talk to her. But only, so-called, shock therapy helps us get the truth outta her. She reached all her limits and realized it couldn’t happen anymore.”       “She is still shocked. And she will be for a long time. But when Natalia comes to herself and starts forgetting that nightmare, she’ll recall what happened and decide not to be connected with me anymore.”       “But even despite the fight with Cameron, I came to help her and did everything I could to save her from Simon. And I supported her when we found out that Mr. Cameron ended up in the hospital with a heart attack. That girl highly appreciated my act and still says how much she’s proud of me.”       “Even if Natalia is grateful to me for help, she will not even wish to think of working our relationship out,” Edward replies quietly with sadness in his eyes. “Not as lovers. At least as good friends.”       “I can’t say you’ll be together. But I’m absolutely sure you will establish your relationship.” Terrence cracks a smile, driving the car and watching the road. “In your case, it will happen. I repeat, Natalia isn’t vindictive and can forgive people quickly. You just need to be patient.”       “I’d be terribly happy with it.”       “But don’t hope it will happen very soon. While Natalia comes to herself, while she starts forgetting this nightmare… Much time may be gone before she lets her offense go.”       “Do you think I still have a chance for the best?”       “Never say never. Just do a good thing and wait for some time. If you and Natalia are destined to be together, you’ll talk about it someday and decide to start everything again. Just like it happened in my case: Raquelle and I talked and decided that we wanted to be together. Of course, you’ll have to put in some effort to establish your relationship and learn to show love and care. But if you two want it and work hard, everything will get better.”       “I believe you’re too sure about it.”       “I repeat, I don’t say you’ll be together. Yes, it’s possible if you feel too bad without each other. But if one of you is obsessed with an offense that you don’t wanna let go, you’ll hardly be together.”       “Anyway, the time I spent with her will always be special for me. I was really happy when I started dating Natalia. It was always easy and nice to talk to her and be with her… We could even be silent and just sit together, but we felt good anyway. I felt so comfortable with her that I would’ve given much to find two hours and spend them with her.”       “I completely understand you. You know how good I've always felt with Raquelle. The thought that I wouldn’t have her by my side horrified me. The days I lived without her were like torture. I felt sad in my own house, from which I sometimes wanted to run away. The world became kind of black and white. But it got colors again when that girl came back to me. Came back where she would always belong.”       “Raquelle just madly loves you – so, she forgot all the offenses. But Natalia will hardly do it.”       “Don’t make yourself think of the worst. Everything may be changed.”       “But she said she never loved me. She kind of dated me just because she was afraid to stay alone.”       “What?” Terrence chuckles and looks at Edward surprisingly. “Are you serious, kid?”       “More than serious. We met some time before fighting at your house. We fought because of her alleged betrayal again, and then she said those things.”       “And did you believe her? Ha! You rock, man! No, of course, I also believed when Raquelle said she used me and dated me to calm her family down. But how could you think it was the truth?”       “I was so mad that I was ready to believe anything.”       “Maybe, I behaved in the same way, but I had a little hope that everything would be okay. Well… At least, I didn’t stop dreaming about it…”       “After everything that happened, Natalia won’t forgive me. She’s a very vulnerable and sensitive person, who takes any insult too seriously.”       “You know, Edward, as Alicia somehow said, ‘Nothing lasts forever!’ You should hurt someone very, very much so that someone is mad until the end of their life. So, as Natalia understands she’s guilty, she has a reason to get softer.”       “At heart, it was madly hurtful for her. Whatever she said.”       “Just believe everything will be okay and do your best to make amends with her. Girls love when someone’s ready to go through fire and water for them, fight with their offenders, and hide them behind their backs. Do a heroic thing, so they fall at your feet.”       “Thanks for the advice, Terrence, but I hope for nothing now,” Edward cracks a smile. “I’ll just do everything to save Natalia and then leave her life once and forever. I will not annoy, chase, or force her to do something. Natalia deserves happiness, and I shall let her get it.”       “Are you sure you could take that and keep living?”       “I could do it after breaking up with other girls. Why would I let myself suffer now? If the situation is hopeless, what’s the point in hoping for something and living in the past? You must keep moving on and live your life.”       “Familiar words,” Terrence replies thoughtfully and changes the speed with a gearbox. “I remember that I thought of the same…”       “You shouldn’t care about how I will survive it. It’s gonna be okay. I’ll forget dating the girl, for whom I got a strong love. And who became the first one to make me think that… That I’d like to marry…”       “Come on!” Terrence rounds his eyes, looking at Edward questioningly. “Are you serious? You wanted to marry Natalia?”       “At least I thought about it for the first time in my life,” Edward confesses confidently. “Natalia became the first girl that made me want it. I felt so good with her that sometimes I started to think my time to marry came.”       “My gosh! What a twist!”       “I know Natalia and I didn’t date for too long. But I started to think I’d have the pleasure of spending my life with that girl.”       “Really?”       “I think I can start thinking about creating my family. I didn’t use to care about it, but after I started dating Natalia, something jammed in my head and made me think my time came.”       “Oh…” Terrence stutters, biting his lip slightly and grabbing the steering wheel tightly. “Excuse me, Edward, but I thought you never wanted to marry. That you didn’t like the perspective of creating your family, marrying, and having children.”       “No, Terrence, you’re wrong. I’ve always treated marriage positively and wanna have a wedding with a girl that I would love much and make her the mother of my children. I didn’t think about it earlier, ‘cause I was too young and just wanted to have fun. And I didn’t use to meet a girl that would make me change my mind.”       “But you always seemed an asshole, who needed nothing. Who had fun and enjoyed his life. You definitely thought of marriage and fatherhood much less. Even when I somehow started talking about children, you supported it but were kind of indifferent to that.”       “A marriage is the thing you should find the courage to do. If you marry the wrong girl, you may regret it later and have to file for divorce later. And you get the ‘proud’ status of a divorced man. But I don’t want it. I wanna marry once because of the great love in my life. Without getting divorced several times, as if it’s a usual thing. And let’s not forget that I can give my fiancée and children nothing. I can’t bring my girlfriend anywhere, can’t provide her with good life and earn enough money. You know that I’m a homeless beggar…”       “Well, I also wanna marry once and forever and share my bed with only one girl. I’m glad I didn’t rush to marry. Even if I was so in love that I started to think about it literally two weeks after starting to date her. Sometimes I wanted to propose to her. But when Cameron got cold to me, I didn’t want to marry her.”       “And how was it before?”       “I didn’t want to marry, either. I had many girls and felt cool with all of them: dates, nights, sex… But my acting career was put in first place. And girls were just fun for me. To keep me in sharp, so to say. My mom was worried that I didn’t think of marrying. She was afraid I’d have nobody to take care of me.”       “People are probably right when they say you can decide to do it only when you meet the right person.”       “If Raquelle and I had gotten married then, it would’ve been our stupid mistake. It would’ve been stupid to have a wedding because of a crazy passion that we were obsessed with. We were connected by that. We loved the body, but didn’t wanna know what was inside. We just paid attention to what was in our souls and loved it with all our hearts. And now I’m absolutely sure about my decision to make that girl my wife.”       “I understand,” Edward nods, fidgeting in the passenger seat and massaging his neck. “Do you think I wanted to propose to Natalia to marry after barely starting to date her? Yes, I thought I wanted to make her my wife some time after we became a couple. But I wanted to date her for at least one year to understand if she was the one I needed. To know if I could regret the decision to propose to her.”       “Yeah, Edward…” Terrence shakes his head, looking at Edward amazingly for a few seconds. “Honestly, you surprised me… I wouldn’t have thought I’d hear these things from you.”       “I didn’t also think I’d get the hit on my head,” Edward chuckles quietly, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in the seat. “But Natalia literally did the impossible thing.”       “Of course, I really liked your couple and was happy for you. But I thought you’d break up quickly. Your relationship could be just a passing infatuation. Sorry, but I never believed you’d date for such a long time. Though, I’m surprised that your couple existed for three months.”       “But, as you see, we broke up. Because of my stupidity and naivety. But I don’t think I started to love her less. Vice versa, I became much more attracted to her and am now madly missing her. Missing the time we spent together. I lack those nice feelings that she gave me. That made me feel unbelievably happy. Probably, for the first time in my fucking life.”       “And I’m really sorry you broke up. You were a beautiful couple.”       “They often say if you’re jealous of someone, you don’t wanna lose that person. You love them much… You’re attracted to them… You want to get all their attention. You’re afraid just to think you’d share that person with someone else.”       “It’s quite a normal wish. Who wants not to be the only one and one of many men for a girl? Unless you don’t count on something serious.”       “In the case of Natalia, I counted on a long relationship and wanted us to have a wedding someday.”       “There’s a very little chance to make it real. And if you don’t miss it, everything may happen.”       “It would be great, but it’ll hardly happen,” Edward replies in a quiet, depressed voice and exhales slowly, running his hand over his tired, little white face.       “Oh, Edward, stop whining and saying everything’s bad!” Terrence moans quietly. “I do say it to you as the man, who got over something similar. If I didn’t have this experience, I wouldn’t be so sure about it.”       “I already said that I didn’t hope for anything and wanted to end this story and get off that sick Michael and his pals once and forever.”       “Try not to think about it. And if destiny wants it, Natalia will come back to you, and you will probably wish to marry her.”       “No…” Edward says in a depressed voice, shaking his head, exhales quietly, and runs his hands over his face. “Now, a marriage proposal is a forbidden fruit to me. And the reunion with Natalia is an unreal thing that will never happen.”       “Don’t be so categorical. Everything might be changed.”       “No. There’s no chance in my case.”       “Don’t forget what I told you. Something good happens, in case you truly believe it and are waiting patiently.”       “Thank you, Terrence,” Edward thanks quietly. “Thanks for the support. A couple of nice words would be very good for me now.”       Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which Terrence moves his eyes full of pity on Edward for a second, while his friend looks through the window, keeping his fingers locked and then crossing his arms over his chest.       “Oh, it seems like we’ve almost come,” Terrence says, examining the place where he is driving.       “Yeah, we should drive for some time,” Edward replies thoughtfully, looking around quickly. “We’re supposed to go by six hours.”       “The most important thing is not to get lost. I don’t know where to go ‘cause I’ve never been to these places.”       “We’re gonna see the turn on the left soon. We should turn there and go straight for some time.”       “No problem.”       Some time later, Terrence changes the speed with a gearbox again, comes to the turn, and turns the car to the left. Then he continues to drive on the straight road. Sometimes Edward and he talk about something, but now their talks only have to do with the upcoming meeting with Michael.       Anyway, this talk was quite open and helped the guys get a little closer. Terrence makes much more sure that his friend is actually not such a horrible man, and realizes that he cannot stay indifferent to him. And Edward feels much more encouraged and is ready for this hard fight. The man is glad that his friend supports him somehow. And at the bottom of his heart, Lockhart has a little hope that Terrence will forgive him someday and believe that he has meant and will always mean much to his friend, despite any misunderstandings and quarrels.