The Secrets Hidden In The Scars

      The time is getting closer to the evening. Raquelle and Terrence are at Frederick’s home. His unexpected but always welcomed visitors and he are now sitting in the living room, drinking coffee and talking about the report about Michael, which he has seen many times, as well.       “That’s good Michael has been put in prison,” Frederick says, holding a cup of coffee and sitting in front of Terrence and Raquelle. “He must’ve gotten the most severe punishment a long time ago.”       “I’m sure it would happen,” Raquelle replies confidently, folding her hands in front of herself. “There is good proof of the fault of that man. And we got a good lawyer that would be able to make the judge sure to be by our side.”       “That’s good if it’s true.”       “Of course, we’d like someone to represent us on the trial. But sadly, it happened that we’d have to testify personally.”       “And I promise to do my best to come and support you. Just tell me the date of the first hearing, and I will put my business aside if I’m working or wishing to go somewhere on that day.”       “Unfortunately, we don’t also know the date of the first hearing,” Terrence shrugs with sadness in his eyes. “We only know that we are going to have a meeting with our lawyer soon.”       “Anyway, I shall surely support you,” Frederick replies confidently. “I do understand it’s gonna be hard for all of you. So, the more people support you, the easier it will be for you to experience that long process.”       “Thanks a lot, Grandpa,” Raquelle thanks with a slight smile. “But even if you don’t come, it’s okay. We know you’ll support us in your mind.”       “Of course, my sweetheart. But as I promised to become, it would happen.”       “I must confess that we’re lucky so many people decided to support us at such a hard moment. We’d definitely need those, who would help us at least morally.”       “Are your friends gonna support you, too?”       “Most of them,” Terrence replies. “Everybody knows what happened to us after watching the reportage that’s been shown on all the channels of the world.”       “Yes, yes, it’s been translating everywhere,” Frederick nods thoughtfully. “And knowing I’ve seen the reportage several times this week, there is no doubt that the case is gonna be popular. I heard journalists and reporters are impatiently waiting for the start of the hearing.”       “It’s true. People have come to Raquelle and me several times with a plea to give a comment. But we’ve got nothing to say now and wouldn’t like to repeat what’s been shown on TV hundreds of times.”       “I got it.”       “This hype is caused just because our names are featured in this story,” Raquelle notices. “Otherwise, nobody would care about Michael.”       “You know, honey, there are fewer people with the last name MacClife. People would’ve connected Michael with your fiancé anyway.” Frederick chuckles kindly. “You're gonna be a member of a unique family… Not like the Camerons, of which there are so many.”       “You are right, Mr. Cameron,” Terrence agrees with a slight smile, scratching the nape of his neck. “My last name is not so common… I would say it’s very rare… So, anyone to have the last name MacClife could be called my potential relative.”       “Are you probably proud to have such a rare last name?”       “I will not deny,” Terrence replies proudly. “The one like Terrence MacClife from the MacClife family, probably the only one in the world, is as unique as a relic.”       “Gosh, don’t remind us about how irresistible you are, at least now,” Raquelle says with a chuckle, rolling her eyes for a second. “You could be shyer with my grandfather’s pretense.”       “Sorry, honey, but I can’t deny what’s clear. And I think your grandfather would agree with me.”       “Ah, Terrence, the thing you can’t be deprived of is your self-confidence,” Frederick laughs shyly. “I’ve never met such confident people.”       “When everything is perfect about a person, it’s hard not to notice and confess it. And I think I’m just perfect.”       “Please, Grandpa, don’t praise him,” Raquelle says. “Otherwise, he’s gonna show up and pretend that everybody goes crazy for him.”       “She actually thinks of what I do,” Terrence replies confidently. “She considers me unique and perfect from head to foot. Because it can’t be otherwise.”       “Yeah, you’re living funnily,” Frederick shakes his head, drinking some coffee and putting his cup on the coffee table. “Very funny…”       “The important thing is to bring my fiancé to the earth in time and not to let him turn up his nose too much,” Raquelle replies funnily.       Frederick says nothing and just massages his wrist with a kind chuckle.       “Yeah, I would like to ask…” Frederick pronounces thoughtfully. “I understand it might be probably unpleasant for you to talk about it, but still… What’s happening to Edward? I know only that he broke up with Natalia. Because of something horrible that I will not talk about…”       “Yeah, we don’t better talk about it,” Raquelle swallows up nervously. “I’m starting to shake when I think about what Natalia experienced.”       “Hasn’t she still told Edward what happened to her? Or isn’t she gonna start this talk?”       “Nope, she had told him about it some time before Uncle’s friends took her to his house,” Terrence replies quietly.       “So, did they meet before the kidnapping?”       “They did.”       “But how could it happen that the girl was taken away right before Edward’s eyes?” Frederick throws his hands up. “Did that guy let them take her away?”       “No, no, not at all…” Raquelle jabs and bites her lip slightly. “Those people… Erm… Knocked him out for a while…”       “Knocked out? But how?”       “Hit him strongly on the head,” Terrence explains quietly. “I mean, one man pushed him, and he hit his head against the wall. So, he lost consciousness… And those people used it and took Natalia to Uncle’s house quietly. Though, they had to put her to sleep, as far as we know…”       “Jesus Christ!” Frederick gets horrified. “What if he had gotten traumas of the head? Edward could’ve easily gotten brain damage!”       “Yeah, but luckily, he got off it easily. At least, Edward never complained about some discomfort. Of course, we suggested he go to the hospital, but he refused, saying that he felt well.”       “You want to say he was so lucky?”       “Maybe. But who knows… Maybe, he just said nothing… Understood he couldn’t be in the hospital or at home, while danger was threatening Natalia.”       “And as I understand, did you decide to be together?”       “Yeah, Edward went to our home and asked us for help.”       “And did you agree to do it after what happened between you?” Frederick wonders.       “We thought it would be better. We should’ve been together to deal with Michael and save Natalia. So, we had to forget about all the offenses for a while and do something together.”       “Nevertheless, everything stayed the same?”       “I don’t think…”       “Now, we calmed down a little and think we understood Edward wrongly,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully. “We mistook his wish to fight for what belonged to him for an attempt to rob and kill all of us. But he never openly said he was gonna kill us and take what didn’t belong to him. He just wanted to get what his uncle put an eye on.”       “But we still remember everything he said. And we aren’t gonna pretend that everything is okay.”       “I know…” Frederick nods. “He really crossed the line.”       “At least he showed us he regretted it. When we were a team, Edward gave us no reason to doubt his actions and wishes. He behaved so well that we started to believe in his good wishes.”       “That’s how…” Frederick falls into silence for two seconds, frowning slightly. “And do you think Edward was true?”       “I thought he was true,” Raquelle shrugs. “Now I’m sure that Edward told us all of his secrets. About his family ties with Terrence and about his arrest.”       “And I felt no falseness,” Terrence agrees. “At that moment, Edward was real. Even if he had openly lied, looking into the eyes of someone.”       “So, it happened that you changed your mind about him?” Frederick asks.       “Honestly, I don’t know how to answer your question,” Terrence replies hesitantly and falls into two seconds. “I don’t know how to describe my attitude toward him… I’m mad at him for everything he did, but I started to feel some pity for him. And the thought that he is my brother seems something like unreal to me.”       “Raquelle said you literally wanted to hear nothing about him.”       “Yes, I was ready to kill anyone to mention the name of my brother.” Terrence nervously starts pulling the sleeve of his coat, while Raquelle takes her cup from the table. “I didn’t wish to be with him in the same room and swore to kill him if I saw him one meter away from me. But for the time we were a team, anger began to go slowly. I was kind of sorry for that man…”       “Because of his behavior?”       “Partly. But I didn’t notice how I started to get softer and be able to stay with him, feel sorry for him, and wish to help. Moreover, I recently found out that we’re relatives. Not a stranger. And… I can’t give a damn about him and pretend that Mother has only one child. That I’ve never had a younger brother… Anyway, I’m attracted to that man.”       “Do you actually want to reconcile with him?”       “I’d like to apologize to him for attacking him with fists and beating him. Now I understand I shouldn’t have attacked him. It would’ve been better to solve everything verbally and just kick him out without fights.”       “That’s good you understand it. Fighting is not a way to solve a problem. No matter how many slaps you give, and how much you wave your fists, your problem will still be unsolved.”       “I know. And if Edward became disabled and had to get a long-time therapy because of me, I would hardly forgive myself. I would be ashamed of looking into his eyes and Mother’s eyes… Because… Despite nothing, she’s worried that our relationship got worse because of Uncle Michael. I mean, his actions that made my brother enraged.”       “Would you forgive him if he came to you and apologized?”       “I would really love to, but I am not sure if I could,” Terrence replies hesitantly.       “Why? If his apologies are true, he can get a chance to get better.”       “Yeah, you’re right. But…” Terrence shakes his head. “I don’t know… I don’t know if I can keep speaking to Edward as if nothing happened. I can’t say I would forgive him for everything and say he’s my close person.”       “So, does Edward have no chance to get your forgiveness?”       “Apologizing for someone is always hard. But forgiving the one is much harder. It’s hard to forget how meanly someone acted toward you. Yes, I will be very glad if Edward apologizes and gives me a reason to think about our future relationship. But I say again, it may change nothing.”       “At first, you better just talk to him first and tell him all your claims. Explain what you’re worried about, why you’re mad, and something like that… I think he will also have something to say.”       “Actually, he’s told me he’s regretting what happened many times. He said it truly. And I felt it. I can easily see when someone lies and tells me the truth. But it was super easy in the case of my brother because he didn’t even try to hide his emotions.”       “And what’s he regretting?”       “Well… For example, fighting with me and Raquelle and saying too much… Leaving Natalia and not wishing to find out everything… Insulting, humiliating her, trying to turn everybody against her…”       “And I think if he hadn’t been obsessed with anger, he would’ve hardly done that,” Raquelle adds thoughtfully, holding a cup in her hands. “He explains his behavior by his obsession with emotions after the fight with Natalia that happened before the eyes of Terrence and me. He says my friend’s pretense and the thought that she cheated got him furious.”       “I think it may be the truth. Edward always got very tense when the talk was about Natalia. And on the day when she went to our home, he lost his patience and told us everything he had in his mind.”       “You know…” Frederick frowns slightly, stroking his chin. “I thought a little and also started to think that guy wasn’t so bad. He was just mad after the fight with his uncle and the conflict with his ex-girlfriend.”       “Now we could agree with it,” Raquelle nods.       “I have nothing against that guy, and I said it before. And who am I to judge him? Though, I’m upset that he told you such terrible things.”       “We could understand him somehow,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “The guy just lacked attention. That’s why he started to go crazy and meddle in bad situations, so someone noticed his existence. And when he met the girl, who agreed to surround him with love and care, she was framed and made to look like a betrayer to him. And I don’t judge him for being mad at her. He loves her. So, it’s fine.”       “Well, as he was worried about Natalia when the people of Michael took her to his house, I prefer believing he wasn’t indifferent,” Frederick replies thoughtfully.       “C’mon, Grandpa!” Raquelle exclaims. “Edward was literally pulling his hair out for the four days that we were expecting the news from Michael. And after he got arrested, that guy looked terribly exhausted and broken. And I felt truly sorry for him… Yes, he said nothing aloud and pretended that everything was okay ‘till the end, but everything was written on his face.”       “So exhausted that he was literally sleeping on a walk,” Terrence adds. “He was literally sleeping on the way to Uncle Michael’s house. And he fell asleep when we went to the home of Raquelle and me to have some rest. And… Although he’d always been thoughtful and withdrawn, my brother became much more withdrawn. We had to say the same many times to reach him and wake him up from the trance.”       “I get it,” Frederick nods. “This situation put him under strong stress. Yes, Edward will not say it openly, but judging by what you say, he really has depression. But that’s very bad. Moreover, that man is withdrawn. Getting into this type of person’s mind is much harder.”       “And I really care about his mental health,” Terrence confesses with sadness in his eyes. “I’m starting to fear too quiet people, ‘cause you may expect anything from them. It seems that everything is fine and quiet, but then something you don’t expect happens. Now Edward is silent and keeps everything inside. But tomorrow, he may be too desperate and wish to hang himself or jump from a bridge.”       “And if he’s found guilty of the murder that he didn’t commit, it might end badly for him.”       “We’ll do our best to get Edward out of prison. We will call everyone, go everywhere, and fight for his freedom until the end. He will not stay there – not for anything!”       “No, he will not,” Raquelle confirms confidently. “He’s got a little chance to be pronounced non-guilty. But if it’s missed, we will keep fighting.”       “Oh, my dears…” Frederick sighs heavily, takes his cup, drinks some coffee, and puts it on the table. “It’s all so hard… And I don’t even know who suffered more. Every one of you experiences some drama and solves some problems.”       “But thank God, some of the problems have been solved. At least because of it, we believe we see a little shoot of light at the end of the tunnel.”       “Yeah, I would like to ask you a little question…” Frederick frowns slightly, looking at Terrence and Raquelle sitting in front of him. “Tell me, please, do you tell each other everything you worry about? Or are you hiding something?”       Terrence looks at Raquelle surprisingly before she pronounces hesitantly:       “Erm…” Raquelle bites her lip slightly. “What kind of question, Grandpa?”       “I just wonder to know if everything is as fine about you, as it seems,” Frederick replies quietly.       “Excuse me, Mr. Cameron, but do you doubt that everything is fine about me and your granddaughter?” Terrence asks a little hesitantly.       “No, I don’t doubt it,” Frederick replies quietly. “Even if you reconciled, you’re just supposed to have some problems in your relationship. That could really get clear in a stressful situation.”       “We hide nothing from each other. I know about all the problems and experiences that Raquelle has.”       “And I know about all the problems of Terrence and try to help him,” Raquelle adds quietly. “We discuss everything we’re worried about and try to find a decision that we would like.”       “But don’t deny that there was something that made you take it out on each other,” Frederick says, looking at Terrence and Raquelle closely. “What could make you fight.”       “Of course, we have misunderstandings, as any couple does. But we always try to solve them quietly.”       “Though, I will not hide that there was something I told nobody. But I told Raquelle about it somehow, and she supported me.”       “Something serious?” Frederick frowns slightly.       “Erm… No, not really. Some personal experiences. What didn’t let me live quietly.”       “Haven’t you told your mother about it?”       “No, honestly. And I don’t actually tell my mother much because I don’t want to make her worried. I don’t want her to worry about me.”       “That’s bad, Terrence. Your mother should know what’s happening to you. Yes, you’re an adult and can make decisions and be responsible for the consequences. But it doesn’t mean your mother does not care about your problems and has stopped worrying about you.”       “I know, Mr. Cameron. But I don’t mean that I’m hiding everything from her. Sometimes I just don’t want to give details. But she knows about the relationship between Edward and me and the situation with Uncle Michael. And she even told me something about this story.”       “Something important?”       “Partly, yes. For example, she softly hinted that my father was alive. I think you already know that everybody thought he was dead, but we later found out that it was a lie.”       “Yes, I already understood that he was alive,” Frederick nods thoughtfully. “Michael wanted to kill him, but did not do it.”       “It’s the truth. My father was very lucky. And he got a benefit from his situation. Hiding from everyone and pretending to be dead, Father was aware of everything thanks to his old friend from the police and the girl that was sent to Uncle’s house as a servant.”       “Your father didn’t get confused.”       “Yes, Father is very brave and smart. And full of energy. He was fighting with Uncle like a young boy. I wouldn’t say he is more than fifty.”       “It happens.”       “That man behaved more than just worthily and showed the best side of him. And I’m sorry that I thought he was bad and was running away from him for almost ten years.”       “What?” Frederick frowns slightly.       “It’s true. All those years, I was unfair to my own father because he was absolutely innocent.”       “Wait, Terrence, I don’t get it…” Frederick says thoughtfully, shaking his head. “You said your father treated your mother badly: insulting, humiliating, and even beating her.”       “It was a lie,” Raquelle says quietly. “The insolent lie.”       “Yes, I was deceived,” Terrence confirms. “My uncle did it.”       “Your uncle?” Frederick rounds his eyes.       “He turned me against my father by telling me what I believed for a bigger part of my life.”       “So, did that stinker have to do with it?”       “He stuck his nose in literally everything. For the wish to ruin the life of my father. He has been harming him since they were children. Uncle cursed Grandfather and Grandmother all his life for letting my father be born and hated him for just coming to this world.”       “Oh, what things…” Frederick shakes his head. “What did your father do to his brother that he hated him so badly?”       “Jealousy, Mr. Cameron. Jealousy for my father’s successes and the fact that he was loved much more. While Father was getting the attention of people and reaching a lot thanks to the love and support of his close people, everybody gave a damn about Uncle. And he was terribly mad because of that. He thought it was unfair, but he forgot that Father was doing just something to deserve praise. That nobody would praise him to the skies for nothing and serve him like a king or a lord.”       “Excuse me, how did he turn you against your father?”       “When I was six or seven, Uncle Michael got the address of the place where Mother and I lived before, went to us, and told me the lie. The lie about my father regularly beating my mother, even when she was pregnant with me. Mother tried to kick him out, but he was too headstrong and didn’t listen to her.”       “Gosh, how awful…” Frederick shakes his head with horror in his eyes. “What a cad! And how he dared to say that!”       “He knew washing the brain of a child was much easier than the brain of an adult and used it well,” Raquelle adds with sadness in her eyes. “So, now we finally know why Terrence’s mother forgave that man so easily.”       “Me too… So, did she know what happened but want to say nothing?”       “She wanted Father to confess everything personally,” Terrence replies. “Though, he didn’t know that Uncle had to do with that situation. He guessed, but didn’t think it was true.”       “Anyway, you’ve got no reason to be mad at your father and ignore him.”       “Yes, I’m glad the truth has been finally revealed,” Terrence smiles shyly.       “So what, Terrence? What are you going to do? Try to establish a relationship with your father? Or keep ignoring him?”       “No, I will no longer ignore him. But it doesn’t mean I’m ready to reconcile with him and start to speak to him right now. I treat Father as strangely as I treat Edward. I’d like to establish my relationship with Father and befriend him. But the problem is that my offense hasn’t gone yet. Even if I have no reason to be mad, I can’t forget everything at once.”       “I get it, dear, I get it. The only thing I can advise you on now is to talk to them face-to-face and apologize for your bad actions. Excuse me, of course, but even if they’re kind of guilty, you are not holy, as well. I guess it’s been a while since you met the last time. So, I see no point in asking you to wait longer. You can wait for as long as you want. But sometimes it wouldn’t solve a problem. It would put an attempt to solve it for later.”       “I told Terrence and Natalia the same,” Raquelle says.       “Well, what do you think about it? Would you forgive that guy if he apologized to you?”       “Of course, I’m also mad at Edward because he said too many bad things that insulted and disappointed me. But if he apologized to me, I could forgive him.”       “You’re just not such a vindictive person and can forgive someone quickly. And I think it’s very good. You shouldn’t poison your soul with offenses.”       “But sometimes I may get mad very much. Especially, if my close person betrays me.”       “I get it. When your close people betray you, it’s always terrible. Nevertheless, you’re surrounded by very good people that wouldn’t betray and leave you.”       “And I’m grateful for that,” Raquelle smiles shyly.       “Why shouldn’t we be by the side of the one, who would do anything for her close people?” Terrence wonders with a slight smile.       “Do you mean the fact that my granddaughter went to the police and helped them get Michael arrested?” Frederick asks.       “Yes, Mr. Cameron. If Raquelle hadn’t brought the police and Father to the house of Uncle, I would hardly be sitting in front of you and telling you how I treat him and my brother.”       “I just did what I should’ve done to save my family,” Raquelle replies shyly, folding her hands in front of her. “If I hadn’t at least tried, I wouldn’t have forgiven myself.”       “And I think I have another reason to be proud of you,” Frederick replies with his head proudly raised. “Of course, you’ve always been my pride. But I began to be much more proud of you after you saved your close people.”       “You make me blush…” Raquelle glances down shyly.       “But it’s the truth, granddaughter. I’m madly happy you’re so kind, smart, loyal, and brave.”       “It’s your merit,” Terrence replies with pride, embracing Raquelle around the shoulders. “You made her like this, and you have a reason to be proud of yourself.”       “Aw, thanks for the kind words, Terrence,” Frederick smiles shyly. “Despite being too self-confident at times, God didn’t deprive you of kindness and politeness.”       “I try to stay handsome outside and inside.”       Frederick laughs shyly, while Raquelle puts her head on Terrence’s shoulder with a quiet chuckle, and her fiancée drinks some coffee from the cup placed in front of him.       “Oh, alright…” Frederick pronounces thoughtfully, getting some dust out of his eye carefully. “So, what about the relationship between Natalia and Edward?”       “It got a little better after Edward found out the truth about what happened to Natalia,” Raquelle replies thoughtfully. “At least, they stopped fighting like a cat and a dog and can quietly be in the same room.”       “You know, my dears, I’ve always liked this couple. Even if I thought their relationship would end soon, Edward fit Natalia so well. They looked beautiful when standing together.”       “All of us liked their couple,” Terrence notices with sadness in his eyes. “And I was glad my brother dated my good friend. Though, I must confess that I also thought their relationship wouldn’t last long. However, they were together for three months, and I started to believe I could be wrong. Of course, I didn’t think about a wedding, but I thought that couple had the future.”       “No, I never hoped for a wedding. A beautiful couple without a future.”       “Honestly, I also doubted they would date for too long,” Raquelle confesses. “But I always admired their couple and thought they were very cute.”       “Agree, they looked very cute together and always made me smile,” Terrence replies with a slight smile. “If someone in a bad mood had come to them, that couple would’ve instantly made them get better.”       “I also wanted to smile when looking at them,” Frederick agrees. “They looked happy and made others feel the same.”       “Yeah…” Raquelle sighs heavily. “I’m sorry that such a beautiful couple broke up because of one person.”       “If my brother had been smarter and hadn’t pretended that everything was fine, he would’ve avoided it,” Terrence says a little gloomily.       “I think their relationship didn’t get, so to say, clear at that time,” Frederick assumes. “They had the honeymoon phase. They felt good together, but everything ended with it. Unlike you. You two brought your relationship to a new level and made them deeper and stronger.”       “Do you think Edward and Natalia’s relationship wouldn’t have become the same if they hadn’t broken up?” Raquelle asks surprisingly.       “I think so.”       “Do you want to say what happened between them wouldn’t be nice for them?” Terrence rounds his eyes.       “Maybe, they learned something. But I can’t imagine their together life if we assume they’d decide to marry.”       “Honestly, I’d like them to talk to each other,” Raquelle confesses thoughtfully. “I don’t think everything is lost. These two could try to start everything again if they wanted it.”       “Well…” Terrence pronounces thoughtfully. “Since Edward and Natalia acted as if nothing happened between them when we were at Uncle’s house… My brother was truly worried about that girl and was ready to cut the throat of Uncle and the stinker, who almost raped her… And my friend screamed in horror when Uncle was doing something to that guy… I believe we could hope for something.”       “At least, I can say one thing: he is gonna change his attitude toward her,” Frederick replies confidently. “He will have no reason to fight with her and blame her for all the sins.”       “At least Natalia still loves Edward and confessed it,” Raquelle shrugs. “But in her opinion, her relationship with him has been over.”       “And Edward said he loved her,” Terrence adds. “I talked to him during the trip to the house of Uncle and got the open confession.”       “They love, but think it’s all over?” Frederick frowns slightly.       “Sort of.”       “At least they deny nothing.” Frederick looks at Raquelle and Terrence. “Unlike you two. You acted like two stubborn people and denied that you loved each other until the end. Though, you understood that you couldn’t live without each other.”       “Fortunately, it’s all over,” Raquelle smiles shyly.       “I know. Just stating the fact.”       “I believe they just got sick of pretending and couldn’t keep lying anymore,” Terrence assumes. “So, they didn’t hide the truth about their feelings.”       “Yeah…” Frederick thinks for two seconds, drinking some coffee from the cup that he puts on the table. “You know, my dears, I recalled one of you saying they wanted to take an example from you.”       “Yeah, it happened,” Terrence nods.       “And I believe they overdid it a little.”       “But nobody knew it would happen,” Raquelle throws her hands up. “Although Edward often complained that Natalia was too withdrawn and didn’t let him get close to her, everything was fine.”       “Now he knows the reason.”       “I’m sorry he found it out late. If we’d known everything much earlier, we would’ve helped them.”       “And instead of explaining everything well and asking for help, they decided to start a show, the meaning of which I still can’t understand,” Terrence adds.       “What if one of them knew you’d love to help them and decided to start the show?” Frederick assumes.       Terrence and Raquelle round their eyes sharply, look at each other questioningly, and move their surprised gazes to Frederick, who just shrugs.       “Excuse me, but it’s the only explanation I can find,” Frederick says quietly. “I believe they should’ve told everything, though.”       “Gosh, Grandpa, how did you get this thought?” Raquelle wonders. “Why did you think that Natalia or Edward were sure Terrence and I would love to help them?”       “Who should they have asked for help? Asking for parents was uncomfortable… If Edward had told Natalia’s parents what he considered a betrayal and shown them those photos, you know what kind of shame the girl would’ve felt. And he… And if Natalia had told Edward’s mother about how her son insulted and humiliated her! She would’ve been overwhelmed!”       “Excuse me, Mr. Cameron, but I think it’s kind of stupid,” Terrence replies confidently. “Although pretending was Edward’s idea, my brother was mad because of his jealousy of Natalia. So, he couldn’t think of anything else but the fact that his ex-girlfriend was a betrayer, who had, excuse me, lots of men.”       “What if he wanted to find out everything at some moment?” Frederick assumes. “What if Edward calmed down later, thought, and assumed he could be wrong? Yes, you can say anything in anger and regret it. But emotions aren’t endless and change very often. Edward is not a robot, as well. He’s got feelings and emotions that always change.”       “Do you want to say he started that show to get the attention of Raquelle and me on them?”       “Maybe…”       “But why didn’t he come to Natalia and ask her about everything before?” Raquelle wonders. “Even if he assumed something like that, the first thing he should’ve done was talk to my friend.”       “Pride and pain, Raquelle!” Frederick exclaims, while Terrence takes his cup and takes a couple of sips of coffee. “These feelings always cloud your mind and don’t let you think soberly. Agree, it’s bad to be jealous of your beloved person. Edward felt pain, too. He was so excited that he thought of nothing else but his reluctance to see Natalia. Maybe, he really thought so somewhere one month ago and even tried to forget her. I don’t exclude that he even tried to replace her with another girl. When Edward saw Natalia, it was hard for him to control his emotions. He thought of his pain and got obsessed with negative emotions that caused a wish to humiliate her as much as possible.”       “So, if someone had told Edward what happened to Natalia when he was quiet, that guy would’ve reacted adequately?” Terrence asks thoughtfully.       “Sort of.”       “But he did know we wouldn’t refuse to help. If Edward had come to us with this plea, we would’ve helped him, talked to Natalia, found out what happened to her, told him everything, and tried to reconcile them.”       “Edward would’ve done it, but I think he was afraid to lose control of himself. You two saw how tense that guy was. He definitely held himself down as hard as possible and prayed that he didn’t break down.”       “What things…”       “So, my dears, I advise you to think better. And you can even ask Edward about it openly if you meet him someday. I’m sure he got much quieter and could tell you why he did it. And something tells me that guy would explain his behavior in this way.”       “Anyway, he acted like a coward, even if we assume it’s the truth,” Raquelle replies. “I understand that Edward didn’t probably get used to us after pronouncing himself a member of the MacClife family. But nobody was gonna kill him for a plea to figure this situation out. In this case, he and my friend needed help. They wouldn’t have solved their problem by themselves.”       “Maybe, he didn’t really get used to everybody. But Edward knew you were a good friend of Natalia and saw Terrence treating her well. He could assume that she would tell you everything.”       “And saying that the idea belonged to Natalia doesn’t make sense.”       “No, Natalia wouldn’t have thought about it. Moreover, she had strong hysteria. But Edward could easily do it. I’ve already said why he couldn’t come to her parents. So, he only had to ask the friends of his ex-girlfriend for help. But he didn’t do it openly. He dropped a hint. And I’m sure that he could even do his best for him and Natalia to look tense on purpose.”       “He kind of knew Natalia wouldn’t ‘betray’ him in this case?”       “Sort of.”       “You know, I somehow asked Edward about it,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “And he said it was just the way to protect Natalia from Uncle.”       “That’s how…” Frederick frowns and starts stroking his chin, thinking about it for two seconds. “It’s kind of possible, but I believe it’s just an excuse for you to close this subject… It doesn’t sound true… Or it’s not an excuse, but one of the reasons. But the important one is the one that I told you about.”       “He didn’t deny that there were many reasons.”       “So, he lied to you or didn’t say something. He told only one reason, but decided to be silent about the others.”       “Trust me, Mr. Cameron, I didn’t also believe in that excuse. But I didn’t ask him to tell me more. Because first, we only thought about how to make Uncle leave us alone, and how to save Natalia. And second, we followed the term, thanks to which I agreed to help him. We only talked about the business.”       “I have said what I think of it. Maybe, I may be wrong in something, but I am almost always right.”       “I prefer believing you,” Raquelle replies confidently, takes a little sip of coffee, and puts her cup on the table. “Do you remember when you said Natalia and Edward were hiding something? And it happened!”       “Hey, I didn’t say I don’t believe Mr. Cameron’s words,” Terrence protests. “Vice versa, I also believe him because he does not almost get wrong.”       “And if it’s so, make conclusions, my sweeties,” Frederick shrugs.       Terrence and Raquelle say nothing and just nod, looking at what surrounds them. That’s why silence settles in the air for two or three seconds, but then Frederick breaks it, taking his cup of coffee.       “Hey, Raquelle, I forgot to say that your aunt Alicia recently called me,” Frederick says.       “Aunt called?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.       “Yes. We call each other very often and share the news.”       “Does she know about Michael?”       “Sure. Alicia saw the reportage as well as her friend. She said she called me shortly after she had watched it.”       “Oh…” Raquelle sighs quietly and runs her hand over her hair with sadness in her eyes. “Gosh, I forgot about Aunt Alicia… We talked a long time ago. When all the bad things were getting started…”       “I talked to her somewhere two weeks ago and told her about Uncle and Edward,” Terrence says. “Raquelle went to the meeting with her manager on that day. So, I talked to her.”       “Yeah, she said,” Frederick nods. “Alicia and I often talk on the phone, but we agreed to do it more frequently due to your problems.”       “Don’t you know how she’s doing?” Raquelle asks. “She told you nothing?”       “She says everything is fine. I think you already know that your aunt is going to become an adopted mother and a godmother.”       “What?” Raquelle slightly opens her eyes. “Godmother?”       “Yes. Didn’t you know it?”       “Nope, Aunt said nothing about it… But who’s gonna be her godchild?”       “One girl. Her close friend that she often speaks with has a daughter, who she and her husband want to baptize.”       “That’s awesome!” Raquelle smiles widely. “I’m happy for her!”       “That’s the woman, who is a friend of Alicia. She kind of can read someone’s fate on the palm.”       “Yeah, I remember her. Amelia. Her name is Amelia. And her daughter is Hailey…”       “Yes, that’s the woman.”       “She predicted my meeting with a man that I would get married to. Of course, I didn’t believe her and thought it was delirium. But since Amelia described the man that was similar to Terrence, and our relationship got over what she talked about, I had to change my mind.”       “Oh, yeah!” Frederick exclaims. “But you were running from him and pretending that you disliked him! You got mad when I suggested you befriend Terrence.”       “Come on!” Terrence waves a hand. “She was just a silly girl, who didn’t understand she could’ve lost the treasure. But later, she understood that she wouldn't find anyone better than me.”       Raquelle says nothing and smiles shyly, while Frederick shakes his head, and Terrence softly caresses the girl on the head.       “Hey, Terrence, I wanted to ask you…” Frederick pronounces thoughtfully. “Why did you come here in Raquelle’s car? I looked through the window and saw her car in the parking lot… What’s wrong? When you go somewhere together, you usually drive.”       “It’s temporary,” Terrence replies quietly. “I recently experienced an accident and crushed my car. I had to leave it for repair and live without it.”       “An accident?” Frederick wonders.       “Yes… I had to run away from Uncle’s people when they noticed Raquelle and me.”       “Yeah, it seems like Raquelle said something about it…” Frederick says thoughtfully. “And did the car suffer much?”       “No, the car didn’t suffer much. But it required a repair anyway… Those people crushed the back of the car that got a big dent.”       “Yeah, the back suffered much more,” Raquelle adds quietly. “There were little scars on the doors, but they aren’t too visible… The most serious damage is the dent on the back.”       “But I think they will fix everything soon. I’ve already paid for the full repair and am now waiting for a call.”       “And while his car is in repair, I’m working as the personal driver of my beloved man,” Raquelle says and laughs shyly. “But sometimes I may let him drive a little.”       “The most important thing is that none of you suffered,” Frederick replies quietly. “I’m sorry about the car, though.”       “We can fix a car or buy a new one,” Terrence notices. “But now I don’t want to buy a new car and love my current one. Even if I’ve had it for very many years.”       “But you know, nobody would love to run into these big expenditures for a repair. When I was driving at a younger age, I had to spend a lot of money on repairs, petrol, and something else. My late wife Rosella always said using a bike was much easier than spending thousands of dollars servicing a car.”       “You’re right,” Raquelle pronounces thoughtfully.       “Yeah, but when are you allowed to take your car away? As far as I understand, the accident happened a long time ago.”       “I was told I could take it away this week,” Terrence shrugs. “But they haven’t said when.”       “I see…”       Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which the three drink some coffee from their cups at a different time.       “So, what about your job?” Frederick asks.       “I’m gonna have multiple shoots, after which I will take a break for the time of the court hearing,” Raquelle replies quietly. “Although I haven’t talked to my manager, I think she will understand me and set the calendar, knowing about this little break.”       “That’s right!” Frederick nods confidently. “First, deal with that stinker and experience the court hearing, but then you may work on your career. And get ready for the wedding, finally.”       “Ah, if everything was so easy…” Terrence pronounces and tiredly leans back in the sofa. “While everything is fine about Raquelle’s career, I’ve got lots of problems.”       “Is your friend still in a hospital?” Frederick asks with sadness in his eyes.       “Yes, sadly. He got worse due to the mistake of the doctor… The situation is so hard that nobody can say whether he can survive.”       “Gosh… Is there not hope?”       “I’m trying not to give up, but rating the situation soberly, I can say there are small chances. And the doctor told us not to expect anything good…”       “But if they had transfused the blood to him well, he would’ve survived,” Raquelle adds. “There was a chance that the guy would wake up, but that mistake became fatal for him.”       “Oh, what’s happening to our world!” Frederick resents. “Of course, I understand doctors are alive humans, who get tired and may not be careful. But it hurts that many people fall into a coma, get some traumas, or actually die because of doctors like those, who transfused blood to that guy.”       “I heard that the doctor was banned from getting closer to Peter,” Terrence replies thoughtfully.       “He must’ve been fired! What kind of doctor is he if he cannot follow safety and transfuse blood?”       “Not everybody can be a perfect doctor,” Raquelle shrugs. “Nobody’s perfect, and may make mistakes.”       “I don’t deny, but I think those, who are responsible for the lives of people, must do their work closely. If you can’t save someone’s life and don’t know easy things, you have nothing to do at work in a hospital.”       “I agree with you, Mr. Cameron!” Terrence agrees. “If someone chooses to save people, they must treat this business with responsibility. Otherwise, they should choose a different profession.”       “Right!” Frederick exclaims, pointing at Terrence with a finger. “That’s what I want to say!”       “I absolutely agree with you and ain’t gonna argue,” Raquelle says quietly. “I just wanna say not everybody may notice everything and never be wrong. Yes, being responsible for people’s lives is a great responsibility that you must be ready for. But they aren’t robots. Even the best meets failure. Anyone may have bad days when they cannot do anything. But it doesn’t mean you can call them bad or worthless. One day, a little failure may lead to a big success that you could hardly dream about.”       “Nevertheless, you should understand how responsible this thing is,” Terrence notices.       “Oh, alright, my sweeties, let’s not argue,” Frederick replies tiredly. “We can argue and prove that we’re right as much as we want, but it doesn’t always end well.”       “Yeah, let’s not bring everything to a fight.”       “I mean the same,” Frederick clears his throat. “Well, as for that guy, you shouldn’t lose hope. I’m sure he’s got a chance to get well. If the doctors don’t say about his imminent death without hope, you should just wait.”       “No, nobody says that the guy is about to die, and we can do nothing.”       “Don’t get sad then. Sometimes, when a person forgets about their problem, what they expect much less happens. If you don’t wait for Peter to wake up, he will wake up! If you don’t think Michael will be sentenced, he will be pronounced guilty.”       “Oh…” Terrence inclines his head and runs his hand over his hair. “Honestly, due to the problem with Uncle, I forgot that my band was about to break up, and my friend was between death and life… But before the start of Uncle’s story, I thought only about it and doubted if I should’ve fought ‘till the end.”       “You must always fight, even when you’re about to lose your strength and have no wish to do something,” Frederick replies confidently. “You must believe everything is gonna get better, and your life will be the same. Or maybe, even a little better.”       “I’m trying to believe it.” Terrence smiles slightly and glances at Raquelle. “Raquelle makes me believe in the best. If not for her support, I’d hardly have the wish to fight for something.”       “Hey, don’t say it!” Raquelle exclaims, setting her surprised gaze on Terrence, and pushes him slightly on his biceps. “You had reached much before you met me. By yourself, without someone’s help. And now, you can reach anything if you want it.”       “I know. You just give me much more strength, a wish, and inspiration. And you know, a strong motivation is always necessary.”       “I always give it to you. Though, you’re doing well without the one.”       “Thanks, Raquelle.” Terrence puts an arm around the smiling Raquelle with a slight smile, hugs the girl, and caresses her shoulder.       “It’s nice to see you like this,” Frederick says with a shy smile, watching Terrence embrace Raquelle tenderly. “And know everything is fine between you.”       “And feeling it is much nicer,” Raquelle smiles widely, wrapping Terrence’s arm and putting her head on his shoulder. “Madly nice…”       “Aw, sweetie…”       Frederick gets up a little and caresses softly Raquelle’s hand lying on her knee. The girl smiles blissfully and presses herself as close to Terrence as possible, while he runs his fingers through her hair and strokes it, letting her relax and feel much better.       

***

      It’s about half past eight in the evening. Edward and Natalia are at the apartment of the girl, in her room, and enjoying the time they spend together. While she is lying on the bed, the man is sitting in front of her in the office chair placed near the writing table.       “So, did Daniel meet Anna’s father?” Edward asks, knocking at the writing table with a thin gold pen as if he is beating a rhythm.       “Yes, literally one week ago,” Natalia replies, bending a leg at her knee. “The two got confused ‘cause they didn’t think they’d meet Mr. Seymour.”       “Yeah… They planned to spend a wonderful time together…”       “Anna said Daniel got scared to death when he saw her father in front of her.”       “He really did?” Edward chuckles quietly.       “I guess Perkins will remember that unexpected meeting.”       “I’m surprised that he didn’t run away from there after hearing that was Anna’s father.”       “He would’ve hardly done it ‘cause that man noticed them. When Anna accidentally saw her parents for the first time, she and Daniel didn’t run into them. But the last time, they didn’t run anywhere.”       “Wow, did they meet her parents?” Edward frowns slightly.       “Ah, yeah, you don’t know…” Natalia clears her throat. “It happened a long time ago. Anna and Daniel were also walking somewhere. But at some moment, she recognized her parents, who were standing not far. They didn’t notice her and were busy with something, but they went by literally in front of these lovebirds, who ran away just in time. Thanks to Dan, who suggested they run away when he got a good chance.”       “Wow… I didn’t know it…”       “So, now you know about the adventures of the lovers that ran into what they were afraid of so badly.” Natalia chuckles quietly. “My friend was afraid she’d be taken away by force and married off to someone she didn’t love. And her boyfriend thought Mr. Seymour would love to grab a bat and hit him on the head.”       “Oh, gosh…” Edward laughs and puts aside the pen, which he had been knocking against the table for a long time. “Here’s the hero…”       “Terrence MacClife 2.0. He’s confident, loves himself, and doesn’t believe when he hears about some shortcomings.”       “I didn’t think Perkins would be such a coward… Daniel has always called himself brave and seemed the one, who could be scared by nothing!”       “I think it’s quite explainable. Her family minded Anna’s marriage to someone not from their circle. And… Perkins would have to meet his future father-in-law.”       “Future father-in-law?” Edward rounds his eyes. “Are Daniel and Anna gonna get married?”       “Nope, Daniel is on the stage of thinking, but he’s determined enough. He talks much about marriage with Anna, to whom he hinted at his wish to spend his whole life with her, and shared his plans with MacClife. And our little star is asking to make him the best man, or at least a groomsman.”       “I know why! To show himself!”       “He says he’s gonna be the most attractive and irresistible groomsman and speaks the speech that Dan is gonna be happy with.”       “Yeah, I’m imagining what it’s gonna be about,” Edward chuckles, leaning back in the chair. “Terrence would be talking about himself for half of the speech. Give a little part for laughing at Daniel and another one for congratulating him on a marriage.”       “I don’t doubt it. Whatever we talk about, Terrence never misses a chance to praise the beloved him and gives everybody a reason to laugh at him.”       “But I ain’t sure it would happen at the nearest time. And honestly, I can’t imagine Daniel as a groom wearing an expensive wedding suit with a boutonniere on his chest and being surrounded by lots of groomsmen.”       “But I can imagine Anna as a happy bride,” Natalia smiles slightly. “I imagine how beautiful she’s gonna be in a wedding dress with a gorgeous hairstyle and a magnificent bouquet in her hands. How everybody will admire her, and how single men will drool over her.”       “And seeing the bride, the groom loses his yawl. So, groomsmen have to wake him up and remind him that he is at a wedding ceremony.”       “That’s right. And maybe, the parents of the bride are crying in case they approved of their relationship.”       “Yeah, about parents…” Edward scratches the back of his head. “How did the future father-in-law treat his future son-in-law?”       “At first, the future father-in-law took the potential son-in-law with suspicion,” Natalia replies thoughtfully. “But later, he got softer… They talked at Daniel’s house after Anna’s father insisted on the talk. And Mr. Seymour eventually approved of the relationship of this couple and their wedding. If it happens, of course.”       “And her mother?”       “I think she will stop minding. After the death of Anna’s grandmothers and grandfathers, her parents became more independent and started to realize that they had wasted many years listening to them. And the first thing they started with was a divorce.”       “Anna’s parents are divorcing?”       “Yes. The documents are filled out, and they’re now just waiting. But the Seymours continued to work together and kept their relationship warm.”       “A divorce is always sad, but I think it would be better in their case.”       “And yeah, comforting Anna is unnecessary ‘cause she’s happy with it. Sometimes she wanted her mother and father to stop torturing themselves and file for divorce. And now they’re finally able to live their lives.”       “And I believe she can calm down, ‘cause she at least got the blessing of her father on the relationship with the one she loves.”       “Her parents would’ve had to accept it. They can’t tell an adult girl what to do. Moreover, Anna is living and dating a very good man, who truly loves her, appreciates her, adores her, and surrounds her with love… They’ve got no reason to worry.”       “Listen, it seems like it’s getting closer to a wedding!” Edward exclaims cheerfully. “I believe we should start thinking about gifts for them. Though, I don’t know what to gift them… What people actually gift for a wedding…”       “I doubt that Daniel would love to propose to Anna at the nearest time. Yes, her father approved of their relationship, and that problem has been solved. But there’s the band issue… That problem may not be solved soon. Nobody knows how long we’d have to wait: one week, one month, or one year…”       “Ah, yeah, band…” Edward runs his hand over his hair with a thoughtful face. “I wonder, what happened to Peter that he brought himself to that condition? What kind of despair was he supposed to be in to take a blade and… Open the veins?”       “I somehow talked to Terrence about it. He said that Daniel and he got the assumption that Peter could take bad comments about him too seriously.”       “Insults of the band’s haters?”       “But his problems at school may also be the reason.”       “School?”       “Peter was disliked in there. They considered him kind of weird, bullied him, didn’t wanna accept… He was an outsider…”       “So, could he recall those years when someone insulted him as well as someone from school?” Edward wonders.       “Sort of. Terrence said Peter made himself think he was a reject… Worthless, talentless, terrible… He could be called like this in the school years. And that’s why Rose could react like this.”       “But that’s not the truth!” Edward exclaims. “Peter is a wonderful man! And not worthless! Everybody knows that he plays drums, guitar, and cajon well.”       “But he thinks otherwise.”       “Damn, is someone of the band’s haters about to bring Peter to another world?”       “Quite possible. Moreover, we don’t exclude personal life issues. Because Peter has dated nobody and hasn’t gone on dates, and Daniel joked at him and touched a nerve.”       “Couldn’t everything happen at the same time?”       “I don’t exclude. Moreover, Peter’s doctor showed a great interest in Rose’s personal life and asked Terrence and Daniel much about his girlfriends and crushes. And… As far as I know, he even tried to find out what connected Peter and one of his friends.”       “But what’s wrong with his friend?”       “I dunno,” Natalia shrugs. “She’s just worried about Peter too much. She literally falls into hysteria after every single piece of bad news about that guy. I know she had hysteria when she learned about Rose’s attempt to kill himself. And the words of his other friend made the guys think she couldn’t be indifferent to the blond.”       “Does Peter know it?”       “Hardly. Everything about love is the thing that hurts him. He doesn’t even like talking about the relationship between Daniel and Anna and Terrence and Raquelle. Though, he wishes nothing bad for them.”       “Right, he’s never told us anything about his girlfriends and avoided any talks about love,” Edward says thoughtfully.       “Maybe, he likes someone but has no courage to say it? The doctor talked about it and was skeptical that the reasons for his act were about school years.”       “Who knows… But I can say exactly that his friend isn’t indifferent to Peter. Of course, I can’t be sure at one hundred percent, but judging what you say, it’s quite possible.”       “By the way, Terrence doesn’t believe Peter’s never had a girlfriend or the one he got a crush on. Men kind of always have many girls all their lives, or before marrying.”       “And you know, I agree with him,” Edward replies thoughtfully. “It can’t be happening that a twenty-five-year-old guy has never had a girlfriend or the one he liked. This type of person is usually bullied, ‘cause everybody’s sure they have some problems that don’t let them give girls more or less good sex or don’t just know how to caress her and flirt.”       “Now we all think so,” Natalia sighs and glances aside. “But now we don’t care about how many girls he’s had. We just want him to survive. The future of the band depends on it: either Peter is back to it, or the era of ‘Against The System’ ends.”       “I really want him to survive. Peter is a wonderful man! He never refuses to help, always listens, supports… He’s able to cheer people up. It’s always been cool to spend time with him. An ordinary, shy guy without demons.” Edward shakes his head. “I’m sorry that he was pretending to be happy but was unhappy inside.”       “Agree…” Natalia pronounces with sadness in her eyes. “Peter didn’t deserve anything bad. I’m also very sorry that he brought himself to a wish to kill himself… I still can’t get it…”       “Me neither, sweetie, me neither…”       Silence settles in the air for a second or two, during which the lovers think about something. And then Edward doubles over with a quiet sigh and leans on his laps with his elbows, setting his sad eyes on his hands.       “Oh, everybody has their problems…” Edward says hesitantly. “And I don’t still know how to reconcile with Terrence and Raquelle…”       “Very easy!” Natalia exclaims. “Just go to their home and ask them for forgiveness for everything you said and did.”       “Yeah, I know… But…”       “Hey…” Natalia frowns slightly and sits up slowly. “Are you afraid?”       “Yes, I am,” Edward nods with sadness in his eyes. “But I madly want to reconcile with my brother and his fiancée. I want Terrence to accept me not only as a friend.”       “But you must understand that they wouldn’t come to reconcile with the one, who is guilty.”       “I know, but…” Edward swallows up nervously, tightly locking his fingers. “The case is not that it’s hard for me to take the first step… The case is… I’m ashamed to show up to them after everything that happened between us.”       “Nobody will find it a good excuse.”       “Yes, I get it. But it’s very hard for me anyway… I’m really scared… Understand…”       “But you got over your fear and asked them for help when I ended up in the house of your uncle. You went to their home, knowing Terrence wouldn’t like it.”       “They were the only people, who could help me. I didn’t count on their support, but I definitely needed help… Even if we could do almost nothing… And… I thought they should’ve known what happened. These two are your friends. They must’ve known you were in danger.”       “Yeah, you did it then!” Natalia exclaims. “So, you can do the same now to apologize to them. Just go to their home and talk about everything. Erm… First, you can talk to Raquelle. I’m sure she’ll forgive you. Cameron is not very vindictive and doesn’t stay mad for ages.”       “I know,” Edward nods and inclines his head much more. “But I'm ashamed not only of what I said and wished. But also the fact that I almost killed my brother.”       “You said Terrence knew it. And I think he didn’t get mad at you for that. He is mad just because of what you said and how you behaved toward him.”       “Back then, we had no time to be mad. We should’ve saved ourselves from Uncle and done away from that bastard, who could’ve killed us if not for Raquelle, Father, and the police.”       “Stop, Edward. Trust me, today I was at Terrence’s home, and he never said he was mad at you for the attempt to kill him by Michael’s order. Moreover, your brother confidently said he couldn’t stay indifferent to you. No matter what, he still cares about you and is worried about your conflict. Yes, MacClife is shocked by being related to you yet. But he still cares about you as a friend.”       “Probably, taking a gun and trying to kill your close person is much worse than giving someone a strong slap. Much worse…” Edward shakes his head, running his hands through his hair, and sighs quietly with sadness in his eyes. “I’ll never forgive myself for showing that hesitation and almost destroying two people…”       Natalia gets sadness in her eyes when looking at Edward, who is getting much tenser and more excited. A few seconds later, the girl gets up from the bed, comes to the man, and hugs him from behind, wrapping her arms around his neck, snuggles her nose in his cheek, kisses it tenderly, and says quietly and softly:       “But you stopped in time and did nothing terrible.”       “Just because you washed my brains,” Edward replies without emotions. “If you hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t have gotten over my cowardice and would’ve shot my brother down… And killed me then… Because I wouldn’t be able to live with this sin and… The thought that everybody would start to judge me…”       “I’m sure you won’t have killed him. You love your brother, and you wish him the best. You aren’t indifferent to him as well as he is not to you. How many times you stood for each other when you were at Michael’s house! How one resented when your uncle insulted another.”       “We had a hard situation. To get away with it safe and sound, we should’ve helped each other.”       “And why did we help? Because we love each other! Even if we didn’t show it!”       “I doubt Terrence thought about it when agreeing to help me. He did it for you and Raquelle. But if the case had had to do with me, he wouldn’t have moved a finger and would’ve wished me to die.”       “No, Edward, don’t say it.” Natalia softly kisses Edward on the cheek and puts her nose in his soft black hair on the top of his head. “Terrence would never think about it.”       “He did. I don’t doubt it.”       “Terrence or Raquelle helped you because they weren’t indifferent to you.”       “I already said why they did that.”       “And what? Are you gonna be hiding from them? Won’t you even try to solve this problem?”       “I’m terribly ashamed of looking into their eyes after what happened,” Edward replies with sadness in his eyes. “I can’t…”       “You want them to get mad at you and start to believe you’re an egoist?”       “I completely understand that if I keep running from them, I’ll behave egoistically. And… No matter how I want to avoid it, I’ll have to meet them on the day of the court hearing.”       “That’s why you must talk to them before the start of the trial,” Natalia replies confidently. “Use the moment! Otherwise, it’s gonna be hard for you. You’re gonna experience stress anyway, but the tense relationship with your close people would make that time more stressful.”       “Yeah, but I may try to find the courage to talk forever and keep acting like an egoistic coward,” Edward throws his hands up. “If I wanna visit them at some moment, I may change my mind, standing in front of the gates of their house, turn around, and run away.”       “You think even a great wish wouldn’t help you?”       “Cowardice has always gotten obsessed with me. Sadly, I can do nothing with it. I can’t be sure about my decisions. Especially if I’m terribly burning from shame for someone.”       “Hm…” Natalia steps back from Edward and thinks a little, squinting her eyes and frowning. “You know, honey… Maybe, I can’t really make you do it in the nearest time. But… I could push you a little and not let you change your mind.”       “Push?” Edward becomes straight slowly and moves his excited gaze to Natalia. “And how are you gonna do it?”       “Easy!” Natalia sits on the bed in front of Edward sitting in the office chair and getting closer to her. “We’ll go to the home of Terrence and Raquelle together.”       “Go to their home together?”       “Yup,” Natalia moves her eyes to her hands for a second. “Maybe… If I’m next to you… It will be easier for you…”       “Okay… And when will we go to their home?”       “Tomorrow, if you want! You can decide when you wanna go. Just let me know, and I’ll go with you and make sure you’ll bring the case to an end.”       “Really?” Edward puts his hands on Natalia’s laps, looking at her with widely open eyes full of hope. “Do you really wanna help me? Will you really do it for me?”       “Of course, I will, sweetie,” Natalia replies softly, caressing Edward’s cheek with a slight smile. “I’ll go with you at any time. Just tell me when you’re ready.”       “Aren’t you kidding?”       “I promised that I’d always be by your side. And I wanna keep my promise. To become much better for you. Do what I didn’t do when we just started dating.”       “Natalia…”       “Since I’m kind of guilty of your conflict with Terrence and Raquelle, I must do my best to help you reconcile,” Natalia replies shyly. “And I’ll do it. With the hope that it would be easier for you to apologize to Terrence and Raquelle.”       “I can’t believe it…” Edward shakes his head with a slight smile. “Gosh, Natalia… You’re an amazing person!”       “You can do it, sweetheart,” Natalia encourages softly. “Just don’t forget about your wish to reconcile with them and get the love of your family back, and the fears will stop getting obsessed with you.”       “Aw, sweetie…” Edward takes Natalia’s hands, looking into her eyes with a tender, wide smile. “I… I’ll owe you ‘till the end of my life if I reconcile with my brother and his fiancée. Even if I owe you anyway.”       “It’s gonna be okay, just believe in you. And I’ll be by your side and do everything I can. Of course, I won’t ask them to forgive you because you should do it. But I’ll have the pleasure of helping you take the first step and not letting you turn back.”       Edward smiles much wider, showing his teeth. Then he gets up from the chair, sits on the bed next to Natalia, and takes her in his strong, touching hug. She accepts it with pleasure, wrapping her arms around his neck and caressing the back of his head, while he kisses her cutely on the cheek and puts his hands on her back. They say nothing for a few seconds and just hold each other in a hug with a blissful smile, closing their eyes and enjoying the tenderness and warmth of the beloved person.       “My angel…” Edward breaks the silence quietly with a slight smile, softly caressing Natalia’s shoulder with one hand and just holding another on her back. “Thank you so much for everything you’re doing for me…”       “Everything for you, sweetheart,” Natalia replies quietly with closed eyes, caressing the nape of Edward’s neck, and kisses him cutely on his temple. “It couldn’t be otherwise…”       “I couldn’t find the courage to come to those two, and I would show my terrible cowardice ‘till the end.”       “No, don’t say it.” Natalia puts her head on Edward’s shoulder with a smile and starts stroking the soft hair on the back of his head, which she also caresses tenderly. “I know you can do it by yourself. You just need a little push.”       “Sweetheart…” Edward snuggles his nose into Natalia’s shoulder with a slight smile, runs his hand through her hair, and caresses her head tenderly. “You make me happy. You encourage me to be more confident.”       “You, too,” Natalia replies with a wide smile in a soft, quiet voice. “I think I never felt as good as I do now.”       “You’re the first one to make me smile widely.”       Two seconds later, Edward and Natalia step away slowly, still smiling tenderly and looking into each other’s eyes. The man tenderly puts a warm hand on her cheek and caresses it affectionately. She smiles much wider and closes her eyes from pleasure, bending her head to a side, but at some moment, she grabs his hand and puts her nose in the man’s palm.       “Finally, I’ve got a reason to start to smile and enjoy my life,” Edward says in a nice, soft voice. “Even if I have tons of unsolved problems, I don’t wanna drown in this pool now. I get the strength and feel happy.”       “And I’m ready to help you,” Natalia replies in a low, deep voice, looking at Edward’s face with interest. “Though, I don’t also mind feeling happy… I wanna stop thinking of bad things and remember that… There are many good things in life.”       “I’m at your service, beautiful.” Edward wraps a strand of Natalia’s hair on his finger and lets it go. “Ready to do anything to make you feel good.”       “The fact that you’re near me is enough for me.” Natalia caresses Edward’s cheek softly with both sides of her hand. “You can do and say nothing. I’d already feel as good as never ever.”       “Same,” Edward pronounces in a quiet, soft voice, falls into silence for two seconds, grabs Natalia’s face, barely touches the tip of her nose with his lips, and runs them over her cheeks. “Same…”       “Oh, damn, Edward…” Natalia pronounces with a shy smile, feeling that her body gets obsessed with a tender shake. “You’re really special… You’re the only one to be able to drive me crazy… You drove me crazy in the beginning and do it now, almost after two months of the separation.”       “I’m starting to think the separation was very good for us. After we were at some distance from each other, we got much closer to each other.”       “I felt so bad, as if you left me forever.” Natalia starts playing with Edward’s hair on the top and back of his head, putting one arm around his neck, and still looking into his eyes. “I felt so lonely all this time… Even my friends couldn’t compensate for this yearning.”       “Sadly, we became victims of the cruel agreement. If not for it, we would’ve never broken up.”       “I don’t know what I would’ve done if we had really broken up. I think I would’ve died from yearning… I wouldn’t have survived such a strong hit… Although they say you forget everything later, I forgot nothing for almost two months.”       “I wouldn’t also have been able to live if I’d lost you forever. Especially if you’d died. It didn't make sense how. It would be an unbearable hit for me.”       “Gosh, I was such a brainless idiot that almost ruined everything,” Natalia swears quietly, caressing Edward’s cheeks with both hands. “How could I do it to my beloved man that I love so much?”       “Please, Natalia, don’t talk about it,” Edward says tiredly. “We wanted to forget everything.”       “Because of my cowardice. I was such a terrible coward that I sacrificed my relationship, succumbing to the fear that I lived with for a few months.”       “You’re guilty of nothing, sweetheart.” Edward softly caresses the head and cheeks of Natalia moving her eyes down and kisses her cutely on the forehead. “It’s all over now.”       “No, Edward, I am guilty.” Natalia looks at Edward shamelessly. “I couldn’t save our relationship and ruined it. And… I even made you… Get a little cold to me…”       “Gosh, what are you talking about? I’ve never gotten cold to you! I loved you with all my heart, and I love you much stronger now. I realized you were the only one I needed.”       “I never let you get closer to me. Always pushed you off… Kept you in the distance… It always happened… At first, you didn’t notice that, but later, you started to get sick of getting rejected.”       “I’m sure everything would be otherwise now,” Edward smiles slightly.       “Please, don’t think you’re guilty and did something bad to me,” Natalia says with sadness in her eyes. “No, you’re guilty of nothing. There is only my fault. The problem is me. I was scared. I was afraid to get closer after what happened a few months ago.”       “Don’t explain anything, sweetie, I completely get it.” Edward tenderly caresses Natalia’s cheek. “Now I know why you behaved like that. I thought either I was wrong, or you didn’t love me. But after I heard the story of the rape attempt, I guessed everything.”       “I was kind of frozen, you see. I really wanted to get closer, but the fear always stopped me. Stopped me every time you wanted to go further than I let. Any kisses and caresses were pain and fear for me. Every time you and I kissed or hugged, I recalled that horrible day and the disgust that I had to feel while that man… Humiliated me… Humiliated my personality… I… I couldn’t relax and… Get a real pleasure… I was always very tense… I was afraid to feel pain…”       “I understand you,” Edward replies softly and takes Natalia’s hands. “I guess I really pressed on you and rushed. A beautiful girl always causes a wish to take her to bed immediately. So, I… Was impatient.”       “No, Edward, please, don’t dare to blame you for anything,” Natalia begs with pity in her eyes. “You don’t have to do with me acting like you were a stranger to me. It’s only my fault.”       “Don’t excuse yourself. I know what kind of trauma the rape attempt gave you. I understand that it’s very hard to come to yourself after someone felt you up, licked you, and undressed you against your wish.”       “At heart, I was afraid you’d give me the same pain,” Natalia confesses quietly, looking at Edward with half-wet eyes. “That you’d love to take me to bed against my wish… Do something, despite my protests… And I was waiting for you to tell me you decided to use me. I… I was terribly afraid your feelings weren’t real. That you dated me for a sense of duty. That was paranoia! I always thought about it and lived every day as if our relationship would end on one of them. And… What I was afraid of so badly happened…”       “No, don’t say it, my sunshine,” Edward shakes his head with sadness in his eyes. “I’ve always loved you with all my heart. My feelings have never been fake. Of course, I’m endlessly grateful to you for helping me meet Terrence, and I will always owe you. But I started to date you not because of a sense of duty. I really fell in love with you. I’ve always felt very good with you.”       “Just want you to know why I was so cold at times. And… I think you understand which feelings I felt at that horrible time.”       “I do very well. And I’m ready to give you the necessary help and do my best for you to forget that nightmare. So, you don’t fear me and see me as a violator or sick man that wanna fuck a young, beautiful body.”       “I promise, sweetheart, it won’t happen anymore,” Natalia promises with pity in her eyes. “I swear I will no longer reject you again. You have a right to do anything to me. I can completely trust you with me, my life, and everything about me. I’m even ready to bear discomfort for you to feel good.”       “No, Natalia, I will not let you feel any discomfort. I don’t want you to suffer.” Edward grabs Natalia’s head softly. “I promise I will not do what can make you feel uncomfortable. If you dislike something, I will not even think about it. For me, your quiet and happiness are important to me. No actions against your will.”       “I believe you, my sweetheart,” Natalia smiles slightly. “Nevertheless, you’re allowed to do anything. I’m all yours.”       “But please, don’t be silent if you don’t like something. If I do something now, I will know you don’t want it next time.”       “For you, I’d bear any torture.”       “I said everything. If you dislike or fear something, say it immediately. Got it?”       “Okay,” Natalia sniffs quietly.       Holding Natalia by the back of her head, Edward smiles at her shyly, kisses her cutely on the forehead, and takes her in his tender hug for a few seconds, caressing his sweetheart on her head and back.       “You’ll forget that nightmare soon,” Edward promises in a quiet, soft voice, and kisses Natalia on the top of her head. “I’ll do my best for it not to chase you and poison your life anymore.”       “I’m not going to lose you anymore…” Natalia kisses Edward tenderly on the cheek, putting her hands on his back and sliding them slowly over it. “I’ll give such a valuable treasure to nobody. I don’t wanna lose such a wonderful man. The only one to be able to give me what others can’t.”       “It would be a great sin to lose such an amazing girl that makes me much happier and more confident,” Edward replies with a slight smile in a low voice while Natalia caresses the back of his head tenderly. “Makes me forget about any hesitation.”       “Hope everything’s gonna be okay now,” Natalia steps back softly from Edward and runs her fingers through his nice-to-touch silky hair. “And we’ll be happy.”       “I am already happy.” Edward moves little strands of Natalia’s hair that get into her eyes. “And I don’t doubt we’d easily make up for the lost time.”       “I’m ready for anything.” Natalia moves much closer to Edward, tenderly kisses him on the tip of his nose, and runs her open mouth over all the parts of his face, holding the man’s cheek covered with dark stubble. “One and a half months is not one year… It’s gonna be easy to make up for lost time and even bring something new to our relationship. At least I’ll show you everything I can do with pleasure.”       “It would be awesome…” Edward barely touches Natalia’s nose with the tip of his nose and rubs it against hers. “Just awesome…”       Edward rubs his nose against Natalia’s nose for two seconds before he starts looking into her blue eyes full of gloss. Because of his close but tender look, her heart stops for a moment, and the hot wave spreads over her body. His breath is getting heavier, and he stops blinking, focusing on the eyes that are kind of hypnotizing him with their beauty. The heart starts beating faster, and the tormenting tension gets obsessed with every single cell of their bodies, while they are so close to each other… Sometimes, they stop their eyes on the lips, and the smell of the skin clouds the mind more and more and causes a strong wish to get much closer.       A few seconds later, Edward tenderly grabs Natalia’s face and glances at her open lips. Then he barely touches them with his lips and leaves a couple of short kisses in the corners of the girl’s mouth. She shakes after every single one but remains absolutely relaxed, as she is looking at her sweetheart with half-closed eyes. But she closes them when MacClife, Jr., involves her in a continuous kiss more confidently. The girl puts one arm around the man’s neck and another on his shoulder, enjoying this moment full of tenderness. His soft lips are skillfully caressing the lady’s lips, and his warm hands are warming her little cold cheeks up. The breath of the lovers is getting more uneven, and the heartbeat is getting more frequent. At some moment, Edward deepens the kiss, runs his hand through Natalia’s hair, which he squeezes slightly and pulls, and caresses tenderly the curves of her neck with the fingertips of his other hand. Under the influence of emotions, she does not hold a quiet moan down, shakes slightly, and starts to try to take control.       Looking at the cute, insecure Edward, the person with big, rounded, and naive eyes, it’s impossible to say he could be a wonderful lover. Under the influence of the feelings, the man forgets about his fear, shyness, and hesitation and lets himself turn off his brain, focusing on giving pleasure to Natalia and relaxing a little. Probably, now he is as confident as never ever and does know how to drive his sweetheart crazy, so she remembers his dizzying kisses and skillful caress forever. The man does not hide his wish to caress this beauty, who does not pretend to be shy. The fingers are slightly pulling the hair, pulling it, and squeezing it. The hands are tenderly caressing the beloved person’s face, back, shoulders, and forearms. Just one touch of the lips causes a sweet tension. And the smell of each other intoxicates them more and more every second.       At some moment, Edward breaks the kiss for a few seconds to catch a breath, caressing Natalia’s cheek and leaving two or three short kisses on all parts of her face. And then he lies down and pulls down the girl, who lies over him with a shy laugh. It teases her a little. The girl becomes an initiator of a continuous kiss on the lips, during which she is caressing his face and hair. The man does not hold down quiet moans two times, runs his hands over her back, and is not shy of squeezing and caressing the lady’s thighs and buttocks like a boss, as if he designates her as his property. However, Natalia does not mind and continues to kiss Edward more hotly and passionately, showing herself as a wonderful seducer, who knows how to give pleasure to a man.       At some moment, when she covers his face with kisses with a heavy breath, the man rolls the girl onto the back with one easy movement and raises himself above her. Their faces end up close to one another. The ability to breathe is forgotten shortly, and the hot, piercing gaze deprives them of the will. A shy smile shows up on Natalia’s face, and she runs her hand over Edward’s cheek covered with stubble, looking at every single part of his face and noticing that his pupils are dilated widely. After waiting for a few seconds, the man confidently kisses the top and bottom lips of the girl with a heavy breath. She puts her hand on his chest and runs her fingers through the soft masculine hair, making a sensual moan at some moment. MacClife, Jr., tries to hold his wild emotions down, as he is afraid to scare his sweetheart, and does not get lost not to bite her lips to pain, and not to get his tongue too deeply in her mouth.       A little later, Edward breaks the kiss and caresses Natalia’s cheeks with both hands. He looks into her eyes for two seconds before he leaves a few short kisses on her face. It relaxes the blonde and makes her smile shyly. And when Edward’s lips touch softly the skin on the curve of her neck, Natalia shakes strongly and leans her head back, feeling how her heart stops for a moment, and a sweet shake possesses her body. And seeing that she is reacting well to this, MacClife, Jr., tries to leave a few more very tender kisses on one of her curves, rushing nowhere and entirely enjoying the closeness to this beauty. Of course, the stubble on his face tickles her skin strongly and does not let her relax at first. But Edward is doing it so skillfully that Natalia does not think about it and does not hold down a quiet, sensual moan at some moment.       Feeling more confident, the man gets pleasure from slowly covering both of the curves with tender kisses or running his half-open mouth over them. That’s why the blonde’s breath becomes more uneven, and her fast heartbeat echoes somewhere in her throat. Natalia does not hold down her much louder moans when Edward leaves a short kiss on the area behind her ear that he caresses tenderly with his lips. Her fingers tightly squeeze his hair and pull it slightly, and she closes or rolls her eyes. Resisting this blissful pleasure is impossible. The body gets goosebumps, and dizziness gets stronger when the man’s lips cover the front of the long and thin neck of the lady with tender kisses.       Edward does not hide a wide smile and happiness from thinking he is doing everything wonderfully. His hands are caressing Natalia’s face or hair, sliding over the curves of her slim waist, and staying on her things for some time. One leg of hers is bent at her knee, her nails are slightly scratching his back, and her fingers are getting through his disheveled hair. The blonde forgets literally everything in the world and is focused on what’s happening between her and her sweetheart, who reaches her collarbones, locks his finger with her fingers, and raises her hands to her shoulders’ level. She obeys him entirely, letting herself show all the wild emotions that got obsessed with her and sometimes greedily breathing in the air that she lacks.       Later, Edward breathing heavily steps back for two seconds and runs his lips slowly over both curves of Natalia’s neck, pinching some areas tenderly and breathing on them with a hot and cold breath. Then, he frantically makes a way from short kisses to her chin and cheeks. The man softly turns the girl’s head lying on the side on himself with one hand and kisses her on the lips greedily, letting her just take a breath away and moan quietly. His hands are tenderly caressing the blonde’s face, head, neck, and shoulders, and his fingers get through her soft, golden strands. Natalia is not lying limply and is not leaving Edward without her caress, answering his assertive kiss and sharply pressing him closer to herself. Her arm is wrapped around his neck, and her warm palm is caressing the man’s face, pulling his hair, or tenderly rubbing the wide, tough chest, touching which makes her shake.       At some moment, Edward breaks the kiss again and just runs his open mouth over all the parts of the face and ears of Natalia, breathing on some of them with a hot or cold breath, grabbing her earlobes very tenderly, and touching small gold earrings while she smiles widely with closed eyes. It makes her smile widely with closed eyes. And when the man leaves a few exciting kisses on the curve of the girl’s neck, she exhales loudly and bends her back backward slightly. At some moment, Edward steps back from Natalia with a heavy breath and looks at her blissful face for two seconds. Then the powerless but happy man lies next to the girl and sets his eyes on the ceiling with a wide smile. Barely understanding where she is, the blonde closes her eyes and puts her hand on her stomach with a feeling of dizziness. Both of them are in a euphoric state and feel how a fast, loud heartbeat is echoing in their heads, and their whole body is shaking strongly from tension.       Barely coming to themselves, the lovers just move their eyes to each other at first. But then they roll onto the side and snuggle each other tightly, caressing their beloved person’s cheek with their fingertips and running their fingers through their hair, squeezing it like dough or just running their hands over it. Their faces have not only a slight blush but also a happy, wide smile, and their eyes are shining as brightly as they never did before. Natalia and Edward say nothing for a few seconds, but then the girl breaks the silence, running her fingertips over his hair and looking into his eyes with a gaze full of warmth:       “What that was?”       “I don’t know,” Edward replies in a quiet, hoarse voice, while one arm of his is wrapped around Natalia’s waist. “But… That was incredible… Just unforgettable! I never felt such strong emotions!”       “Gosh, Edward… You… You… Gosh! What did you do to me?” Natalia smiles much wider. “I never felt as wonderful as I do now!”       “This time, you were just absolutely relaxed. And I… I just followed the sound of my heart.”       “Aw, sweetheart…” Natalia leaves a short kiss on Edward’s lips, holding his cheek with a hand. “I adore you…”       “You know… I was right when I said that the separation was good for us. I realized much more how much I missed you. How much I lacked you.”       “I thought we’d never be together. I thought we’d have to find the strength to accept the breakup and do our best to stop suffering.”       “I think people are right when they say what happened, happened for the best.”       “Agree,” Natalia replies in a quiet, low voice. “If not for that situation, I would’ve hardly learned to appreciate you as much as I do now. I would’ve hardly realized how important you were to me. How much I missed you.”       “Luckily, everything ended well.” Edward tenderly caresses Natalia’s cheek with his hand and caresses the top of her head with his fingertips, making his girlfriend smile shyly.       “Just like the happy end of a tale.”       “That’s why I’ve always believed in them. And I will never stop believing. Even if the whole world is gonna say I believe in delirium, my opinion won’t change.”       “And it seems like people are right when saying that to understand the feelings of someone, you should overcome everything they’ve had to experience.”       “That’s right. Now I understand Terrence much better. And Father, who had the hard times, as well.”       “I completely understand Terrence, too. Just like I understand Raquelle, who realized she could’ve lost a wonderful man.”       “So, we will not make that mistake. If they managed to save their marriage after what had happened, we will also be able to do the same.” Edward moves Natalia’s hair off her face, which gets into her eyes. “We will be trying.”       “Together,” Natalia replies shyly. “Gonna work it out together.”       “Sure, my sunshine.”       Natalia smiles widely, and Edward presses her closer to himself and kisses her on the top of her head, giving the girl his warmth and a feeling of total safety. Their faces are so close that the tips of their noses contact. And at some moment, the lovers rub them tenderly against one another and laughs shyly, noticing a slight blush on each other’s cheeks. Then Natalia puts her arm around Edward’s waist and hides her face in his chest, breathing in the dizzying smell that gives her calm and relaxation. While the man caresses her head and runs his fingers through her silky, long hair. After lying like this for a little, MacClife, Jr., lazily rolls onto the back. The blonde lies by the side of him, putting her head on his shoulder and one of her hands on his chest, over which she runs it tenderly. She can clearly hear the strong, loud heartbeat of the man that makes her smile, and he is getting relaxed, as he breathes in the dizzying smell of her hair, forgetting all the bad things that are happening in his life.       “I still can’t believe it’s really happening,” Natalia confesses quietly with a slight smile. “It seems like it’s just a good dream that’s the reason I don’t wanna wake up.”       “Luckily, it’s not a dream but reality,” Edward replies softly and kisses Natalia cutely on the forehead, still embracing her tightly with both arms and caressing her forearms tenderly. “Though, I still can’t believe it, either… Believe that I’m gonna go home with great relief for the first time in a while.”       “It will happen, sweetie. I promise.”       “Now I have at least one reason why I will not leave in case I am not put to prison. And forget about a wish to become different. Now I wanna be me. The one I really am. Even if nobody forgives me, I know I wouldn’t be alone.”       “You’ll reconcile with everybody,” Natalia replies confidently, caressing Edward’s barbed cheek covered with a slight stubble and not being able to move her eyes off the man’s deep, truly happy gray eyes, which do not also stop looking into her blue eyes full of gloss. “Be true and determined – and everybody will believe you’re sorry.”       “Sure…” Edward thinks for two seconds, biting his lip slightly. “Just…”       “Gosh, don’t tell me you don’t wanna go to Raquelle and Terrence’s home.”       “No, no, I don’t mean it.” Edward sits up slowly, folding his hands in front of himself. “There is just something I should do before I’m ready to ask Terrence and Raquelle for forgiveness.”       “Really?” Natalia raises herself on her elbows and sets her questioning gaze on Edward. “And what should you do?”       “To apologize to the woman I lived with before.”       “That’s Victoria Richardson?”       “Yup.”       “Did you fight with her, as well?”       “Sadly,” Edward nods with sadness in his eyes. “On the day when you said you never loved me. I told Victoria about it, and she thought I harassed you. Well, I became a psycho because of your alleged betrayal and acted like a non-educated and rude stinker. That woman blamed me for doing very mean things. But I was too mad to admit it and attacked her with charges for being unfair to me. Though, Mrs. Richardson was absolutely right. I really did a terrible thing to you. Although she kept neutrality, I didn’t think of anything. And I fought with her so hard that I eventually took my stuff and asked Mother to let me in her house.”       “My gosh…” Natalia pronounces thoughtfully. “And have you never talked to her since that?”       “Nope. I hadn’t thought about her before everything started to get clear.”       “That was mean, Edward.” Natalia lies down again and glances at Edward. “You shouldn’t have done that to her. She wished you nothing bad and just told you her opinion. The opinion of many people.”       “I know, Natalia. But I listened to nobody then: neither Victoria nor my own mother, who I also fought with because of this situation.”       “You must apologize to that woman at the nearest time. She is guilty of nothing for you.”       “Don’t doubt, sweetie, I will do it,” Edward replies confidently with a slight smile. “Now I know I’m ready for that. Though, I don’t know when…”       “Now it’s about nine hours in the evening.”       “Nine hours?” Edward shakes her head. “No! Too late! At this time, she’s starting to get ready to sleep. Victoria has always done something one hour before eight or nine hours in the evening. And she wakes up early enough…”       “Do it tomorrow, then.”       “You’re right… I think I’ll do it tomorrow. Go to her home somewhere in the morning or after lunch. If she isn’t home, I will wait for her to come back. If I don’t meet her, I will come to her on another day or call her and ask her to talk to me.”       “Want me to go with you?”       “No, my sweetheart, I’ll do it by myself this time. It’s gonna be easier to apologize for her than for Terrence and Raquelle.”       “Okay then. So, you’ll go home to that woman tomorrow, and you and I will go to Terrence and Raquelle’s home after tomorrow. Are you happy?”       “You bet!” Edward exclaims with a slight smile. “Of course, I am!”       “Excellent! And if everything is fine, you’ll only have to apologize to your mother and talk to your father if he lets everybody know about himself one day.”       “Thank you so much, Natalia!” Edward thanks excitedly. “You’re the best! I’ll be madly grateful to you if I can do it. I’ll do anything for you if my close people forgive me.”       “They will do, you’ll see,” Natalia replies in a quiet, soft voice, getting up and running the back of her hand over Edward’s cheek. “Just don’t dare to give up and do bring the started case to an end.”       “I won’t give up, I promise.”       Edward kisses Natalia’s forehead confidently but softly, grabbing her by the neck tenderly and feeling her strong, fast heartbeat. Then he rubs the tip of his nose against her nose with a wide smile and looks into her eyes with tenderness, while she is getting blushed.       “Sweetheart…” Edward pronounces softly, holding Natalia’s face in his hands, and kisses Natalia’s cheek cutely. “My girl…”       Edward leaves a couple of kisses on the corners of Natalia’s mouth, making her smile shyly.       “My angel… The most wonderful angel in the world…”       “Gonna drive me crazy again?” Natalia asks in a low, deep voice.       “Why not?” Edward grabs tenderly and squeezes the top and bottom lips of Natalia by one and presses his lips against them for two seconds. “Now I have the right to kiss and hug you as much as I want.”       “Aren’t you afraid you’d get sick of kissing and hugging me?”       “I’ll never get sick of it.” Edward smoothly slides to the curve of Natalia’s neck and leaves a few tender kisses on it, making her feel a slight shake and roll her eyes with a quiet sigh.       “Oh, gosh, what are you doing?”       “Moreover, I can’t stay indifferent to such a beauty…” Edward runs his lips slowly over the skin of the curve of Natalia’s neck. “Give her some pleasure… Thank her for what she does for me…”       “M-m-m, you’ve gone too far, MacClife,” Natalia laughs shyly, putting her hand on Edward’s cheek. “Decided to have a lot of fun…”       “Just following the sound of my heart,” Edward replies in a low, deep voice, moves Natalia’s hair aside, and covers another curve of the feminine neck with kisses. “My wishes…”       “Oh, I feel bad…” Natalia exhales loudly with closed eyes, feeling a little dizzy.       “Me too…” Edward leans Natalia’s head back and gives attention to the front of her neck, running his open mouth over it, and leaves a tender kiss in the hole in it. “Me too…”       Edward puts his hand on Natalia’s lap and pinches tenderly some areas of the skin of the girl’s neck, breathing in the incredible smell of it.       “I can’t get enough of you…” Edward purrs tenderly and smiles widely, smugly when he hears Natalia’s sensual moan after a couple of exciting kisses on her neck. “Oh, Natalia, you’re so incredible…”       “I can say the same about you, sweetie.”       “I wouldn’t mind being a bad guy and forgetting shyness next to such a girl.”       “Sorry, but I can’t imagine you’re as insolent, self-confident, and passionate as your brother.”       “Why?” Edward wonders, running his thumb over Natalia’s lips and looking into her eyes closely. “You don’t know me yet. You don't know what I can be. If there is a girl, who’s able to wake up a bad animal inside me, I may be probably a little worse than my brother.”       “You’re too shy and decent to be passionate and involved.”       “You’re wrong, baby, deeply wrong…” Edward gets Natalia involved in a very continuous kiss on the lips, holding her face with one hand and carefully getting his tongue in the girl’s half-open mouth to caress much more sensitive areas.       “M-m-m…” Natalia moans sensually, feeling that her heart stops, tensing the muscles of her stomach, and pulling Edward’s hair strongly in passion.       “I can be anyone…” Edward runs his open mouth smoothly over Natalia’s cheeks and slides to the curve of her neck, pinching the skin on it tenderly, sucking it, or leaving wet paths with the tip of his tongue. “I can do something, so that a girl gets hot and wet for two minutes.”       At first, Edward caresses Natalia’s shoulders and forearms, but then he puts his warm hand on the inside of her thigh.       “You don’t know how talented I am at loving things. It wouldn’t be hard for me to get such a sensitive girl like you excited.” Edward shyly runs his hand underneath Natalia’s shirt and runs it over her back. “Trust me, I can do a lot.”       “Oh, Edward…” Natalia exhales with closed eyes, while Edward’s fingertips barely touch the naked part of the small of her back. “People are so right when they say that still waters run deep about someone like you…”       “Maybe… But anyway, I can be different. Not only a shy guy that fears everything in the world.”       Edward caresses Natalia’s neck with his lips for a few seconds, while she smiles shyly, sometimes closes or rolls her eyes, and breathes out sensually with a feeling that every single muscle shakes nicely.       “Beautiful…” Edward pronounces with a wide smile, kissing Natalia on the area behind her ear that he caresses with his lips tenderly. “I don’t wanna get off you, even for a second…”       “You can stay for a night with me,” Natalia suggests with a smile and rolls her eyes with a quiet sigh, while Edward’s hot is burning the skin on her neck. “I will not mind it…”       “Sounds very good…” Edward glances at Natalia’s eyes, hugging her around the shoulders, and moves a couple of strands of hair off her face. “But I think I will not use your kindness.”       “What’s wrong, pretty boy?” Natalia runs her fingers through Edward’s hair and strokes it down. “Nobody’s gonna bother us. And I’d be happy to make your pastime unforgettable. There is a lot of food in the refrigerator. I’ll cook something for you… You’re gonna be happy.”       “Thanks for the suggestion, but I have to decline it.”       “Why?”       “Before your parents say they have nothing against me, I think it would be bad to come here, eat the food they bought, and sleep on their sofas or beds.”       “C’mon, Edward. I’m personally suggesting you stay for a night and sleep with me on this big, soft bed. “Natalia puts her hands behind her and leans on the bed with them. “It’s so soft and comfortable…”       “Somehow, next time. When everybody forgives me and accepts me again.”       “Would you refuse such a wonderful chance to be with me?” Natalia smiles mysteriously. “Refuse what I could give you? What would make your mood much better…”       “For example?”       “Myself…” Natalia pronounces in a low, deep voice, brings her face very close to Edward’s face, grabs it, and barely touches his lips with her lips. “All of me…”       Natalia leaves a couple of kisses on Edward’s chin, the tip of his nose, his cheekbones, his eyes, and his forehead, running her open mouth over all of these parts.       “My body wants love…” Natalia says in a seductive, low voice, looking into Edward’s eyes closely. “Wants to feel the strong but tender arms of the man… The only one to have them…”       “Erm…” Edward stutters, looking at Natalia closely like charmed, while his heart stops from her voice.       Natalia shuts Edward up with a more continuous kiss on the lips, caressing his shoulders a little, letting her hands slide over his arms, and grabbing him tenderly by the nape of his neck. He puts one hand on the small of her back and another on her lap. While her fingers pull and squeeze his hair, the girl starts rubbing the man’s chest and caresses his mouth with her tongue. She does it so skillfully that the girl cannot hold down a quiet moan, and he runs his hand through her shirt with a heavy breath and slides over her perfectly straight back.       At some moment, Natalia pushes Edward softly, so he lies down on the bed, and lies over him, biting, sucking, pulling, and licking his lips. Her actions drive the man crazy and make him make very quiet moans. Because of the excitement, his face gets a little red, it’s getting harder to breathe, and the sound of his heart echoes in his throat. He does not lie like a log and does not act like a scared boy, who is experiencing this for the first time. Edward works with his hands actively, running them over Natalia’s hair and caressing her head, back, the curves of her waist, thighs, and buttocks, and answers her little assertive, hot kiss.       “Damn, how attractive you are…” Natalia pronounces with enjoyment after she breaks the kiss, bending her back, and runs her open mouth tenderly over all the parts of Edward’s face. “Sexual…”       “I didn’t know you were a little crazy,” Edward replies in a quiet, hoarse voice, closes his eyes, and breathes in deeply. “Crazy…”       “I won’t get you too shocked.” Natalia grabs Edward’s ear tenderly with her mouth and leaves a kiss on the area behind it, making him tense the muscles of his stomach. “But I ain’t gonna refuse to give you a bright impression. So, you start to count the minutes ‘till our next meeting after you barely leave this place.”       Natalia gives Edward another tender kiss on the lips with a mysterious smile, smoothly slides to the curves of his neck, and leaves a few kisses on them with sensual moans. The man feels a slight shake and makes a quiet moan of pleasure with closed eyes. His hands sometimes caress her shoulders, forearms, back, or buttocks or just lie on her thighs. And the girl pulls his hair slightly and runs her hands over his torso confidently, feeling his tough-to-touch muscles.       “So, what now?” Natalia whispers in Edward’s ear with a sly smile, runs her open mouth over it, and leaves a couple of kisses on the curve of his neck, while his heart stops for a moment, and he is not literally breathing. “You don’t still wanna stay?”       “To let you kill me?” Edward wonders and chuckles kindly. “No! First, I wanna apologize to everybody. And then I shall go to you to let you tear me in two.”       “Please, pretty boy, stay…” Natalia steps back from Edward and runs her hand slowly over his chest, sitting over him and looking at the little blushed face of the man breathing heavily. “I’d feed you… Cheer you up… Give me to you and let you bring me to the top of the world.”       “Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ll do it next time.” Edward caresses Natalia’s head with a slight smile. “But now I’d better go home. To get ready for a talk with Mrs. Richardson, Terrence, and Raquelle.”       “Well, I’d help you,” Natalia purrs, getting a hand underneath Edward’s t-shirt shyly and walking her fingers over his abdomen. “I’d do anything for you…”       “You’ve already helped me. Today, you literally breathed into me when you said you forgave me. I was sure it would be very hard for me to take what’s ahead, but now I understand I can do it.”       “I believe in you and know you can do this. My man fears nothing.”       “Erm…” Edward chuckles quietly. “Man… So weird to hear it…”       “Because your sick uncle saw you as a little boy?”       “I’ve had to hear it for many years.” Edward raises himself a little at his elbows, while Natalia gets off him and sits in front of him. “Always… I’ve been called a little puppy so often that I started to believe it was true. As if I’m not a man but a child.”       “Edward…” Natalia pronounces with sadness in her eyes.       “It’s true, Natalia. If someone says I’m an adult man, I’ll definitely wish to laugh. Because I’ve never felt the one.”       “But I don’t think you are the one. For me, you’re an adult, brave man that can do anything for his close people.”       “I believe you. Though, it’s gonna be very hard for me to forget what I’ve heard for a bigger part of my life.”       “So, I’ll constantly say you’re an adult man.” Natalia runs her hand slowly over Edward’s hair and moves it to his cheek, which she caresses tenderly. “So, you start to believe in yourself and forget what that sick man told you.”       “I’m already starting to,” Edward replies softly with a tender smile and runs the back of his hand over Natalia’s cheek. “I hear it from my beloved girlfriend, who impacts me so well. At least I think so. I think I’m getting better with you.”       Natalia kisses Edward cutely on the lips and looks into his eyes with love, while he does not hide his wide smile.       “Maybe, you stay with me?” Natalia asks shyly with sadness in her eyes.       “I’ll surely stay next time,” Edward promises with a slight smile. “First, I’m gonna solve all my problems, and then I’ll spend time with you with pleasure.”       “Oh…” Natalia sighs heavily, looking down. “So… I have no right to hold you…”       “Don’t be sad, my love. We’re gonna meet again.”       “Gonna count minutes and seconds ‘till our meeting.”       “Me too.”       “Well… Maybe, I call a taxi and pay for it, so you reach your home quietly? Or… Drive you in my car?”       “No, Natalia, thanks. I will go home on my feet. Walk in the city, admire some lights… New York is really beautiful at nighttime. Especially the center… If you want, we could walk there together.”       “But the way to your mother’s home is long.”       “I’m used to walking much and don’t feel tired after a long walk. And I do like having long walks on my feet. So to say, good and nice.”       “Well, okay. As you wish.”       Edward smiles at Natalia and, putting his hand on the back of her head, kisses the girl cutely on the forehead. Then he slowly gets up from the bed and comes to the mirror hanging in the room, sees his hair is strongly disheveled, and fixes it slightly. While the girl just strokes it down with a hand and moves some strands off her face. Later, she gets up from the bed, comes to the man from behind, and presses her body against him, putting her arms around his waist and watching what he is doing to his fridge fallen with a slight smile on her face. At some moment, Edward turns on Natalia, hugs her tightly by the waist with both arms, and snuggles his face in her neck, while the girl caresses his head and back. A few seconds later, the lovers go to the living room, embracing each other.       Edward takes his coat lying on the sofa and puts it on himself, fixing the collar and sleeves. And when Natalia wants to come to the door and open it, the man runs to her from behind, softly takes her hand, turns her on himself and, not letting her realize something, kisses her on the lips greedily, which he bites slightly. The girl relaxes immediately and answers it with pleasure, while the man is keeping his hand on the lady’s buttocks and squeezing them tightly. And lastly, MacClife, Jr., covers generously the curves of her neck and the front of it. In passion, he tenderly bites, sucks, and runs the tip of his tongue over the sensitive areas with a loud breath. That’s why the blonde’s legs are getting weak, and she feels a little dizzy, tightly sinking her fingers in his tough, well-thick biceps and pleasing his ear with sensual moans.       But Edward decides not to go too far and steps back slowly from Natalia a few seconds later after he runs his tongue tenderly over her palate. The girl runs her hands over his cheeks and looks into his eyes like charmed with a blissful smile, and he caresses the nape of her neck and the curves of it with his fingertips, feeling her fast heartbeat well. After hesitating a little, they come to the door that the girl opens. The man gives her a stunning smile for the last time and leaves the apartment. Natalia closes the door and leans on it, barely standing on her weak legs and struggling with a little dizziness. She exhales slowly with a wide smile and rolled eyes, pronounces something like “Gosh!” and bites her lip slightly, understanding how her heart is beating fast and echoing in her head, and she literally cannot breathe from the obsession with too many emotions.       

***

      A new day. It’s about half past two. Edward is going to where he used to live with Victoria Richardson to try to apologize to her. The reconciliation with Natalia breathed into him and encouraged him not to stay aside, but to do his best to fix his mistakes. And he wants to start with the woman, whom he hurt for nothing. Although Edward has a good mood, he is a little nervous, as he is going to the right place on his feet. Nevertheless, when he comes to the very old multi-apartment building, he enters it determinedly and goes to the right floor in an elevator, noticing that big pieces of paint on the wall fell, and the smell of something bad and rotten is spread in the halls. After coming to the right apartment quickly enough, he hesitates for two seconds and shifts his weight from one foot to another. Then he exhales sharply, relaxes his shoulders, and presses the doorbell near the little shabby door.       Edward does not have to wait long. A few seconds later, the door opens, and Victoria, who has not changed since the day the man saw her the last time, shows up on the doorstep.       “Edward?” Victoria wonders, setting her rounded eyes on Edward. “I didn’t know you would show up here.”       “Good afternoon, Mrs. Richardson,” Edward greets shyly, folding his hands in front of himself and bending his arms at his elbows. “Don’t I bother you?”       “No, you do not bother me… But what’s wrong? What are you doing here?”       “I came here for one important reason.”       “If you forgot something, you may come in and take it. I’m not going to own what does not belong to me.”       “No, no, the problem is not about it,” Edward shakes his head. “I… I would actually like to talk to you about what happened between us.”       “Talk?” Victoria frowns slightly. “Do we have something to talk about? I think I heard enough to understand what you were.”       “Please, Mrs. Richardson, listen to me,” Edward begs with pity in his eyes. “I promise I will not take much time from you. Give me a few minutes, and then I will leave. Please…”       “Oh…” Victoria exhales sharply. “Alright. If you want to talk, come into the apartment.”       Victoria goes aside and lets Edward come into the apartment. He pronounces ‘thanks’ quietly and enters inside slowly. And while the woman, who seems a little cold to him, closes the door, the man starts looking at the small hall, understanding that nothing has changed since he left the apartment. All the things are in the same places, the walls are still shabby and flaking in some places, and the whole hall is lighted with a little bulb. Later, Victoria comes to him and takes him to her small room.       “Sit on the bed or the chair,” Victoria says quietly.       Edward hesitates for two seconds, shifting his weight from one foot to another, and then he slowly comes to the chair near the old writing table, on which there are some things, and sits on it. Victoria sits on her bed in front of the young man and folds her hands in front of herself.       “Speak, Edward,” Victoria says quietly. “What brought you here? I’m listening to you.”       “Oh…” Edward pronounces hesitantly, starting to look at the sleeve of his coat. “Honestly, I don’t even know where to start from… I need to say much…”       “Start from the beginning.”       “Alright… I will not delay it and will do it now…” Edward looks up at Victoria with pity in his eyes. “Mrs. Richardson, I want to apologize to you for my behavior toward you. Please, forgive me for being so rude and saying so much. You were absolutely right, but I was too mad to accept what wasn’t alike to what I had in my mind.”       “That’s how!” Victoria pronounces surprisingly. “So, you behaved disgustingly and said what made my hair stand. And now, are you pretending to be good and wishing to be forgiven?”       “I swear, I am not pretending. I’m really very sorry about making our relationship worse because of what you don’t have to do with. I… I didn’t want it to happen.”       “And what impacted you so much that you came to me to apologize?”       “Much. Very much impacted me and made me look at some things differently. That’s what helped me understand I made too many mistakes. I’m going to pay for some of them, but I managed to fix other ones.”       “My gosh…” Victoria frowns slightly, looking at Edward with mistrust. “So, will you finally stop lying so insolently and pretending that everything is fine?”       “I will no longer lie. Yes, I really lied to you and all my close people. But now I want to end it and answer all the questions that people want to ask me.”       “So, are you confessing that I was right about your attempts to terrify your ex-girlfriend, who got so scared that she refused to explain something?”       “Yes, to some extent,” Edward replies hesitantly. “But believe me, I’ve never had a bad thought about her. I swear, if I’d known the truth from the beginning, nothing would’ve happened. I made a great mistake and really regret it.”       “Sounds like you’re excusing yourself,” Victoria replies gloomily, crossing her arms over her chest.       “I’m not excusing, I’m telling you the truth. Luckily, now the situation with my girlfriend is finally clear, and I know why she hid the truth.”       “The situation got clear, you say?”       “And now I have no reason to say such terrible things about the poor girl, who became a victim of the horrible man. I can no longer be mad at someone and blame people for my problems. I am the one to blame for them, as well as another horrible man, who started all of what my family and I are going to have to fix soon.”       “So, do you recognize your fault for what you were hiding from your family?”       “And everybody knows everything.”       “Finally, you did at least one noble thing,” Victoria says coldly. “You can not only lie on the bed and complain about your life.”       “Please, Mrs. Richardson, don’t be so cold to me,” Edward begs with pity in his eyes. “I really regret everything I did. You can’t imagine how much I want the ground to swallow me up from shame and to hide from everyone not to look into anyone’s eyes.”       “You did a disgusting thing, Edward. Just disgusting. You really disappointed me by daring to behave so rudely the last time.”       “Forgive me. Please…” Edward shakes his head, looking at Victoria with pity in his eyes. “I know I behaved terribly. But I don’t want everybody to hate me for all my actions ‘till the end of my life. You don’t know what was happening in my soul when I was close to a breakdown because of the problems with my family and girlfriend. Even if I managed to calm down, everything started again after I ran into what made me irritated. For example, I didn’t see Natalia for a long time and calmed down. But when she showed up, I got enraged again. Because I believe the lie. That was a vicious circle… Until I learned the truth, I hadn’t been able to break it. Nobody could calm me down. Only that truth woke me up.”       “How do I know if you’re really regretting it?” Victoria asks coldly. “Of course, you speak very beautifully. I do even want to shed a tear because it sounds touching. But I wouldn’t like you to have me wrapped around your finger.”       “Mrs. Richardson, my dear…” Edward takes Victoria’s hands softly. “I swear on my life, I’m not lying to you. I really want to reconcile with you. You know that I’ll always owe you for giving me a home someday. And tolerating me for so many years before I decided to leave because of my stupidity. I’ve always said you’ll always be a very important person to me. Even if you don’t wish to forgive me, I will not forget you. Trust me, I can be grateful and remember those, who do something good for me.”       Victoria says nothing for a few seconds and just looks at Edward, who is begging to forgive him with his sad eyes. And then she sighs quietly and cracks a slight smile.       “You know, Edward, you acted like a stinker,” Victoria says quietly. “You did a very bad thing to me, your girlfriend, and your family. And I know something from the reportage that was shown on TV. But I’m glad you realized your mistake and decided to ask forgiveness for it.”       “Please, forgive me,” Edward begs with pity in his eyes. “I am really very sorry about what happened.”       “Although your acts were disgusting, I’m ready to give you another chance to get better.”       “Really?” Edward raises his head sharply and moves his widely open eyes to Victoria. “So, can you forgive me?”       “Yes, I’ll forgive you. But remember, it will be your last chance. If you act not like a real man again, I’m not sure if I will forgive you again.”       “I promise it will not happen again. I will hide nothing and pretend that everything is fine. Now you can ask me any question, and I will answer it.”       “Okay, okay, I believe you. Alright, you will get a chance. And I hope you will use it right.”       “Don’t doubt it.”       “Yeah, as if it happened, you also forgive me for pressing on you too much,” Victoria apologizes truly. “Maybe, I did really go too far and even blamed you for what happened.”       “No, Mrs. Richardson, don’t apologize. You’re guilty of nothing. You’ve always wished me the best and wanted to make it right. But sadly, I took it otherwise due to my strong aggression.”       “I just wanted to help you and stop seeing you being depressed and exhausted. But sadly, you wanted to explain nothing or didn’t sometimes want to talk. Besides, as long as I remember you, you’ve rarely smiled. Only several times.”       “I thought I could take it by myself and wanted to get anyone in it. But after I got problems with my girlfriend and my family, I had less strength. And there’s much from my past that doesn’t still let me be quiet. It made my mental health much worse. So… I should’ve exploded early or late. Because keeping everything inside for so many years was unbearable. And… I’m starting to understand that you should tell people about any problem because silence might lead to sad consequences.”       “So, will you share your problems with your close people and stop being silent like a partisan?”       “Sure,” Edward replies confidently. “I will no longer make these mistakes. The mistakes that are the reason why I lost the trust of so many people and still have to try to get it back.”       “Good, I’m glad if it’s true,” Victoria says with a slight smile. “So, as you decided to stand in the right way, I’m suggesting we forget about our misunderstanding and try not to think about it.”       “I would be very happy if you wanted it,” Edward replies softly with a shy smile. “Because I also want to forget about that misunderstanding. I want to live in peace with those I love.”       “Well, let’s make peace? Agree?”       “Absolutely.”       Victoria and Edward shyly smile at each other, get up two seconds later and take each other in an amicable hug, exhaling slowly with great relief and not hiding their happiness. While the woman is very happy she will no longer be lonely, the man understands that he kind of got the burden off his shoulders after reconciling with another very important person. A few seconds later, they step away from each other and smile shyly. The woman softly caresses the man’s cheek, while he definitely enjoys the attention and love of this person, who spreads such a nice warmth.       “Will you tell me what’s happened to you?” Victoria asks amicably.       “Sure,” Edward replies amicably. “Although I’m happy with thinking about it, I will tell you everything.”       “Let’s drink a cup of coffee. Moreover, I have a pack of cookies. Delicious, just saying.”       “I will not refuse,” Edward shrugs with a shy smile on his face.       “Let’s go to the kitchen then. While a kettle is bowling, you and I will talk.”       Edward nods and follows Victoria to a small, confined kitchen, the walls of which are dark. And when they come in, the woman fills a kettle with water and turns it on, and the man sits on the kitchen table and folds his hands in front of himself, looking at the whole little room and noticing how old the refrigerator, cooker, and kitchen set are.       “Erm, excuse me, Mrs. Richardson, you said you saw the reportage, in which they talked about me…” Edward recalls hesitantly.       “Yes, I did,” Victoria replies, sitting on the table in front of Edward. “A few days ago, I was changing the channels and saw the reportage about a certain Michael MacClife. I don’t know who that is, but they said that man got arrested on the charge of many articles.”       “He has done too many things that he must pay for.”       “Is he so horrible?”       “Oh…” Edward exhales slowly and leans back in the chair. “Michael MacClife is a horrible man. The most horrible man I’ve ever known. Well, maybe, also his friends. The same scumbags as he is. That man is one of those, who make me wish to strangle him with my hands.”       “As I understand, are you not Edward Lockhart but Edward MacClife?”       “I’m still Lockhart thanks to my documents, but yes. I was born as MacClife.”       “Does it mean that Michael is your own uncle? The news issue said that man tried to kill your father.”       “That’s correct. Michael is my uncle. And Terrence MacClife is my brother, with whom my father separated me with.” Edward quietly starts knocking at the table with his fingers. “And I didn’t know anything about my mother for a long time.”       “And are your father and uncle at war?”       “Yes, you’re right.”       “But why? What’s the reason for that aggression?”       “Jealousy, Mrs. Richardson. Uncle was always jealous of Father because he was more successful. Because everybody loved him much more. He cursed my grandfather and grandmother for letting Father be born. He wanted to be the only child, who would get all the attention. Though, Uncle never did anything good for it.”       “Familiar case. Sadly, many children are so jealous of their brothers and sisters. But I don’t personally know those, who tried to kill and rob a close person.”       “I’m still surprised at how such good people give birth to a nasty sinker. My grandmother and grandfather were always wonderful people. Kind, caring, soft… I mean, I didn’t doubt my grandmother, but my grandfather died before my birth. But she always said only good things about him, and I’m sure he was wonderful, as well.”       “Agree. There was a good example, but that person became horrible.”       “I think his jealousy was too strong. He’s always been a terrible egoist, who thought people must’ve pleased him and gone around him. His friends were the same. They literally kissed his legs, and he was happy with his rooster tail puffed. He didn’t make his parents and brother his servants, but he made his pals look into the mouth of their lord.”       “But how did Michael harm his brother?”       “I will not tell you about all the tricks. But I’ll tell only you that Uncle took everything Father had earned, ruined both of his two marriages, and almost killed his children from the first marriage… He dared to attempt on my brother’s fiancée and my girlfriend…”       “That man got those, who didn’t have to do with his conflict with your father, involved in it?”       “Yes. Uncle thought if someone had to do with Father somehow, they must’ve been destroyed. That’s why he attempted on all of us.”       “Did your father let him destroy himself and the others so easily?” Victoria rounds her eyes.       “He tried to do something, but he could do nothing,” Edward replies quietly. “Father has always been a smart but too naive man. He believed Uncle Michael would get better and stop poisoning his life… But all the actions of that stinker made my father wake up and realize that he would never live in peace with that sick man.”       “My gosh…”       “Because of him, my parents had such a hard life that they split up after a big scandal. And… As you know, they separated me from my brother.”       “Yes, I know…” Victoria nods with sadness in her eyes.       “The problem is about money. The stress caused by poverty. Father could’ve become a provided man, but he became a pauper because of Uncle.”       “He stole his money?”       “Not only. My father had a lot of money and a part of the rights to the shipbuilding company that my grandfather founded many years ago. When the time came, Father took his place. Uncle also got a job, but he didn’t make any important decisions. But he did something for Father to lose the job of the manager.”       “So, could your father have been rich?”       “Yes.”       “But does he have a chance to get the company back?”       “Sure, he does. Father has proof of the fact that he was kicked out of the company by force. Moreover, the police are examining the documents from the company’s archives that suspended its work for the time of the investigation.”       “And is he going to fight for his rights?”       “Honestly, I don’t know,” Edward shakes his head. “But I think he cares about the company less. Father’s main goal is to put Uncle in prison. If that man stays free, none of us will live in peace. We will exhale with relief only after Uncle Michael dies.”       “By the way, as far as I remember, you’ve always had a very tense relationship with your father.”       “It’s the truth. But now I started to treat him much softer. And I madly liked how worthily Father acted about one week ago when he showed up to make a surprise for Uncle Michael.”       “Is it true that Michael thought you and your father were dead for some time?”       “True. Somehow, he tried to kill me, but I survived and used a moment. I got off Uncle for one month. But then one of his pals saw me and told him I was alive.”       “And your father?”       “Almost the same happened to him. But he was hiding longer. And he made Terrence, Uncle, and me believe in his death. He showed up one week ago. To let know he was lucky to survive…”       “My gosh…” Victoria frowns slightly. “But wait… I don’t understand something… When did you get attacked?”       “A little more than one month ago,” Edward replies quietly. “On the day when you began to show a great interest in my mood. You said I was depressed, unhappy, and literally ate nothing.”       “Yes, yes, I got you…” Victoria put a finger on her lips. “I was worried about you because you suddenly disappeared someday and didn’t answer my calls. But two weeks later or a little more, you called me yourself.”       “I decided to let you know I was fine. I said I allegedly got a one-sided job in another city, and I disappeared so suddenly for that reason.”       “But where were you for almost one month?”       “In a hospital. After Uncle Michael’s people wounded me, I was brought to a hospital and was unconscious for two weeks. I was told my state was very hard, and the doctors literally got me out of another world.”       “Did your family know it?”       “Nope. I didn’t have documents with me, and my phone got discharged. The doctors didn’t find my family. And I called myself Edward Lockhart, who I actually am in my documents.”       “But what made you change your name?”       “Erm, there was one case…” Edward replies hesitantly, biting his lip slightly.       “The case was that you got arrested on the charge of a murder you didn’t commit?” Victoria asks quietly. “And is that how you wanted to forget everything?”       “Yup…” Edward moves his sad eyes to his hands folded in front of him. “I really got arrested one day. But I killed nobody.”       “But how did it happen?”       “I was nineteen… You and I didn’t know each other, and I changed my place literally every single day…” Edward tightly locks his fingers. “It happened at the beginning of 2010… I was going home with my friend and saw one of Uncle’s familiar people killing a friend of my father. The killed man befriended him and had a bad relationship with Uncle.”       “You want to say Uncle gave the order to kill him and charge you for the murder?”       “He denies his fault and says he didn’t tell him to kill him. But I don’t exclude that the murder happened on his order. Because the real killer is much younger than that man and was nobody to him. I can’t imagine what kind of business they had. How serious it could be.”       “The reportage said you got arrested in the crime place with a gun in your hands.”       “I accidentally grabbed the pistol that the killer lost. I didn’t think it might lead to terrible consequences. And it played a cruel joke on me when the police suddenly showed up there… After I persuaded my friend to run, I tried to explain what happened. But because they saw me with the gun, nobody believed me. The policemen put a handcuff on me and took me to the station. They questioned me again and took my fingerprints. They fit the ones they found on the pistol. And it became one more reason to put me in prison.”       “For nothing?” Victoria opens her eyes widely. “Without an investigation?”       “Yes. Just because my fingerprints were on the gun. They didn’t care that there were the fingerprints of someone else. I mean, the one, who was investigating the case, didn’t care.”       “My gosh…”       “If only you knew what kind of psychological pressure he put me under… He screamed, insulted, humiliated… He even dared to beat me… Just to make me recognize the fault for the murder. But I couldn’t prove my innocence, and everything was against me. My last hope disappeared when I made my friend run for a reluctance not to get him involved in my business.”       “Oh, God, Edward, you’re telling me terrible things…” Victoria shakes her head.       “I was half alive after the two weeks I spent in prison. Morally exhausted due to the strong psychological pressure. Physically exhausted because of being beaten by that investigator and the people, with whom I was in jail. I’m still shaking when I think about it… That was hell! It led to the wish to kill myself not to experience that torture. And… I would’ve really done it if Uncle hadn’t come to the police two weeks later, paid bail, and given the investigator bribery, so the investigation of the case was temporarily suspended. I was made to sign a declaration that I would not leave. And they reminded me that if the case was renewed, and other suspects were not found, I would be put in prison. But even if the killer was found, I would have to stand in front of the judge as a defendant.”       “Oh, my dear…” Victoria pronounces with pity in her eyes. “But how? How do those people dare to make you a defendant if you’re innocent?”       “I didn’t prove it. And it doesn’t mean my friend would help me. Even if I’m going to find him and ask for help. Because it’s one of fewer chances to save myself.”       “It would be unfair if they dared to put you in prison and let the killer walk on a street as if nothing happened.”       “I know, but they will not drop the charges off me. Only after the judge announces the sentence, I will be found non-guilty, or they will put a handcuff on me before the eyes of my close people and put me in prison. Where… They will eat me…” Edward sighs quietly, running his hand over his hair. “So, Mrs. Richardson, here is it… If everything is against me, I will go to prison. For nothing.”       “Gosh, Edward, my boy…” Victoria pronounces softly with pity in her eyes, caressing Edward’s hand. “I’m so sorry…”       “It’s alright,” Edward pronounces in a low, quiet voice, looking at his hands with sad eyes. “I’ll take it somehow.”       “Didn’t anyone in your family know it?”       “Nobody. For the time being. Only Uncle knew it. He knew about the image of Lockhart and about the murder, but he didn’t guess the real killer was his main suck-up. That man thought I was the killer and often threatened that he could betray me to my family. Do his best to make them believe I had to do with the murder and go against me. And his plan worked partly when Father believed that stinker briefly and told me he was ashamed to call me his son.”       “Did that investigator make him believe you killed that man?”       “Yes. But he didn’t believe my story about what happened and kept blaming me for the murder with the pretense of my father, brother, and girlfriend. However, I didn’t care about what he would say. I told myself it was time to stop being afraid and listening to that deadbeat. Otherwise, my close people would’ve suffered. Though, I didn’t want it.”       “Did your family know about Michael?”       “Sure. Father knew everything. And Mother knew something, but she didn’t talk much about it. She told us something only when there was no point in hiding it. But my brother and his fiancée had known nothing until he started to threaten them and told his people to terrify them.”       “So, were you afraid to tell what connected you with your uncle because you were afraid they would judge you for the arrest?”       “Yup… Imagine what you would feel if your relative got arrested. I don’t think you would be happy.”       “I understand it. Nevertheless, they are your family and should’ve known the truth. Not only about the arrest, but also about a danger that was threatening them.”       “I know, but I thought Uncle wouldn’t hurt them. I didn’t believe he would really defeat my family ‘till the end. My mother, brother, his fiancée… Even my girlfriend…”       “Oh, Edward…” Victoria sighs tiredly, running her hand over her face. “What a story…”       “That story deprived me of all my strength. Now I feel emptied. I’ve never been able to relax because I was afraid that Uncle would do something for me to be in prison or killed by him. I’ve always had to be tense, excited, and frightened. Even when I started to date Natalia and met my family, I couldn’t feel relaxed and happy. Yes, of course, there was a relief, but it didn’t help me. I’ve never been really happy. I’ve always lacked love and attention. I lacked people who could give it to me. And I meddled in that case because I wanted to get attention and try to get some praise. I felt so lonely and unhappy that I was happy even with insults and humiliations. Because… It’s attention… People remembered that I… Existed.”       “But now you can relax. At least because everything got clear.”       “Alas, I will not be able to relax soon. The hearings will start soon. Those, who have to do with the story of the MacClife family, are going to be witnesses. I will be a witness in the case of Uncle, but a defendant in the case of the murder of Father’s friend. We all will have to remember those horrible days to tell the judge and jury all the truth.”       “And when’s the trial starting?”       “I don’t know,” Edward shrugs. “The date is not known yet. But I was told we’re going to meet the lawyer that is supposed to get us ready for the processing.”       “Alright… I would come to support you with great pleasure.”       “I think friends and relatives would be allowed to come in. Only reporters and journalists may be not allowed because real chaos would start because of them.”       “Anyway, know that I will be praying that you’re pronounced innocent.”       “Thanks a lot, Mrs. Richardson,” Edward smiles shyly, caressing Victoria’s hand. “I’m very glad we’ve got such a good support group.”       “That’s good. Maybe, it would be easier for you to experience the trial.”       “Maybe, they wouldn’t really let us go insane. Because I don’t know if I can take the processing.”       “It’s gonna be okay, my sweetheart,” Victoria smiles shyly. “Believe that everything will be fine, and do something if you have a chance to prove your innocence.”       “Alright.”       Two seconds later, a weird, loud sound rings in the kitchen, but it does not get Victoria confused.       “Oh, the kettle is bowling!” Victoria exclaims. “Now I will make coffee.”       Victoria gets up from the table and takes the nickel-plated kettle off the stove. And because the cups with brewed coffee are prepared and placed on the kitchen furniture, the woman just fills them with water, mixes everything with teaspoons, and places one of the cups in front of Edward and puts another in front of herself.       “I didn’t add sugar,” Victoria says. “I will put a cup of sugar, and you will take as much as you want.”       With these words, Victoria takes a little glassy volume full of clean sugar from one of the cupboards. She puts it on the table alongside a plate of cookies with chocolate pieces she takes out of an open pack. Next, the woman takes a bottle of fresh milk from the refrigerator and adds a little bit to her cup of coffee, puts it back, sits on the table, and mixes everything again.       “By the way, I see you are quietly talking about your girlfriend,” Victoria notices thoughtfully. “But some time ago, you didn’t even want to hear her name, and you insulted that girl.”       “Yeah…” Edward nods and inclines his head above the cup, slowly mixing everything in it with a teaspoon. “It’s true…”       “Maybe, you can tell me what happened between you?” Victoria asks quietly.       “I thought she was cheating on me with another man,” Edward replies gloomily. “Even though, that girl never thought about it. She was cruelly framed.”       “Cheating? But why did you think so?”       “One thing happened and let Uncle Michael get a benefit and make everything look like she dated another man.”       “Gosh…” Victoria shakes her head with sadness on her face, mixing sugar in her cup of coffee. “Did that man do something bad again?”       “He did! One of Uncle’s accomplices saw Natalia on the day when she and I met for the first time. He is mentally sick and… So to say… Obsessed with girls… Young, beautiful girls…”       “My gosh…” Victoria rounds her eyes. “How awful…”       “One day, Natalia went to walk in a desert, dark place… She forgot about what could happen. And she ran into that stinker and his sick friends…”       “And what’s next?”       “Then… Then he…” Edward falls into silence sharply and waves a hand with a gloomy face. “No… I don’t want to keep talking. It’s disgusting for me! Disgusting to think that a hairy gorilla dared to feel my girlfriend up and kiss her against her will.”       “Gosh…” Victoria opens her eyes widely. “Want to say that girl was tried to be raped?”       “She was lucky that men got spooked and did nothing bad to her. He only took a few photos with the help of his friends, thanks to which he and Uncle Michael made it look like cheating. They were sure Natalia told us nothing and decided to make me leave her.”       “And you believed so easily?”       “Sadly.” Edward drinks some hot coffee from his cup. “I got no explanation from that girl. On the day when I threw the photos at her face, she was just crying. So, I thought it was the truth. Though, I couldn’t even imagine that a sick stinker tried to rape her.”       “My gosh, how hard everything is…”       “But that’s good everything got clear. At first, Natalia told all the truth, then we ran into her offender, and Uncle Michael eventually confessed that he framed the girl.”       “Listen, Edward…” Victoria thinks for two seconds. “Tell me, please… Was the envelope a little more, which was sent to you two months ago, connected with Natalia? I remember you running away from the apartment after you opened it.”       “Yes, it was. There were the photos that became an alleged dirty thing on Natalia in that envelope.” Edward hums quietly and glances aside. “Those people did it well.”       “Were they so terrible?”       “Those scumbags picked up the positions, so it seemed that Natalia liked it. Everything was planned well. Those people and my uncle picked up the ‘best’ shoots and sent them to your address because he knew I used to live here.”       “Poor girl…” Victoria takes a couple of coffee with milk and shakes her head. “She needed your help at such a hard time, but you did such a cruel thing to her.”       “I know,” Edward replies shamelessly. “I know I did a disgusting thing to her. But nobody knew what happened to Natalia, ‘cause that man got her so terrified that she was silent for five months.”       “Five months?” Victoria gets horrified. “Gosh, Edward, are you kidding?”       “Not at all. The rape attempt on Natalia had happened a few weeks before we started to date. And I started to suspect something wasn’t right about her. But she denied everything hard and said she was hurt because of the fight with her friend. I believed her ‘cause I saw she really felt pain. But even when the girls reconciled, I often saw Natalia depressed and distanced. And it impacted our relationship. She was kind of afraid to get closer to me and didn’t let me cross a line. It made me worried, and I started to doubt that Natalia loved me.”       “I believe she got serious psychological trauma.”       “And knowing she’s a very vulnerable and sensitive girl, it was much harder for her. Moreover, Natalia was silent for a few months. She told us all the truth when she had no strength to pretend that everything was okay.”       “Poor girl…” Victoria shakes her head with horror in her eyes and drinks some coffee from her cup, swallowing a little piece of a cookie. “How much she had to experience… I hope God the news about Michael holding her in his house for four days is not the truth.”       “Sadly, it’s the truth,” Edward says with sadness in his eyes and takes a little sip of coffee. “It happened on the day when she told me all the truth. When we met her offender among Uncle Michael’s people, who were told to bring that girl to his house.”       “My gosh…” Victoria frowns slightly, moving her eyes to Edward. “But wait, were you with her at the moment of the kidnapping?”       “I was. But sadly, I could not prevent it and gave Natalia to the hands of those sick psyches against my wish.”       “They were stronger?”       “I just lost attention at some moment due to tiredness and hit my hit after one of those people pushed me against the wall. So, I… I lost consciousness… But when I woke up, neither Natalia nor those men were there.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Victoria pronounces in a little shaking voice. “Honey, how did it happen? Nothing really happened to you after that hit? Hits on the head are very dangerous!”       “I didn’t feel good and suffered from a headache. But I quickly forgot about it to help Natalia and save her. Even being close to death, I would’ve found the strength to do my best not to let bad things happen.”       “And how do you feel now?”       “Don’t worry, Mrs. Richardson, I’m fine,” Edward smiles slightly. “I felt much better the next day.”       “Look, Edward, playing with these things is dangerous. You better go to a hospital just in case. What if something is bad about your head.”       “There is no need to do. I feel wonderful.”       “Oh… Well, alright… As you wish… But I wouldn’t take your health so carelessly.”       “At that moment, I cared about my health much less. The only thing I could think about was Natalia.” Edward sighs quietly and puts his hand on his forehead, leaning on the surface of the table with his elbow. “I almost went crazy for the four days. I was madly worried about her and wasn’t sleeping or eating. I asked myself if her offender had done something horrible to her. Whether they tortured her. Whether they beat her. Whether they made her stay hungry. I was terribly afraid that Uncle would show up one day to say that Natalia was dead or about to die. I wouldn’t bear it. In short, those four days were the worst in my life. The tortures in prison, attempts, and insults of Uncle would be a stupid thing, unlike the death of the girl that means so much to me.”       “Did you try to take her away from Michael’s house?”       “Of course, I did. When Uncle let me know Natalia was at his house, I went there immediately. But I was kicked out by his order. Whatever I was doing, I didn’t get into his house. So, I had to wait for Uncle to wish to let me see her.”       “So, did you have anyone’s help?”       “I had, but it gave me almost nothing. I asked my brother and his fiancée for help, and we tried to stay together until Uncle called and told Terrence and me to go his home.”       “Poor girl…” Victoria shakes her head, closing her mouth with a hand. “God… Nobody should experience what that girl did. Nobody…”       “I’m terribly afraid to think about what could’ve happened if she had kept being silent,” Edward replies quietly, looking at Victoria with scared eyes. “Natalia was killing herself slowly all this time. She was on edge. She could’ve easily killed herself. Only thanks to Terrence and Raquelle, she got over the fear. If not for my brother and his fiancée, we would’ve hardly gotten out of the hole, in which she got.”       “I think you must thank them for not leaving Natalia alone. She was madly lucky that such good friends were by her side.”       “I’m madly grateful to the two for waking Natalia up and not refusing to help me rescue her.” Edward drinks some coffee from his cup and eats a couple of cookies. “And I also owe Raquelle for impacting the events. For pushing me to the talk with Natalia and letting me know I was deceived. And for saving all of us when she brought the police to the house of Uncle Michael.”       “Your brother’s fiancée? Brought the police?”       “She planned it secretly from everybody. Nobody guessed she planned something. Natalia, Terrence, and I were nicely surprised when the policeman brought her to us. I doubt we would’ve survived if the police and that girl hadn’t come in time.”       “Great,” Victoria drinks some coffee with a slight smile. “That girl is definitely brave and loves her family.”       “That’s true,” Edward smiles shyly. “She’s a wonderful girl. Very kind, sweet, caring, loyal… I’m glad Terrence chose her. I really like my soon-to-be sister-in-law and think she’s perfect for my brother.”       “Sadly, I don’t know who she is because I don’t follow the celebrity news. But the news briefly mentioned that Raquelle was a famous model.”       “That’s correct. Photoshoots, shoots for commercials, fashion shows… That’s what she's doing. Literally, all men in the world go insane from her beauty. And I understand them because Raquelle is really stunning. She has something that doesn’t leave anyone indifferent. I will not hide, I’ve always admired her. Raquelle can definitely show herself and knows her dignity.”       “But you don’t have chances, my sweetie,” Victoria laughs shyly. “That girl is engaged to your brother.”       “Gosh, Mrs. Richardson, what are you talking about?” Edward stares at Victoria questioningly. “How would I dare to put an eye on a fiancée of my sibling? I’ve never stolen girls from other guys! And I wouldn’t especially do it to Terrence, Who can’t literally live without her. He’s so attracted to Raquelle that he would sell his soul to a devil to make her happy.”       “It may happen.”       “So, here’s another reason why these two can’t be torn apart. Maybe, sometimes it’s hard for them to be together, but it would be much harder to be separated. And when people love each other, nothing and nobody can destroy their love. It wouldn’t get weak by someone’s order.”       “But confess that you wanted to be instead of your brother,” Victoria smiles mysteriously. “If you say you’ve admired his fiancée.”       “Maybe, I could dream about it. But now it’s all over.” Edward falls into silence for two seconds and drinks some coffee. “I treat Raquelle the way Terrence treats Natalia. We’re like a brother and a sister. I love her, but this love is not what you mean. It’s a love between relatives. My soon-to-be relative.”       “You know, anything happens…”       “No, Mrs. Richardson,” Edward laughs shyly. “I can’t imagine Terrence and Natalia and Raquelle and me as couples. My brother should only be with his fiancée. And I would never think about ruining their couple.”       “Okay, okay, I got it,” Victoria caresses Edward’s hand softly. “I said it for nothing.”       Edward says nothing and just smiles shyly, but then he drinks some hot coffee and eats a few pieces of cookies. That’s why silence settles in the air, during which Victoria answers him back, slowly mixing coffee with milk with a teaspoon.       “Well, as you and I are talking about your present – or former, I don’t know – girlfriend, tell me, what’s happening between you?” Victoria asks. “Will you try to get her back? Or do you want to wait for another girl?”       “Everything’s decided!” Edward smiles shyly, moving his eyes to Victoria. “Natalia and I are together again.”       “Together?”       “Yes. We reconciled. I apologized to her and asked her to come back, and she agreed.”       “My gosh!” Victoria exclaims with a wide smile. “Gosh, I’m so happy! Edward! That’s good!”       “I still can’t believe my beloved girl is with me again,” Edward confesses. “It’s madly nice to realize that she’s never betrayed me or even thought about it. And I hope nothing will longer tear us apart.”       “Wait, but how?” Victoria stops mixing coffee and folds her hands in front of herself. “How did you reconcile? When? Did you two forgive each other so easily?”       “It happened yesterday. We met by chance on the street. We walked a little, talked about all the problems, and expressed our wishes and claims… And… We eventually realized we couldn’t let each other go. And we decided to give our relationship another chance. Apologized to each other and promised not to make the same mistakes. To talk about our problems and be honest. Well, I promised Natalia to take care of her and protect her.”       “And don’t you fear difficulties? Aren’t you afraid your love might get weaker? You said many bad words!”       “We understand we’d need time to forget everything and establish our relationship,” Edward replies confidently and smiles shyly. “But I know exactly that she loves me. And I don’t doubt my own feelings. I know I love her and can’t imagine myself with anyone else. Natalia is an amazing person. She spreads such a nice warmth… That girl is full of tenderness and love and ready to share it. She always knows how to comfort, support and motivate. She gives me strength, hope, and a wish to do what I want and what I can’t find the courage for. I literally forget everything in the world and think of nothing bad when she’s with me.”       “Do you really love her so much?”       “Madly much. I literally can’t live without Natalia. And I think I didn’t love her as much as I do now. Now she is more important to me than ever. Every day, I’m falling in love with her more and more.”       “And will you no longer betray her and do anything that would make her think you’re a betrayer?”       “Never, Mrs. Richardson,” Edward shakes his head. “I’ll no longer make the same mistakes and will be doing my best to make her happy and make her feel quiet and protected. Maybe, at first, we doubted we’d be together after what happened and were obsessed with fears. But at some moment, we realized we’d hardly be happy if we broke up forever. Even if we remained friends. I would never manage to treat Natalia just as a friend. I treat her as my beloved girl. As a person that I’m attracted to like a magnet.”       “So, if you reconciled, I’m very happy for you and wish you great happiness,” Victoria replies with a wide smile and softly caresses Edward’s hand. “Congratulation to you two with all my heart. May your girlfriend love you much more and never think of looking at someone else. And I hope you’ll always be by her side and protecting her as real men do.”       “Thank you so much, Mrs. Richardson,” Edward thanks truly. “Don’t doubt that Natalia’s gonna be in the trustful hands with me. I will not let anyone hurt my little girl and will tear anyone if someone makes her suffer.”       “That’s good,” Victoria drinks some coffee. “And now I see you got much happier and began to smile more often.”       “I don’t deny it, I feel much better than before. Now I’ve got at least one reason to stay strong and not to give up. I understand I must be strong and confident for Natalia. She doesn’t need the one that is needed to be protected. I must hide her behind my back. I must stand for her. And I will do it. I swear on my life.”       “I believe you, my sweetheart,” Victoria replies softly, caressing Edward’s cheek. “May your love for her always live in your heart and not let you make some terrible mistakes. Love is the most powerful gun against anything in the world.”       “That’s right. Thanks a lot.”       Silence settles in the air for a few seconds, during which Edward glances at what’s in his cup half-filled with dark, strong coffee.       “Now I can exactly say that I feel happy,” Edward says confidently. “Because I have a girlfriend, who gives me attention and is always ready to give and get. Even if I need to reconcile with my brother and his fiancée, overcome the trial of Uncle, and prove my innocence to be absolutely happy, I’m happy anyway.”       “I don’t know what happened between you and your brother and his fiancée, but I’m sure you will reconcile with them if you apply many efforts and stay true,” Victoria replies confidently with a smile. “An that he will accept you as a brother. Well, a trial is a very hard thing. A hearing may last for many months or even years. Don’t hope you and your uncle will get a sentence in a few days. No. You’ll have to wait for a long time.”       “I know. That’s why I will calm down only when I hear the sentence for Uncle and me. Then, I will be able to plan something, change my life, think of creating my family, and something else… I can’t think about it, at least because of the perspective of spending twenty or more years in prison.”       “The most important thing is to believe in the best and fight until the end. Only true faith and some actions will help you and lead you to the right track. And sometimes you should also listen to your heart and follow its sound, not forgetting to use your mind at times.”       “You’re absolutely right, Mrs. Richardson,” Edward replies confidently. “Thank you so much for your support and… Forgive me again for acting like a brainless stinker. I didn’t want anything to happen.”       “Don’t think about it, sweetie.” Victoria takes Edward’s hands folded in front of him on the table, looking into his eyes with a slight smile. “Everybody makes mistakes, but all of us have a right to a second chance. Only the second one. Remember, from now on, you will have no third, fourth, fifth, or tenth chance. People can’t forgive your disgusting actions forever and believe you’re as innocent as an angel. No pretty face will help you if you miss this chance.”       “I will not miss. Promise.”       “Yeah, and I would really like you not to forget me,” Victoria says with sadness in her eyes. “Please, Edward… Since you aren’t living with me and spending days with me, at least visit me at home as often as possible. We could drink coffee, eat something, talk… Maybe, sometimes, I would need your help…”       “Mrs. Richardson…”       “You know I have nobody.” Victoria takes Edward’s hand with both hands and softly caresses it, looking into his eyes. “My husband died a long time ago, and we have no children due to my woman issues. I stayed all alone. Thank God, I have neighbors, who I can talk with, but they will not stay with me all day long and listen to me.”       “I know.”       “I love you like my own child and am always ready to comfort and help you.”       “You know that you’ve always been like my second mother, and I love you with all my heart. Of course, I will visit you as often as possible. If you need some help, you can always come to me. It’s not hard for me to do something for you.”       “Thank you so much, Edward,” Victoria smiles shyly. “I’m glad that despite what happened to you, you stayed a kind, polite and decent man. And now I can understand why you were so aggressive. I understand why you felt insulted and humiliated. I know all those events got you exhausted.”       “It’s true. But it’s okay, I will take it. I’ve experienced much worse nightmares than the one that is going to happen at the nearest time.”       “I hope, my sunshine. I wish everything ended well.”       “Thank you for the support, Mrs. Richardson. I adore you!”       “And thank you for everything. I’m so lucky to know you. And I don’t regret the time we lived together. Of course, I’m sorry you’re not living with me anymore, but I’m glad you’re living with your mother. Your place is next to your family, not a stranger. If you are not alone, you must be surrounded by your close people.”       “I would like to, but I should reconcile with them at first.”       “You will do.” Victoria caresses Edward’s cheek with a slight smile. “Trust me, everything will get better in your life, early or late. And you will be very happy.”       Edward smiles widely, gets up from the table a few seconds later, comes to Victoria, and hugs her touchingly. The woman answers this gesture with pleasure, kisses the man on his temple, and caresses his head tenderly. While he just keeps a hand on her shoulder, being happy this talk was good, feeling great relief, and trying to believe his reconciliation with Terrence, Raquelle, Jamie, and Rebecca will come true.       

***

      The United Kingdom. London. It’s about half past nine. While it’s daylight in New York, the day almost ended here. Alicia is now talking to Frederick on the phone, sitting on the sofa in the living room, watching TV, and changing channels in search of something interesting.       “So, will the trial of Michael and all of his accomplices start soon?” Alicia asks thoughtfully.       “Yes, but I don’t know when it will happen,” Fredrick replies. “But I think the trial will start somewhere in one or two months.”       “And the hearing is going to last two or three times longer.”       “At least all the friends and relatives are by the side of Terrence, Edward, their parents, Raquelle, and Natalia. And some of them promised to support them and go to the hearing. Or at least, on announcing the sentence.”       “Oh, I would support them with pleasure, as well, but I don’t know if I can,” Alicia replies with sadness in her eyes and sighs heavily. “I would have to do something to my job and ask for days off.”       “You could only attend to the announcement of the sentence. You don’t have to be at all the hearings. I could tell you when it would happen, and you would arrive in the USA for two days.”       “Maybe, it’d be better…” Alicia clears her throat. “And will you go at least to one of the hearings?”       “I shall do the possible and the possible for it,” Frederick replies confidently. “I already told Terrence and Raquelle I would go to the hearing.”       “Great… Then I shall try to do my best to come, at least for the announcement of the sentence. For my niece, I will ask for free days at work, find money and arrive in the USA.”       “I’d be happy to see you. And Raquelle would be glad if you came.”       “How can I refuse to support my girl? She does have to do with this case. So, Raquelle is definitely worried.”       “It’s true. My granddaughter is really worried. She said she’d take a break in her career for the time of the trial until the end of it.”       “And how’s she doing? You said Raquelle and Terrence visited you yesterday.”       “Yes, they came for two hours. They said they went to Kingston, were at the cemetery, stood in front of the graves of Elizabeth and Jackson, and then decided to visit me.”       “Oh…” Alicia pronounces with sadness in her eyes. “I should go there when I come to the USA. To talk to my sister and brother-in-law a little.”       “I’d like to go there someday. So, I think I will go there tomorrow or after tomorrow.”       “Terrence and Raquelle could suggest you go to the cemetery with them.”       “C’mon, I can go alone. Why should I impose on young people? May they spend time together.”       “Nevertheless…”       “I spent a wonderful time with them. We drank a cup of coffee and talked about what had happened in their lives. And I made sure everything was really fine about their relationship… And somewhere two hours later, they left. They said they wanted to go somewhere together.”       “That’s great they spend a lot of time together. Especially now, when they need the support of each other.”       “Don’t worry, my darling, everything is fine about Raquelle and Terrence,” Frederick replies confidently with a slight smile. “I saw it with my own eyes. I saw my granddaughter getting attracted to her fiancé, and he treats her with great tenderness and care.”       “Thank God, then.” Alicia turns on another channel after she sees an annoying movie being shown. “Yeah, did they tell you something new? For example, something about the story of Natalia’s kidnapping or her relationship with Edward?”       “Natalia had told Edward what happened to her. And you may be surprised, but he believed her immediately.”       “So easily?”       “It became a powerful push that helped him wake up and understand he was a stupid idiot.”       “And what now?” Alicia asks without emotions. “Is he gonna be running after her and saying he’s sorry?”       “Who knows… But I can confidently say one thing: the story of that girl about the rape attempt turned everything upside down. And when that girl was taken away right under from Edward’s nose, it finally opened his eyes.”       “So, did he see them trying to kidnap her?” Alicia frowns slightly. “I guess he didn’t even try to help her.”       “No, no, vice versa! Edward was trying to save Natalia from the people of Michael. But as Terrence said, he couldn’t do that.”       “So, it wasn’t so important to him.”       “You’re wrong. Edward didn’t save Natalia because one of those people hit him on the head strongly, and he lost consciousness. Well, the criminals used the moment and took Natalia to the house of that stinker, Michael.”       “Hit on the head?” Alicia gets horrified, rounding her eyes, and tears her back off the sofa.       “Yes. I mean, he hit his head against the wall when he was pushed. So, the hit was so strong that Edward lost consciousness and could do nothing when he woke up.”       “Jesus Christ… But he could've died if the hit had been strong!”       “Right. He could’ve died. But luckily, he was very lucky! He reached the home of Terrence and Raquelle, told them about the kidnapping, and asked for help.”       “Did Terrence let him in so easily?” Alicia asks amazingly.       “I believe so. But as Terrence said, he wasn’t happy with having to see Edward and barely took him at first. But later, it was getting easier to control himself. And at the end of this story, he got very soft toward him.”       “My gosh… But he recently wanted to hear nothing about his brother. Who has been near him all this time.”       “Yeah, but now Terrence openly says he does care about his brother. But he is not sure if he could forgive him if Edward asked for forgiveness.”       “Didn’t he say why he agreed to help him?”       “No, he said no word about it. But I think Terrence understood that Edward wasn’t a stranger to him, but his own younger sibling. Now, he doesn’t deny that he isn’t indifferent to him and does worry about him deep inside.”       “Quite possible,” Alicia replies thoughtfully. “No matter what, Terrence was worried because of that conflict. He was struggling with the offense for his brother and the love for the close person. And the attraction to Edward has eventually won.”       “I believe so. Well, a sibling, a close person… Who he got very close to… Who he truly loved…”       “What does Raquelle think of the situation of Terrence and Edward?”       “I think she keeps a neutral position: she doesn’t stand by her fiancé’s side openly and doesn’t turn him against her soon-to-be brother-in-law. She just asks Terrence and Natalia to talk to Edward and make it all clear. She hardly likes this situation and wants the two to reconcile with him. At least the MacClife brothers should establish their relationship.”       “Do you think she could forgive that guy after everything he told her?”       “My granddaughter said she could forgive Edward if he apologized to her and proved that he was really sorry about what happened.”       “I thought so… Raquelle has always been a very kind girl and can forget an offense easily… She isn’t vindictive and can let offenses go quickly.”       “I think she could be one of the first ones to forgive Edward.”       “Maybe… Maybe…”       “And now, when everybody calmed down and found out the truth, I think Edward isn’t as terrible as we thought. That guy hardly has such a bad opinion about his brother and is widely jealous of him.”       “Do you think we understood him wrongly?”       “Edward has never openly said he’s jealous of Terrence and wants to get his wealth. He meant only the part that his father bequeathed to him. He doesn’t need someone’s wealth.”       “Actually…” Alicia bites her lip slightly. “It’s possible… If Terrence and Raquelle aren’t so aggressive with him, I can believe it.”       “And yeah…” Frederick falls into silence for two seconds. “Terrence, Raquelle, and I even talked about one theory about the situation of Edward and Natalia and their show.”       “Really? Will you share it with me?”       “I just thought a little and assumed that Natalia or Edward knew Terrence and Raquelle would love to help them. I think that’s why one of them decided to drop a little hint to help. I believe that Edward was the one to start that show. Natalia doesn’t need it, but that guy could easily do that.”       “Wait, Mr. Cameron, wait.” Alicia puts the remote control aside, turning off the TV because nothing good is shown. “So, do you think Edward knew his brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law would love to know what happened to him and Natalia?”       “Exactly.”       “Was that show started on purpose?”       “Most likely. Raquelle and Terrence were also surprised by this assumption. But it’s the only thought I came up with. I can’t find another explanation for Edward’s act.”       “No, wait…” Alicia shakes her head. “But Edward got mad at Natalia because of her alleged betrayal. That guy couldn’t think adequately when that girl was near him. What should he have thought of starting that show? Don’t you want to say he wanted to get her back, even despite the conflict?”       “Yes, he couldn’t think adequately. But I think when they were apart, he calmed down a little. And he could think about the situation and decide that Terrence and Raquelle could find out something from Natalia and tell Edward everything because they got on well with her.”       “But why would he get Raquelle and Terrence involved in his relationship? It’s his relationship! Natalia and him! He must have talked to her instead of doing nobody knows what.”       “Of course, he could do it by himself. But since they had no dialogue due to Edward’s aggression and Natalia’s secret, that guy thought it would be better to find out everything with the help of my granddaughter and her fiancé.”       “Excuse me, Mr. Cameron, but that sounds a little stupid.” Alicia shakes her head. “Why did Edward need it? No, I understand that he got jealous of her and the one, who almost raped the poor girl. But I don’t understand why Edward did it if we assume it’s the truth. Why couldn’t he just come to his brother and his fiancée and ask for help personally?”       “I have said it! Edward knew about the warm, amicable relationship between Terrence, Raquelle, and Natalia. And he understood he wouldn’t be able to start a talk with Natalia herself, and her parents couldn’t help because they weren’t aware of what happened to her. But I don’t exclude that the guy could ask them what could happen to their daughter. And if it’s so, he had only one way: asking her friends for help. The checked friends. And do it carefully. So, Terrence and Raquelle understand nothing and start making some conclusions.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Alicia thinks for two seconds. “Mr. Cameron, you are a genius! If you were right, I would be shocked… I didn’t even have this thought in my mind…”       “It’s the only explanation I can call,” Frederick replies quietly. “And I’m sure about it, at least at eighty percent.”       “I wouldn’t have thought Edward could start that purposeful show to get attention on him.”       “To make everything clear, I advised Terrence and Raquelle to ask Edward about it exactly. Now he could probably answer this question and tell them the truth. He has no reason to show strong aggression.”       “Did he find something?”       “Most likely, he lied to Terrence. He told him that if Natalia had been in his view, it would’ve been easier for him to protect her. I mean, Edward said he was trying to protect her from Michael. No, of course, it’s quite possible, but I don’t think he would be protecting his ex-girlfriend when he didn’t know the truth. Why did he, excuse me, the hell, need it? If he had been aggressive toward her, he would’ve literally wished her to die.”       “Well, in this case, I can agree it sounds a little far from the truth,” Alicia replies thoughtfully.       “As Terrence said, it’s one of the reasons. There are many of them.”       “So, he was silent about the others.”       “If Terrence and Raquelle – and even Natalia – need the truth, they should literally press Edward to the wall. Or they would probably need no torture, and he’d explain everything if someone asked him about it.”       “Well… As everybody fought with that guy, we will hardly know if your assumption is right.”       “It’s alright, Alicia, they’ll have to meet early or late,” Frederick replies confidently. “They will not be running away from each other forever. The trial of Michael and his gang will start soon.”       “Yes, I agree… I still doubt if they should reconcile with that guy, but they should really talk to him.”       “Yes, Edward gave everybody much suffering and made many people disappointed. But nobody tells them to hug him immediately. May they sit down and talk quietly. And if everything gets better, they can ask each other for forgiveness in case they want to keep speaking.”       “At the moment, it’s the best thing they can do.”       “I think they all want to reconcile, but the offense doesn’t let them overcome themselves.”       “I think you’re right.”       “And I personally think when a person truly regrets something, they deserve a second chance. Remember the situation with Terrence. Everybody thought he was a terrible man. But he proved that we were wrong. So, I think Edward was understood wrongly. And Raquelle and Terrence said it.”       “Nevertheless, Edward did a disgusting thing to those, who accepted him with open arms.”       “I don’t deny it. But notice that he didn’t behave as meanly as Michael did. And he didn’t show cowardice when Natalia got in trouble and went to ask Terrence and Raquelle for help. Moreover, Edward was really worried about what happened and felt unhappy, broken, and depressed.”       “Really?”       “Yes. And he probably sleeps badly because Terrence said his brother was literally sleeping on a walk. Although Edward said nothing, everything was written on his face.”       “I doubt I would believe it if someone else except Terrence and Raquelle said it.”       “So, we have to think about it.”       “Agree.” Alicia rubs her forehead with a hand. “Anyway, it’s none of our business, and we shouldn’t meddle in it. May Terrence talk to his father and Edward. And Natalia should decide if she needs this man, and whether she can forgive him. Whatever all of them decide, we’ve gotta support them.”       “I absolutely agree with you. But I wouldn’t love to leave the case of Michael without attention. That man has done so much….”       “I closely watch the events of this case. But all reports say nothing interesting.”       “And they say just a part of what really happened. Reporters don’t know very much yet… For example, they don’t know how skillfully Michael turned Terrence against his father.”       “Michael? Terrence? Father?” Alicia rounds her eyes.       “That’s why this man hated his father for a bigger part of his life.”       “But how? How did it happen that Michael was the one to blame?”       “That man went to the home of Terrence, who was a kid, and Mrs. MacClife, and locked himself with him in a room. And while that woman couldn’t enter the room, Michael told him the lie. About his father beating his mother constantly and making her nothing even when she was pregnant with him.”       “Jesus Christ…” Alicia gets horrified, shaking her head with widely open eyes. “It can’t be the truth!”       “It can be, Alicia. Terrence told me about it. He told me about how Michael helped him remember the one, who turned him against his father. Who didn’t do such horrible things. I’m sure that men knew that children were like sponges and would memorize everything they’d be told and think and do what they would be taught.”       “Yeah…” Alicia frowns slightly and starts stroking her chin. “That’s good everything got finally clear.”       “I’m also glad. Maybe, now Terrence will think about his relationship with his father and give him a chance to get along well with him someday. Because… He may be mad at Mr. MacClife for just one reason – being afraid of the responsibility and leaving him and Mrs. MacClife all alone.”       “I hope that man can find good explanations for that act.”       “Now they will all hear the truth. Michael will no longer have anyone wrapped around a finger. He’s been arrested and is waiting for a trial in a cell.”       “And we must thank our sweet Raquelle for bringing the police to Michael’s house. I’d say she paid a debt to Terrence, who did the same somehow. Do you remember he asked you and me for help before her meeting with Simon?”       “Yes, yes, I remember,” Frederick replies confidently with a slight smile. “And I’ll never stop being proud of this wonderful girl. When I lost my son and daughter-in-law, I had only one goal in life – raising Raquelle and making her a good person. And I think I completed my mission: our girl grew up, built a career, and got engaged to an amazing man.”       “You’ve got another mission, Mr. Cameron,” Alicia laughs shyly. “Babysitting your great-grandchildren.”       “Aw, Alicia… It would be incredible. And if it happens someday, I will quietly say the life of my granddaughter is excellent.”       “I really want her to feel the happiness of motherhood and not to delay it too much. I don’t want her to live my life… I got married to the beloved man and didn’t become a mother due to my husband’s death.” Alicia sighs heavily. “If not for Dominick’s death, we would’ve become parents with pleasure.”       “I hope it will not happen to Raquelle.”       “Bite your tongue, Mr. Cameron!” Alicia exclaims with horror in her eyes. “God shall not do!”       “I’m sure she will make us happy with the news about a baby. Terrence and Raquelle are about to get married soon. They will live together for some time and then think about a baby.”       “Between us, have they told you something about it?”       “No, they’re silent yet. But I think it doesn’t mean they don’t want to make children. You and I know that Terrence adores children and has always wanted to have his own child. His eyes always shine when the talk is about babies. He’s ready to become a father and make his parents grandfather and grandmother happy. And his mother talks very much about her wish to babysit her grandchildren.”       “I worry that Raquelle never talks to us about children,” Alicia confesses with anxiety. “She hasn’t said she wants to have a baby. If only she didn’t refuse it.”       “No, I don’t think so. Raquelle has never had anything against children and shows a great interest in the girl that you want to adopt. I think she can’t wait to meet her.”       “I hope, Mr. Cameron. No matter what, it’s time for her and her fiancé to think about it. Of course, love is love, and a career is a career. But time will not wait for them to decide to do it. It’s hard to give birth to middle-aged women. And someone they actually can’t do it.”       “Don’t worry, let them deal with their problems,” Frederick replies confidently. “Imagine what kind of stress they would have if they decided to make a child at this time.”       “Well, nobody rushes them… I just say they should talk about it and start planning the birth of a child.”       “Let’s not press on them. You remember what the pressure led to. We pressed Raquelle into marrying so much that she began to date Terrence, not being ready for it. She didn’t know the man needed attention, and she shouldn’t have forgotten about him. But if you and I start making her give birth, she will not say, ‘thank you’ to you and will probably dislike her child. Just because they would be born at the wrong time.”       “I know.”       “Give her and Terrence time. May they decide when to become parents. Yes, of course, I would like it to happen as soon as possible because I think girls should give birth at a young age. But if they are not ready, we shouldn’t insist. This wish must be couscous and voluntary.”       “I completely agree with you. Anyway, they’ve got nothing to be afraid of. Both are provided, and they live in a large house where there’s enough space… And they’ve got many helpers: from the servants to the friends. Nobody would refuse to help them educate babies.”       “Anyway, I’m going to live until the birth of my grandchildren and babysit them,” Frederick says confidently. “Before I become a witness of their birth, I’m not going to die!”       “Moreover, you’re going to be not just a grandfather, but a great-grandfather!”       “Nobody from my family has lived until the birth of great-grandchildren, but I’m going to be the first one.”       “You will, don’t worry,” Alicia laughs shyly. “You’re our tough gut. Not everyone may have such wonderful health at your age. Not everyone constantly goes somewhere and does something.”       “Well, it’s not quite wonderful, but I’m not complaining. Of course, the pain in my legs bothers me, but not so much to lie in bed all day and watch TV. No! Until I have the strength to walk and do something, I will not lie and become disabled.”       “God shall help, my dear, God shall help.”       Alicia cracks a slight smile and continues to talk to Frederick, getting up from the sofa and coming to the window to watch what’s happening behind her home at this dark time of the day.       

***

      The United States. New York. It’s a new day. It’s about half past two. The atmosphere at the house of Terrence and Raquelle is quiet. The lovers are sitting in the living room and talking about something, while the girl sitting on the sofa sets her gaze on the laptop placed on her laps, and the man sitting on the right hand of her in an armchair is checking something on his iPad.       “I don’t know what about you, but I can’t forget what your grandfather said yesterday,” Terrence says, not moving his eyes off his iPad.       “Do you mean what he said about Edward and Natalia?” Raquelle asks, typing text on the keyboard.       “Yes, I do mean. I started to think much about it after we left his home.”       “You know… Honestly, me too… And I wouldn’t have thought about it.”       “Me too.” Terrence moves his eyes off the iPad and looks at Raquelle. “What Mr. Cameron said seems kind of stupid, but I understand it might be possible. We can expect anything from Edward. He’s unpredictable! You don’t know where he’d go, what he’d do, or what he’d say…”       “So, I don’t exclude that Grandpa may be right that Edward did it to get our attention.”       “And even if it’s true, why did he need it? I don’t get it! I’m trying to understand, but I can’t!”       “Oh, Terrence, I’m asking myself about it…” Raquelle moves her eyes off the laptop with a quiet sigh and looks at Terrence. “Why did he do all of that? Wouldn’t it have been easier to come to us, explain the situation and ask for help?”       “I’m surprised, as well,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “Edward could quietly come to us and ask us to talk to Natalia, so we could find out everything he needed to know. What’s hard about it?”       “And the fact that he was pretending so badly could definitely be an intentional thing. If Grandpa Frederick is right, Edward was definitely pretending that everything was right on purpose.”       “Didn’t Edward trust us? Or was he afraid?”       “Good question… I could understand that he was silent about Michael or his arrest ‘cause it’s really unpleasant to talk about it. Moreover, he’s got horrible memories after that time… But why did he decide to be silent about the breakup with Natalia? I know it’s hurtful and unpleasant to feel betrayed. But what’s the point in pretending that everything was fine when it's all over?”       “I’m afraid we’ll never get it,” Terrence exhales slowly, putting his hand on his forehead and still holding his iPad. That guy has too many demons. Edward is actually not as innocent as it seems. Yes, he seems like a sweet, innocent angel that wouldn’t hurt a fly. But that’s just a mask.”       “He’s probably not weird, he’s too secretive. He’s silent about much and tells people everything when he’s pinned to the wall. Edward would’ve been silent about the story about Michael forever. But since he was surrounded, he had to admit everything.”       “Maybe, Edward is not a bad man, but there’s so much we should understand.” Terrence shakes his head. “I dunno… It’s not easy personally for me. I thought I knew everything about him, but I actually know nothing about him.”       “But Grandpa definitely guesses something…” Raquelle frowns slightly. “He assumed Edward could calm down, think about everything well, and understand something wasn’t right about this story while Natalia wasn’t near him.”       “Yeah, and that’s why Edward didn’t think of anything better than trying to find out everything with our help.”       “You think it may be the truth?”       “Knowing Lockhart, I wouldn’t be surprised,” Terrence chuckles quietly. “The kid has got a crush fantasy. He might think up what I wouldn’t see in my dream.”       “Yeah, but it happened that Natalia told Edward everything, and he didn’t need our help.”       “Right. He started that show for nothing.”       “If she’d told him the truth much earlier, nothing would’ve happened. Her parents and Edward should’ve known it first. Yes, I understand she was ashamed and scared to say that the stinker undressed her into underwear. But her close people would better know the truth than worry and guess what happened. Nobody made Natalia explain how she was tried to be raped. Giving the fact would’ve been enough!”       “Nobody must overcome what happened to her,” Terrence replies with sadness in his eyes. “It’s all too terrible… My heart bleeds when I think about what she had to experience at that moment.”       “Mine too…” Raquelle sighs heavily. “Poor Natalia… Poor…”       “Any girl could’ve been instead of her. And one thing is when she is of legal age. But what if we knew a little girl became a victim of that stinker?”       “I wouldn’t be surprised if Natalia was not the only victim of him. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there were minors.”       “It’s okay, the judge will figure all his tricks out, and he will go to prison. For the rape attempt, for being an accomplice of Uncle Michael, for being a part of the attempt to murder of Father… Wainwright will pay for everything.”       “The fact that he’s now in prison definitely calms me down.”       “Me too…” Terrence notices thoughtfully and scrolls something on his iPad. “And I’m glad we know almost everything we wanted to know… And everything we wouldn’t like to know… The answers to all of our questions have been found.”       “Your uncle answered them.”       “Now we’ve gotta only solve the other problems. And then all of us will exhale with relief and do our business.”       “Ah, Terrence, you will not calm down at the nearest time.” Raquelle sighs with sadness in her eyes and types something on the keyboard. “After what happened, you won’t come to yourself soon. Everything happened almost at the same time… And when one thing happens after another, it might make your nerves worse and make you feel absolutely empty.”       “You’re right, it all really got me exhausted. But now I feel a little better. I can’t say I came to myself, but I feel a little relief.” Terrence shrugs. “I dunno… Maybe, I feel like this because I know the truth about my father and my parents’ life… And many things about Edward got clear, and I understood he wasn’t actually so terrible. Yes, that truth isn’t nice, but I'm glad I know everything now.”       “And did you accept the truth?”       “Yeah, I did. Not at once. But I found the courage to realize I’d live with what I found out. I guess that’s why I got a little better… Though, I already felt a great relief after that night's talk.”       “It’s gonna definitely be a lesson. All of us made sure that we shouldn't have hidden what happened to us. It might end badly not only for you but also for others. We’ve seen so many examples… And we felt it on our backs…”       “Well… I was silent about my secret ‘cause I was afraid to seem weak and kept the status of an unbreakable, confident man. Natalia was silent ‘cause she was terrified and ashamed to talk about what happened to her and got scared… And Edward…” Terrence thinks for two seconds, biting his lip slightly. “Edward was silent because not everyone would love to talk about their arrest. And Uncle was pressing on him strongly… He turned him against all of us and found what could change his attitude toward his family.”       “That’s right. But the most important thing is that he changed his mind in time and realized he could’ve lost everything.”       “Yeah, but I don’t understand the story of Natalia and him.”       “Maybe, we will find out the truth someday,” Raquelle assumes. “Find out whether Grandpa was right.”       “That’s bad there was nobody to wash his brains. Calm him down when Edward got enraged because of those photos. If someone had been by his side, he would’ve been able to control himself.”       “Oh, all of us are ashamed of something…” Raquelle glances down, closes the lid of her laptop, and puts it aside. “I was also silent that I felt guilty of Natalia… And you…”       Terrence looks at Raquelle with sadness in his eyes for two seconds, turns off his iPad, and puts it aside.       “But why do you think you’re guilty of what happened to Natalia?” Terrence asks softly. “How are you connected with that?”       “She said she went to walk in the dark time because she was worried about our fight,” Raquelle replies with sadness in her eyes. “So, Natalia is kind of blaming me for what happened…”       “Please, Raquelle, don’t say stupid things.”       “If we hadn’t fought, she wouldn’t have been tried to be raped, Michael wouldn’t have gotten the photos, and Edward wouldn’t have left her and showered her with mud.”       “Natalia has never said you were guilty of what happened to her. She did that at her wish.”       “She doesn’t just wanna give me pain. But I know that she blames me for what happened.” Raquelle sighs heavily and shakes her head. “Because I was a brainless idiot, my friend had to experience that…”       “But you couldn’t know it would lead to such a terrible event in the future,” Terrence notices. “A few months ago, nobody thought we’d have to experience this hell.”       “I just should’ve thought better before going to her home and blaming her for what I didn’t have proof of.”       “Listen, sweetie, I understand you’re ashamed of Natalia for that fight. But it’s been so long! You reconciled a long time ago. Rochester isn’t mad at you and is truly grateful to you for everything you do for her. If that girl was mad at you, she wouldn’t have let you get close to her.”       “Imagine what you feel when you think of that slap, and it’d be easier for you to understand me.”       “Raquelle, please, stop thinking about it,” Terrence sighs, looking at Raquelle with sadness in his eyes. “I completely understand it, but you can’t think about it and blame yourself forever. We will all regret something. But if you keep thinking about it, nobody will forget anything. At first, I also thought a lot about that event and wanted to strangle myself. No need to hide, I still want the ground to swallow me up. But later, I learned to think about it less and understand that I was living in the present, not the past.”       “If saying was as easy as doing…” Raquelle replies in a quiet, depressed voice and lies down, putting her head on the armrest that is close to Terrence. “That time I did too many bad things…”       “Don’t say it, my sunshine,” Terrence says softly, caressing Raquelle’s head and running the back of his hand over her cheek, while she sets her sad eyes into the distance. “There are no perfect people, get it. Everybody makes tons of mistakes and then pays for them. I know I have many shortcomings. For example, my aggression and inability to solve problems verbally. I know I might easily get out of my mind if someone gave me a reason. Yes, that’s bad, and I’m trying to struggle with it, but I can’t do it sometimes. However, it doesn’t mean I can be called a bad man.”       “Now the talk is not about your shortcomings, Terrence,” Raquelle replies with sadness in her eyes. “It’s about my mistakes that became the reason why my friend is suffering. Natalia does want to have a man by her side. She met Edward, who truly loved her. But he understood the meaning of the photos wrongly and believed she betrayed him.”       “I can’t blame him. He didn’t know what actually happened. It’s not amazing that Edward felt insulted and humiliated. Now I can understand his feelings. He didn’t know Natalia just became a victim of Uncle Michael and that sick stinker Wainwright.”       “And even despite the help I’ve been giving Natalia, I don’t get better. I don’t feel like I entirely made amends with her. I always believe I haven’t given her everything I should.”       “But she didn’t tell you about it.”       “She will not do it, so I don't get upset.”       “Listen, Raquelle, I could understand you if Natalia openly blamed you for what happened to her,” Terrence says quietly and moves a couple of strands of Raquelle’s hair off her eyes. “But she doesn’t do it. Moreover, she’s done much for you! Your friend was ready to sacrifice herself to save me. Not to let Edward shoot. Doesn’t it prove her attitude toward us? Doesn’t it say Rochester doesn’t even think about being mad and blaming someone of us for something?”       “You think she doesn’t really blame me for what happened to her?”       “I am sure about it! You’re the only one to think you were guilty of her problems.”       “What if I am?”       “Ah, Raquelle, what a silly girl you are…” Terrence kisses Raquelle cutely on her temple and caresses her head again. “You made yourself think what you’d never been said and started to believe in it.”       “But she went there because she was in despair after the fight with me.”       “Excuse me, but your friend decided to do it. Nobody made her go to that place.”       “Natalia was thinking about our fight…”       “Oh…” Terrence exhales slowly. “Okay… Say, would you get better if Natalia told you she never blamed you for anything and went there at her wish?”       “Yeah… Definitely…” Raquelle slowly sits up, moving closer to the armrest. “I’d feel a little better if she told me she’d never blamed me for what happened to her.”       “I think you should share these thoughts with her,” Terrence advises quietly, caressing Raquelle’s head. “I’m sure she’ll tell you she doesn’t think of being mad.”       Raquelle sighs heavily before she, setting her gaze into the distance, says quietly:       “You’re right… I think I should really talk to her about it.”       “It’s gonna be okay, my love,” Terrence encourages with a tender smile. “You’ll see, Natalia will tell you she blames you for nothing…”       “I’d like to believe you…”       Terrence softly takes Raquelle’s hand with both hands and caresses it and the inside of her wrist, running his fingers through her hair at some moment. Then the girl caresses the man’s forearm and runs her hand over his cheek with a shy smile. And some time later, Blair goes downstairs with a small purse in her hands, having a good mood. The young servant comes to the lovers but confidently with a wish to say something, and they step away a little, still holding each other’s hands, and move their eyes to the girl.       “Excuse me, Mr. MacClife, Ms. Cameron…” Blair pronounces gently. “Would you mind if I left for two hours?”       “Yes, sure,” Terrence replies with a slight smile. “I did tell you that you could leave whenever you need. If you need to go somewhere, you may ask no permission.”       “I know, Mr. MacClife. I just want you not to swear because of my absence.”       “I’ve never sworn on you for leaving at times.”       “Just in case.”       “Alright… Thanks for saying it.”       “By the way, Blair, you look very good,” Raquelle notices amicably with a slight smile, looking at Blair with interest. “This dress looks good on you. The hair is also gorgeous.”       “Thank you,” Blair smiles shyly, moving her eyes down for a second.       “Listen, you should dress up like this often,” Terrence says thoughtfully, looking at Blair from head to foot and stroking his chin. “You’re such a beautiful girl, but you never show your beauty.”       “Well, as you see, I’m trying to do something…” Blair shrugs. “And… That’s what I got.”       “You got good results. I like it. A man’s opinion.”       “If you want to ask for a piece of advice, you can ask me,” Raquelle says amicably. “I would think up something and choose the best things for you.”       “Thanks a lot,” Blair replies with a slight smile. “I will remember.”       “Alright. If you need to go somewhere, you may go.”       “Sorry for bothering you.”       Blair turns around quickly and goes to the exit of the house. And when she hides, Terrence and Raquelle move their eyes to each other.       “I wonder, why didn’t she dress up like this before?” Raquelle asks, frowning slightly and leaning back in the sofa. “That girl is so sympathetic… If she was dressed up beautifully and got good makeup, and someone worked on her hair, she would be a dolly.”       “She just needed someone to help her believe in her beauty,” Terrence replies with a mysterious smile, putting his hand on the armchair. “So, that man has definitely been found… And actually, love does unreal things to a person. It’s the reason why Blair changed a long time ago for the best and looks wonderful even at work.”       “Long time ago?”       “I see that Blair has lately loved some cute dresses and started to do makeup and make her hair beautiful. Though, that girl didn’t care about her appearance before.”       “My gosh… But why did I just notice her changes? How long was I the hell sleeping?”       “Well…” Terrence puts a finger on his lip. “You were sleeping for about two or three weeks if I’m not mistaken… Since that time, I’ve seen these changes. One day, Violetta and she came here with a couple of packets. There was a logo of a cloth store on them.”       “Bought new clothes?”       “Maybe. And I began to get her caught leaving somewhere often.”       “Leaving somewhere?” Raquelle rounds her eyes.       “Yup. I’ve been seeing her leave somewhere and saying nothing for about a month.”       “Erm… You saw it?”       “Exactly. Somehow, I left the bathroom and saw Blair creeping to the door, wearing casual clothes. And Christiana and Violetta gave me a clear answer to my question about where she went.”       “Didn’t they know?”       “Maybe. Although I pretended that I didn’t care about it, I took great interest in it. Of course, I wasn’t gonna swear on her, but I wondered where Blair left in the middle of the work day.”       “And what’s wrong with it? Maybe, we lacked something? So, she went to a store?”       “Without coming to me or you and asking money for purchases?”       “Maybe, the servants got some money from the past purchases.”       “And you seriously believe it?” Terrence chuckles kindly and shakes his head. “Ah, Raquelle, Raquelle…”       “Or she went to her family! What if something happened? So, she immediately went to her mother and brother?”       “I don’t exclude that she could visit her family on one of those days.” Terrence smiles mysteriously, raising his head slightly. “But I don’t doubt there’s one more reason that makes her go somewhere and dress up.”       “Gosh, Terrence…” Raquelle laughs shyly. “Just don’t tell me that…”       “Yes, yes, my sweetheart, that’s what you’re thinking about. I do bet that Stewart isn’t indifferent to my friend Benjamin Parker, who has a crush on her, too.”       “Well, as for Blair, I’m also sure about it. And Ben feels sympathy for her, judging what he told you yesterday.”       “Now there’s no doubt about it: my buddy fell in love with our servant and literally lost sleep and appetite because of her.” Terrence chuckles quietly. “That womanizer has finally decided to reveal it.”       “I could say I expected that turn.”       “Huh, I knew it would happen!” Terrence replies confidently, leaning back in the armchair. “And Parker told me everything. Absolutely everything. Of course, I had to get something out of him by force, but I heard these words.”       “Well, isn’t he gonna tell our sweet girl Blair about his feelings?”       “He said he was afraid. He’s afraid that Blair would reject him and not wish to give him even a little chance.”       “Ah, if only Benjamin knew his feelings were very mutual…” Raquelle smiles shyly.       “You know, Raquelle…” Terrence glances aside for a second, biting his lip slightly. “Something tells me everything could already happen.”       “Why do you think so?”       “Blair has been too funny. She’s smiling with twenty-two teeth, not withdrawing into herself, telling Violetta and Christiana something… She’s even singing something under her nose while doing homework.”       “Do you think it has to do with Ben?”       “I don’t doubt. I do feel that something happened between them yesterday.” Terrence looks at Raquelle with a mysterious smile. “Moreover, Blair came back here quite late and had just a wonderful mood. Even the servants were surprised by how happy she looked.”       “Actually, yes…” Raquelle replies thoughtfully, clutching a nail of her index finger slightly between her teeth. “I noticed it and was surprised, too…”       “I am definitely right that something good happened between them. Maybe, Ben decided to tell Blair about his love. And, maybe, she went on a date with him again. And these lovebirds are gonna flirt cutely and look at each other with an ogle gaze.”       “He confessed it kind of quickly,” Raquelle frowns slightly. “He was shaking so badly, but then he told her the truth.”       “There’s one explanation,” Terrence smiles mysteriously with a proud look. “I impacted the events a little and did something to make that shy guy do it at the nearest time.”       “What? Are you serious?”       “And I think I made him tell that girl what he was hiding for such a long time.”       “Oh, my gosh…” Raquelle shakes her head with a slight smile. “I’m even afraid to imagine what you told the poor guy if he scarily confessed his love for Blair the next day.”       “Nothing special! I just set up some lines and gave him time to do it at his wish.”       “I’ve always known you’re an insidious donkey.”       “Don’t worry, babe, it’s all under control!” Terrence exclaims with his head proudly raised. “I just scared him by saying…”       Terrence does not say it because Blair returns to the living room again and comes to the lovers to say something.       “Mr. MacClife, Ms. Cameron, sorry for bothering you again,” Blair apologizes.       “What’s wrong, Blair?” Terrence asks. “You need help?”       “No, the case is not about it. Your friend just came to you.”       “Friend?” Raquelle rounds her eyes. “What friend?”       “Natalia Rochester,” Blair replies quietly.       “Well, may she enter!” Terrence exclaims.       “Erm…” Blair bites her lip slightly. “I told her about it, but she said she couldn’t do it…”       “But why?” Raquelle frowns strongly.       “Why is she shy?” Terrence wonders.       “She is just not alone,” Blair replies hesitantly, bending her arms at her elbows and tightly locking her fingers. “With the one you… Would hardly… Love to see…”       “Not alone?” Terrence frowns slightly. “But with whom?”       “With Edward Lockhart. Well… Or MacClife…”       “With Edward?” Terrence and Raquelle ask at the same time, opening their eyes widely.       “What?” Terrence wonders. “Edward is here?”       “With Natalia?” Raquelle specifies.       “Wait, didn’t you confuse anything?”       “No, Mr. MacClife,” Blair replies quietly. “That’s why Natalia doesn’t come in. She’s asking you if she can come here with that guy.”       “But what does Edward need here?” Raquelle asks.       “The two said they wanted to talk to you about something.”       “My gosh…” Raquelle glances at Terrence, who just shrugs.       “Blair, say, please, how did they behave when you saw them?” Terrence asks quietly.       “As close to each other people, Mr. MacClife,” Blair replies.       “As close people?”       “Yup. They were holding each other’s hands, pressing themselves against each other, and something like that…”       “Are you sure they came here together, not by one?”       “At least Natalia said so. I’m just telling you what she asked.”       “Oh, shit…” Terrence moans quietly and runs his hands over his face. “If they start another scandal and wish to destroy the house, I won’t bear it…”       “But the two don’t look like they’re aggressive. Vice versa, they’re a little scared.”       “What a surprise…”       “Erm… So, do I let those people in? Or say you’re busy?”       “Now… Wait for a second…”       Terrence looks at Raquelle questioningly, as if he is asking her if she is ready to risk and let Natalia and Edward in the house. And then the girl bends to him slightly and asks in a whisper:       “What do we do?”       “I dunno,” Terrence replies in a whisper. “If we let them go, anything might happen.”       “At least they spoke well the last time. Maybe, everything is okay this time?”       “I don’t know, Raquelle… I'm not kind of quiet… I don’t want us to have another scandal. I don’t wanna quarrel and especially fight with Edward. I might easily go too far. And I don’t wanna see Natalia’s hysterics and spend the rest of the strength to wake her up.”       “I don’t want it, too, but I think Edward came here not to fight.”       “Oh…” Terrence thinks for a few seconds and exhales sharply. “Okay! Let’s risk. But if we feel some signs of tension, we’ll kick Edward out.”       “Yeah. Your brother may do anything.”       “That’s what I mean.”       “So, decided?”       “Yes.” Terrence glances at Blair and nods confidently. “Blair, invite them here, please.”       Blair comes quickly to the door, opens it, and makes a calling gesture. A few seconds later, Natalia slowly enters the living room, and Edward, who looks white and tense, is following her hesitantly. Terrence and Raquelle get up from the sofa and stand next to each other, moving their eyes to the unexpected guests and immediately feeling that they are getting obsessed with strong tension. The girl takes the man under his arm and presses herself against him as closely as possible, while Natalia and Edward stand in front of them. Although Raquelle and Terrence look at them without aggression, they are not going to show a warm welcome and seem a little cold. However, they get a little confused because MacClife, Jr., and Rochester are holding each other’s hands tightly and standing very close to each other.       The tense silence settles in the air, during which everybody looks at each other hesitantly. Their widely open eyes are full of fear, and their bodies are obsessed with strong tension. Their movements are becoming hesitant, their hearts are beating faster, and their throats are getting dry. Terrence, Raquelle, Edward, and Natalia are obsessed with a wish to turn around. But despite this fact, these couples are still standing in front of each other, being afraid of what might happen but understanding it would have happened early or late maybe not at the house of Terrence and Raquelle but at the court building.