Meanwhile, Natalia runs a long enough distance. She ends up where there are many trees with thick trunks and many bright green leaves, through which the shoots of the warm sun light up this glade, where the ground is uneven in some places. Only the singing of birds or the rustling of leaves might break this silence. And it’s also possible to hear a nice sound of the water in the river placed somewhere not far. There is short grass everywhere, and there are small bushes and yellow dandelions in some places.
Breathing heavily from tiredness and panic, Natalia runs to one of the thickest trees and leans on its rough truck, not believing it’s really happening to her. Tears do not stop rolling over her white cheeks, and her makeup got a little worse but has not gone down thanks to good cosmetics. Her legs can barely hold her, and sometimes she thinks she might easily fall from weakness. Her body is shaking and tense, her heart is beating like crazy, and her mouth still has the disgusting aftertaste that she got after disgusting kisses from Eugene, who smells probably much worse than before.
“I don’t believe it…” Natalia makes a quiet sob. “God, why? Why did Wainwright run away? Why? I thought he’d pay for everything and stay in prison! But now… I’m gonna be dead! That man will kill me! Kill me!”
Natalia sniffs quietly and doubles over, looking at what surrounds her with wet eyes.
“Edward will not be able to protect me…” Natalia says in a very shaking voice. “He’s trying, but he can’t fight with that man. Wainwright will kill him… Tear him apart… And I won’t bear it… God…”
Natalia goes to another side of the tree with tears in her eyes, while the slight wind is blowing her long, little disheveled hair.
“Everything was so fine…” Natalia pronounces quietly and runs her hands through her hair. “We didn’t think it would happen! Why, God? Why?”
Natalia keeps crying bitterly, not caring about the beauty that surrounds her and understanding that the sound of her heart, which is crazily beating and is about to get out of her chest, echoes in her head. But the girl's fear gets much stronger, and her body gets much tenser when someone comes to her quietly from behind and tightly closes her mouth with a hand. The blonde, opening her eyes widely and making a loud moan with a feeling of a stopped heart, immediately understands who this is, judging by the big size of the hand and the disgusting smell that Eugene spreads.
“What luck!” Eugene smiles slyly and widely. “You’ve been caught, dolly!”
Eugene tightly presses Natalia to himself by the waist when she tries to break free.
“Sh-h-h… Sh-h-h… Quiet, babe… Quie-e-e-t…”
Natalia starts to moan very loudly and unsuccessfully tries to give Eugene hits with her legs and hands.
“MacClife hasn’t changed and is still trying to cover up his cowardice with incredible bravery,” Eugene says confidently. “But I do know how cowardly and weak he is. Weak in all senses. That boy did the wrong thing when he decided to start a war against me and refused to give you to me at his wish. He should’ve known I’d win and take you with me anyway.”
Eugene sneers evilly and runs his free hand over the curve of Natalia’s waist and keeps it on the girl’s thigh and the naked part of her belly, while she loudly screams and literally shakes in convulsions, getting green and madly regretting deciding to run away from Edward.
“So, we are together again,” Eugene pronounces with a sly smile in a low voice and runs his fingertips over the curve of Natalia’s neck, on which he leaves a couple of kisses that make her feel disgusting. “I got rid of that puppy and left him there. If he comes to himself, he will not find you. Because you and I will go far away. Where I’m hiding from the police. We will live there.”
Eugene leaves a couple of kisses on some parts of Natalia’s face and runs his tongue over her ear and the area behind it. All the girl’s attempts to show resistance and run away do not give her anything, and the man keeps closing her mouth and running his free hand over his body, which resists the touches of his dry hand, rough fingers, and rough tongue.
“Nobody will find us,” Eugene says confidently. “Neither the police, your mother and father, your fiancé, his parents, nor his powerful brother. They can search for you for as long as they want, but nothing will help them. I shall hide you in the house located far from here in the most forested place. It’s very hard to go there, but I know some ways.”
Eugene runs his hand over Natalia’s belly and moans quietly when rudely squeezing her breasts, making the girl whine with pity because of the strong pain that this sensitive place cannot take.
“Yeah, babe, you are still gorgeous,” Eugene pronounces with enjoyment and feels the nipple on Natalia’s breast that he stimulates actively with a thumb. “I can’t wait to undress you, caress your body, and fuck you hard.”
Eugene runs his tongue over Natalia’s ear.
“You’ll finally do me a blowjob… Suck me enough and make any of my wishes come true. I’ve got so many of them… M-m-m…”
Eugene gets busy kissing Natalia on the neck and trying to lick it, moves his hand off her mouth, and starts to run it and another hand over her belly and squeeze the lady’s breasts rudely, making her feel disgusting.
“Don’t do it, please…” Natalia begs quietly with pity and tears in her eyes. “I don’t want it… No…”
“Relax, Natalia, don’t be so tense,” Eugene replies quietly, gives Natalia a short dry kiss on the lips, and looks into her widely open eyes, which are red from tears under them, and wipes them off. “And don’t cry… Or your beautiful blue-sky eyes will be red.”
“Someone, help…” Natalia pronounces quietly and sniffs quietly, looking around with a heavy breath. “Please…”
“It’s worthless, baby. Nobody will hear us. And your fiancé will not run to save you because he is wincing from pain and lying far from here.” Eugene moves his hands to Natalia’s thighs and squeezes her buttocks with one of them, making her feel a strong pain. “Ah, these butts!”
“Let me go… Please… Don’t kill me…”
“No, I’m not going to kill you yet. I want to caress you. Undress and caress your nude body. Do you remember how I took everything off you on the day when we met for the first time?” Eugene bites Natalia’s ear strongly and runs his tongue over a dry curve of her neck, while she makes quiet sobs. “If the police hadn’t stopped us, I would have brought the case to an end and fucked you. Though, I was already ready to finish and scream from pleasure.”
Natalia gets out of Eugene’s grip in a magical way and jumps far from him, looking at him with horror in her eyes.
“No, no…” Natalia pronounces in a strongly shaking voice and starts to go away from Eugene backward when he starts to go on her. “Don’t touch me… No… I don’t want it… No…”
“Still hoping MacClife would run here and rescue you?” Eugene smiles slyly. “I said, baby, don’t wait for him. He is lying on the ground and wincing from pain. And you ran so far that nobody heard us. You decided to go with me and give me pleasure. Give me the debt of my personal whore.”
“NO!” Natalia screams with despair. “NO, DON’T DO IT! I WILL DO NOTHING!”
“You will, babe, you will. You’ll do a blowjob, lie naked, and spread your legs.”
“NO! NEVER!”
“And in case you’re fighting, biting, and screaming, I have a magical thing that can help you relax. I will give it to you when you and I reach my hideaway.”
“NO, I WILL NOT GO! I WILL GO NOWHERE! DON’T EVEN TRY!”
“You’re saying it now. But then everything will be otherwise. That thing will work quickly. You will have time to understand nothing and start to listen to me. Not thinking about that shabby puppy, who will never become a real man.”
“NEVER!”
When Natalia wants to run so fast, Eugene catches her quickly, sharply presses her to himself, runs his hand through her crop top, and starts to squeeze her breasts rudely and confidently.
“NO!” Natalia screams at the top of her lungs with widely open eyes, bending backward strongly and literally shaking in convulsions. “I FEEL PAIN! STOP! LET ME GO!”
“Quiet, babe, quiet…” Eugene whispers in Natalia’s ear and caresses it with the tip of his tongue, making her scream hysterically, while his hands slide over her belly and the curves of her slim waist. “Sh-h-h… Sh-h-h… Be a good girl…”
“Edward, please, save me!” Natalia begs with tears and despair. “Please! Edward, please! Please!”
“Fuck, you’re so imitable…” Eugene pronounces in a low voice with enjoyment, painfully massages Natalia’s breasts with both hands, and twirls her nipples, not paying attention to her wincing in pain. “Your curves do drive me crazy… Moreover, you’re so sexy in this look… Long legs, open belly, gorgeous décolleté… M-m-m… You know how to show your gorgeous body. Which you must not hide…”
Natalia hits Eugene on his knee with her leg strongly and runs as far as possible, while he rubs the hurt place slightly. But she does not go too far because she steps over a stone that she does not see as it’s hidden with grass and falls to the ground with a loud shout. The man runs to her, gets down on his knees, and tries to press her to himself, grabbing her by the leg tightly. The girl tries to resist too hard and tightly grabs the truck of the tree, near which she is now, but gets pressed to her offender and starts to scream loudly, opening her eyes so widely that they might sock out.
“No, beauty, you will not leave,” Eugene says confidently with a wide and sly smile, runs his hands over Natalia’s legs, the skin on which is incredibly soft, and reaches the inside of her thighs. “Don’t even hope…”
“No, NO, NO-O-O-O-O-O-O!” Natalia screams hysterically, trying to get her legs out of Eugene’s grip sharply, while he caresses them, covers them with kisses, and runs his tongue over some areas. “A-A-A-A! NO! LET ME GO!”
“How deliciously you smell…” Eugene moans with enjoyment and leaves a few kisses on the inside of Natalia’s thighs, and runs his big, rough hands over them. “You smell sex… You do spread it…”
Eugene runs his hands over Natalia’s legs and leaves a couple of kisses on her ankles.
“I must confess that MacClife has an incredible taste for girls. He chose the most delicious and sweetest one… The one that makes you feel hard immediately…”
“It’s disgusting…” Natalia moans with pity and a heavy breath. “I feel pain… Feel disgust…”
“Yay, babe…” Eugene runs his hand over Natalia’s belly, leaves a couple of dry kisses on the open part of it, and runs his tongue over it. “Oh, fuck, bitch… You’re driving me crazy…”
“Please, stop… I don’t want it…”
“Sh-h-h…” Eugene, raising himself above Natalia, closes her mouth softly with a hand, hearing her painful moans and seeing that she looks at him with beautiful but wet and red eyes full of pity. “Quiet, dolly, quiet… It's okay…”
“M-m-m…” Natalia whines quietly.
“Relax, beauty… Relax… Breathe deeper and stop resisting.” Eugene squeezes Natalia’s breasts with a free hand.
“M-m-m…”
“Sh-h-h…” Eugene shushes with a sly smile and stimulates Natalia’s nipple intensively. “Sh-h-h… That’s good…”
Eugene slowly runs his hand over the naked top part of Natalia’s belly while she bends backward with a loud, painful moan, feeling that tears are slowly getting out of her tears.
“Don’t cry, Natalia, don’t cry,” Eugene pronounces softly, caressing Natalia’s head and wiping tears under her eyes. “It will not hurt. Since you are an experienced whore, you will feel no pain. You will not feel it later because my magical thing will relax you so much that you will be able to do nothing. You will only be lying naked on the bed with your legs spread and agreeing with everything. I will not even have to tie you up. But I will think about it before helping you calm down.”
Eugene turns Natalia’s head to the side and covers the curve of her neck with kisses, while she literally chokes from tears and feels much more humiliated because she can do nothing against the one to be stronger than she.
“Yeah, babe…” Eugene slowly pronounces in a quiet, low voice and covers the front of Natalia’s neck with kisses, while one hand of his caresses the curve of her waist and her belly. “Quiet… Quiet… Yeah… My good girl…”
Eugene slides down to the naked part of Natalia’s belly, which he covers with the same kisses, not caring about how she tries to resist but cannot break free because the man holds her by the hips tightly.
“No, don’t break free…” Eugene says confidently and slides to the inside of Natalia’s thighs and her legs, which he caresses and covers with kisses with great pleasure. “Stop resisting… I shall not let you leave…”
“I will not bear it…” Natalia pronounces in a strongly shaking voice and makes a quiet sob two times. “I will not bear it…”
“If you want to lose consciousness, I will not mind it.” Eugene massages Natalia’s breasts with both hands and runs his tongue over her collarbones. “Not mind it…”
Using the fact that she leans her head back, Eugene covers the front of Natalia’s neck with kisses.
“It will be better for me. I will take you in my arms and quietly carry you to my hideaway. When you wake up, you will be there…”
“No, NO!” Natalia shakes her head sharply, tensing all the muscles in her body, while it gives the negative reaction to any caresses of Eugene. “NO! I DO NOT WANT IT!”
“Listen, that’s the idea…” Eugene smiles much wider, steps back from Natalia, and looks at her tear-stained face, running his hand over her belly. “I should find a way to do something for you to faint. You’re my sensitive girl, who poorly takes stress… So… I wouldn’t have to apply many efforts to watch you roll your eyes with a quiet moan, and your body slowly relaxes in my strong arms…”
Eugene puts his hand between Natalia’s thighs.
“I do adore caressing the nude bodies of unconscious girls. That’s my fetish. I can’t contain myself from kissing her sweet lips… Not to give attention to her neck… Her belly… Not to get my fingers into her wet hole…”
Fear of losing consciousness in front of Eugene becomes adrenaline for Natalia. She sharply gets out of his arms and resists him much harder when he tries to hold her. But the man is stronger again and sharply presses the white girl to himself when she sits up and tries to get up.
“No, NO, NO!” Natalia starts to scream loudly, resisting Eugene so hard. “LET ME GO!”
“Quiet, quiet, babe, quiet…” Eugene pronounces with a sly smile, presses his back to the thick trunk of the tree, and seats Natalia between his legs by force, pressing her closer to himself, squeezing her breast with one hand and caressing her throat with another confidently, while she keeps resisting too hard. “Qui-i-i-iet… It’s okay… Don’t be so nervous…”
“Let me go…” Natalia begs quietly with a heavy breath. “Please…”
“No, babe, I can’t. You’re mine now. You belong only to me.”
“Please, for Christ…”
“Nobody will bother you and me.” Eugene massages Natalia’s nipples with a thumb painfully and then moves his hand to the inside of her thigh and tightly squeezes it, making her feel a strong pain. “Your puppy will not have examined half of this place by the time I carry your body away. And he will have to accept the fact that you will never meet again.”
“No… No… NO-O-O-O! N…”
“Sh-h-h…” Eugene closes Natalia’s mouth with a hand with a sly smile, while she literally shakes in convulsion and tries to run away. “And you take it.”
“M-m-m-m!” Natalia shakes her head sharply.
“Did you think you got rid of me forever? That I wouldn’t put you on your knees and make you suck me enough? That I wouldn’t put you on the bed, undress you, and get my penis into your wet hole?”
Eugene squeezes Natalia’s throat tightly and runs his tongue over her ear.
“No, babe…” Eugene whispers in Natalia’s ear. “Maybe, you didn’t give your naked ass to me then, you will do it now.”
While Natalia moans loudly with widely open eyes full of horror and breathes too heavily, Eugene runs his free hand over the girl’s belly, caresses her crotch with the edges of his thick fingers, runs it underneath her shorts, and starts to examine her vagina.
“M-m-m, you’re wet,” Eugene smiles smugly, while Natalia whines loudly with rolled eyes. “Not quiet but enough.”
“M-m-m!” Natalia tries to resist, giving strong hits to Eugene’s arms.
“MacClife did me a favor and warned you up a little. You were moaning and bending while he was feeling up your gorgeous boobs! You got your tongue into his mouth so confidently! You wanted to get your fingers into his pants to caress his tin whistle! You wanted to undress and spread your legs, so he fucks you hard!”
Eugene leaves a couple of kisses on Natalia’s face, while she chokes with tears and shakes in fear.
“I don’t understand why it gets you excited. Though, you hardly imagine how good you can feel. Because you haven’t had a deal with real males. Who could make a girl scream at the whole city. But now you’ve got a unique chance to know it. Yes, you’re wet now, but after my skillful caresses, you’ll be screaming like a piggy. Not only will your knickers get wet but also your shorts.”
Eugene sneers evilly and kisses Natalia on the neck, as he keeps examining her vagina and starts to stimulate her clitoris actively, making her moan much louder and squeeze her legs and thighs tightly.
“I shall caress you for some time with great pleasure,” Eugene says confidently. “To make you much wetter and hotter. I do love a long foreplay. Love caressing feminine bodies for hours. Nude ones…”
Eugene moves his hand off Natalia’s mouth and kisses her on the lips immediately, getting his tongue inside, despite her resistance. It makes the girl feel nauseous, and the disgusting smell from his mouth makes her wish to clean her stomach.
“M-m-m-m!” Natalia whines with pity and shakes sharply after Eugene’s tongue contacts her tongue. “M-m-m-m!”
“You’re mine, babe…” Eugene pronounces with enjoyment and runs his tongue over Natalia’s palate and around her tongue, massaging her breasts with his free hand. “You’ll be mine…”
Eugene opens the button and zipper on Natalia’s high-waisted shorts, caresses her naked belly, and plays with the jewelry in her belly button, around which he runs his thick index finger.
“M-m-m-m…” Natalia moans loudly, giving Eugene strong hits on his arms. “M-M-M-M! M-M-M-M!”
“S-h-h-h…” Eugene whispers in Natalia’s ear, moves her open shorts down, and runs his hand through her black, silky knickers to stimulate her clitoris with his big fingers. “Quiet, babe… Sh-h-h… It’s okay, dolly, it’s okay… Sh-h-h… Breathe deeper…”
“Don’t do it, don’t m-m-M-M-M…” Natalia pronounces with pity and has to moan painfully when Eugene closes her mouth with a hand, unconsciously rolling her eyes at some moment. “M-M-M-M!”
“I know, you feel good, I get it,” Eugene replies slowly in a low voice, runs his hand over Natalia’s naked flat belly, plays with the silver jewelry in her belly button, and paints something on it with his fingertips. “My sexy dolly…”
Eugene runs his hand through Natalia’s crop top and massages her nipples rudely, making her give a painful moan with closed eyes and praying that this hell ends as soon as possible.
“You can’t imagine how long I was waiting for this moment,” Eugene says with a wide smile and caress the inside of Natalia’s thighs, still keeping her mouth closed. “Those few months in prison were like eternity. But I was holding on, thanks to you. Thanks to the thought that I’d run away, find you, and caress your gorgeous body someday.”
Eugene leaves a few kisses on Natalia’s whole neck, breathing in the smell of the skin on it.
“Sometimes I found time to stay alone and masturbate. With thoughts about you. About your nude body. About how I caress you. About how I get my dick into you and move my thighs ‘till I get the orgasm. About how you get down on your knees naked and suck it like a pornstar.”
Eugene runs his hand over Natalia’s belly, gets it into the lady’s knickers, and runs his fingers over her pubis and her labia.
“And all of that is about to become real. You’ll make my dreams come true. Yay, babe…”
Eugene tightly grabs Natalia by the throat and raises her head, making her look into his eyes from down to up and admiring how incredible they are.
“And yeah, don’t think your fiancé would get off me easily,” Eugene says confidently. “Even if he stays alive for the hundredth time after I beat him, MacClife will not run away from me. I am going to kill him. Yes, baby. Kill. I’m back not just to fuck you. I’m back to bury him in the ground. So, you lose a chance to finally marry. And I will be able to get control of you.”
Natalia opens her eyes widely, shakes her head sharply, and makes a couple of quiet sobs, feeling that her heart starts beating much faster.
“In order for nothing to remind you of him, I shall take your ring,” Eugene promises and takes Natalia’s left hand, on which she is wearing her engagement ring. “I will throw up the necklace because this cheap thing has no value. But I could argue about the ring… So, we see how much money MacClife spent on you. How much money he had to borrow to buy it.”
Eugene leaves a kiss on every single part of Natalia’s face and, moving his hand off the girl’s mouth, kisses her on the lips with quiet moans. One hand of him slides over the tender skin on her naked belly, and another gets underneath her knickers and caresses her crotch actively. Her body shakes after every single thing this man does and gets very tense, and she makes much louder and more painful moans, feeling that her heart is beating so fast that it might get out of her chest.
“Relax, baby, relax…” Eugene whispers in Natalia’s ear and slightly bites her earlobe, making her make a more painful moan with rolled eyes. “Sh-h-h… Relax… Relax… Otherwise, you will not get wet…”
“M-m-m…” Natalia sniffs.
“Sh-h-h… Breathe deeper… Okay… Good… Good girl…”
Eugene’s thumb massages Natalia’s nipples rudely again, and his free and keeps sliding over her belly and thighs and stimulating her clitoris, making the girl crying bitterly moan from pain, feel dirty, burn from shame, and dream of losing consciousness not to know how this man is mocking her.
“I’m sorry that I don’t have the thing, thanks to which Eric and I put you to sleep,” Eugene says with a sly smile and runs his hand over Natalia’s cheek. “Remember, babe? How you resisted hard at first, but then relaxed more and more and closed your eyes with sensual moans? When you realized MacClife couldn’t save you because he hit his head! M-m-m…”
Eugene leaves a couple of kisses on the curve of Natalia’s neck, while tears roll down her cheeks, and she loses hope for salvation because it’s been a very long time, but Edward has not found her yet. And her closed mouth does not let her scream for help.
“Fuck, how sexy you were!” Eugene growls with enjoyment and runs his hands over Natalia’s naked belly, while her head rests on his chest, and her body is in a half-lying position. “Your moans drove me crazy! So sensual and nice to hear! And how sexually you were closing your eyes! You know how much I wanted to piss Michael off, undress you, and fuck you hard!”
Eugene starts examining Natalia’s vagina with his fingers and rubs her clitoris, while the girl chokes with tears quietly.
“Your eyes were closed, but I wished they were open. It does get me so excited. A weak body of an unconscious girl with rolled eyes. Or set into the distance.” Eugene looks at the wet eyes of Natalia, which she sets into the distance. “I hope you will make me happy when I want you to sleep and relax a little.”
Eugene leans Natalia’s head back and leaves a couple of kisses on the front of her neck.
“I don’t doubt you will be falling asleep as sexually as you did when Eric put a rug with a magical solution to your nose! You do everything sexually. Absolutely everything. Just one look at you gets all the dicks of the men excited for one second. Oh, yeah…”
Eugene tightly squeezes Natalia’s breasts with both hands, making her quietly moan from pain and discomfort.
“And how cute you became when you fell into a magical sleep!” Eugene leaves a kiss on the front of Natalia’s neck and in the hole in her throat with a moan full of enjoyment. “Helpless and gorgeous… Being ready to obey me… As I’ve said, I wanted to undress you and fuck right there!”
Eugene runs his hands over Natalia’s belly.
“Bring you to a different place, not to Michael. Where I would have played with you… But for him, I just caressed your body on the way to his home. Used the moment when nobody could stop me from doing that… Eric couldn’t resist, either. Looking at me, he got into your knickers and caressed your big boobs enough. That was what he was grateful to me for.”
Eugene smiles slyly, runs his hand over Natalia’s thigh, and goes down to her lap, which he caresses with his big, dry hand.
“If I had known I would meet you here, I would’ve surely taken something that would help me put you to sleep,” Eugene confesses confidently, plays with the jewelry in Natalia’s belly button, puts his hand on her abdomen while his teeth bite her ear slightly and pulls a hanging ring with turquoise stones. “You would’ve resisted and screamed at first, but then you would’ve relaxed slowly and eventually closed your eyes with sensual moans. Ah! It’s getting strong in my pants from just one thought about it!”
Eugene runs his lips over the curve of Natalia’s neck and pinches the skin on it tenderly.
“Fuck, I’d caress you all day long…” Eugene leaves a few kisses on Natalia's collarbones and the open part of her breasts. “You’re too sexy…”
After grabbing Natalia by the throat and leaning her head back, Eugene gets her involved in a terribly disgusting kiss on her lips against her wish, during which she whines painfully, and he examines her mouth with his tongue with loud moans. The girl understands that she cannot breathe when he squeezes her throat tightly. She starts to panic much more and hits the man on his arms as strongly as possible, even if her hopes for salvation are getting weak because the silence around her might be broken by the singing birds, the ruffle of leaves, and the rumbling water of the river placed not far.
“I want you…” Eugene pronounces with enjoyment and slowly runs his tongue over Natalia’s collarbones, running his hand over her naked shoulder, from which he takes off a sleeve of her crop top, and leaves a couple of kisses on it. “I want you right here and now…”
Eugene runs his hand underneath Natalia’s knickers and rubs her clitoris.
“Show me everything you can do. Everything you did for the kid MacClife…” Eugene caresses the inside of Natalia’s thighs with a sly smile. “Don’t be shy, baby. It’s not the first time you're getting fucked! You’ve spread your legs for men and lied naked in front of them many times. So, turn off the shy girl mode and turn on the slut mode.”
While Eugene leaves kisses on the curve of Natalia’s neck, which he has not given so much attention to yet, he puts one hand under her breast and confidently caresses her naked belly and crotch with another. The girl, who lost hope of being saved, does not try to resist and just cries quietly from despair and hopelessness, getting horrified by the thought that she will no longer see her close people, and they will not be able to save her.
“I see you don’t resist,” Eugene notices with a sly smile, caressing the inside of Natalia’s thigh. “You don’t scream, don’t call your fiancé… Did you realize you’d never see him, your mommy, and your daddy? That you’re my slave now and must suck me regularly!”
Holding Natalia by the throat tightly, Eugene pulls, bites, and licks her lips.
“Damn, I’m so lucky today! Lucky that I got a chance to fuck my little bitch. Who smells freaking sexual. M-m-m-m…”
A hand of Eugene smiling slyly gets into Natalia’s vagina and examines it rudely, while she keeps crying bitterly and stops saying and begging about something. The girl closes her eyes tightly with a feeling of dizziness, still hoping to pass out and not to remember this. But some time later, somewhere far from here, she and her offender hear a loud, very familiar voice that belongs to the excited man:
“Natalia! Natalia!”
This voice wakes Natalia up immediately and makes her get some hope.
“Edward…” Natalia pronounces quietly with a slight smile, opening her eyes sharply, while Eugene stops kissing and caressing her.
“Fucking puppy!” Eugene exclaims with evil, looking around. “He has come here! Fuck! I should’ve gotten out earlier! If MacClife finds us, I will not get off that scumbag.”
Then the loud voice of Edward being not far from here and running from one side to another rings:
“WAINWRIGHT! Where are you, the fuck, hiding? SHOW UP IMMEDIATELY! AND SAY WHERE NATALIA IS! WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?”
“Relax, puppy, you will never see your beloved fiancée,” Eugene says confidently with a sly smile. “Run and scram like your crazy brother as much as you want. Maybe, you’ll die sooner from a heart attack.”
For a few seconds, Edward calls Natalia and Eugene two more times and comes closer, judging the fact that his voice gets louder and clearer. At first, the girl thinks she went crazy from fear, but when she hears her fiancé multiple times and sees that her offender resents, she understands that long-awaited salvation has finally come.
“Edward…” Natalia pronounces in a shaking voice with pity, throwing a tear-stained look at the side from where Edward’s voice sounded the last time. “Sweetie… That’s you… You’ve come…”
“Natalia!” Edward’s loud voice full of despair and excitement sounds. “Make a sound! Where are you? Natalia! Natalia!”
“I’m here, Edward!” Natalia exclaims loudly, as if she has found the strength to fight again. “Here! Save m-M-M-M…”
Natalia does not speak her mind because Eugene tightly closes her mouth with his big hand and sets his crazy, widely open eyes on her, looking into which makes the girl shake.
“Quiet, you, idiot!” Eugene throws rudely. “You want that bastard to come here? Don’t dare to make another sound! Or you, bitch, will regret it!”
Natalia starts to show resistance too hard again and tries to get Eugene’s hand off her mouth to call Edward again.
“If you make another squeak, you, scumbag, will be dead,” Eugene threatens rudely, squeezing Natalia’s breast with a free hand. “I will really make my threat come true and bring you to death! First, I’ll fuck you, kill you and bury you somewhere in the wood. Nobody will know what happened to you.”
But Edward’s voice made Natalia shake up and stop obeying Eugene silently. That’s why she makes herself find the courage to resist her offender, whom she makes really furious by her actions.
“I told you to shut up, you, brainless chicken!” Eugene hisses through his teeth, wishing to scream at Natalia but understanding that he would get Edward’s attention. “Don’t hope for a miracle! I will not let that bastard find you! You will go with me, no matter how much you resist! Got it, bitch?”
“Wainwright!” Edward’s loud voice sounds. “I swear, I will kill you! If you touch Natalia with a finger, you will be dead! HEAR ME, BASTARD? I SHALL RIP YOUR FUCKING PENIS AND GET IT INTO YOUR ASS!”
“C’mon, boy, find your sexy cutie,” Eugene smiles widely and runs his free hand over Natalia’s naked belly, while she keeps moaning too hard and shakes in convulsions, wishing to scream out Edward’s name at the top of her lungs. “I hope you will not live for too long and die from grief soon. So, your mommy and daddy grieve about you, as well as the blonde’s parents.”
“Natalia! Give me a sign! Please! Don’t scare me!”
Because of her wish to scream at the top of her lungs, Natalia starts to whine with pity, starting to lose hope again because she cannot get Edward’s attention on her.
“Where’s that freak walking?” Eugene says under his breath coldly, looks at everything around him, and sees Edward showing up from the tree placed far from here, stopping sharply, and grabbing his hair. “Ah, here’s there! Very good… If we stay here, MacClife will not notice us. Unless you, blonde bitch, start to scream at the top of your lungs.”
Natalia moves her wet, widely open eyes to Edward and silently begs him to come here, crying bitterly, moaning quietly, and shaking strongly from fear.
“Fuck, I wish you lost consciousness,” Eugene says rudely and closes Natalia’s mouth with a hand tighter. “You make me wish to take something heavy and hit you on the head! Or strangle you!”
Natalia makes a few quiet sobs and closes her eyes tightly, while tears slowly roll over her cheeks.
“Stop moaning and crying!” Eugene demands irritably and tightly squeezes Natalia’s throat with a free hand, depriving her of the ability to breathe, not paying attention to the fact that she starts to beat him on his arms with widely open eyes and setting his furious look on her. “Or I will quickly shut you up! Once and forever!”
While Natalia shakes strongly in horror and gets the frost on her skin, Eugene sharply moves his eyes aside and sees Edward getting closer and starting to look around. From here, it’s possible to see some blood under his nose, a couple of scars on his face, and a bruise on his forehead closer to his temple. His white t-shirt got dirty after rolling on the ground multiple times, and his hair is strongly disheveled.
“That asshole is coming here,” Eugene says under his nose, hides behind the thick trunk of the tree much better, and closes Natalia’s mouth with a hand tighter. “Stay quiet, bitch. Don’t dare to make at least a squeak.”
“WAINWRIGHT, YOU, FUCKING DICK!” Edward screams at the top of his lungs. “I WILL BREAK YOUR NECK IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO MY FIANCÉE! SHOW YOUR DIRTY FACE NOW! I KNOW YOU’RE SOMEWHERE HERE! I DO FEEL YOUR NAUSEOUS SMELL!”
Natalia starts to regret not listening to Edward and running away from him when being in despair and obsessed with fear for her life and the life of her fiancé.
“Come on, bastard, get out of here, get out,” Eugene whispers, watching Edward carefully. “There is nobody here. Check out a different place.”
“God, no…” Natalia thinks with a heavy breath, feeling how fast her heart is beating. “Don’t let Edward go! Please, God, no! Make him come here! I don’t want to die! I don’t! God… Save me… Help Edward save me from this horrible man. Please, I’m so horrified… I don’t wanna take it all, don’t… Please, God, please… I can’t call him…”
“Please, Natalia, don’t scare me,” Edward begs loudly with pity. “Say something! I shall find you! Find you and save you from that bastard, Wainwright!”
Edward looks around for a few seconds with horror in widely open eyes and then, breathing heavily enough from excitement and anxiety, decides to run on a different side – not where he should find his fiancée. And while Natalia whines quietly with tears in her eyes and shakes her head sharply, Eugene smiles widely.
“Yeah…” Eugene sneers evilly. “That puppy didn’t notice us… Very good… Even if you were whining like a hungry dog, MacClife didn’t guess anything. Good, babe, good…”
Eugene caresses Natalia’s head with a free hand and then starts to massage her breasts rudely and runs his palm over the soft skin on her flat belly. At some moment, he moves his hand off her mouth, which he moves to the front of her throat to caress it with his fingertips. Then the girl decides to use probably the last chance to save herself, finding the courage to get out of the strong grip of the man sharply and scream at the top of her lungs:
“HELP! SAVE ME! SOMEONE!”
While Edward stops sharply and turns on the source, Eugene gets furious and clenches his hands into fists, being ready to strangle Natalia, who manages to button her shorts quickly.
“Idiot!” Eugene hisses with evil in his eyes and squeezes Natalia’s jaw rudely. “I told you to be silent! What was unclear?”
“HELP ME, PLEASE!” Natalia keeps screaming at the top of her lungs. “EDWARD! EDWARD, PLEASE! SAVE ME! PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”
“STOP SCREAMING, BITCH!” Eugene slaps Natalia in the face strongly, making her scream loudly. “YOU MESSED UP EVERYTHING! WHY DID YOU CALL HIM? WHY?”
“I’M HERE, EDWARD!” Natalia screams with tears in her eyes. “NOT FAR! I NEED YOU! PLEASE, HELP ME! PLEASE!”
“Alright, bitch, you got me wild,” Eugene hisses through his teeth, hitting his big fist against his hand. “I will deal with you now. You will know who Eugene Wainwright is.”
Eugene sharply raises himself above Natalia, raises her hands and tightly presses them to the ground, while she resists too hard with a loud scream and tries to roll aside.
“NO, STOP IT!” Natalia screams loudly. “STOP IT! NO! DO NOT TOUCH ME! STOP!”
“SHUT UP, CHICKEN!” Eugene roars with evil and slaps Natalia in the face strongly, making her scream loudly. “DO NOT MAKE ME MUCH MORE ENRAGED!”
“EDWARD, HELP! HELP! SAVE ME! I DON’T WANT TO DIE! I DON’T WANT!”
Despite the hard resistance of Natalia, her loud shouts, and her strong hits on his arms, Eugene kisses her on the lips by force, while one hand of him tightly grabs her by the hair, and another confidently slides over her thighs and buttocks that he squeezes tightly.
“HELP!” Natalia begs. “HELP ME!”
“I shall fuck you, bitch, FUCK!” Eugene threatens with bloodshot eyes and bites the skin on Natalia’s neck and collarbones painfully.
“NO! NO-O-O-O!”
“I SHALL TEAR THESE CLOTHES ON YOU NOW! RIGHT HERE! YOU WILL BE RUNNING HERE WITH A NAKED AS, BITCH!”
“E-E-E-DWA-A-ARD!” Natalia wrecks her cords so hard. “HELP! NO-O-O-O-O!”
“STOP SCREAMING!” Eugene roars loudly and slaps Natalia in the face again strongly, making her scream much louder. “OR I WILL HIT YOU ON THE HEAD WITH SOMETHING, SO YOU SHUT UP!”
“DON’T TOUCH ME, DON’T DO IT! NO-O-O-O!”
Eugene gives Natalia one more strong slap on the other cheek and starts to squeeze her throat tightly, literally killing her with his wild look that makes her heart beat much faster.
“I will kill you, bitch,” Eugene hisses through his teeth and squeezes Natalia’s throat with both hands, still sitting on the girl and seeing her feeling bad from a lack of air and unsuccessfully trying to get out of his grip. “You will die right now! I WILL BURY YOUR CORPSE HERE! OR GIVE IT TO DOGS!”
Now it’s much harder for Natalia to scream at the top of her lungs because she cannot breathe and can only moan painfully and try to show resistance with her legs and hands. But a little later, Wainwright, literally killing the girl with his furious look, tightly closes her nose and mouth to deprive her of a chance to breathe. The only thing she can do is moan loudly with dumbfounded eyes that are literally ready to suck out of the sockets and try to set herself free from her offender in any way and get some air.
“Die, bitch, die!” Eugene hisses with evil and applies much more effort, so Natalia has no chance to breathe. “I curse you along with that fucking puppy! DIE! DI-I-I-IE!”
Natalia’s body shakes in crazy convulsions, and she has a strong panic because of a lack of air, being madly afraid of losing consciousness. Any attempt to move Eugene’s hands off her gives her nothing good, and he is still strangling her strongly, forgetting about his wish to rape this tear-stained girl scared to death with disheveled hair and a dirty crop top. Natalia even starts to get ready for death and the fact that she will never see her close people. But later, the excited Edward runs here and stops sharply when he sees Wainwright sitting on the blonde and trying to strangle her. This scene immediately makes MacClife, Jr., furious. He rushes to the offender of his fiancée, grabs him by the collar, hits him in the face with a fist, strikes him down easily, and starts to beat his opponent with no regret. Natalia being in a half-conscious condition sits on her knees and starts to cough loudly, breathes in the air greedily, understanding that her throat hurts because of screaming loudly.
“BASTARD!” Edward screams at the top of his lungs, not sparing his hands and legs when beating Eugene with no regret. “I DID TELL YOU NOT TO TOUCH HER! DID I DO, SCUMBAG?”
Edward does not wait for the reaction and beats Eugene on the face, in some areas of which blood gets out.
“I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!” Edward screams at the top of his lungs and strongly hits his leg against Eugene’s stomach. “TEAR YOU APART! FOR WHAT YOU TRIED TO DO TO MY FIANCÉE! YOU WILL DIE, SCUMBAG! DIE!”
Edward smashes his leg against Eugene’s nose, from which a thin flow of blood starts showing up, getting sharply weak after such a cruel attack by the furious man.
“REMEMBER, SCUMBAG, IF YOU COME TO HER AGAIN AND TOUCH HER WITH A FINGER OR A DIRTY NAIL, I WILL BREAK YOUR ARMS AND LEGS,” Edward threatens rudely and confidently, breathing too heavily. “YOU GOT IT? GOT IT, I AM ASKING?”
Edward painfully grabs Eugene by the hair and strongly hits him on the ground with the back of his head. And after a few hits on the head, the jaw, and the nose, Wainwright is still awake. But he is weak enough and has blood under his nose and bruises on some parts of his face.
“REMEMBER, IF SOMEONE GETS ME WILD, I DO NOT CONTROL MYSELF AND KILL ANYONE TO STAND IN MY WAY. AND I WILL NOT FORGET WHAT YOU JUST DID TO NATALIA. YOU WILL PAY FOR ALL OF HER SUFFERINGS! FOR THE TEARS THAT SHE HAS CRIED BECAUSE OF YOUR FUCKING FAULT!”
“That idiot is the one to blame!” Eugene roars rudely. “She shouldn’t have screamed like a hysterical girl! And I would’ve killed her if you had not come!”
“That’s good she screamed! This is how I found her! AND FINALLY MADE MY DREAM COME TRUE BY HITTING YOUR INSOLENT FACE!”
Edward strongly hits Eugene right in the temple and his nose, watching Natalia’s offender bleed with an arrogant look.
“IF YOU GET CLOSER TO THIS GIRL AGAIN, YOU WILL BE DEAD!” Edward says loudly with widely open eyes and full of hate and anger and smashes his leg against Eugene’s crotch strongly. “I WILL NOT PITY YOU! AFTER WHAT YOU JUST DID!”
“First, try to reach me, fucking puppy,” Eugene throws coldly. “I will not let some piece of shit beat me easily. NEVER!”
Eugene, making himself forget about the pain in his body, raises himself slightly, tightly grabs Edward by the t-shirt, and pulls him down sharply. He sharply falls to the ground and has to start fighting back against his opponent, who raises himself above him and starts to fight with him hand in hand and give him painful hits in the face. But MacClife, Jr., is not going to give up, and the thought of having to help Natalia gives him enough strength to fight and protect himself. It lets him get control of the situation, raise himself above Wainwright, and start to hit him in the yawl, the nose, and the temples much crueler, using the fact that nobody is around and can stop him. Now Edward can have a lot of fun and take it out on the offender of Natalia, who is still trying to cough, coming to herself, and watching what’s happening with horror in widely open eyes.
“I’ve finally done it!” Edward exclaims with a wide, smug smile, smashing his leg against Eugene’s stomach with pleasure after getting up quickly. “Finally, I got a chance to beat you strongly. Nobody will stop me and take me aside. And nobody can help you: Eric, Otto, Andrew, or anyone else. You’re alone and powerless.”
“No, MacClife, you’re deeply wrong,” Eugene replies confidently. “I’m not powerless. I can also beat your insolent snotty face. AND MAKE YOUR UNCLE HAPPY WITH KILLING YOU!”
Eugene wants to smash his fist against Edward’s yawl, but the guy grabs the hand just in time, gives him the same hit, and squeezes the opponent’s throat with both hands, getting pleasure from seeing him choke.
“Suffer, scumbag, suffer!” Edward hisses through his teeth. “Suffer as well as Natalia does every time you put her under all these tortures.”
“This whore will not get off me so easily!” Eugene says rudely. “I WILL KILL THAT BRAINLESS CHICKEN! FUCK HER AND KILL HER! AND BURN HER CORPSE IN WOOD!”
Eugene strongly smashes his knee against Edward’s groin and, using the moment when the guy falls on the ground with terrible pain in this area, gets up sharply, runs to Natalia sitting on her knees, grabs her by the hair rudely, and pulls on himself.
“NO, NO-O-O-O!” Natalia starts to wreck her chords again and tries to fight back against Eugene with both hands. “DO NOT TOUCH ME! NO! NO-O-O-O!”
“If I have to, I shall kill you before this kid,” Eugene replies confidently and strongly slaps Natalia in the face, making her scream much louder and shake, while his wild eyes full of evil literally make a hole in her forehead. “FUCKING BITCH! AND YOU WILL SPREAD YOUR LEGS FOR ME BEFORE DEATH!”
“NO! NO-O-O-O-O!”
When Edward rushes to Eugene and wants to hit him much stronger than before, the criminal hits his leg against his stomach again and takes Natalia a few steps back.
“LOOK AT THIS GAL THE LAST TIME!” Eugene says rudely and takes Natalia crying bitterly by the neck, as if he wants to use a chokehold on her. “BECAUSE YOU WILL NEVER SEE HER! AND KNOW WHEN I WISH TO KILL ROCHESTER AND WHERE!”
“Let her go now!” Edward demands, tightly clenching his hands into fists, tensing all the muscles in his body, and being ready to kill Eugene with only his icy look. “LET HER GO, ASSHOLE, BEFORE I KILL YOU!”
“What would you do to me?” Eugene lets his free hand slide over the curve of Natalia’s waist and slide down to her thigh, making the girl scream loudly and start to break free. “Wave your chicken wings?”
“I SAID, LET HER GO!” Edward gets much more enraged, breathing heavily so that his nostrils flare strongly and getting his body so tense that it starts to shake slightly.
“So, baby, don’t ya like it?” Eugene smiles slyly, squeezes Natalia’s buttock rudely, claps on it strongly, and squeezes her breast painfully, while she screams loudly and tries to get out unsuccessfully. “Don’t ya like that I caress this dolly before your eyes? And I haven’t undressed her yet! What will happen to you if I do that? You will actually die from anger?”
“DO NOT MAKE ME WILD, BASTARD!”
After screaming it at the top of his lungs, Edward tries to run to Eugene shortly, but the criminal goes two steps back.
“DON’T MOVE, BASTARD!” Eugene roars. “OR I WILL STRANGLE THIS IDIOT! SHE WILL DIE BEFORE YOUR EYES!”
“NO!” Natalia screams with despair and tears in her eyes. “DON’T DO IT! STOP! DO NOT DO! DO NOT DO!”
“STOP SCREAMING, IDIOT!” Eugene strongly beats Natalia on the head with a free hand. “MY HEAD HURTS!”
“I DON’T WANT! DON’T DO IT! NO! STO-M-M-M!”
“I SAID, SHUT UP!” Eugene tightly closes Natalia’s mouth with his big hand with widely open eyes, but she keeps moaning loudly and tries to get out, falling into a real hysteria. “SHUT UP!”
“LET HER GO, WAINWRIGHT!” Edward screams at the top of his lungs. “YOU WANT TO BRING NATALIA TO HYSTERIA?”
“That’s good! Maybe, I wouldn’t have to kill her, and this cowardly chicken would die from fear!”
“IF YOU DON’T LET HER GO, I SWEAR I WILL CASTRATE YOU! RIGHT HERE! WITH MY OWN HANDS!”
“Take care of your nerves, MacClife,” Eugene smiles slyly, runs his free hand through Natalia’s crop top, squeezes her breasts painfully, and pulls her nipples rudely. “You will need them when you lose hope of marrying. When this bitch dies, and I give her corpse to homeless dogs or someone else.”
Hearing all of this, Natalia falls into a hysteria that she cannot definitely control. The girl screams at the top of her lungs without fear of losing her voice and literally shakes in convulsions, feeling that the sound of her heart beating crazily is echoing in her head, and she kind of lacks air.
“GET YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF HER!” Edward roars, being also close to hysteria from the hate and anger caused by what Eugene is doing to the screaming Natalia.
“Yeah, I think there is a river here,” Eugene says thoughtfully and looks around quickly. “If it’s deep, I can easily drown this gal. Let’s check it.”
Eugene takes Natalia to the side, where he hears the sounds of water by force. The girl keeps breaking free so hard and screaming at the top of her lungs, noticing almost nothing around, while she is obsessed with a strong hysteria, and her body is full of adrenaline that makes her act like this.
“NO, DON’T DO THIS!” Natalia screams hysterically. “LEAVE ME ALONE! NO! NO-O-O-O-O!”
“FUCK, STOP HAVING HYSTERIA, YOU, FUCKING SLUT!” Eugene roars at the top of his lungs, closing Natalia’s mouth with a hand again and squeezing her yawl so strongly that she feels a strong pain. “I SHOULD’VE HIT YOU ON THE HEAD EARLIER, SO YOU PASS OUT AND DON’T RUIN MY PLANS.”
But Eugene’s words cause a stronger hysteria of Natalia, who makes her offender really mad and think of killing her, not raping her.
“WHEN WILL YOU, JACKASS, THE FUCK CALM DOWN?” Eugene screams and, moving his hand off Natalia’s mouth, hits her in the face so strongly that she falls to the ground with a scream, grabbing her cheek tightly.
“DON’T TOUCH ME, DON’T TOUCH!” Natalia screams at the top of her lungs and tries to creep away from Eugene. “NO! NO!”
Eugene, tightly grabbing Natalia by the legs, presses her to himself sharply, hits her on every single cheek very strongly, and does the same to Edward when the guy attacks him with fists. Then Wainwright, grabbing the girl by the hair painfully, hits her in the face again and squeezes her throat tightly with both hands to strangle her. And to deprive her of any chance to breathe, he squeezes her nose and mouth, smiling widely, while she panics because of being deprived of air and feels a slight dizziness later. But Edward reacts very quickly and easily pushes Eugene away from Natalia, who creeps away from her offender and starts to breathe in air greedily, choking from her own tears, which are the reason why her makeup got worse.
Edward starts to beat Eugene much crueler with his legs and hands when the criminal falls on the ground, not letting him get up and do something to Natalia, whose nerves are on edge. The man spares no energy, wishing to kick the offender of his fiancée and make him pay for every single moment when she suffered. He does not care about his dirty clothes, his disheveled hair, the blood under his nose, the bruises on his face, or the burning pain in his groin and stomach… He gives a damn about everything when the case is about his fiancée. When someone dares to hurt his little, unprotected girl and makes her suffer.
“So, do you still think I’m a weak, little boy that can’t stand for himself and his close people?” Edward asks rudely and, grabbing Eugene by the hair tightly, hits the back of his head against the ground strongly. “It’s time to forget it! And remember who Edward MacClife is! Who he is when some sick bastards like you MAKE ME FURIOUS!”
“You will never become a real man!” Eugene hisses through his teeth. “You will remain a little boy, who only gives people problems. Who was born thanks to great luck.”
“That old bastard Michael washed everybody’s brains too well, if all of you said the same.”
“He told the truth. The truth that you will never admit.”
Eugene sharply rolls to another side, gets up, and starts to fight with Edward hand in hand. The men sometimes share painful hits on the face, stomach, and groin for some time, biting the bullet and overcoming the burning pain in the body.
“You have a little time to be free, asshole,” Edward says in a low voice and gives Eugene a strong slap in the face. “You will be back in prison and serve your sentence soon. Where YOU REALLY BELONG!”
“We will see it, kid!” Eugene throws rudely, twists Edward’s arms sharply, pushes him so that the guy falls on the ground, and hits him right on his ridge, making him wince strongly from a strong pain that his body gets immediately obsessed with. “I’d kill you and give your corpse to dogs sooner than you and your family would put me in prison. At first, you will die, and then I shall deal with the blonde that screams louder than a gramophone.”
“YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER WITH A FINGER!” Edward rolls onto the back and smashes his leg against Eugene’s chest, making him fall to the ground. “OR YOU WILL BE DEAD!”
“You will do nothing to me when you are dead. And the blonde will be only mine. At first, I will play with her and fuck her for some time… And I shall kill her and bury her somewhere when I’m sick of her. And in order for her shouts not to make me furious, I will give her an injection,” Eugene smiles slyly. “One magical thing, thanks to which she would only say, ‘yes’, moan, and caress my dick with her gorgeous mouth by my order. Naked… M-m-m…”
“YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER WITH A FINGER!” Edward sharply rolls onto his back and hits his leg against Eugene’s chest, making him fall to the ground. “OR YOU ARE A CORPSE!”
“You will do nothing to me when you are dead. And the blonde will be mine. I will play with her, fuck a little and kill her and bury her somewhere when I’m sick of her. And for her not to make me furious by screaming, I will give her a little injection,” Eugene smiles slyly. “Give her one magical thing, thanks to which she would only say ‘Yes’, moan by my order, and caress my penis with her gorgeous mouth. Being nude… M-m-m…”
“CLOSE YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!” Edward screams at the top of his lungs, squeezes Eugene’s throat tightly, and squeezes his mouth and nose with a free hand to deprive him of the ability to breathe. “DON’T DARE TO GET CLOSER TO HER! I WILL NOT LET YOU TOUCH HER WITH A FINGER AND ESPECIALLY GIVE HER SOME SHIT!”
Eugene tries to say something, but now he can only beat Edward on his arms and kill him with his furious look.
“YOU’RE SICK, WAINWRIGHT, SICK!” Edward says. “YOU MUST GET THERAPY! INSTEAD OF WALKING FREE AS IF NOTHING HAPPENED! AND I WILL NOT LET IT HAPPEN! I WILL DO MY BEST FOR YOU, ASSHOLE, TO GO BACK WHERE YOU RAN AWAY FROM!”
A few seconds later, Eugene finds the strength to clench his hand into a fist and smash it against Edward’s nose, making him let the criminal go. Then Wainwright throws him aside sharply and gets up, getting over the hellish pain in his body and understanding that he cannot fight with the young guy, who does not also lie on the ground for too long.
“No, puppy, you two will not get off me,” Eugene says confidently with a heavy breath. “You must die, as your uncle wanted. And the blonde must give me the most incredible sex in my life and show up naked, so I feel up her boobs and ass, and kiss her belly and legs… Caress her clitoris with my fingers and tongue… Do my best for her to be very, very wet. And agree to suck me enough.”
“I am warning you, Wainwright: if I see you near her and watch you feel her up insolently and get your dirty hands underneath her underwear, I swear you will be dead,” Edward says confidently, breathing heavily and clenching his hands into fists. “And don’t dare to make everything look like she’s cheating on me. I will no longer believe this bullshit and do not doubt Natalia’s loyalty.”
“No, I don’t need it. Now I will caress the body of that dolly before your eyes. I want you to watch, choke from jealousy, and eventually die from anger.”
“DON’T DARE! OR I WILL BEAT YOUR UGLY FACE!”
“Scream as much as you want.” Eugene takes a step forward but starts to limp strongly due to the pain in his leg, holding his groin and wincing from how bad he feels. “It will not help you.”
“Better get out in a good way before I hang your balls on a tree. AND NEVER STAND IN MY WAY! OR I WILL KILL YOU, BASTARD!”
“Alright, MacClife, alright,” Eugene says in a lower, ruder voice. “This time, you and your whore are lucky. I will not kill you and take her with me. Even despite a great wish to give her an injection, undress her, and fuck her.”
“Close your mouth!”
“But I am warning you, fucking puppy.” Eugene starts threatening Edward with a finger. “If I meet this gal without you somewhere, she will be in my hands. I will be smarter and start to have something that will help me knock her out and take her to the right place. Today, I screwed it up because I didn’t know you’d come here. But I will know you love walking in this type of place.”
“She will not walk alone in these places while you are free,” Edward replies rudely. “I will ban her! And I shall accompany her wherever she is if I have to.”
“You can even tell your older brother and your pals, who were on the court and supported you, that the same things might happen to the sexy friends of your blonde. If I meet at least one, she will experience what Natalia will do. Someone will hardly find those chicks alive because I will fuck every single one, kill them with pleasure, and bury their corpses somewhere in an abandoned place.”
“Don’t worry, I will warn everybody about your escape. And we will do our best to protect our girls! We will do our best for the police to find you soon!”
“Do it…” Eugene smiles slyly. “Do it. I will laugh at you. And I will be impatiently waiting for the meeting with your gorgeous fiancée alone somewhere in a quiet place located far from the city.”
“It will never happen! NEVER!”
“Stay happy, MacClife! Live your last days and start to accept the fact that you will lose your cutie someday.” Eugene comes closer to Edward and looks at him with greater hate, being furious because he is no longer able to fight. “And remember, this is not our last meeting. Something will lead us to one place, early or late. And I doubt it will end well for you, your pals, parents, brother, and other relatives.”
“I said, GET OUT! NEVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN!”
Eugene looks at Edward from head to foot for the last time, looks at him with hate and contempt, turns around sharply, and goes somewhere. MacClife, Jr., watches the criminal with an icy look that is literally ready to kill him, keeping his head proudly raised. When Wainwright hides, limping strongly and holding his abdomen, Edward closes his eyes, exhales slowly, runs his hands over his face, and sees small bloody lines on them. The man brings his hand to his nostrils, looks at it, and sees that his fingertips have tracks of fresh, bright red blood. His whole body hurts, his hair is disheveled, his head hurts a little, and there are a couple of small bruises on his face. A breath is heavy enough, and the heart is beating much faster. Its sound literally echoes in his temples. It’s very hard to calm down after such a tense event that made him feel a wave of adrenaline and now gives him only the feeling of emptiness.
“I can’t believe it, that bastard ran away from jail!” Edward thinks with anxiety, putting his hand on his forehead. “They must’ve watched him! How could those people let him go? That bastard must’ve worn a straitjacket! Give him drugs constantly! Fuck! Until that bastard is caught, we will all live with fear. And as Wainwright decides to hide, it’s gonna be harder to find him. Any idiot knows he wouldn’t show up in public!”
Edward shakes his head and runs his hands over his disheveled hair.
“Fuck, if only Uncle Michael, Eric, and the others didn’t run away from prison,” Edward thinks with horror in his eyes. “It would be much harder if we tried to help Daniel get his memories back, find Anna, protect the girls from Wainwright, and have a war with Uncle and his pals. That bastard would obviously destroy me, my parents, my brother, and our girls… No, no, I don’t want! If that old man runs away, I will go crazy! I did suffer enough because of him! Shit, shit, shit…”
Edward’s eyes run from one side to another while he thinks about it for a few seconds, breathing heavily enough and still being very tense after meeting Eugene. And then the man’s heart starts squeezing from a bad feeling that does not let him stay quiet.
“Stop, Natalia…” Edward realizes suddenly and looks around quickly, starting to panic a little because Natalia disappeared again. “Where’s she?”
After looking around again and waiting for two seconds, Edward starts to call Natalia loudly:
“Natalia! Natalia, where are you?”
The silence that Edward hears gets him madly excited and makes him think of the worst things.
“Damn, she ran away again!” Edward exclaims. “Why didn’t she listen to me when I told her not to go anywhere?”
Edward strongly grabs his hair, looking around again with a heavy breath.
“Fuck, what if that bastard found her after he left? Natalia ran away somewhere, and he met her on the way?”
Edward puts his hand on his heart, understanding that it’s hard for him to breathe just because of the thought that Eugene would do something to Natalia, take her with him, and probably deprive him of the chance to see him.
“No, no, I don’t wanna think about it!” Edward shakes his head sharply. “I don’t want it! I’ll go crazy if something happens to her. No, no…”
After looking around again, Edward turns on one of the sides and runs some distance, then stops sharply, and looks at everything that he sees with widely open eyes.
“Where do I find her? Natalia could run anywhere and do anything! She had a strong hysteria when that sick bastard was feeling her up and beating. Her condition was terrible. I must find her as soon as possible, but I don’t know where!”
Edward closes his mouth with a hand and then puts it on his forehead, breathing heavily enough and understanding how much his body is shaking from the tension.
“Natalia!” Edward calls again loudly. “Natalia, please, show up! Let me know where you are! Natalia!”
Edward takes two steps forward and looks around with anxiety, understanding that something presses on his chest and does not let him breathe in and breathe out.
“Damn, she doesn’t react…” Edward says under his nose. “That bastard tries to close her mouth, so she doesn’t scream again? Damn… Damn… Where do I do? Where do I find her?”
Understanding that he has no choice, Edward decides to run across the whole territory with the hope that he will find Natalia and immediately take her away from this place. The man closely starts to examine everything and every single tree, behind which the girl and her offender might hide, sometimes calling out the name of the girl with despair and pain in his voice. The more he runs here, the more he loses hope of finding the girl, who was kind of swallowed by the ground. MacClife, Jr., starts to be afraid that Eugene took Natalia with him by force. This fear makes him more and more horrified, and the fact that he cannot find any tracks of hers makes him fall into despair and hold down his wish to shed a tear.
But when Edward being terribly excited and scared to death loses any hope, he glances aside, squints his eyes slightly, and sees the blonde, who he easily recognizes as Natalia, even if he sees only her back. The pale girl is sitting on the ground, setting her dead, wet eyes into the distance, and bending her legs at her knees slightly. She does not cry and does not panic. Her dead eyes do not have emotions. But the girl’s body is shaking strongly, and her mind is obsessed with the darkest thoughts. Edward sharply gives a start, rushes to Natalia, and gets down on his knees, exhaling with relief and saying:
“Natalia, sweetie…” Edward hugs Natalia from behind, presses her closely to his chest, kisses her on the temple, and rubs his cheek against the top of her head. “You scared me. I almost went insane. I thought something happened to you.”
Edward, breathing heavily enough, fixes Natalia’s hair and kisses her on the cheek while she keeps looking into the distance with her dead, widely open eyes and does not react to the pretense of her fiancée.
“Never make me so nervous, hear me,” Edward adds and caresses Natalia’s cheek softly. “I won’t bear anything like that again. Don’t do this, sweetie.”
Edward presses Natalia closely to himself, kisses her on the shoulder cutely, and snuggles his nose in the top of her head, while she says nothing and does not resist anything he does.
“My little girl…” Edward almost whispers and caresses Natalia’s head tenderly, stroking down her disheveled hair. “It’s all over. That scumbag will no longer harm you. Don’t be afraid, sweetheart, it’s okay.”
No matter how tender Edward treats Natalia, her eyes still stay dead and set into the distance, and she does not make a sound – even a quiet sob. Nevertheless, it’s possible to see the tears that roll down her cheeks slowly. The tears of fear. The fear of the terrible day that she will remember until the end of her life. The girl still remembers how Eugene’s wide eyes were literally undressing her, as he was speaking to her and trying to touch and hug her. How he began to kiss, hug, and caress her against her wish. How disgusting she felt. How much she wanted to clean her stomach.
And how that man behaved on the day when she was kidnapped! When someone put a handkerchief that had the smell of something that eventually deprived her of consciousness. She was passing out with a feeling of disgust for the way Wainwright was caressing her whole body, raising her shirt, and shamelessly getting his hand underneath her underwear. She was quickly losing her strength, and the evil people used it insolently. All these memories get obsessed with Natalia and make her terrible condition much worse. Yes, she does not scream and resist. But inside her, a strong hurricane is waking up and is about to get out. It’s caused by the memories of Eugene putting her to violence and making her feel many negative emotions: from a strong fear and uncontrolled hysteria to an unbearable disgust and a bad feeling of nausea.
Later, Edward notices that Natalia does not react to his actions and words, looking into the distance with literally dead, widely open eyes. He is getting horrified that the girl might withdraw into herself and go crazy or much worse – wish to die. Just like it happened when she was brought to despair because of his charges of cheating. Because of the photos that made him think so and made her think of that horrible day when she was humiliated cruelly.
“Natalia…” Edward pronounces softly, presses the pale and shocked Natalia to himself, and rubs his cheek against her cheek for some time. “Natalia, why are you silent? Say something.”
Edward tucks a strand of Natalia’s hair behind her ear and wipes tears under her eyes carefully.
“It’s over, sweetheart,” Edward says quietly and confidently. “You’ve got no reason to fear. Wainwright has gone and will no longer dare to touch you. I won’t let anyone hurt you, I promise.”
Natalia still says nothing, but her body gets much tenser because of the memories of Eugene. Looking at his shocked fiancée, who keeps looking into the distance like hypnotized, Edward starts to feel greater anxiety and worry that his worst thoughts may become real.
“Please, Natalia, don’t scare me,” Edward begs with pity and puts his hand on the white, wet from tears cheek of Natalia. “Talk to me. Say something. Don’t withdraw into yourself, and don’t think about anything about that bastard. Get it out of your head!”
The memories get more and more obsessed with Natalia and make her remember everything that happened to her. The brain literally tears apart from the dirty things that she heard from Eugene, and her body shakes every time the girl thinks of the way he kissed, caressed, or beat her. The blonde’s breath gets much heavier, her lips shake slightly, her eyes get much more horrified, and her pupils are dilated.
“Natalia, sweetie, hear me…” Edward whispers and kisses Natalia on the temple tenderly, seeing that more and more tears are getting out of her eyes, and she nervously fingers over. “It’s over, you’re safe. We’ll go to your home and tell your mother and father everything. And then I will go home and talk to my parents. It’s also hard for me to believe Wainwright has run away from prison, but we saw him. So, we’ve gotta do our best not to become his victims.”
At this moment, Edward starts to hear the quiet sobs from Natalia, who starts to breathe very loudly, as if she is about to have another hysteria.
“Hey, hey, it’s okay, baby, it’s okay,” Edward says softly, caresses Natalia’s cheek, and puts her hand on her chest, through which he can feel how fast her heart is beating. “Quiet, quiet… I’m here. Wainwright will not dare to violate you.”
Then, Natalia lets the hurricane get out shortly, screaming at the top of her lungs:
“NO-O-O-O-O! NO-O-O! I DON’T WANT TO BE RAPED! I DON’T WANT! Don’t make me do that! NO-O-O-O-O-O!”
Edward shakes slightly in the scare and opens his eyes full of horror wider.
“Quiet, Natalia, quiet,” Edward says quietly and softly, pressing Natalia to himself and cutely kissing her on the temple, while his hands caress her shoulders tenderly. “Don’t scream.”
“I’m not a liar!” Natalia screams with tears, leaning on the ground with both hands and knees. “Not a liar! And that person is not my lover! I’m guilty of nothing! I DIDN’T FUCK HIM! I DIDN’T FUCK!”
“Quiet, sweetie, quiet, sh-h-h…” Edward hugs Natalia tightly and caresses her head tenderly, while she is crying bitterly. “It’s okay…”
“Someone! Help! Save me! Please!” Natalia starts to shake her head sharply. “PLEASE!”
“You’re safe, sweetheart,” Edward nicely kisses Natalia on the top of her head and caresses her head and back, feeling how tense her shaking body is. “Nothing will happen to you. Wainwright will no longer dare to touch you. And if he does, I will tear him apart.”
“A-A-A-A!” Natalia screams at the top of her lungs, sharply steps back from Edward, creeps far, and grabs her disheveled hair painfully. “NO, DO NOT DO! DON’T TOUCH ME! DON’T TOUCH ME! I FEEL PAIN! NO-O-O-O! I FEEL PAIN!”
“Please, Natalia, don’t scare me,” Edward starts to get really excited, taking Natalia choking with tears and breathing heavily by the shoulders. “You don’t know what you’re saying!”
“NO, LET ME GO!” Natalia steps back from Edward sharply again and starts to kind of fight back against something that does not exist. “NO! STOP! LET ME GO! I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE! I WILL NOT TAKE IT!”
“Wake up, Natalia! Get everything you’re thinking about out of your head!”
“EDWARD! EDWARD, HELP ME! PLEASE, SAVE ME! HELP! PLEASE! I DON’T WANNA DIE!”
“I’m here, sweetie,” Edward says softly, presses Natalia to his chest from behind, and kisses her on the cheek. “It’s gonna be okay… Nobody will hurt you…”
“DON’T TO-O-O-OUCH!” Natalia keeps wrecking her cords, making quiet sobs and sniffing constantly. “I WILL NOT DO! I will not make your dirty wishes come true! I AM NOT A WHORE, NOT A WHORE!”
“I promise you won’t have to overcome this hell again.” Edward tenderly kisses Natalia’s shoulder and cheek, still hugging her tightly from behind and talking to her in a quiet, calming voice. “Today, I will tell my father about Wainwright’s escape, and he will talk to Mr. Johnson. That man will help us. The police will find him.”
“Please, stop! Don’t do this again! I don’t want! I don’t!”
“Quiet, my baby, quiet. It all stayed in the past, in your terrible memories. You must forget it all and come back to the reality. The reality, Natalia.”
“I DON’T WANNA DIE!” Natalia sharply gets out of Edward’s grip again and leans on the ground with her ground, breathing heavily enough and not being able to control her hysteria. “I DON’T WANT! I DON’T WANT TO DIE! A-A-A-A!”
“Please, Natalia!” Edward exclaims with pity in his eyes, grabs Natalia’s tear-stained face, and looks confidently into her dead, red eyes that are looking into the distance. “Look at me! Look! It’s all over. Wainwright is gone and will no longer hurt you. I’m with you and will go nowhere.”
“NO-O-O-O-O!” Natalia keeps screaming hysterically, starting to hit Edward in the arms strongly, while she thinks he is Eugene. “STOP! STOP IT! DON’T TORTURE ME ANYMORE!”
“Quiet, my sweetheart, quiet.” Edward hugs Natalia tightly and caresses her head tenderly, while she tries to get out of his grip. “Nobody will dare to hurt you.”
“EDWARD!” Natalia screams at the top of her lungs. “HELP! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”
Natalia sharply gets out of Edward’s grip and tries to get up and run far from here, losing control of her hysteria and barely understanding where the line is between reality and what’s happening in her mind. Getting white from horror, the man presses her to himself with widely open eyes and holds her tightly, even if the girl keeps resisting, as if he is Eugene.
“Natalia, Natalia, listen to me!” Edward pronounces excitedly, trying so hard to stay collected. “I’m not Eugene Wainwright! I’m not him! He’s not here!”
“DON’T LEAVE ME, EDWARD!” Natalia screams with despair and tears. “PLEASE! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”
“I’m here! Here!” Edward softly grabs Natalia’s face and sets his overwhelmed eyes on hers. “It’s me, Edward! I am Edward!”
Natalia says nothing but keeps crying bitterly and shaking strongly, looking into the distance with a heavy breath.
“It’s okay, you’re alive and healthy,” Edward says softly, confidently, caressing Natalia’s cheeks and wiping tears under her eyes. “And safe. Nobody harms you and will not do it, I promise. You are under my protection. You’re totally safe next to me.”
The lips of the crying Natalia start to shake slightly, as if she wants to say something, and the girl is breathing very loudly and heavily, feeling a strong weakness after letting all of that go out.
“Calm down, sweetie, calm down,” Edward says in a quiet, calming voice, caressing Natalia’s head, and puts his hand on her heart, which is beating crazily, so its warmth helps the poor girl feel better. “Sh-h-h… It’s okay…”
“Don’t do this…” Natalia begs in a shaking, very quiet voice with tears. “Please… I do feel too bad… Don’t hurt me… I don’t want to die…”
“No, no, sunshine, you will not die.” Edward fixes Natalia’s disheveled hair with quite a heavy breath. “And you’ve got no reason to be afraid.”
“I won’t bear it… I will not…”
Still looking into the distance with widely open eyes, Natalia starts to breathe much heavier from the feeling that she lacks air and that something presses on her chest. Her skin gets much whiter, and her look gets sick and exhausted enough. She starts to feel strong dizziness, slight nausea comes to her throat, everything goes blurry before her eyes, and sounds become kind of muted.
“Natalia…” Edward pronounces with widely open eyes. “Natalia, come on?”
Edward puts his hand on the cheek of Natalia, whose condition makes him more and more scared.
“Stay with me, hey!” Edward says loudly. “Don’t faint! Stay with me! Hear me! Hold on!”
“I feel bad…” Natalia pronounces painfully with a heavy and loud breath. “I’m dying…”
Two moments later, Natalia rolls her eyes and closes them with a very quiet moan, stopping to realize what’s happening around her, and her soft body falls sharply on the ground like a rag, pale doll.
“Natalia!” Edward exclaims loudly and excitedly, picking Natalia by the back not to let her hit the back of her head against the ground, and starting to breathe heavily from excitement. “Natalia!”
Edward softly grabs Natalia’s face and raises her head with an arm, on the bend of which it’s lying.
“Sweetie…” Edward pronounces excitedly, clapping Natalia on her cheek slightly or rubbing it. “Natalia! Natalia, wake up, hear me! Natalia!”
But Natalia does not react to the actions of the terribly excited Edward, who gets horrified by how bad the unconscious girl looks: deathly white, cold enough, and exhausted by the shock that she had to experience.
“No, no, sweetheart, please…” Edward begs with pity in a shaking voice, still clapping Natalia on the cheek or caressing her white face with his warm hand. “C’mon, Natalia, c’mon…”
In between clapping on the face, Edward feels Natalia’s pulse on her neck and wrists, finding out that it’s very weak, checks her pupil's response to light, and finds out that her breath is rare.
“Pulse is weak…” Edward pronounces with a heavy breath in a shaking voice. “Her pupillary response to light is bad, and she’s so white and cold…”
Edward caresses Natalia’s cheek tenderly, getting horrified by the fact that she is stone-cold and as white as a rag and seems literally dead.
“Shit, shit, shit!” Edward says under his breath and tries to bring the unconscious Natalia to life, clapping her cheeks and holding her relaxed body suspended. “Come on… Wake up, Natalia, wake up! Please!”
Edward presses the unconscious Natalia to himself and kisses her on the temple, running his fingers through her thick, shaggy hair, while the girl’s head is pressed to his chest.
“My girl…” Edward pronounces with pity, caresses Natalia’s head tenderly, and moves aside some of her hair that gets into her eyes because of the strong but warm wind. “That’s what that scumbag brought you to…”
Edward kisses Natalia's white forehead.
“Fucking Wainwright! Die and burn in hell, bastard! This is where you belong!”
At first, Edward gets confused by the terrible excitement and does not know what to do to Natalia, whose soft body he is holding suspended, and how to wake up the girl. But understanding that every minute is important, he makes himself brace himself. The man breathing heavily with excitement gets up sharply, picks up his unconscious fiancée, who looks like a rag and lifeless doll, in his arms, and quickly goes to where his car is parked, while her hands and head are hanging in the air freely. Edward takes quite a long distance along with the unconscious Natalia in his arms before he believes he hears a very, very quiet painful moan. The man stops, places the weak body on the ground carefully, gets down on his knees, and starts to hold her head.
“Natalia…” Edward pronounces quietly and rubs Natalia’s cheek slightly, looking at her with some hope. “Natalia, can you hear me? Say something, please! Natalia!”
Natalia does not react to all of it for a few more seconds, making Edward much more nervous and pray that she wakes up soon. But at some moment, he notices that her eyes start to shake slightly, and she takes her first breath two seconds later and puts her hand on her forehead with a painful moan, starting to move her whole body slowly.
“C’mon, Natalia,” Edward pronounces in a strongly shaking voice, puts his hand on Natalia’s cheek, and kisses her on the forehead tenderly. “C’mon… Wake up… C’mon…”
Edward presses Natalia’s head to his chest and caresses it tenderly, holding the girl’s body suspended and clapping her on the cheek two more times. Later, she opens her eyes slowly with quiet and painful moans and looks into the distance. She sees everything blurry enough and does not understand what happened to her, feeling strong weakness and dizziness. Every single movement is a little hard for her, but the blonde understands that she feels the warmth. She feels the fast heartbeat of the man, who is caressing her cheek with his tender, warm hand. And at some moment, Natalia slowly moves her eyes to Edward watching her with a fear in his rounded eyes, and recognizes him quickly, even if she sees him a little blurry.
“Edward?” Natalia pronounces in a very quiet and hoarse voice, looking at Edward with half-closed eyes. “Edward…”
“Natalia, thank God…” Edward exhales with a slight smile and relief and tightly hugs the confused Natalia, caressing her head and kissing her on the top of her head. “My baby… Damn… I almost went insane…”
“What happened?” Natalia asks hesitantly, looking at Edward with widely open eyes when he steps back from her with a heavy breath. “I… I don’t remember anything…”
“It’s okay, honey. You just fainted.”
“Fainted?”
“Yup. You got too excited and scared and lost consciousness.”
“Scared? But why?”
“You don’t remember?”
“Nope…” Natalia shakes her head. “I only remember your voice and your warm hands… I… I… I felt very bad… And I fell into darkness… Sharply… It was like a light was turned off…”
“And can’t you remember your hysteria?”
“Hysteria?”
“You were screaming loudly, resisting, and trying to run away…” Edward explains, caressing Natalia’s cheek. “I got really scared and didn’t know what to do to you. And then you felt bad and fainted, saying, ‘I’m dying’.”
“No… I… I can’t remember…”
“Okay, my sunshine, don’t think about it,” Edward kisses Natalia tenderly on her forehead. “It’s over…”
“Did I beat you?” Natalia asks hesitantly with a scare in her eyes.
“Hit my arms a little.”
“No… It can’t be the truth. I could not do it!”
“I know. You just couldn’t control yourself. You got so scared that you couldn’t keep your emotions under control.”
“I’m sorry, Edward… If I really did that, I’m so ashamed… Please, forgive me… I’m very sorry…”
“Don’t apologize, Natalia, I’m not mad at you.”
“I didn’t want it…”
“Sh-h-h…” Edward puts his hand on Natalia’s chest, feeling her weak heartbeat, and then her belly. “It’s okay, sweetie, it’s okay. Breathe deeper. Breathe in, breathe out… Breathe in, breathe out…”
At first, Natalia is quite tense, but feeling Edward’s warm hands on her skin and his tender whisper helps her relax a little and start to breathe as deeply as possible. Also, she feels better because of the warm wind that is blowing her face and the hair of the man, who also starts to calm down, understanding that the worst things are over.
“Oh, I feel bad…” Natalia moans, closing her eyes. “I feel a terrible weakness… And I feel dizzy…”
“Don’t worry, it will be gone now,” Edward replies softly, moving some of Natalia’s hair off her face. “Lie for a few minutes. And then I’ll drive you home.”
“And I’m emptied…” Natalia opens her eyes slowly and moves them to Edward. “I… I feel nothing… No happiness, no sadness…”
“After what happened, it’s fine. You had a strong shock and got scared to death.”
“Yeah… I was horrified… Very horrified… I thought I’d die… That I’d never see you…”
“No, no, sweetheart, don’t say it!” Edward rounds his eyes and massages Natalia’s forehead with his fingertips to help her relax. “I almost went crazy at the thought that I’d really lose you! That I wouldn’t be able to be next to my little girl…”
“Edward…”
“You made me really nervous.” Edward presses Natalia’s head to his chest and kisses her on the top of her head, while his hand caresses her face tenderly, and she feels his fast heartbeat. “Very much…”
“Sorry… I didn’t want…”
“It’s okay. The important thing is that the worst things are over.”
Natalia tries to breathe deeply and calm down in a strong but tender hug from Edward, who does not let her go. But then she unconsciously thinks of Eugene and opens her eyes widely, immediately recalling everything that happened to her.
“Wainwright,” Natalia whispers with horrified, widely open eyes. “Oh, God… I thought… He was here…”
“That’s the truth, Natalia,” Edward nods with sadness in his eyes. “Wainwright was really here.”
“No… No, I don’t wanna believe it… That’s not the truth! I must’ve gone insane…”
“Quiet, sweetie, don’t get so nervous.”
“He ran away from jail.” Natalia makes a quiet sob. “He’s back, Edward! Back to revenge! To kill me! To kill you!”
“I swear he won’t hurt you anymore,” Edward promises confidently, caressing Natalia’s cheek. “Wainwright won’t dare to get closer to you and do something to you.”
“Oh, damn…” Natalia puts her hand on her neck and rounds her eyes when she does not feel her favorite necklace on it. “My necklace! Where’s it? God… He stole it! Stole! Wainwright took my necklace!”
“I tried to take it away, but he refused to give.”
“No…” Natalia glances at the engagement ring on her left hand, feels the earrings in her ears, and exhales with great relief. “Thank God, the ring is here. And my earrings…”
“Honey, don’t think about it. I’ll give you a lot of necklaces if you want. You must be grateful you stayed alive. That sick bastard could’ve done anything to you if I hadn’t been near. He would’ve taken you with him if I hadn’t found you after your escape.”
“He almost killed me, Edward,” Natalia whispers in a shaking voice with tears. “I would’ve been dead if you hadn’t been near me! That man was feeling me up and wishing to rape me, but he wanted to strangle me when you came. I tried to scream when you came, but he closed my mouth. And I lost hope when you were near but didn’t see us. I thought I’d be dead! He wanted to take me with him! He wanted to inject something, undress, and mock me!”
“Silly, why did you run away from me?” Edward caresses Natalia’s cheek with one hand, as he holds her head on the bend of his arm. “I told you to stay near me! Why didn’t you listen to me? Why did you run so far that I barely found you?”
“Sorry, sweetie…” Natalia makes a quiet sob. “I got scared… I was in despair… I didn’t think about what would happen. I stopped realizing something when I saw that man beating you against the ground with your head.”
“What if I hadn't found you? If that bastard had taken you away? I could’ve never seen you again! The last time, I knew you were brought to the house of Uncle Michael, but this time, Wainwright could’ve hidden you nobody knows where.”
“I’m so sorry…” Natalia sits up slowly and runs her hands over her hair and face, crying bitterly and shaking strongly from tension. “I know I’m a brainless idiot, who learned nothing after what happened. If Wainwright had taken me away, it would’ve been my payback for being a stupid chicken. I would’ve died, knowing why…”
“No, don’t dare to say it, hear me!” Edward opens his eyes full of horror widely and grabs Natalia’s face, making her look into his eyes. “If that bastard had done something to you, I wouldn’t have taken it. I’ve never hidden how much I’m afraid to lose you.”
“He’ll kill me anyway… He’ll get me out of the ground and kill me. Do everything for nobody to know it and help me.”
“No, Natalia, it will not happen! I promise, Wainwright will not dare to hurt you and stand in your way from this day.”
“That man is free… Free! Oh, God… I won’t bear it! I’ll die of fear sooner than he’ll strangle me with both hands.”
Natalia closes her face with both hands and starts to cry quietly and bitterly, shaking strongly enough from fear. Edward takes her by the shoulders, caresses her back, and kisses her on the top of her back, saying softly:
“Quiet, baby, quiet… Don’t cry… It’s okay…”
“He will not let me live quietly!” Natalia exclaims with despair, making a quiet sob. “Because of that monster, I can’t be quiet! While Wainwright is free, it won’t happen!”
“Please, Natalia, don’t be nervous.” Edward puts his hand on the cheek of the crying and shaking Natalia and looks into her shocking, wet eyes. “He will be caught. Early or late. That scumbag will not stay free.”
“Why, Edward? Why was it him? I thought I’d never see him. But he ran away and wanted to rape and kill me!”
“S-h-h-h, quiet, baby, quiet, I’m with you,” Edward calms down in a quiet, soft voice, caressing Natalia’s cheek and head with both hands. “It’s over. It won’t happen again.”
“You understand nothing…”
“I understand everything. But trust me.”
Natalia shakes her head with eyes full of tears, looks at Edward with pity for two seconds, and snuggles her nose in his chest, crying much more bitterly than before. The man hugs the girl tightly with both arms, caresses her head, and tenderly kisses her on the cheek or the top of her head to calm her down somehow.
“He ran away…” Natalia asks with tears, clenching her hand into a fist and putting it on Edward’s chest. “Wainwright ran away…”
“S-h-h, please, honey, calm down,” Edward says quietly. “It’s gonna be okay. I’ll talk to my father tonight, and he’ll call Mr. Johnson. The police will take measures. I mean, they’ve done something. I’m sure.”
“He’ll kill me, Edward… This time, Wainwright will not pity me and will make his threat to bury my body come true. And he’ll reach you…” Natalia sniffs quietly. “First, he’ll bury you and then me.”
“It’s gonna be okay, my kitty.” Edward slowly starts to run his hand over Natalia’s back up and down. “That asshole will go to prison. And I’ll do my best for him to do nothing to you and not to kill me.”
“No, no, no, no!” Natalia pronounces a little louder with tears, shaking her head sharply. “I don’t want! If something happens to you, I won’t take it. I’ll lose the meaning of life… I’ll go crazy…”
“Don’t worry, my sweetheart, it’s gonna be okay,” Edward promises confidently and wipes tears under Natalia’s eyes. “Dry off tears and calm down, please. If you faint again, I shall go crazy.”
“I’d better close my eyes forever than know a sick asshole wants to fuck me like a prostitute.”
“Don’t say it, sweetheart. You've already scared me to death. My heart almost stopped from fear.”
“Really?”
“You couldn’t wake up for a long time and seemed literally dead to me. At first, I was absolutely confused and didn’t know what to do. I was alone… There was nobody that could wake me up.”
“Sorry… I didn’t wanna scare you.”
“Tell me…” Edward steps back from Natalia and caresses her face with both hands, fixing her hair slightly at some moment. “How many times have I said I love you so much that I can’t imagine my life without you?”
“Many…” Natalia pronounces quietly. “Very many…”
“And do you think it was said with all the heart?”
“Sure,” Natalia smiles shyly through tears. “I won’t dare to doubt your feelings.”
“And I didn’t doubt you’d say it,” Edward smiles slyly with his head proudly raised. “Because not loving me is impossible.”
“Gosh, MacClife, it’s a bad time to imitate your brother,” Natalia laughs for the first time in a while.
“I’m a tiger! R-r-r…” Edward growls playfully like a tiger with the hope of making Natalia laugh. “Look what I can do! R-r-r-r-r…”
“Stop it…”
“Maybe, no? You’re smiling now! And laughing!”
“You just look funny,” Natalia notices shyly. “So, I can’t hold it down.”
“R-r-r… With you, I growl in this way, but I will growl at your offenders much crueler. Like a lion. R-r-r-r! R-R-R!”
“I’ve made sure about it.”
“So, beauty, dry the tears off and make me happy with your charming smile.” Edward carefully wipes tears under Natalia’s eyes. “And remember, whatever happens, it’s gonna be okay.”
Natalia says nothing and just sniffs quietly. Edward hugs her tightly and caresses her head, while she runs her hands over his back in the hope of calming down and really starts to feel much better. And some time later, the girl steps back from her fiancé, looks at his face with sadness in her eyes, and caresses it with both hands.
“Hey, you’ve got blood under your nose,” Natalia says quietly and raises Edward’s bang on his forehead, seeing a couple of bruises on it. “And a couple of bruises.”
“I don’t care,” Edward replies confidently with a slight smile. “Knowing everything’s okay with you is more important to me.”
“But how are you feeling? Are you okay? Wainwright was beating you so strongly, and you were wincing from pain!”
“Don’t worry, my love, I’m fine. I feel good.”
Natalia smiles shyly, puts her hand in the pocket of her shorts, finds a small handkerchief, and carefully wipes the blood off Edward’s face, holding his cheek with one hand, while he silently looks at her with a tender look full of kindness and warmth. And when she does it, she puts the handkerchief in her pocket again and fixes the disheveled hair of her fiancé.
“Thank you, my hero,” Natalia thanks with a slight smile. “Thank you so much for being with me and protecting me. You saved my life. I would’ve hardly been safe and sound if I had been here all alone or hadn’t been able to call out your name when you found me.”
“I don’t even wanna think everything could’ve been different…” Edward replies confidently. “I can’t imagine how much I would’ve been overwhelmed if something more serious than a faint had happened to you. If you… If you…”
“Died?”
“Don’t say this word. I fear it. I fear it when it’s about someone of my close people.”
“But that’s true. It would’ve been our last meeting. And… We would’ve hardly gotten married…”
“Don’t think about it, my love,” Edward carefully wipes tears off Natalia’s face and kisses her tenderly on the eyes, caressing the girl’s cheek. “You’re safe.”
“I’m really sorry for making you excited,” Natalia apologizes hesitantly. “For running… For beating you when I had hysteria… For fainting… I’m really very sorry. I didn’t wanna scare you.”
“And I’m sorry for not saving you from what you had to experience. For making the mistakes that almost led to sad consequences.”
Natalia says nothing and touchingly hugs Edward with a shy smile, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him on the cheek sweetly. The man answers it with pleasure, putting his arms around the girl’s waist and caressing her back, and finally feels relief after everything he had to see and take. As well as the girl, who had a greater shock than he did. A few seconds later, the lovers step away from each other and share a slight smile. Natalia looks into Edward’s eyes for two seconds and succumbs to the wish to thank him, grabbing his face tenderly and giving him a short kiss on the lips and a more continuous one. The man reacts to it positively, putting his hands on the girl’s back and then moving them to the curves of her waist. And when they break the kiss slowly, they let their foreheads contact and look into each other’s eyes with a tender smile. The two caress each other’s faces, and Edward kisses Natalia nicely on the nose, making her smile shyly.
“How are you feeling?” Edward asks anxiously.
“A little better,” Natalia replies tiredly, putting her hand on her forehead. “I’m still weak, though… Feel dizzy… Tired and… Emptied.”
“It’s okay, you’ll rest ‘till tomorrow and get better.”
“You’re right…”
“I will drive you home. Also, we will tell your parents what happened if they’re home.”
“Okay, as you wish. I’d like to walk a little more, but I’m too weak.”
“Can you walk to the car? Or do I carry you?”
“I dunno… But get ready to catch me.”
Edward gets up quickly and helps Natalia do the same, holding her by the hand and the waist. They quickly shake the dirt off each other’s clothes and slowly start to go to the car of the man, as they embrace each other. At first, the girl thinks she will go by herself, but after taking a few steps, she falls to the ground from weakness in her legs but gets immediately caught by the man. MacClife, Jr., silently takes his fiancée in his arms and keeps going on, while she puts her head on his shoulder and puts her arm around his neck, letting her second hand hang in the air. The warm wind getting into her face helps her keep her mind clear, and the pretense of her beloved man does not let her think about what made her feel a strong shock, after which she cannot still come to herself.
***
Meanwhile, Daniel is spending time with Blanca at home. Speaking the truth, the man is not very happy with her visit, but he did not find the courage to kick the Spaniard out. They are now sitting in the man’s room on his bed and talking about the meeting with the girl’s parents. While the girl does not literally step away from him like she is a cat, and he is something that smells like catnip, the man silently lets her caress, kiss, and hug him, not wishing to hurt her. Even if she makes him feel sick, and the Spaniard’s jealousy of everything in the world gives him strong discomfort.
“What you think of mi familia[1]?” Blanca asks with a slight smile, running her fingers through Daniel’s hair and keeping a hand on his lap. “Huh, querida[2]?”
“Erm, are you asking me about your family?” Daniel asks hesitantly, locking his fingers tightly.
“Si, si, amor[3], I want to say it. I want to know what you to feel!”
“I liked spending time with your family,” Daniel cracks a smile at Blanca. “Your parents are gentle and good people, and I feel comfortable when talking to them. Of course, I felt embarrassed at first, but they calmed me down.”
“I say you to like them.” Blanca kisses Daniel on the cheek with her dry, rough lips. “But you worry and fear.”
“Yeah, you were right… I’m glad your family accepted me. Mr. and Mrs. Moreno… And your younger sister… What’s her name… Erm…”
“Mia.”
“Yes, Mia! She’s very sweet and amicable. I liked talking to her.”
“Yeah, but…” Blanca steps back from Daniel a little and throws a gloomy look aside. “I want you to not talk to her and to not look at her.”
“Why?” Daniel rounds his eyes. “She’s such a good girl!”
“You must give all your attention only to me, mi amor[4].” Blanca caresses Daniel’s cheek. “I to be everything for you. You must tell me good words. I want to know you love and appreciate me.”
“Please, Blanca, don’t be jealous of your own sister and me,” Daniel says quietly. “I was just talking to her, and I see nothing bad about it. You don’t mind me saying good things about your parents. So, why do you do it to Mia? She didn’t deserve it.”
“Mia not to be your fiancée. I to be your fiancée. I want to hear you think I’m good and sweet.”
“But I consider you the one.”
“But I hear it so rarely.”
“No, Blanca, don’t say it.” Daniel caresses Blanca’s cheek and head against his wish and makes himself smile shyly. “Maybe… Maybe, I’ve just always been greedy for compliments… I dunno… Maybe, my character stayed the same, even if I remember nothing.”
“No, mi gatito, eso no es verdad[5]. You always to be generosa con cumplido[6]. I mean… I want to say… You to be generous for compliments… That not to be right.”
“Anyway, I want you to remember that you’re the best to me,” Daniel adds without emotions. “And even if I speak to other girls, it doesn’t mean the end of our relationship. We’re gonna get married soon, and it means I have no right to look at other girls. And I’m not gonna do it. I think… I’ve always been loyal to the one I love.”
“Right, you not to have a right to look at other girls,” Blanca nods. “You must look only at me. Other girls not to exist for you. You have only me.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know… But you see, I can’t limit my communication with other people and give attention only to you.”
“But I want it…”
“I understand you wanna see me every second. But that’s impossible. You work at the hospital, and I should stay alone or walk somewhere…”
“I want to fix it and do something for you to walk only with me. You must love to walk with me, make me have fun, and make me feel like a queen.”
“When we’re married, we’ll meet every day.”
“Yes, yes, I want it so much!” Blanca claps her hands happily. “If you not to decide to propose me to marry so soon, I get up down on my knee and do it. I want to be your wife… I not to want to separate with you for a minute.”
“I know, Branca.”
“Blanca.”
“Oh… Sorry.”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Blanca understands that Daniel does not feel too happy for someone to propose to a girl to marry at his own wish. To be clear, it makes her irritated. But the poniard tries to keep herself under control and stay patient.
“Daniel, what to happen to you?” Blanca asks with sadness in her eyes, caressing Daniel’s cheek. “Why you not to be happy? Not to say nice things to me!”
“Why do you think so?” Daniel frowns slightly.
“You look like you not to be glad you decide to propose to marry.” Blanca sniffs quietly and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “¿Por que, mi amor? ¿Por que?[7]”
“No, no, I’m very happy,” Daniel replies hesitantly, showing something like a smile and moving his eyes to Blanca. “Just… I’m just still trying to recall everything I forgot. Remember who I am, who you are, and who those people I knew somehow are…”
“I understand you remember nothing and not to believe me. But I swear, Daniel, it to be the truth.” Blanca takes Daniel’s hand. “I feel pain when I know you not to enjoy the relationship with me.”
“I’m also very sorry that I can’t trust you because I can’t remember you. Yes, you told me much from what seems familiar to me, but I can remember nothing.”
“Don’t worry, mi amor[8].” Blanca tightly puts her arms wrapped around Daniel’s neck and rubs her cheek against his one, while there is no hint of pleasure on his face, and he is struggling with a feeling of disgust. “You remember everything early or late. The doctor to say it not to last long. We not to have to delay our wedding again and again.”
“I’m really trying to, but I can’t.”
“I know,” Blanca nods with a slight smile. “But someday you and I get married and live happily after in this amazing house. I promise I give birth to your children as soon as possible and become the best mother for them.”
“Yeah, sure…”
Daniel hesitates for two seconds, then puts a hand on one cheek of Blanca hesitantly and kisses another, not feeling any pleasure or hint of something nice that he heard about from his real friends. But the Spaniard gets immediately blushed and smiles like a Cherish Cat, being literally ready to melt in the hands of the one she deceives so insolently.
“Oh, querida[9], you kiss me so tenderly,” Blanca says with a slight blush on her face. “I get goosebumps on my skin.”
“I’m glad you like it,” Daniel lies with a slight smile. “Though, I barely understand what I’m doing… I don’t mean I’m out of my mind… I mean, whether I do everything right if I want… To give you pleasure.”
“More than right.” Blanca smiles much wider and looks into Daniel’s eyes confidently, biting her lip slightly. “I shake when you touch and kiss me… I to be ready to become your slave… Do anything you want…”
“And… What should I do? To get pleasure…”
“I can show it,” Blanca says with a mysterious smile, runs her fingers over Daniel’s chest confidently, and caresses his cheek with slow movements. “I can show you something very nice and exciting…”
“Erm…” Daniel bites his lip slightly, not being impressed by what Blanca wants to do. “So… Right now?”
“Why not?” Blanca, looking into Daniel’s eyes, slowly runs her fingers over her collarbones and breasts and starts to breathe heavily enough, as if she gets excited from caressing herself. “I want to have sex… I not to have it for so long… And you always to be incredible at it… You can bring me to a nice madness… I love it so much…”
Daniel does not find the courage to push Blanca off him and lets her do what she wants, staying indifferent to her attempts to seduce him and even thinking that she does not do it very well.
“You want to let me show you how it to be?” Blanca asks in a low voice with a mysterious smile, examining Daniel’s face for some time, biting her lip, and licking it with a wish to look sexual. “If you not to remember, I can remind you with pleasure.”
“Erm…” Daniel pronounces hesitantly, while his scared, widely open eyes run from one side to another. “Listen, Branca, I…”
“Soy Blanca, mi amor[10]…” Blanca starts to confidently massage Daniel’s tense shoulders, slowly sliding to his back. “You to be too tense, querida[11]. Relax and get pleasure.”
“I… I’m not sure that I know how… How it’s happening…”
“Leave it all to me, mi gatito[12]. I help you relax… Show you everything you to teach me…”
Blanca starts to massage Daniel’s shoulders, neck, and back more confidently, getting great pleasure from touching the man and feeling his natural smell that makes her go crazy. A little later, the Spaniard puts the tip of her nose in his cheek, runs it over the one very slowly, kisses it with her dry lips, and rubs it against it, hoping to drive the man crazy and relax him. Kissing and hugging him is not enough for her. She wants to go further and take the man to bed. And she would not mind getting pregnant with him… What about Daniel? Daniel does not care! A massage is supposed to relax him and give him pleasure, but he keeps being indifferent and is not very happy with what’s happening, even if he barely understands what he is getting into. Blanca does everything more tenderly than before. And that’s probably why he does not try to set himself free and resist. And at some moment, Perkins really relaxes a little and feels… Kind of better?! Something makes him let the situation go and let everything happen as it wants.
Blanca is madly happy her goal is getting closer to a successful end slowly but confidently. Even little successes motivate her to keep moving on. She does not stop massaging Daniel’s body, which she finds perfect and tough, stroking his hair with slow movements, and kissing his face and neck. At heart, the girl rejoices that she almost got a victory over the man and turned off his brain. Yes, to some extent, it really deprives Daniel of vigilance and control over the situation. But it gets much weaker because he… Thinks of another girl… Not Blanca. Someone he barely remembers. Perkins does not know who she is, and why he thinks of her. But these thoughts about the strange girl help him relax. The man is imagining her kissing him tenderly and caressing his body, as if she knows what to do to give him pleasure. The girl, whom he is thinking about, seems very seductive, tender, and incredible to him. He cannot remember her face. But he clearly imagines the attractive curves of the lady’s body, which the man cannot wait to caress. Instincts do their job and make him think he wants to get closer to the girl from his fantasy. That unfamiliar girl, not Blanca.
Everything that is happening in reality is happening in his imagination. But without the Spaniard. With the one that drives him crazy. The unfamiliar girl is standing behind him, speaking in a low, seductive voice, massaging tenderly his tough shoulders and back, and leaving kisses on his neck as well as Blanca is doing it. And because the Spaniard bites his earlobe tenderly at some moment, Daniel thinks that the girl from his imagination does the same. He moans quietly from pleasure, getting out of reality and wishing this show to go on.
“Oh, damn, that’s cool,” Daniel says in a low voice with a slight smile, breathing heavily enough. “Yeah… Please, keep doing it, babe.”
“Sure…” Blanca smiles slyly, applies much more charm, and uses her skill of seduction to get Daniel, not guessing that he is thinking of another girl. “Everything for you…”
“Don’t stop it, please… I want to feel good… Please, please…”
“That’s good, honey,” Blanca pronounces in a soft, calming voice and slowly runs her dry lips over the area behind Daniel’s ear, which she caresses with the tip of her tongue, and in which she starts to whisper something. “Good, Daniel… Good boy…”
“You’re driving me crazy…” Daniel whispers. “Oh, yeah…”
“I want you to think of something good and dream of me, your beloved girl.”
“I already feel good, baby…” Daniel moans quietly, looking into the distance with a wide smile. “You’re so gorgeous…”
“Thanks to you, honey…” Blanca leaves a couple of kisses on the nape of Daniel’s neck and runs her hands underneath his t-shirt, caressing his tough-to-touch torso. “You teach me everything…”
“Oh, yeah, that’s good…” Daniel exhales slowly with closed eyes, not caring about Blanca running her dry, cold hands over his body thanks to his fantasies about the girl, who has very warm and soft ones. “Keep doing this, beauty, keep doing…”
“I know what you want… And do it right now.”
“Yeah, my princess… Do it… I want you… Madly… Please…”
“M-m-m… Princess… How it to be sweet…”
“My gorgeous princess… The most gorgeous girl in the world…”
“Oh, it to get me so excited…” Blanca softly grabs Daniel’s chin and leans his head back slightly. “You literally undress me when you say it.”
“I can’t be silent when I see such a beautiful girl…”
“And I not to be indifferent when you to be with me,” Blanca says very slowly in a low voice, caressing Daniel’s neck tenderly and covering it with dry lips. “I literally burn… You drive me crazy…”
Blanca gives Daniel a slow, short, and tender kiss on the lips, to which he answers with pleasure. The man does not care that the girl still kisses him terribly, cannot control her saliva that gets into his mouth, and gets her tongue very deeply, making him wish to cough or clean his stomach. A little later, she slowly goes around him, stands with her face turned to him, and caresses his cheek. Then the Spaniard confidently sits on the laps of Perkins, who lost the will and the mind, and puts her arms around his neck, running fingers through his hair. He immediately hugs her by the waist and starts to caress her thighs and buttocks, thinking that Blanca is a sexy, breathtaking girl from his fantasy, who drives him crazy with the curves of her body.
Blanca strokes Daniel’s hair and covers the curves of his neck with tender kisses for a few seconds, while he slightly starts to squeeze the lady’s breasts and breathe in the smell of her skin, which, as his clouded mind thinks, belongs to the girl from his fantasy. He tries to keep the image that makes him too crazy. And he understands that he madly wants that beauty with a gorgeous body, even if he cannot remember her face. Only the thoughts of her touches and kisses make him feel a tickle somewhere in his abdomen. She is too tempting to him… She makes him feel what he forgot, but she drives him crazy. Daniel’s consciousness imagines him kissing the strange lady, hugging her tightly, caressing all parts of her body, covering every centimeter of it with kisses slowly but confidently, and biting her lips, ears, and the thin skin on her neck tenderly. Having this fantasy is enough for the man to feel the tension in his whole body. Because of her, his heart beats much faster, his breath stops, and he feels a tickle in his abdomen. Thanks to her, he sometimes makes a quiet moan of enjoyment, his body gets more relaxed, he feels strong in his pants, and a quiet moan of enjoyment gets out of his mouth at times.
Later, Blanca decides to go further and continue her mission. The girl looks at the man’s face, being at a short distance from him and tenderly caressing his little rough cheek. Then she leaves a few kisses on his neck, runs the tip of her tongue slowly over the skin on it, and bites some places slightly, starting to run one hand over his chest and letting another get through his hair. Seeing that he begs her to give herself to him by looking at her, the Spaniard starts to show that she passionately wants this man, not being shy about moaning loudly and letting her body bend backward. A little later, Blanca kisses Daniel on the lips, grabbing his face confidently, while he answers this kiss greedily, running his hand through her air and starting to caress the curves of her waist, thighs, and buttocks. The girl from the man’s fantasy does all the same as the foreigner. It does not let him step away from the foreigner, who does not look like the one, who makes his heart tremble.
He has already forgotten about the non-attractive, asexual Blanca, who just wants to seem like a fateful girl. His consciousness believes she is another girl. The one, who wakes up a fire inside him. The one, whose face he cannot remember. The one, who is much thinner and more attractive than the Spaniard. He kind of got his mind clouded… Daniel does not control the situation and just gives himself to his instincts and wide passion for the girl, who might not exist. Or he has just not recalled her, but the heart tells him that he passionately loves the beauty from his fantasies, who obviously knows how to drive him crazy.
Blanca would be enraged if she knew Daniel wanted a non-existing girl, not her. She would hardly kiss him so passionately, bite tenderly and pull out his lips, and caress his face, hair, and ears, making him moan quietly and not thinking of resisting. Blanca does not doubt her skills at seducing and feels that nothing can stop her from taking Daniel to bed. At some moment, she stands up from Daniel’s laps, stands between his legs, and bends to him, caressing his hair, face, and neck with both hands. He looks at her from bottom to up with dead, widely open eyes, which say he does not understand what’s happening. Then the girl grabs his head, presses it to her breast for a few seconds, kisses him on the temple, slides to his cheek, and bites his ear, the area behind which she caresses tenderly with the tip of her tongue.
“Ah, Daniel…” Blanca pronounces slowly in a low, seductive voice. “You drive me crazy… I want you… Want you right now…”
Blanca bends, puts her arms around Daniel’s neck, and slowly slides to his neck, in the curve of which she snuggles her face, starting to cover it with kisses with a special pleasure. And she does not hide her happiness when she hears his quiet moans. She starts to moan loudly with her head leaned back when he confidently starts to squeeze her breasts and stimulate her nipples. The girl from his fantasies does all the same, but her caresses are much nicer to him. And although the man cannot remember that beauty, – and the image of that girl is very unclear and blurry – these fantasies deprive him of his mind, control, and a wish to resist. Only her curves, her amazing caresses, and her tender kisses make him obey that girl.
Some time later, Blanca decides to take Daniel’s clothes off with loud, sensual moans. And she starts with his black waistcoat, which she throws aside. The man does not resist it and starts to cover the girl’s neck with tender kisses, driving her much crazier, making her literally scream from pleasure, and still caressing her breasts. Later, he stays without his t-shirt, which the Spaniard takes off for one second and throws it aside, wearing only dark blue jeans. The girl smiles widely and confidently runs her hands over his naked chest, looking at which makes her take a breath away.
“Oh, Daniel, mi amor, tu eres incredible[13],” Blanca says confidently and shamelessly moves her hands to Daniel’s abdomen and crotch, which she caresses so that he cannot hold down his quiet moan. “Te quiero mucho[14]…”
Daniel also madly wants to take off the clothes of Blanca – or the girl from his mind. At some moment, the man reaches his hand to the hair slide that keeps her hair up, takes it off, and throws it aside. But when he wants to take off her outdoor clothes, the girl does not let him do it and coquettishly claps him on the hand that starts to raise her blouse so shamelessly. Blanca sharply steps back from Daniel, not moving her eyes off him and not stopping smiling slyly and saucily. And two seconds later, the Spaniard slowly takes off the blouse as sexually as possible and throws it aside. The foreigner proudly lets the man look at her thick body, which she is not ashamed of at all. She does not care that she has fat on her belly, does not have good abs, and has flabby arms. And she does adore her big breasts, which are expressed thanks to the bra with a push-up effect, and lets Perkins look at them better with pleasure.
“Like it?” Blanca asks with a mysterious smile and runs her fingers and fingertips over her breasts, collarbones, and belly. “This body to belong to only you. I want only you to caress it.”
Blanca takes the hands of Daniel looking at her with like charmed and lets him touch her thick body and caress it, getting great pleasure from the way the warm hands of the man slide on her stomach. The two moan quietly from pleasure, but the girl does it from what her “fiancé” is doing, and the man does it from what the one he imagines is making him feel. And later, the Spaniard feels his tender kiss on her belly somewhere upper than her belly button and breasts, and moans quietly at how tenderly he squeezes her buttocks.
“Yes, yes, Daniel, yes!” Blanca moans loudly. “Keep doing this! Do! Ah!”
“You’re so gorgeous, my princess,” Daniel pronounces in a hoarse voice with enjoyment, holding Blanca by the curves of her waist and covering her belly with kisses. “I love you… Love…”
“Oh, my God! Yes! Yes!”
At some moment, the heated Blanca kisses Daniel greedily on the lips and softly pushes him, so he lies on the bed. The man does it obediently and hugs the girl tightly by the waist when she raises herself above him, not caring that the Spaniard seems heavy enough. Blanca kisses Daniel on the lips again with stronger pressure, moaning quietly at times, running her fingers through his disheveled hair, letting her hands slide over his naked chest, and sometimes putting his hands on the parts of her body that she wants to be caressed. The man has lost control of himself and the situation and does not pay attention to the foreigner, even when she does something he would not like if he were sober. But the situation gets heated, and the case is getting closer to what the assertive Spaniard wants.
Not breaking the kiss either with Blanca or the girl from his fantasy, Daniel takes off her jeans with passion, takes them off, and throws them aside, making the girl wear only her underwear. And she is not confused, even if her body is not perfect, and it’s possible to see strong enough cellulite. The man softly rolls her onto the back and raises himself above her, not stopping to kiss her greedily and moan quietly from pleasure. He caresses all the parts of her face with great pleasure, bites tender parts of her neck, and runs the tip of his tongue over them.
“Oh, yeah!” Blanca moans loudly with closed eyes, bending her legs to her knees and getting her thighs tense. “Yes, yes, yes, yes! You to be so imitable, Daniel… Ah…”
“I want you…” Daniel pronounces in a low and hoarse enough voice and squeezes Blanca’s breasts tightly but tenderly, which he caresses with open lips. “I want… Right now…”
“Yes, Daniel… Yeah… Take me… I to be yours… Do anything you want to me… Drive me crazy… Ah… Daniel… Daniel…”
Daniel leaves a few kisses on Blanca’s neck and goes to her abdomen, while she bends backward with loud moans, scratches his back slightly, and runs her hands over his naked torso. The foreigner is reaching her hands to the man’s jeans and wants to take them off, and he is about to take off her knickers and bra. But at some moment, a phone call sounds, and the phone lying on the bedside table near the bed starts vibrating and hurting the ear. Blanca sharply steps back from Daniel in surprise and looks at her phone. The half-naked girl growls irritably, moans, and runs her hands over her face, while the man immediately goes back to reality, feeling like he woke up from hypnosis and understanding that the image of the fearful cutie that drove him crazy has suddenly gone.
“What the fuck?” Daniel thinks with a heavy breath, scarily looking at himself and Blanca and getting badly surprised when he sees himself in only unbuttoned jeans without a shirt and the foreigner wearing only underwear. “What happened? When did we get almost naked? Did I go crazy? Or did this girl want to do something to me?”
While Daniel looks around the whole room with scared eyes, Blanca reaches her hand to the phone and answers the call, not hiding her anger caused by the fact that someone ruined her plans of seducing the man and taking him to bed.
“Hello,” Blanca moans irritably.
A few seconds later, Blanca sharply takes her hair off her face.
“Mia!” Blanca yells with recentness. “What the hell? How you dare to bother me at such a perfect moment? You know I to spend time with Daniel! And I say NOT TO BOTHER ME! I EXPLAIN IT UNCLEARLY, YOU, STUPID CHICKEN?”
Blanca listens to what Mia tells her on the phone and clenches her hand into a fist.
“What?” Blanca throws irritably. “Again? He to call again? I explain everything to him and say I cannot come today! What he the hell to need?”
Blanca says nothing for a few seconds and moans tiredly with rolled eyes.
“Alright, I go there and find it out,” Blanca throws rudely. “I SAY I COME NOW! STOP SAYING THE SAME THING, YOU, FUCKING PARROT! TELL HIM I COME THERE SOON!”
Blanca turns off the call sharply, puts her phone on the bed, and runs her hands through her hair, pulling it out slightly and being angry that her plan of seducing Daniel did not come true. The shocked man raises himself slowly and looks at the girl hesitantly, not wishing her as passionately as he did a few seconds ago and still wondering how it happened that they ended up almost naked.
“What’s up, Blanca?” Daniel asks hesitantly with a little hoarse voice. “Something happened?”
“Sorry, sweetie, but…” Blanca pulls the words strongly and bites her lip slightly when moving her eyes to Daniel. “I must leave you… Mia to call me and to say I should come to the hospital… I should solve something.”
“Called to work?”
“I don’t know, querida[15]. My sister to speak so fast that I understand nothing.”
“Oh… Well… Okay… If you need it, go.”
“Don’t be upset, Daniel.” Blanca caresses Daniel’s face and fixes his hair slightly, while he looks at her with widely open eyes, being happy that she is leaving. “I promise we surely continue to make love next time. Sorry…”
Blanca gets up from the bed sharply, takes her clothes and hair slide that are thrown in the whole room, and puts them up quickly. While Daniel watches her surprisingly and wonders how such an asexual girl, who looks so clumsy and does not look like a fateful cutie, could get him attracted. The foreigner with excess weight, who cannot give him soulful pleasure and makes him feel terribly uncomfortable.
“See you soon, mi amor[16],” Blanca says goodbye with a slight smile, kissing Daniel on the cheek tenderly. “You may not lead me away. I close the door. Bye, bye!”
Blanca quickly takes her bag lying in the chair placed in front of the writing table and leaves the room. Daniel exhales sharply and puts his hand on his mouth, feeling not a very nice taste and getting surprised that some parts of his body are slightly blush after the girl’s bites.
“Damn, what just happened?” Daniel wonders, looking around with dumbfounded eyes. “I didn’t control myself and went kinda out of my mind at some moment! Oh, shit… I’m getting more afraid to be next to that girl… What did she do to me that I kinda passed out? And… Kissed her? BY MYSELF? At my wish?”
Daniel doubles over and runs his hands through his hair, looking into the distance.
“I barely hold myself down when she kisses me… But we ended up in bed… Half-naked…”
Daniel runs his hands over his stomach, breathing heavily enough.
“Hey, who was the girl that I was thinking about?” Daniel thinks, biting his lip. “I thought that girl was kissing me instead of Blanca! And I really liked it! I liked everything she was doing. Maybe, Blanca didn't have to do with it? Was the case with my fantasies about that beauty? Her body, her caresses, her kisses… I thought about it so hard that I started to think… My fiancée… Was it someone else? But who’s she, then? Do I know that girl?”
After sitting on the bed for some time and trying to come to himself more or less, Daniel stands on his feet lazily, takes his t-shirt and waistcoat that Blanca took off him, puts them on quickly, zippers his jeans, fixes his hair, and claps his face with both hands.
“Oh, this situation struck me down…” Daniel thinks, massaging his neck and turning his head to different sides. “And I must confess that I’m madly happy Blanca has gone… I didn’t kinda wanna end up naked in bed with her… That girl presses on me strongly, and I feel bad… I do wanna say I’m irritated by this total control and the fact that she wants my attention to be only hers. She doesn’t let me find a way to remember everything…”
Daniel looks around his room again and glances at the gray, expensive laptop placed on the writing table. The man looks at it for some time, frowns slightly, comes to it slowly, takes it, sits on the bed, and turns it on, placing this thing on his laps.
“Maybe, I find the information about the band that the girls and the men talked about? What’s its name? I can’t remember… They said it… Okay, okay… What’s the name… Hm… Maybe, I try to search for the name of one of the men?”
After the laptop turns on, Daniel types a password for his user that he clearly remembers, to his surprise, opens the Internet browser, types something in a search bar, and browses the results, which quickly let him know that he needs to find the information about the band “Against The System.”
“'Against The System…’” Daniel pronounces thoughtfully. “Yes! That’s it! Yes! Okay… Let’s try to search for something about them, photos or videos.”
Daniel types something else on the keyboard and views the result, still having the skills of working on a computer, even despite amnesia. And some time later, he finds the site, on which there is a page dedicated to the band “Against The System.” But the information is very short, and one of the first paragraphs says:
“‘Against The System’ is an American rock band that consists of Terrence MacClife (vocals and rhythm guitar), Edward MacClife (vocals and solo guitar), Daniel Perkins (vocals and bass guitar), and Peter Rose (vocals and drums). Their debut single ‘The Story About Us’ and the music video for it were released on April, 28th 2017. The song will be included in an upcoming debut self-titled album ‘Against The System’ that is scheduled to be released in winter 2017 or at the beginning of 2019.”
“Here’s my name…” Daniel frowns slightly. “Vocals and bass guitar… Wow… As it turned out, I sing in this band… Unless it’s not another Daniel Perkins. There might be many people with the same name as mine…”
Daniel keeps viewing sites on the Internet and searches for information about his own band. But since it is not so famous around the world, there is little information about it. And later, he opens a site, on which people post some videos, and finds not only “Against The System”‘s music video but also a few more records. One of them is a live chat that the men had some time ago at Terrence’s home to talk to fans and answer their questions. Daniel understands it after reading the video title and decides to watch the videos because he sees a small thumbnail of him and the people he knows. The man does not watch the full video because it’s very long and skips some parts, only paying attention to what lets him know his friends are actually very funny and seem true to each other.
“They’re funny…” Daniel thinks with a slight smile and laughs shyly, as he is watching moments when the men and he play the fool with each other and thrill with a loud laugh. “Oh… It seems like the MacClife brothers do love playing the fool together. And the blond doesn’t mind having fun…”
Daniel finds out many new things about the people, who are trying to help him, and relaxes a little after the shock that he felt when Blanca almost took him to bed. And he finds out something about himself. For example, the man answered the question of a fan, who asked him to reveal a fact about him. Perkins playfully confessed that he loved walking absolutely naked at his home before he met his girlfriend. This confession made his friends start to laugh at him kindly and warn him that children might have been watching them. Daniel laughs shyly, watching himself trying to excuse himself. In this video, the lads actually talk a lot about their beloved girls and reveal some sexual preferences openly. They are happy to laugh at many answers from each other and even sing a couple of songs along with the guitar, making people admire the amazing vocals of this incredible quartet.
Later, Daniel decides to check out other records that he finds in search of his band title. The man watches a few short interviews with the men and a few performances of their debut single, “The Story About Us,” before he decides to open the music video for the song. The man starts shaking his head slightly and smiles slightly immediately, understanding that he really likes the lyrics and music and noticing that the video is positive but dynamic enough. Daniel sees that the men’s beloved girls acted in the video, too. Although they appear in it many times, the man stops it sometimes to look at every single lady better. And he pays special attention to the sweet, red-haired beauty Anna, his real girlfriend, to whom he is so nice in the music video. At whom he looks tenderly with admiration and love in his eyes. And the look at who makes his heart tremble nicely again.
“She’s pretty…” Daniel thinks with a slight smile. “Very sweet girl… I’d definitely kiss her with pleasure… I guess that’s Anna, who the girls talked about… This girl is also short and red-haired, with a baby face…”
However, Daniel does not aim to review the scenes with Anna. He is just listening to his own song, which he truly admires, and watches the dynamic music video that has such a nice atmosphere. Some time later, it ends, and Daniel looks at the black screen of the laptop for two seconds, reflecting on what he saw. Then the man scrolls the page to the comments and reads them. At first, he sees nice comments from people that praise their work, song, and music video and say the girls are very beautiful, and the men are proud and confident. Moreover, some of them make him laugh shyly because they contain some jokes. But some time later, Daniel sees the one that makes him frown. It says the men need to read one article and kick “this liar and hypocrite” out of the band. The man, not being able to struggle with curiosity, opens the site by clicking on the link in the comment and sees a popular site about celebrities’ lives with a nice design and good interface.
After scrolling down, Daniel sees the article called “You’re guilty: is ‘Against The System’ losing one member due to the charges for bullying?”, in which there are photos of him and Peter Rose, as the signature says, and a common photo of the band, on which there are also the brothers, Terrence and Edward MacClife. After viewing them quickly, Daniel starts to read the text written in this article:
“The bassist of ‘Against The System,’ Daniel Perkins, 26, might leave the band due to the serious charges. As it turned out, the bassist had one hundred percent to do with the suicide attempt of the drummer, Peter Rose, 26, that happened a few months ago. As the source says, Perkins was mocking Rose for a long time, insulting him, saying he was talentless and ugly, and regularly putting him in psychological torture. All these things became the reason why the band’s drummer committed a suicide attempt and got the fans excited and scared. The source says ‘Against The System’s bassist was beating the drummer cruelly, giving him serious trauma several times, and regularly threatening to deal with him psychically.
One of the fans says that two months ago, Daniel gave a reason to think there had been a conflict in the band for a long time. The bassist posted a photo from one of the past shows on his Instagram account (Dan_Chris_Perkins). You can see everybody from ‘Against The System’, including him and Peter. There was a signature that hinted that Perkins kept putting Rose to moral and psychical violence even after the drummer’s suicide attempt. One of the fans of the band had taken a screenshot before Daniel deleted this photo and posted it again on his Instagram with a different signature, in which there was nothing about hate for Peter. The source says that the situation in the band is very tense, and their managers are discussing it and thinking about kicking Perkins out.
Daniel and Peter themselves categorically deny these rumors and try to prove to everybody that they have a long and strong friendship. As the source says, they do it on the order of their managers. Their colleagues, the vocalist, Terrence MacClife, 28, and the lead guitarist, Edward MacClife, 26, and ‘Against The System’s representatives keep silent or deny this information.”
Daniel’s eyes immediately pop out of his head after reading it. The shocked man getting sharply white from horror closes his mouth with a hand and reads the full text again, shaking his head slowly and getting more and more excited.
“No, I don’t believe it…” Daniel pronounces with horror in his eyes. “It can’t be the truth… No… Peter… He… He… So, was I the one to blame for that? Did I put that guy to psychological and psychical violence? I terrified him… I threatened to kill him… Oh, shit…”
Daniel unconsciously recalls the scene that he saw when he went to the bathroom at Peter’s home, starting to breathe heavily enough.
“Did I bring him to the self-murder?” Daniel asks himself with horror in widely open eyes. “Am I the one to blame? Fuck… That’s why that blond wanted to die… I was guilty…”
Daniel puts his laptop aside, doubles over, and runs his fingers through his hair, which he pulls out slightly. He feels that his body starts to shake slightly from the great tension, and it’s getting harder for him to breathe because something presses on his chest strongly.
“I don’t get it…” Daniel shakes his head. “If I really brought Peter to the wish to die and literally threatened to kill him, why is he speaking to me so quietly? Shouldn’t he have ignored me? Why did that guy let me into his apartment so easily and was so nice? And… He was worried about me… I don’t get it… He was so true… Could I bully such a good man? I do really like that blond! Why did I hate him so hard and bring him to that condition?”
Daniel exhales sharply and grabs his throat, setting his shocking eyes into the distance.
“Yeah, why did Edward and Terrence say nothing about that? Why did the girls say nothing? They all knew about that but said nothing! What do those people want to hide from me? Why do they act as if nothing happened? Or is that not the truth? What if I didn’t do that? There must be a reason why I don’t feel disgust for Peter!”
Daniel thinks of the comment of someone to ask to kick “the liar and hypocrite” out of the band.
“Maybe, I search for similar articles about it?” Daniel asks under his nose and takes the laptop he places on his laps. “What if that’s not the truth? What if that person got everyone confused…”
Daniel starts to type something on a keyboard with his shaking hands and finds many similar articles about Daniel’s attempt to bring Peter to self-murder and regular bullying of him. Then the man decides to go to Twitter, opens the page of his account, which he is already logged in, and sees the feed with many negative tweets about him. Daniel even checks out tweets through the hashtag #DanielGetOutOfATS and sees many offensive things, understanding more and more that it might be the truth because he thinks of Peter’s words about them having a serious conflict somehow.
“So, that’s true…” Daniel whispers with horror in widely open eyes. “Peter almost died because of me, because of my insults… Because of psychological and psychical violence… He said we really fought one day. And if it’s so, these words are confirmed. I brought him to the wish to die… I… The band broke up because of me…”
Daniel shakes his head and glances at his phone, which he looks at for a few seconds. Then he takes it and opens his Instagram account, @Dan_Chris_Perkins, views the photo that the article talks about, and starts to believe that he really removed it and re-uploaded it again with a different comment. And after opening the page of comments to this photo, the man gets much more shocked and gets white from horror.
“We could’ve lost Peter ‘cause of you, motherfucker!” “Piece of shit… Are you jealous of Peter?” Leave poor Pete alone! Scumbag! Because of you, Peter almost died!” “Jealous bastard…” “What he did do for you?” “Why do you hate him?” “Pete is more talented than you, asshole!” “Get outta the band!” “Die and stop bullying our beloved blond. He’s way better than you, jackass. You’re not worth his nail!” “Why are the MacClife brothers silent and doing nothing? Why are their managers silent? How could they let that talentless bastard stay in the band? Kick that scumbag out of the band! May he feel what the poor Peter had to experience.” “You can’t even sing! Everybody knows about your shame on the last show, on which the boys covered your ass!” “We wanna listen to talented people, not anyone, who uses the autotune!” “May you die, bastard!” “Stop poisoning the life of the poor guy!” “If you stay in the band, I’ll no longer listen to your band's songs!”
Daniel reads many other insulting comments about him and understands that it’s hard for him to breathe, and his heart squeezes at the thought that he is guilty of the fact that Peter almost killed himself. He gets obsessed with remorse and a great sense of fault for the blond, the people that love him, the men, and the girls, and his wish to turn his back on them is getting stronger.
“So, are the girls and the men helping me after what I did?” Daniel asks himself, putting the laptop aside. “After they almost lost Peter! And why’s he so quiet? Did he forgive me so easily? I guess, those people thought I’d know nothing… But they’re wrong… I know all the truth… The truth about why the blond almost killed himself and fought with me. And now I feel terrible…”
Daniel, leaning on his laps with his elbows, runs his hands over his face.
“No, no, I can’t…” Daniel pronounces in a quiet, shaking voice. “I can’t accept their help… I can’t look into their eyes… I think it would be much better if I rejected their help and got out of the band. I’m grateful to them for everything, but I’m ashamed to accept it after what I read. Yes… I shall reject their help… And even if I have to fight with them, I’ll do it. I can’t speak to them… I can’t look into the eyes of the girls… The eyes of the blond’s girlfriend. What does she think of me? I almost brought her boyfriend to another world! Why does she act as if nothing happened?”
Daniel thinks about something, putting a finger on his lip.
“I think that red-haired girl is angry at me because of Peter. She hasn’t spoken to me for a long time and doesn’t care about my life. The last time I saw her was when I was in the hospital… And if that’s true, I’m starting to understand why she doesn’t wanna talk to me… If it’s so, those people will confess everything early or late and turn their backs on me.”
Daniel swallows up nervously.
“No… It won’t happen. I’ll break all the contacts. I’ll do it first. I ain’t gonna wait. I don’t wanna keep being wrapped around a finger. I don’t want.”
Daniel doubles over and runs his hands through his hair, pulling it out slightly and hating himself for daring to bring Peter to such a desperate thing. The man starts to be afraid to look into his friends’ eyes after what he suddenly found out and thinks of asking them to leave him alone, thinking it would be better for them and him. Even if all those people treat him very amicably, and Peter does not blame him for anything during their latest talk, Perkins starts to think that they are hiding the truth because of their wish not to get him excited or some of their goals and benefits.
***
Some time later, Edward and Natalia went to the home of the girl to talk to her parents about their meeting with Eugene Wainwright. The girl got much better and expressed a wish to attend to the wound that the man got during the fight with her offender. And while she was doing everything carefully, and he was taking tingling and wincing slightly sometimes, they told Anthony and Letitia about what happened.
“I can’t believe he has run away from prison,” Letitia says quietly, looking into the distance with wet eyes, locking her fingers, and sitting with the others in the living room. “We still can’t come to ourselves after we heard it on TV.”
“I’m angry that the people, who were supposed to watch him, were not up to their task,” Anthony replies confidently, barely keeping his anger inside. “That’s a psycho! Just a sick psycho! Someone like him must take drugs, so they sleep constantly!”
“And they were hiding his escape from people for three weeks.”
“I guess that asshole found a good place if nobody can catch him.”
“It’s alright, that deadbeat will be put in prison early or late,” Edward replies confidently, locking his fingers tightly, while Natalia carefully applies a piece of cotton soaked with something to the wound on his forehead. “I hope the police will be looking for him too hard. Everyone knows how dangerous that man is.”
“They must,” Anthony says confidently. “If they let that bastard run away, may they find him immediately.”
“Oh…” Edward sighs tiredly. “If only my uncle Michael didn’t run away from prison… If he and his accomplices run away, we will have one more big problem… Or a few ones that wouldn’t be solved in the nearest time.”
“That would be too much!” Letitia nods. “If only we didn’t have to deal with Michael…”
“God shall save us!” Anthony exclaims. “It would be too much if Michael and his greatest friend ran away from prison, as well. The one to be sentenced for the murder of the friend of Mr. MacClife!”
“No, no, I don’t want even to think about it!” Edward raises his hands up. “My family suffered a lot because of that old man. And his escape would bring us to the edge in this situation.”
“Oh, the escape of Wainwright is like the escape of Michael and Eric Brown,” Letitia sighs heavily. “He gave us too many problems…”
“I swear, if I meet that bastard somewhere, I will beat his face,” Anthony says coldly, clenching his hand into a fist. “I didn’t do that in the courtroom when he was running and screaming at everybody, but I will do it now.”
“I did manage to beat that bastard strongly,” Edward confesses confidently. “But he is an impregnable boar that is very hard to catch and defeat… Someone might lose unconsciousness after one strong slap in the face, but he does not pass out even after strong hits on the head. I beat him many times, but he could fall just for a few seconds. And then he got up and started to beat me again.”
“Still, we’re truly grateful to you for protecting our daughter and doing everything you could,” Letitia says with thankfulness, caressing Edward’s shoulder softly. “If you hadn’t been there, Wainwright could’ve done anything to Natalia. We could’ve never seen her again.”
“No, no, Mrs. Rochester, don’t say that,” Edward shakes his head sharply. “I do shake strongly from just the thought that Natalia could’ve been near that sick bastard.”
Two moments later, Natalia puts aside everything, with which she treated Edward’s wound, and presses herself closer to him, putting her head on his shoulder.
“I also have hysteria when I think about it,” Natalia says quietly, while Edward takes her hand with one hand and tenderly caresses her head with another. “If Edward hadn’t been next to me, I don’t know what would’ve happened to me. That man would’ve killed me…”
“Don’t think about it, sunshine,” Letitia replies softly. “Thank God, everything ended well.”
“I don’t even know what I was afraid of more: the fact that Wainwright would’ve mocked me or killed me, or the fact that he could’ve killed Edward. In the first case, I didn’t wanna suffer and struggle with the disgust that he made me feel. And in the second one, I was afraid to lose the protection and support of my beloved man.”
“We understand, daughter.”
“I was so scared…” Natalia runs her hand over her neck and sighs heavily. “And he took off my necklace and stole it… The one Edward gifted me. Wainwrights also wanted to steal my ring and earrings, but didn’t do it.”
“Honey, forget about necklaces, rings, and earrings,” Anthony says confidently. “Now the only thing you should care about is how to save yourself from that bastard. What to do for him to be found as soon as possible and put in prison. How not to let anyone else suffer.”
“I know, Dad… I also care about it a lot. Though, I don’t know what we can do.”
“By the way, Mr. Rochester, you said you knew about Wainwright’s escape…” Edward says thoughtfully.
“Yes, Letitia and I were at your parents’ home,” Anthony replies confidently. “Mr. Cameron, Mr. Johnson, and his wife were with us, as well. We talked and drank coffee, and then heard about Wainwright’s escape on TV.”
“Yes, the news said they’d give a generous reward for any information about him,” Letitia adds confidently.
“So, do my parents also know about that stinker?” Edward frowns slightly.
“Yes, Mr. and Mrs. MacClife are aware.”
“And what did Mr. Johnson say?”
“He said he didn’t know about the escape because he was on vacation. But when we heard it on TV, Mr. Johnson went to the police to find out everything.”
“But if Wainwright ran away three weeks ago, why did we just find out it?” Natalia asks.
“We think the police could hide it not to scare people,” Anthony replies. “But since he hasn’t been found, they had to announce it. Before someone met him. But I personally think they must tell everyone about the escape of this criminal immediately.”
“I’m afraid it will be very hard to catch that sick freak,” Edward shows anxiety. “Wainwright said the police wouldn’t find him because he found a very good place where he would be hiding.”
“It’s alright, that scumbag will be caught early or late. The police are aware of Wainwright’s mental health issues and obsession with young girls, and they will do everything to find that bastard soon.”
“The most important thing is not to walk there where he might be,” Letitia adds. “I think he’ll hardly show up in public, but he may be where there is usually nobody.”
“We know, Mom,” Natalia nods with sadness in her eyes.
“And yeah, you two!” Anthony says strictly, pointing at Edward and Natalia. “Do not dare to set your foot in the place where you met him! And all the places where there is nobody! You can only walk in popular places of the city where that scumbag wouldn’t show up. I’m sure he is not an idiot and completely understands what a walk in that place might lead to.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Rochester,” Edward nods confidently. “I’ve already warned Natalia about it.”
“And you, Natalia, you’re actually banned from being in those places alone. At least, while that man walks free. If you meet him when you are alone or with one of your friends, you will have great trouble. And Edward, Terrence, or anyone else won’t help you. If you meet that bastard, he will take you away and do anything he wants. Rape you or kill you.”
“No, no, I won’t show up there,” Natalia shakes her head. “I promise. I don’t want that man to do something terrifying to me.”
“I hope you got it, young lady. And you will turn on your brains this time. Will not walk God knows where.”
“Yes, you must also warn the girls and the men,” Letitia says confidently. “That striker might find them, too. Remember the wide looks that he was sending to Raquelle, Helene, and Anna during the whole trial. And what he was doing after the announcement of the sentence! How that man was accosting those girls, and so many men couldn’t help him.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll tell them,” Natalia nods with sadness in her eyes. “When I meet the girls, I’ll warn them that they must be careful.”
“But we might have a problem with Anna,” Edward adds hesitantly. “She has disappeared, and we don’t know where to find her. So, we can’t warn her that Wainwright has run away from prison.”
“Right…” Anthony frowns slightly and thinks for two seconds. “Does one of you have the phones of her parents? Father or mother?”
“Nope, sadly,” Natalia says quietly, moving her eyes to her hands, coughs quickly, takes the glass from the coffee table, and drinks some water. “And we don’t even know where they’re living.”
“There’s hope that Anna might watch TV and hear about that bastard,” Edward adds quietly. “I think they would be talking about him many times. So, she might see a reportage at least once.”
“Alright, let’s hope she will know it…” Anthony says thoughtfully. “But you should remember that you must not be in desert places. Don’t even think about going there. That stinker does know that you love being there, but it’s very good to commit crimes in those places. He will not go to popular places because someone will recognize him and call the police. But even if you are there, you must be careful. Especially, when you are alone.”
“You are absolutely right, Mr. Rochester.”
“Though, we can expect anything from Wainwright,” Letitia adds. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that man went to a store, took people hostage, and shot everybody down.”
“Anyway, I promise I will do my best to protect Natalia. I can’t be sure if I can be with her all day long, but I will be accompanying your daughter until her offender is free. And if Wainwright dares to hurt her again, he will regret it.”
“Thank you so much, Edward, we know you will not betray us.”
“Yes, Edward…” Anthony pronounces with a slight smile and claps Edward on the shoulder. “Thank you so much for protecting Natalia and not letting that stinker mock her again.”
“But I’m really sorry that that bastard mocked her and scared her to death,” Edward expresses regret.
“Anyway, Natalia is okay,” Letitia smiles slightly. “If not for you, Anthony and I would’ve lost our daughter. We could’ve never met her again.”
“That’s my duty, Mrs. Rochester.” Edward hugs Natalia around the shoulders and presses her to himself, while she takes his hand and squeezes it tightly. “I swore to you that I would love and protect her while I’m alive and can fight. Alas, I’m not a superhero and can’t defeat enemies immediately… But I’m doing my best.”
“We know, honey.”
“You’re doing everything you can,” Anthony adds amicably.
“I shake from the thought that everything would’ve been otherwise if I hadn’t been with her.” Edward looks at Natalia for a second, while she presses herself to him nicely. “And how much she was scared… That bastard brought her to a real hysteria…”
“I thought I’d die from fear,” Natalia confesses very quietly. “And I’m sorry about deciding to run… Maybe, everything would’ve been otherwise, and that man wouldn’t have reached me.”
“Don’t think about it, daughter,” Anthony says softly. “Thank God, you’re fine and at home with me and your mother.”
“Yeah… Thank God…”
“Listen, Edward, you should immediately tell your parents about what happened,” Letitia says confidently. “And you also must talk to Mr. Johnson. He should know that you and Natalia met Wainwright.”
“Don’t worry, I will talk to Father and Mother about it when I’m back home,” Edward promises confidently. “And I’ll ask Father to contact Mr. Johnson.”
“You can go to his work if you want to,” Anthony suggests.
“At ‘The MacClife Shipping’?”
“Yes. He went there with your mother to do something.”
“Anthony is right, Edward,” Letitia agrees. “Go to the company and tell Mr. MacClife everything.”
“Oh…” Edward bites his lip. “Yeah, sure… I will go to the company, then. This talk cannot be delayed.”
“Go, Edward, go.”
“But I’m afraid to leave Natalia alone and wanted to stay with her for a while. To make sure she’s fine.”
“Don’t worry, darling, we will stay with her,” Letitia promises confidently.
“Today, Letitia and I will go nowhere and stay with Natalia,” Anthony says softly. “Make sure that she rests well. May she come to herself after the shock and the faint.”
“It’s okay, Dad,” Natalia smiles slightly. “I feel much better now. I managed to take a nap in the car while Edward and I were on the way here, and he found a bottle of water.”
“Anyway, you better have much more rest,” Edward says confidently. “Eat, take a shower, change clothes, and sleep… And tomorrow, you’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, how do you feel?” Anthony expresses anxiety. “You don’t look too good, either! It seems like Wainwright beat you strongly.”
“I’m fine, don’t worry. I only experienced fear and got a couple of bruises and a nosebleed.”
“You better go to a doctor,” Letitia says thoughtfully. “That’s all very serious.”
“Don’t need. I’ve been beaten and gotten hits on my head so many times in my life, but I’m still alive and healthy.”
“I hope. But if something is wrong, go to a doctor!”
“Thanks for your care, Mrs. Rochester. But I care about Natalia’s condition much more than mine.”
“I’m fine, too, don’t worry,” Natalia smiles slightly. “I’ll rest ‘till tomorrow and come to myself.”
“Don’t worry, Edward, we will take care of her,” Anthony promises confidently. “Go to the work of your father and tell him what happened.”
“Are you sure you don’t need my help?” Edward shows anxiety.
“No, Edward, we will do it,” Letitia smiles slightly. “If you want, you can call us after you talk to your father.”
“Well…” Edward says nothing for two seconds and nods, exhaling slowly. “Alright… Then, I count on you.”
“And don’t forget to tell your brother and friends about Wainwright,” Anthony says confidently.
“Sure.”
The four people stand up from the sofa. Letitia hugs Edward amicably with a slight smile on her face, and Anthony shakes him by the hand, hugs him, and claps him on the back. And while the Rochester spouses take all the medicines and pieces of cotton covered with blood and say they want to carry them to the kitchen, MacClife, Jr., comes to Natalia, fixes her hair with a tender smile, and caresses her cheek.
“Have a good rest, sweetie,” Edward asks softly. “I will call your parents a little later to find out how you’re doing.”
“Be sure they’ll tell you I’m absolutely fine,” Natalia replies with a slight smile.
“And don’t worry. Think of nothing bad. We will find a way to solve this situation.”
“I’ll try.” Natalia fixes Edward’s hair and caresses carefully his wound that is bandaged on the forehead. “Do you really feel good?”
“Yup, I’m fine,” Edward nods with a slight smile. “Don’t worry, my sunshine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Sure!”
Edward kisses Natalia on the cheek with a slight smile and takes her in his strong hug, caressing her back tenderly and burying his nose in her shoulder, while she puts her arms around his neck and runs her hands over his hair.
“Take care of yourself, sweetheart,” Natalia whispers. “Be very careful. Or I will be very excited.”
“It’s gonna be okay,” Edward replies confidently. “I’m strong.”
Natalia smiles shyly and runs her hand over Edward’s hair on the back of his head, smiling shyly at the feeling of warmth that the man gives her.
“I love you,” Natalia recalls with a shy smile.
“Me too, sweetheart,” Edward whispers with a shy smile.
Two seconds later, Edward and Natalia step away, and the girl tenderly caresses the man’s cheeks with both hands. And when Letitia and Anthony return to the living room, MacClife, Jr., takes his phone and the keys from his car, and the spouses walk him away with warm words. When he leaves the apartment, and the woman closes the door, she and her husband come to Natalia embracing herself with sadness in her eyes, hug her by one, and kiss her on the cheek or a temple, still being horrified by what happened today.
***
Anna is still worried about the breakup with Daniel and feels great discomfort from the pastime with Julian. The girl is sitting in her room, which she does not almost leave, recalling the best moments that she spent with Daniel, struggling with pity for him and hate for him. And some time later, someone knocks at the door quietly. It makes the girl shake slightly at the thought that Julian would come and tell her to go somewhere with him. But fortunately, that’s Maximilian.
“Are you still sad because of the breakup with Daniel?” Maximilian asks with sadness in his eyes.
“What do you think?” Anna asks without emotions, lying on her stomach in the bed and looking at something behind the window. “How can I forget the one, for who I was ready for anything! Who swore his love but then left me so insolently…”
“Honey, you can’t suffer because of that man forever. You were sad for a while, and that’s enough! You should accept it and keep moving on. You’re young and beautiful, and your life lies in front of you. But you spend it worrying about the one, who left you.”
“You understand nothing. And you will never do.”
“Listen, daughter…” Maximilian comes into the room, sits on the bed, and caresses Anna’s head. “I completely understand that it’s very hard to forget a betrayal. But you must not bury yourself because of that. You shouldn’t deprive yourself of happiness because of being left. Many people experience not one or two breakups, but they find the courage to keep moving on.”
“And what kind of happiness do you want for me?” Anna makes a quiet sob. “Do you think I’d be happy if you made me spend time with Julian?”
“You don’t want it. If you wanted, Julian would be happy to help you forget Daniel.”
“Anyone but Julian.”
“Why, daughter?”
“Julian hates me, Dad,” Anna says in a shaking voice and wipes tears under her eyes. “He is pretending to be good for you. But actually, that man keeps insulting and humiliating me.”
“No, don’t say it, sweetie.” Maximilian takes Anna’s hand and caresses it softly. “You’re insulting Julian by saying these things about him.”
“But that’s the truth! Julian keeps mocking me even after apologizing to me with your pretense.”
“I’ve known this man and his father for ages. They’re very good and decent people, with whom I worked and have had a good relationship. Your mother knows them, too. As well as your grandparents did.”
“Please, Daddy, protect me from that man!” Anna begs with despair. “I do suffer because of him! I suffer much more than I suffer from Daniel’s betrayal. I have nobody else to ask for help. Only you.”
“Anna, stop slandering Julian,” Maximilian says harshly. “He did nothing bad to you to hear these things from you.”
“Wake up, Father! Stop looking at him like a boy blinded by love! You don’t wanna see how terrible he is. But I do feel his disgusting attitude toward me. Julian will never appreciate me the way any decent man should do.”
“You show disrespect for him. Not only him, but also his family. Julian, Norman, Ryan, the late Genevieve… You are insulting them.”
“Gosh, why don’t you wanna believe me?” Anna sits up slowly, looking at Maximilian with pity in her wet, red eyes. “That man is not as good as he seems. Julian hates me. He hates! For him, I’m a brainless and worthless chicken!”
“Honey, if someone isn’t used to being sentimental and prefers staying cold, it doesn’t mean you’re wanted to be humiliated and insulted.”
“His apologies weren’t true… When you left my room, and we stayed alone, Julian insulted me again and said he didn’t feel guilty at all. He said the show that he started was a strong humiliation to him. He thinks he has no right to get down on his knees for a girl and apologize to her. A man is always right, but a girl is always guilty. Even if it’s not the truth.”
“Julian has never hidden that he might be enraged at times,” Maximilian says quietly. “He isn’t used to showing his feelings openly. But it doesn’t make him a bad man.”
“He is not just enraged, he’s horrible and aggressive. Julian hates me and constantly says girls are nothing to him.”
“You just got used to the fact that Daniel was tender and nice to you. You wanted to find someone else to treat you in the same way. But trust me, not all men are the same. And don’t be mad at Julian for that. Norman and Genevieve just made him a man and told him that a man must be strong and hold his emotions down. Nobody loves weak men, honey. And nobody will stand them.”
“You’re just trying to excuse him,” Anna shakes her head with wet eyes. “You don’t want to believe he’s bad. I completely get it. But I swear, I’m not lying to you! You think I’d grieve so hard if I didn’t suffer because of him!”
“You suffer not because of him, but because of Daniel’s betrayal.”
“Julian makes my condition much worse. I don’t wanna be with him.”
“Anna, daughter…”
“Please, Daddy, protect me… I’m begging you… Do something! I won’t bear it all! I won’t bear it…”
“Ah, honey…” Maximilian sighs heavily, hugs Anna tightly, presses her to himself, and caresses her head, kissing her on the top of her head later. “What a sensitive girl you are… When Julian screamed at you accidentally one time, you literally made him a violator. That’s wrong! You must stop being a weak girl and taking everything so seriously.”
“He’s really a violator. The one to violate me morally.” Anna makes a quiet sob. “Psychologically. I can’t be happy spending time with him. I can’t forget about my grief. I can’t find the courage to accept it and keep moving on. Julian makes me feel worse. I want nothing because of him. Nothing!”
“Don’t hide from people, daughter,” Maximilian says with sadness in his eyes. “Open yourself to Julian and let him make you happy. You know how hurt he is that you don’t let him get closer to you and say these terrible things about him.”
“The one to be hurt is me,” Anna replies in a shaking voice. “I’m hurt that I’m treated like a doormat. I’m always told I’m a nobody! That I must be silent and silently do what a man says. That I’m a brainless and talentless idiot, who doesn’t have a right to her opinion.”
“No, Anna, don’t say it. Julian would never dare to say so.”
“But he does!”
“Stop, daughter!” Maximilian says quietly. “You’ve got a too rich imagination.”
“Please, Dad…”
“And stop suffering because of Daniel. Maybe, he will never remember you. What if that guy wanted to leave you! And if it’s so, he’ll meet another girl. While you’re suffering, he will be happy in a new relationship.”
“I won’t be able to live quietly if I know another girl is next to him,” Anna confesses in a shaking voice with tears in her eyes. “Despite nothing, I still love him. Daniel is the only man in my life that I loved and love so much. I love Perkins so much that I still think he is perfect. I always think I’m sleeping and about to wake up next to him. That he’d hug me, kiss me, and say he loves me. That I’d feel like a beloved woman again.”
“You say you will not forgive him for that kiss.”
“I will not do.” Anna steps back from Maximilian slowly. “But I understand I won’t be able to live without him. I need him… Like never ever. But the fact that he doesn’t need me gives me a strong pain.”
“Even if that girl knew about amnesia and used his helplessness, it should mean nothing to you. If you left him, you should accept it.”
“I know…” Anna pronounces in a low voice. “But I can’t… I can’t… One side of mine loves him so much that I’m ready to forget that kiss and help him remember everything. But another side hates Daniel to death for that hit in my back. I saw him kissing her. Even if he had a choice. He could’ve pushed her away and said, ‘No.’ But Perkins didn’t do it.”
“Sweetie, if you stay in your room all day and think of him, you’ll suffer from this love forever. You should go somewhere and have fun… But you’re only crying all day! And pushing off Julian, who is ready to help you come to yourself.”
“He can help me… Help me bring myself to the wish to die. Die from despair.”
“No, Anna, for God’s sake!” Maximilian gets horrified. “Don’t even dare to think about it!”
“You’ll see it will happen if you don’t save me from Julian.”
“Why do I save you from the one to wish you the best? To wish to make you happy! To worry about you so much!”
“If I could, I would hide where Julian wouldn’t find me. But sadly, I’ve got no place to go. I can’t hide!”
“You should just forget Daniel. Go in public and open yourself to people. Instead of staying here and acting like a martyr.”
“I do want to forget him…” Anna says loudly with despair and tears rolling down her cheeks. “I wanna forget that I madly loved that man, who turned out to be a thankless pig.”
“And Julian has come into your life at such a good time. Just open yourself to him and trust him, so he does his best to make you feel better and make you forget Daniel.”
“No, Dad… I don’t want…”
“Who knows…” Maximilian thinks for two seconds. “Maybe, you’ll fall in love with him someday.”
“What?” Anna wonders loudly, rounding her eyes. “Me? Love Julian?”
“I’ve always suspected that Julian is not indifferent to you, but you’ve never noticed it. You were looking for men not where you should’ve been.”
“Bloody hell… Dad… You… Do you understand what you’re saying?”
“Now you two have such a great chance to end up together. And for you, it’s a chance to forget Daniel and stop torturing yourself with your love for him and your thoughts about him.”
Anna gets sharply white, rounds her eyes, and opens her mouth, being overwhelmed by what Maximilian just said.
“My God, Dad, I can’t believe it…” Anna shakes her head. “I can’t believe you’re saying it seriously. You… You… You went insane!”
“I think fate gave you a good lesson,” Maximilian replies confidently. “Parents better know what their children need. You minded becoming a member of the Potters’ family and the wedding with one of Norman’s sons and ran away from your home. But you’ve finally woken up and realized that you made a mistake.”
“What? You’re playing the same old song again?” Anna sniffs quietly, breathing heavily enough. “Do you still wanna make do what I don’t want to? You wanna decide how I should live, what to do, who to live with, etc.?”
“No, no, honey, no…” Maximilian takes Anna’s shoulders softly and caresses them. “I don’t want to tell you how to live and will not do. My main care will always be your happiness. This is the only thing I truly wish for you. And I feel hurt when I see you feeling sad, sitting in your room and thinking of Daniel, who can’t remember you. Why don’t you understand nothing will change if you’re crying?”
“How can I be happy when I love the man, who betrayed me, to the death?” Anna asks loudly, making a couple of sobs. “How? There would not be anyone better! Nobody can give me the love I got from Daniel. Yes, he cheated on me, and I hate him. But I still adore the emotions and feelings that he gave me.”
“There would always be someone to be better than another,” Maximilian notices confidently.
“No, Father, nobody can give me a more wonderful and amazing love than Daniel’s. Nobody. My friends also thought they’d meet someone to be better than those they wanted to leave. But they eventually came back to them and couldn’t forget about their feelings.”
“Everyone has different situations. They have one, but you have another.”
“Why is love such a hard thing?” Anna glances aside and sighs heavily, looking at Maximilian hesitantly with sadness in her eyes. “Will I suffer from my love for only one man for the rest of my life? Will I never be happy?”
“I already said you don’t want it. To forget someone, you should distract yourself and think of something good. At first, stop sitting at home all day and thinking of your love for Daniel constantly. Go outside, spend time with Julian, and have fun… Yes, it will be hard for you at first, but later you’ll feel much better. Maybe, you’ll fall in love with Julian and get married to him, as Lilian, your grandparents, and I wanted. We had a dream – to become a family of the Potters, and it might come true now.”
“I’d spend time with anyone but him,” Anna shakes her head without emotions in her eyes. “I will never love such a false and terrible man like Julian. He doesn’t know this feeling and thinks he can bribe a woman with money. Jewelry, clothes, cars, houses, expensive phones and computers…”
“Honey, not all men show their feelings openly. While Daniel or the men of your friends show their love loudly, Julian is different. He loves, but doesn’t say it. He doesn’t aim to let the whole world know about his love. There are two or three people, who know it, and that’s good!”
“No, Dad… Julian can’t love. He can only use force and blackmail. Get a benefit from any situation. Love is a strange thing to him.”
“Oh, Anna…” Maximilian sighs and runs his hands over his face. “I don’t know how to talk to you… You don’t wanna listen to your father, who knows what’s better for you. I’m trying to make you feel better, but you don’t want to listen to what you’re told.”
“If you wanted to make me feel better, you’d save me from Julian and ban him from speaking to me.”
“And yeah, stop living your fantasies. They’ve always disrupted you. You’re an adult freaking girl, not a little baby. It’s time to remember that not everything in your life is as colorful as your fantasies and the books you’ve read.”
“That’s bad people forget how to dream and start to believe that dreams are a waste of time. Because sometimes fantasies come true, and a tale may become real.”
“You’re not a princess, queen, duchess, or countess. And princes and kings don’t exist. You will not be taken to a magical kingdom on a gorgeous horse carriage. And you’ll never live happily after. The tale that you dream up has never started. And it will never start, even if you meet a man and get married to him.”
“No, Dad, my life with Daniel was the fairytale that I was dreaming about,” Anna replies confidently. “All those months, I lived like a princess and was loved by that man. His house wasn’t a big, gorgeous castle, but I felt that everything was otherwise. I was very happy. Yes, there were hard moments, but they didn’t make me regret deciding to do that.”
“You decided to leave him. If it’s so, you have to accept it.”
“Trust me, I’d give many things to overcome everything that happened again. And if not for my offense, I’d be happy to come back to him. Daniel was the best thing that I’ve ever had in my life. Not saying about his betrayal and kiss with another girl, I will not regret anything from what we experienced together. Never. And even if I find the courage to keep moving on, I will be looking for the one to give me what he gave me.”
Anna looks at Maximilian with sadness in her eyes for two seconds, gets up from the bed slowly, and leaves the room. After staying alone, the man exhales slowly and runs his hand over his face.
“Oh, how it’s all complicated…” Maximilian thinks with sadness in his eyes. “And the situation of Daniel… On the one hand, I think my daughter did the right thing by leaving him. But on the other hand, she suffers because of him… She is distanced from everyone and doesn’t want to talk to anyone. Neither Julian nor her friends… And it’s amazing that she’s never spoken to them. They didn’t kinda fight with them, but Anna ignores them…”
Maximilian glances aside and carefully gets dust from his eye.
“Because of her love for that guy, she doesn’t let Julian get closer to her and says bad things about him. Anna is unfair to such a good man from a decent family. He’s well-educated, he’s smart, he’s got a job, he earns a lot of money… He’s a perfect partner for my daughter! She is so silly… Rejected such a perspective man! With him, she would live like a queen and need nothing. And their children would be provided. I could hardly be so sure about the success of Daniel’s band. If they get less famous and are invited nowhere someday, he will quickly become poor. But I don’t want my daughter to live with a pauper. She must be with the one, with whom she wouldn’t have to need something.”
Maximilian puts his finger on his lip.
“Yeah, maybe, I talk to Anna’s mother about trying to marry Anna and Julian again?” Maximilian frowns slightly. “I think Lillian would be happy to become a part of the Potters. We wanted Anna to get married to Norman’s son. If we agree on everything, our family will become related. And I will be quiet for the future of my daughter and her children.”
Maximilian smiles shyly, stroking his chin.
“Maybe, fate really sent Daniel to her to make her understand that she’ll make a mistake by refusing to become a provided woman? No matter how much Anna wanted to avoid the wedding with one of Norman’s sons, she has come to where she ran away from. And my daughter will accept her fate, early or late. Her family has always wished the best for my girl. We do everything for her quiet life. And we know what would be better for her. I hope Anna will understand it, early or late.”
Maximilian keeps thinking about his idea of trying to get Anna and Julian married, not wishing to see the signs that the girl sends him with the hope that he will protect her from the man, who makes her feel coldness, fear, and anxiety, and would not let her stay alone with the trouble that she got into against her wish.
***
Some time later, Edward comes to “The MacClife Shipping”, the shipbuilding company of his father, Jamie. The big building with high ceiling, glossy windows has a few floors and looks very modern. There are many green plants around and enough places in the parking lot placed on the ground and underground. Spacious roads covered with bricks lead to different locations, and there is kind of an endless ocean at some distance from here. And being not far from the building and looking around, it’s possible to see many high buildings and automobile roads. Maybe, when the company just started its work, everything was different, but now the owner of the firm has decided to make the territory better and make it much nicer to look at.
But Edward came here not to look at these beautiful places. After coming to the building, the man leaves his car in one of the parking places, gets out of it quickly, locks it with a key, and comes to the entry confidently. Since he has been here several times, he knows where to go to find Jamie. Almost all the staff members know him as the son of the company’s owner, greet him when he goes by, and answers them back. After welcoming young, tough at-first-sight guards standing near the entry and closely watching those, who are coming and leaving, Edward enters the building, which is also glassy inside. Some people in suits quickly go by MacClife, Jr., being very busy, talking on the phone, checking out some papers, talking to their colleagues, and going to the entry to smoke with someone, who is standing there or further. And as everything is glassy inside, it’s easy to see what every single staff member is doing in an office that might be chic and spacious or much tighter and less gorgeous.
After taking some distance in the glassy, well-lighted hall, Edward comes to the reception. He sees an overweight old woman with small earrings in a dark blue jacket and pants and a dark gray shirt, who is answering calls, looking at some papers, and sometimes drinking something from a cup standing near her iMac of the last generation. She looks too focused and busy, doing her job and explaining something to someone, who comes to her two or three times. Edward watches her from afar for a few seconds, while she speaks to a young man. And when they leave, the man slowly comes to the reception, and the kind at first sight woman gives him attention immediately.
“Oh, hello, Edward,” the woman says amicably. “You haven’t been here for ages.”
“Good afternoon, Shelley,” Edward replies gently. “I see you aren’t bored without a job.”
“Yes, as you see, I always have a lot of work,” Shelley takes some paper and runs her eyes over it quickly. “Many calls and papers… And the staff members come and ask something often.”
“Wow…”
“But it’s alright, I’m used! If you want to stay in the company, you must keep the rhythm that everybody works with. Slowpokes are not welcomed here.”
“I see…”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with your face?” Shelley closely looks at the bruises on Edward’s forehead and the wound covered with a bandage. “Did you hit something?”
“Well, nothing serious…” Edward finds an excuse, slightly rubbing the area covered with a bandage. “A couple of weeks before it’s gone.”
“Are you really fine?”
“Yes, it’s alright. Don’t worry.”
Shelley puts the paper that she was examining aside and quickly checks out something on the computer when she asks:
“By the way, did you come to see your father?”
“Yes, I need to talk to him,” Edward replies thoughtfully, leaning on the reception bar. “Is he here?”
“Sure, your father is in his office.”
“He’s busy?”
“No, he’s talking to your mother.”
“My mother? She is here?”
“Yes, Mr. and Mrs. MacClife came here together.”
“Really? So, that’s much better…” Edward cracks a smile. “Thanks a lot, Shelley.”
“Yeah, don’t you want to drink something? Tea? Coffee? Water?”
“Oh, no, no, thanks, I came here for a couple of minutes. I should tell Father and Mother something. I was near here and decided to go to the company.”
“So, alright. Then, let’s go together. I need to give your father some papers to sign.”
“Alright.”
Shelley takes some papers and goes to where Jamie’s office is along with Edward. They quickly go down the hall and come to the truly luxurious, well-lighted, and spacious office. Jamie is proudly sitting in a comfortable leather office chair and talking to Rebecca sitting in front of him and pressing her purse to herself. When Shelley and Edward come to the office, the woman knocks at the door quietly and opens it, looking inside the cabinet.
“Mr. MacClife…” Shelley pronounces correctly.
“Yes, yes, Shelley,” Jamie says quietly, making a gesture with a hand. “What’s wrong?”
“Sorry for bothering you, but someone has come to you.”
“Someone? Who?”
Shelley goes aside from the door and lets Edward show up on the doorstep.
“Edward?” Jamie pronounces surprisingly. “What a surprise!”
“I didn’t know you’d come here,” Rebecca smiles shyly.
“Hey, Dad, hey, Mom,” Edward waves a hand.
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, which Shelley breaks, glancing at her papers.
“Ah, yeah, Mr. MacClife,” Shelley says thoughtfully. “I also came to say you should take a look at these documents and sign them as soon as possible.”
“Alright, I will do it,” Jamie replies correctly. “Leave the papers on the table, please.”
“Alright.” Shelley comes to the writing table and leaves the folder with some papers. “And yeah, I was told that the young interns needed your help again. They asked me to tell you to come to them.”
“I got it. Tell them I will come later. And now give me a cup of coffee, please.”
“As you want,” Shelley smiles shyly. “Sorry for bothering you.”
Shelley closes the door of the office quickly and goes to do her work, while Edward glances at her and comes closer to Jamie and Rebecca.
“I guess I came at the wrong time,” Edward says thoughtfully, biting his lip slightly.
“No, no, it’s okay,” Jamie waves a hand, gets up from the chair, and comes to Edward. “The business can wait.”
Edward greets Jamie with a slight smile, hugging and clapping him on the back, hugs Rebecca, who stands up from the chair, and shares an amicable kiss on the cheek with her.
“Oh, honey, what is that?” Rebecca pays attention to Edward’s face, moves aside some of the strands of his hair, and looks at the bandage on his forehead, caressing his cheeks tenderly. “What’s wrong with your face? How did you get the bruises?”
“So, sonny, you got attracted to problems again?” Jamie laughs quietly, seeing the small spots of dirt on Edward’s white t-shirt. “You lived quietly for a few months and decided to have fun again?”
“Actually, I’d like to talk to you about it,” Edward replies a little hesitantly, looking at Jamie and Rebecca.
“Something happened?” Rebecca rounds her eyes.
“Yup… The case is quite serious.”
“Okay, my dears, let’s sit down,” Jamie says quietly, pointing at the chairs placed in front of the writing table, and sits in his comfortable office chair.
“I wanted to tell you about it at home, but I decided not to wait and to go to the company,” Edward confesses, while he and Rebecca sit on the chairs in front of Jamie.
“Oh, God, I’m already kind of scared…” Rebecca puts her hand on her heart.
“Yes, Edward, you look a little scared,” Jamie frowns slightly and folds his hands in front of himself on the table. “You have problems?”
“Yes, something terrible happened,” Edward replies with sadness in his eyes, locking his fingers tightly.
“Speak, sweetie,” Rebecca says softly, putting her hand on Edward’s knee. “We’re listening.”
“As it turned out…” Edward falls into silence for two seconds, glances aside, and exhales sharply. “Eugene Wainwright has run away from prison.”
“What?” Rebecca and Jamie do not understand it immediately and look at each other questioningly.
“Eugene Wainwright?” Rebecca frowns slightly.
“The stinker, who mocked Natalia and helped Uncle Michael do his dirty tricks,” Edward specifies, looking at his hands. “Who wounded me at the courtroom. That deadbeat is walking free now.”
“Wait, Edward, wait,” Jamie says quietly, getting straight sharply. “But how did you know it?”
“Natalia and I met him when we were spending time together,” Edward folds his hands in front of himself on the table. “First, we didn’t notice anything, but later someone pushed Natalia in the back. She said so, but I saw no one at first. We decided that Natalia just stepped over and kept moving on. And then Wainwright showed up behind us.”
“He pushed her?” Rebecca specifies.
“Yes. That man said he ran away from prison after he shot at someone, who should’ve watched him. He stole a pistol from a guard of the prison, shot at someone, and ran.”
“And where’s he hiding?” Jamie frowns slightly.
“I dunno…” Edward falls into silence for a second and shakes his head. “We don’t know from where he appeared and where he decided to hide… But Wainwright is sure the police will never find him. He said he found a place that nobody would reach.”
“Did he do something to Natalia?” Rebecca asks with horror in her eyes. “The poor girl probably got terribly scared when she saw him.”
“Very much… If I hadn’t been with her, that bastard would’ve tried to do something to Natalia. I mean… Wainwright tried to rape her right in front of me. He just felt her up every time he got a moment.”
“What a sick deadbeat!” Jamie resents.
“I did everything I could to protect her. But I had to be very nervous… At some moment, Natalia ran away when Wainwright and I were fighting. He ran after her, and I couldn’t find them for a long time ‘cause that bastard closed her mouth and didn’t let her say a word. But I was lucky Natalia managed to scream.”
“Poor girl…” Rebecca pronounces with horror in her eyes. “My heart squeezes when I think about what he could do to her.”
“Remembering what he did the last time, I imagine what could happen today,” Jamie exhales sharply.
“That bastard told her about all his sick fantasies, felt her up from head to foot insolently, and almost undressed her,” Edward says in a lower voice. “It eventually led to the hysteria that Natalia got obsessed with. And he was also slapping her in the face strongly and dragging by the hair… And he almost strangled her…”
“God, how awful!” Rebecca exclaims.
“Yeah…” Jamie pronounces with horror in his eyes. “That bastard is kind of obsessed with her!”
“And since that stinker tried to get into her underwear, she got terribly scared,” Edward says with sadness in his eyes and looks down for a second. “I almost killed that bastard with my hands when seeing what he was doing to Natalia. I did wanna take something heavy and hit him on the head strongly. Revenge him for all her sufferings…”
“You risked a lot by fighting with such a dangerous man,” Jamie says with anxiety.
“For that girl, I’d fight with five people! Wainwright is a strong bull, but I beat him strongly before I made him go and leave Natalia alone.”
“Thank God,” Rebecca exhales with relief.
“He just understood I wouldn’t go anywhere without Natalia and wasn’t gonna give up easily. He had no choice, but he understood it too late. When he made my fiancée suffer. Again.”
“Is Natalia okay?” Jamie expresses anxiety. “How is she feeling?”
“Better now. But that man scared her strongly. At first, she had hysteria… Ran away again and beat me on my arms… Screamed… As if she was resisting Wainwright, who she thought about… And at some moment, she lost her energy… And the poor girl eventually fainted…”
“Poor girl…” Rebecca pronounces with horror in widely open eyes, closing her mouth with a hand.
“I got madly scared. It was horrible to watch Natalia like that. At first, that girl was screaming loudly and resisting, but then she lost consciousness in my arms, saying, ‘I’m dying’…”
“She’s really fine now?”
“Yes, yes, thank God… But she was unconscious for a long time… And then I had to explain what happened, ‘cause Natalia remembered nothing. And calm her down when she got obsessed with hysteria again… Not such a strong one, but she cried a lot…”
Rebecca and Jamie shake their heads with dumbfounded eyes, getting horrified by realizing that Eugene really ran away from prison and already met Edward and Natalia.
“What a twist, my dears…” Jamie exhales sharply, running his hands over his hair. “Hard case…”
“Yeah, one person brought the girl to that condition…” Rebecca says with pity in her eyes, shaking her head and closing her mouth with a hand. “He could’ve scared her so much that her heart wouldn’t have taken it!”
“No, no, Mom, I don’t even wanna think about it,” Edward shakes his head sharply. “If something happens to Natalia, I won’t bear it. I thought I’d die myself while having to watch her in such a terrible condition.”
“We know, sonny,” Rebecca caresses softly Edward’s knee and hand placed on it.
“Hey, did you know about his escape?”
“Yes, Edward, we’re aware of Wainwright’s escape,” Jamie says, swallowing up nervously and starting to wrap the pen in his hands. “The Rochesters, the Johnsons, and Mr. Cameron went to our home. We decided to talk with a cup of tea. And at some moment, we heard about Wainwright’s escape on TV. They said he ran away three weeks ago, but everybody just found it out… The police were hiding it until the very end.”
“I know,” Edward nods with sadness in his eyes. “Mr. and Mrs. Rochester told me about your talk.”
“So, have you talked to them?” Rebecca frowns slightly.
“Yes, I drove Natalia home, and we told her parents what happened. Then they advised me to talk to you. They said you went to ‘The MacClife Shipping’. So, I thought it was a good idea… I left Natalia with the Rochesters and went here.”
“We wanted to warn you,” Rebecca confesses. “But it’s late.”
“Yeah, if only my brother didn’t run away from prison,” Jamie says tiredly, running his hand over his face. “It would be the greatest catastrophe. We barely put Michael in prison, but if he runs away, that scum will kill all of us. He will not forget what we did.”
“I’m praying that it doesn’t happen,” Edward exhales sharply. “The fact that Wainwright walks nobody the hell knows where and plans to rape my fiancée and her friends. And murdering my brother, our friends, and me.”
“He will not leave you alone,” Jamie assumes thoughtfully. “These bruises on your face are nothing. Wainwright might beat you too strongly. And if he gets a gun or a knife, your wound will probably be lethal this time.”
“It’s alright, I’ll deal with it. I’ll do my best to hold on ‘till the end. Because I know I must protect Natalia. Wainwright is a hard opponent, but I’ll deal with him.”
“You’re lucky that you got off so easily, and that sick one was alone. Or everything could’ve been much worse.”
“It will be much worse if that bastard hurts Natalia, I’m afraid of it much more. Once, I almost went insane, pulled my hair out, and was afraid that I could’ve lost her when Uncle Michael was holding her at his home. One more time would be too much for me.”
“We were all worried about her,” Rebecca sighs heavily. “That’s bad Michael decided to make her a victim, even when she didn’t have to do with our family.”
“I think Natalia and you understand well that you shouldn’t go to desert places and any places where you may meet him,” Jamie says quietly. “And she must actually be banned from walking in those places alone or with her friends.”
“I won’t let her walk in these places,” Edward replies confidently. “And I banned her from being there alone. But I think she understands everything well and knows what it would lead to in the worst case. Natalia is a smart girl and understands everything. And she wouldn’t survive another torture by Wainwright.”
“The most important thing is that she isn’t as stubborn as Raquelle is at times,” Rebecca expresses hope. “Even if Terrence asks her not to do something, she might not listen to him and do what she wants.”
“No, Mom. Somehow, Natalia found out what might happen and wouldn’t do it again. Of course, I will accompany her and am ready to protect her at any moment… But I can’t always be next to her. I’ve got many things to do, and we might get sick of each other.”
“The most important thing is not to walk in desert places,” Jamie says confidently. “He wouldn’t one hundred percent go to popular places because he’d be caught by the police. And this type of crime is committed where there are no witnesses.”
“No, no, until that bastard is found, we won’t go there. I will be closely watching it.”
“I’d like to believe that stinker will be found soon,” Rebecca expresses hope, locking her fingers.
“Me too. And we must do it before he commits another crime.”
“And he might do very much…”
“Listen, Father…” Edward thinks for two seconds and folds his hands on the glassy table, moving his eyes to Jamie. “You’ve got the number of Mr. Johnson! Please, call him and tell him about Wainwright! He should know it. I’m not sure if it would help them find that freak, but since he’s a policeman, he must be aware.”
“You’re right, Edward,” Jamie nods confidently. “I shall call him right now. Moreover, he was supposed to go to the police station and find out everything.”
Jamie takes the wired phone, types a number, and puts it to his ear, knocking on the surface of the table with his fingers and looking at Edward or Rebecca, who look at each other sometimes. And a few seconds later, the man pronounces confidently:
“Hello! Mr. Johnson? Hello again! Jamie MacClife is on the line.
“Good afternoon, Mr. MacClife,” Victor greets.
“Sorry for bothering you, but I need to talk to you. You should know something about Wainwright.”
“Yes, speak, I’m listening to you closely. I’m now at the police station and talking to the people, who know about this case.”
“The reportage on TV was true – Wainwright really ran away from prison. Edward and Natalia met him literally some time ago.”
“Oh, God…” Victor exhales sharply. “So, didn’t you manage to warn the others?”
“Sadly, no. That man showed up suddenly and started to threaten my son and his fiancée. Wainwright tried to rape her and brought her to a strong hysteria.”
“And where did it happen?”
“At a desert place. I don’t know how he ended up, but it’s hard to say where that bastard is hiding. But he confessed that he really shoot the prison staff member with a pistol stolen from the guard.”
“Oh, gosh…” Victor thinks for two seconds. “And yeah, how do you know it? Did Edward and Natalia tell you about it?”
“Edward. He is with me now.” Jamie looks at Edward, who nods. “He went to my company and explained what happened.”
“Can I question him?” Victor asks thoughtfully. “Give him the phone, please.”
“I will better turn on the speakerphone, so we can hear you.” Jamie turns on the speakerphone with one button. “Alright, I did! Speak!”
“Edward! Edward, can you hear me? It’s Victor Johnson.”
“Yes, Mr. Johnson, I hear you,” Edward replies confidently. “Good afternoon.”
“Hello. Tell me, please, where you met Wainwright, and how it happened. I need details!”
“Natalia and I were quietly walking in a desert place, and then Wainwright pushed Natalia in the back and showed up from somewhere, letting us know that it was him. That man told us how he ran away from prison and wanted to deal with me and mock Natalia.”
“I hope you both are okay?”
“Yes, we are fine, thank God. I only got a couple of bruises, and Natalia got a strong shock because Wainwright tried to rape her. I will not tell you everything, but it all brought my fiancée to a strong hysteria, after which I barely calmed her down.”
“So, did Wainwright threaten you?”
“Many times. He reminded us of everything that happened to me, Mother, Father, Uncle Michael, and Terrence… He stole Natalia’s necklace that I gifted her… I clearly let him know she wouldn’t go with him and did everything to protect her. And he eventually understood it and left. But he said it wasn’t the last meeting of us… And he added that Natalia’s friends might also suffer if he met them without the men.”
“Those, who were on the trial?”
“Yes. Raquelle, Helene, Anna… He meant them.”
“Oh, God…” Rebecca pronounces with horror in widely open eyes.
“Oh, the situation is complicated…” Victor says thoughtfully. “Very complicated…”
“Did you find out something?” Jamie asks.
“Nothing special, Jamie. I just got the confirmation and examined the interrogation report of the prison staff.”
“But would you help us?” Edward asks with hope.
“I’m afraid I can’t help you yet…” Victor says with regret. “The police are looking for him too hard, but don’t expect that everything will be so easy. Yes, the photo of Wainwright was sent to all possible places and would be shown in crime news, but it may lead to nothing.”
“And what do we do?”
“The only thing you can do is to be very careful, not to walk in desert places, and not to leave the girls alone. Eugene can do anything with them if nobody stops him. He is obsessed with young girls and is a threat to them. There are documents that confirm his mental health.”
“But how long will we have to be afraid of him?” Edward wonders with horror in his eyes. “We have too many problems! And the escape of that sick scumbag!”
“I’m very sorry, Edward. But there are no chances to catch him now because nobody knows where he is hiding. The police are patrolling the streets very closely and examining all places in the city, but it might take a lot of time. And people’s calls might not help the police find the right location.”
“Oh, how awful…” Rebecca shakes her head.
“But is there hope that he will be caught?” Jamie asks.
“There is always hope, Mr. MacClife,” Victor replies confidently. “Eugene wouldn’t go far. We will use any moment to find him. We will wait for him to get caught on something.”
“Poor Natalia…” Edward exhales sharply, running his hand over his hair and putting it on his forehead. “She won’t sleep quietly, knowing that her offender is free and might harm her.”
“Don’t worry, Edward. That man would be caught early or late.”
“It would be good if the prison staff got stronger control of Michael and his hang, so those scumbags don’t run,” Jamie says thoughtfully.
“They got the order and are now keeping them under special control. All the prisons where they are now are under close view.”
“Let’s hope it will help…” Rebecca expresses hope and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.
“By the way, have you already warned Terrence, Raquelle, and their friends? Especially, the ones, who were on Michael’s trial!”
“No yet,” Jamie shakes his head. “Rebecca and I tried to call him, but he turned off the phone, and nobody answers the home one. He is probably spending time with Raquelle.”
“Warn both of them!” Victor says confidently. “Immediately! Eugene has a grudge against Terrence and would deal with him as well as with Edward. He is also not indifferent to Raquelle. Knowing how he looked at her and her friends.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Johnson,” Edward says confidently. “I will talk to Terrence and Raquelle when I meet them. And I’ll tell our friends to be careful.”
“And yeah, if you, your brother, your parents, or someone else recalls something else, let me know immediately. Any information might be important.”
“We will keep you aware, Mr. Johnson,” Rebecca says confidently.
“Thanks for telling me about that.”
“Thank you for not refusing to help,” Edward thanks truly.
“I will do everything I can.”
At this moment, Jamie looks at Edward and Rebecca with anxiety in his soul and fear in his eyes. All three are horrified by what might happen and cannot even imagine how to solve the current problems and start to live the quiet life that they had before.
***
The next day, Terrence went to the café to eat something. While he is standing in line with his arms crossed over his chest and waiting for the moment to buy something, he is thinking about one situation that has been happening lately. And it’s about Raquelle’s behavior.
“Raquelle has been very weird lately…” Terrence thinks, looking around. “It’s been happening for a long time. One day she may be happy, cheerful, and laughing, but the next day she gets gloomy, sad, and weak. That girl laughs and smiles, but has sadness in her eyes.”
Terrence glances at someone, who goes by him.
“No, I understand that girls may be too sensitive sometimes, and our problems might also be the reason,” Terrence frowns slightly. “But if nobody makes Raquelle distract herself and think about good things, she always withdraws into herself and reflects on something bad.”
Terrence scratches the back of his head and fixes the expensive watch that he is wearing on his left hand.
“But she didn’t start to behave so weirdly one or two weeks ago. It’s been happening for a long time! I’d say it sometimes happened during the trial of Uncle Michael. Yeah… At that time, she was kinda weird… But I thought she was worried about how everything would’ve been over. Just like all of us… But even after the trial ended, Raquelle didn’t look more cheerful. I do feel that something ain’t right with her, but I can’t understand why… Maybe, the problem is me? Maybe, I do something bad and make her upset? But what? Maybe, she doesn't wanna get married to me?”
Terrence looks around again, sees that he is going to come to the cash soon, and takes his wallet from his pocket.
“Damn, so many problems have rained thick upon us again!” Terrence thinks, takes his bank card, and puts his wallet in his pocket. “Perkins decided to go nobody the fuck knows where! And he eventually got beaten and hit by the car, so that it slapped his mind. And he always screwed up our performances… But our fans began to bully too hard because he allegedly brought Peter to the self-murder and threatened to kill him.”
Terrence sighs quietly with closed eyes.
“So, we’ve gotta think about how to solve it…” Terrence thinks with sadness in his eyes. “And getting one more problem would be too much… Knowing that Edward got into something… So, we have to save his ass and solve his problems… No, no, if that kid wanna find trouble, I’ll kill him. Seriously! I won’t bear two more kinda heroic things of his.”
It’s finally time for Terrence to buy everything he wants. He quickly says what he wants, gives his bank card to the seller, leaves his signature on a check that he is given, and takes a plastic glass and a small pack some time later. And while MacClife, Sr., looks around and finds a table where he could sit and eat quietly, a certain man recognizes him, comes to him, and calls him:
“Terrence?”
Terrence puts everything he has in his hands on the table, turns on the voice, and quickly recognizes the man, who called him.
“Steven?” Terrence pronounces amazingly, arching his eyebrows. “I didn’t expect it!”
“Hey, man,” Steven greets amicably and puts his plate with his order on the table. “Glad to see you.”
“Same!”
Terrence greets Steven amicably, shaking him by the hand tightly and clapping him on the shoulder. The man knows this person named Steven Appleby because he is Raquelle’s long-time friend and a photographer, with whom she often works as a model. And as Terrence has worked with him several times, they have a good relationship but speak rarely enough.
“What brought you here?” Steven asks with a slight smile.
“Well, I was just driving in the city, got hungry, and decided to come here,” Terrence replies amicably.
“Okay… I also came here to eat something.”
“Listen, sit down with me. We’d talk a little. I came here alone. But you could make a company for me.”
“Sure.”
Steven and Terrence sit on the table in front of each other and start to examine their packs with food, and the latter takes the wallet and puts his bank card in it.
“By the way, I haven’t seen you for ages,” Terrence notices confidently.
“I agree,” Steven replies. “But Raquelle and I often talk about you when we get a chance to work together.”
“Yeah, she said.”
“We’ve tried to agree to go to a café so many times, but I don’t almost have free time and get really exhausted.”
“Are you so busy?”
“Yeah, I have a lot of work,” Steven replies thoughtfully. “Every day, I have a few shoots and then many meetings… But today is a more or less quiet day…”
“Don’t you probably have time for your girlfriend due to these shootings?”
“You mean Delancey? Oh, I broke up with her a long time ago!”
“Broke up?”
“Yup.”
“Oh, I’m sorry…” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes. “A breakup is always hard.”
“I don’t deny that it was hard at first, and Raquelle saw it. I had such a lousy mood that everything fell apart, and I barely made myself work. But later I got kind of better and no longer worry about it so much.”
“Did you break up with a scandal?”
“I wouldn’t say so… But to be honest, I still can’t understand why we actually thought we loved each other. Why we decided to date and get married…”
“Fleeting passion?”
“There wasn’t passion… Just… A close distance just did its business… We kissed… And… We liked it… We thought it was love.”
“I get it.”
“Hey, didn’t Raquelle tell you that we got problems a few months after we began dating?”
“Nope, she didn’t…” Terrence shakes his head, eating something from a small pack. “But she mentioned that your work wasn’t very good because of your lousy mood.”
“I had broken up with Delancey before that moment. Of course, Cameron supported me somehow, but I didn’t get better. And those I worked with also tried to help…” Steven drinks something from his plastic glass. “But later, Delancey and I talked, and I got much better. And then we talked again and decided it would be better to break up and remain friends.”
“Sorry. Delancey is a good girl. I’ve known her for ages, and she’s always been very nice to me.”
“I know,” Steven replies thoughtfully, eating something from a small box and drinking a drink from his plastic glass. “But we better be friends. We agreed not to think about that failed affair and to pretend that nothing happened. I’d be very glad if she met a good guy, and she wants me to find a decent girl.”
“I see…” Terrence drinks some coffee from his glass. “And did you meet someone after her?”
“Nope, I decided to focus on my work fully,” Steven shakes his head. “That’s what helped me come to myself. Time and work are the best cure.”
“And you don’t think about some rest?”
“Not now.” Steven eats something from the small box. “And why? I’m doing what I like! I have a lot of work, but I don’t get sick. And talking with people helps me distract myself from problems.”
“Well, you could go to the sea or to the mountains. Take a couple of friends and have fun to the fullest.”
“Maybe, I will go somewhere later. But now work, work, and work again.”
“Okay, then I wish you not to overwork,” Terrence laughs amicably.
“Thanks, buddy, I will try.”
Silence settles in the air, during which Terrence and Steven eat and drink something they bought, being happy with the food, the drinks, and the quiet atmosphere at the café.
“Well, say something about yourself,” Steven says amicably. “How are you doing?”
“Fine,” Terrence replies. “I’m doing my business.”
“I heard your band is getting more popular, and you’re gonna release an album.”
“That’s true. We’ve already released our first single and music video.”
“By the way, it’s fantastic. And I really liked the music video. The girls were really incredible.”
“Thanks, Steve,” Terrence thanks with a slight smile. “I’m glad you liked it.”
“I’m gonna listen to your album when it’s out. I’m sure that’s gonna be a real bomb.”
“It will be, dude. Don’t doubt it.”
“Okay…” Steven drinks something from his plastic glass. “What about you and Raquelle?”
“Everything’s good,” Terrence replies with a slight smile.
“When will you finally get married?”
“We’re getting ready yet. Though, we have so much to do that we don’t have time to talk about it.”
“Didn’t your younger brother change his mind about the wedding?”
“No, buddy, he will never do. Edward fell in love with Natalia so deeply that he wouldn’t look at any other girl. He only wants Raquelle’s stunning friend.”
“That guy has good taste. Raquelle’s friend is really fabulous. You two have incredible ladies.”
“Oh, yeah!” Terrence pronounces with his head proudly raised.
“Is Raquelle still getting tons of offers for work?”
“She is! While I’m working with my band, she often gets invited to shootings and fashion shows.”
“Don’t you think of breaking up?”
“No, c’mon! We don’t even think about it!”
“Yeah, why isn’t she with you?”
“Today, she’s having a shoot for a magazine. A very famous one. The chief editor personally invited her to shoot for the cover and give an interview.”
“Cameron still shines just as bright as a star.”
“What’s right is right!”
Silence settles into the talk again, during which Steven and Terrence smile shyly. But then the photographer clears his throat quietly and folds his hands, looking at Raquelle’s fiancée a little hesitantly.
“Oh, listen, Terrence…” Steven pronounces thoughtfully. “Can I ask you something?”
“Yes,” Terrence shrugs. “Ask.”
“Sorry for meddling in your business… But say… Is everything really okay with Raquelle? Or is something happening to her?”
“Erm…” Terrence stretches the back of his head. “Well…”
“So, something is not right…”
“Erm…” Terrence frowns slightly and looks at Steven questioningly. “Why did you ask me about it?”
“You see, when I was working with her on the shootings two months ago, she was sad enough,” Steven confesses thoughtfully, holding a plastic glass. “I asked her if she was okay, and she said she was fine, but she looked saddened anyway.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Steven glances aside for a second. “I wanted to sit down with her and ask her about everything, but then I thought it could be her personal business. I was afraid it would’ve made our work worse. But to my surprise, Raquelle did everything she should’ve done well.”
“That’s how…”
“Listen, is everything really okay between you two?” Steven frowns slightly. “Maybe, you have problems in your relationship, but you don’t wanna spread any rumors?”
“No, we have an excellent relationship…” Terrence shakes his head. “Raquelle says she’s very happy with me, and I think I’m lucky to have her.”
“But haven’t you seen that she’s sad?”
“I must confess that I’ve also been noticing something like that.”
“And how long has it been happening?”
“For a few months…”
“And you can’t imagine what could happen?”
“I don’t know. But sometimes I blame myself. For something wrong.”
“It seems like something serious happened if Raquelle is not just sad but also crying.”
“Crying?” Terrence rounds his eyes.
“Yes. Do you know her assistant, Deirdre?”
“Yeah, I’ve met her several times.”
“So, Deirdre told me she saw Raquelle crying in a locked restroom cabin somehow. She didn’t wanna talk to anyone when we had a break.”
“Really?” Terrence gets horrified.
“Ask Deirdre if you don’t believe! She tried to talk to Raquelle, but she wanted to say nothing. And when it was time for the shooting, your fiancée came to the set and acted as if nothing had happened. She’s a professional. But that’s weird, you know.”
“My gosh… I… I didn’t know it…”
“I don’t exclude that Raquelle could act like this at other shootings, and her helper could not see that. But it’s hard for me to imagine what could make her cry if you say everything is fine about your relationship.”
“Listen, I don’t really know what’s happening to her…” Terrence says with sadness in his eyes, shaking his head. “It’s not a secret for us that girls may get sad and cry for nothing. But it happens to Raquelle too often.”
“Haven’t you tried to talk to her?”
“Of course, I have, but she says she is fine.”
“Hey, didn’t she fight with anyone? Or is she worried about one of her close people? Maybe someone has problems? Her grandfather has problems? Or her aunt?”
“No, everything’s great about it. Her grandfather and aunt are both fine.”
“Oh, I don’t know, then…” Steven leans back in the chair and glances aside. “But it’s all so weird…”
“I know, but I can do nothing,” Terrence shrugs with sadness in his eyes. “I’ve been reflecting on this situation for a long time, but I have no idea. And I can’t talk to her and find out what’s happening. At first, I blamed the girls’ problems and the trial of my uncle, which she was worried about, but the case is probably not about it.”
“Maybe, her friends know something? Haven’t you tried to talk to the girls? Raquelle could be more talkative with them!”
“Not yet, but I want to.”
“The girls may share secrets with each other. Who knows, maybe, someone will say something, and you’ll know what happened.”
“I think so. So, I’ll try to find a moment and talk to the girls. Or maybe, I will even try to talk to her assistant. Would you help me contact her if I asked?”
“Sure, no problem!” Steven shrugs.
“Thanks a lot, Steven,” Terrence thanks with a slight smile.
Silence settles in the air, during which Steven and Terrence silently eat what they have. And some time later, Appleby looks at his watch that is put on the left hand and starts to fuss, understanding that he should go.
“Oh, listen, Terrence, I'm sorry, but I have to go,” Steven says thoughtfully. “I wanted to come here for a few minutes to eat and didn’t think I’d meet someone.”
“Many things to do?” Terrence asks.
“Yup, but it’s personal. I wanna do everything ‘till tomorrow because I will have a lot of work.”
“Okay, I got it. I ain’t gonna hold you.”
“But thanks for keeping me a company.”
“Thank you for the talk,” Terrence smiles slightly. “I talked at least to someone. Today, all my friends and younger brother decided to leave me because they’re spending time with their girls.”
“You leave them next time.”
“It will happen, buddy,” Terrence smiles slyly.
Steven and Terrence shake each other by the hand, get up from the table to hug each other amicably, and share a slight clap on the back.
“Bye, Terrence!” Steven says goodbye.
“Bye,” Terrence nods.
Steven takes his plastic glass and the sandwich that he has not eaten yet and leaves the café quickly, while Terrence watches him and chuckles quietly.
“He’s eating literally on the go…” Terrence thinks with a slight smile. “So busy that he can barely find time to eat well.”
Terrence drinks some coffee from his plastic glass and thinks about the talk with Steven.
“Hm, Steven said Raquelle’s assistant saw her crying…” Terrence frowns slightly. “Damn… I forgot that she was crying some time ago and couldn’t explain why. It happened to her not for the first time… She cried before… But why? What could happen? What makes her fall into depression? Why does Raquelle act like this and say nothing? She does know I'll always support her and help her somehow! Why doesn’t she trust me? I feel hurt that Cameron doesn’t wanna say anything to me!”
Terrence shakes his head slightly and runs his fingers through his hair.
“I’ve gotta do something. If I don’t do anything now, it will be too late later. At first, I must talk to Natalia, Helene, and Anna. Maybe, they know something and would tell me why Raquelle is acting like this… And I shouldn’t forget about Mr. Cameron. He surely may know something… And I must find it out as soon as possible. Maybe, she’s got such serious problems that they must be solved immediately…”
Terrence exhales quietly and drinks some drink from his plastic glass. And a few seconds later, two girls, a blonde and a brunette, come to his table after seeing the man from afar and recognizing him quickly.
“Terrence?” the blonde asks, putting her hand on Terrence’s shoulders.
Terrence moves his eyes to the girls and sees Natalia and Helene. The girls smile at him amicably and behave as if nothing happened to them, even if the brunette looks sad enough, and the blonde is quite anxious.
“Oh, Natalia!” Terrence wonders. “Helene! Hey, girls!”
“Hi!” Helene and Natalia greet amicably.
Terrence stands up to greet Natalia and Helene by hugging them and sharing an amicable kiss on the cheek.
“Sit on the table,” Terrence invites, pointing at the table.
With these words, Terrence sits at the table, and Helene and Natalia get down comfortably in front of him.
“We saw you shortly after we came here,” Natalia confesses, putting her purse on the back of the chair.
“How long have you been here?” Terrence asks.
“Well, for ten or fifteen minutes.”
“And why didn't you come earlier?”
“You were just talking to a certain man, and we decided to wait,” Helene confesses. “We thought you had an important talk.”
“Nope, nothing serious,” Terrence replies quietly, running his hand over his hair. “That’s Steven. Steven Appleby. The photographer, who befriends Raquelle. Who works with her often.”
“Is that the photographer, who Raquelle has befriended from the beginning of her career?” Natalia frowns slightly.
“Yay, that’s him.”
“Yeah, I remember. As far as I remember, he had a girlfriend.”
“Steve said they broke up a long time ago. They decided to remain friends. They kinda made a mistake by deciding to become a couple.”
“That’s how… Sorry…”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Terrence looks at Natalia and Helene closer.
“Hey, I thought you’d spend time with Edward and Peter,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “Why aren’t you with them?”
“I can’t meet Edward today,” Natalia replies quietly. “First, he’s meeting someone, with whom he works on songs for artists, and then he wanna go to his house and work on repairs.”
“Wow, is he preparing a loving place?” Terrence laughs shyly.
“Sort of.”
“And Peter?” Terrence moves his eyes to Helene. “He also has some business?”
“Peter…” Helene pronounces thoughtfully, falls into silence for two seconds, and bites her lip. “Erm… Peter is watching Sammy.”
“Sammy?” Terrence frowns slightly. “But what about you?”
“Erm… I recently brought my dog to his home… I need to go to my workplace in two hours. And now I decided to go to a café, and Natalia agreed to keep me company.”
“Well, okay…”
Terrence believes that Helene answered his question kind of hesitantly and pulled the words too strongly, as if she thought about what to say and did not actually know what Peter was doing. But despite being anxious and curious, he decides not to ask Natalia about Edward or Helene about Peter. Even if he notices that the girls do not look very good.
“I’m sorry that Raquelle couldn’t join us,” Natalia says with sadness in her eyes. “She said she’d be busy with shootings all day long.”
“Yeah, she’s having a shoot for a magazine…” Terrence nods.
“Yes, yes… She said.”
Terrence glances aside, locking his fingers, and Natalia frowns slightly, as she looks at him.
“Hey, Terrence, are you okay?” Natalia asks anxiously. “Why are you so sad? You have problems?”
“I could say so…” Terrence replies thoughtfully.
“Any problems with Raquelle?” Helene rounds her eyes.
“Yeah… And you know… That’s good I met you.” Terrence drinks some coffee from his glass. “Helene, Natalia, I’d like to talk to you about Raquelle.”
“Raquelle? But what’s wrong with her?”
“Say, have you lately noticed something weird about her?”
“Weird?”
“Maybe, you saw her being sad because of something? Thinking about something a lot! Crying because of something? If something like that happened, tell me. I should know everything!”
“Listen…” Natalia pronounces thoughtfully and thinks about it, putting her finger on her lips. “Raquelle has really been weird lately. Her mood is too changing… She smiles and laughs or withdraws into herself, doesn’t almost speak, and looks very sad.”
“That’s true,” Helene nods. “The girls and I have asked her if she is fine two times, but she says she is. Though, her eyes are full of sadness.”
“I think everybody saw it! Remember how Peter said it when we were at the home of you and Raquelle the last time! And Cameron rarely spoke and was much busier with her thoughts.”
“Didn’t she tell you, Helene, and Anna something?” Terrence frowns slightly. “Maybe, Raquelle said something that made you suspicious?”
“Nope, nothing like that,” Helene shrugs.
“Hey, why are you asking?” Natalia asks anxiously.
“Steven and I were talking about Raquelle,” Terrence confesses with sadness in his eyes. “He told me her assistant somehow saw your friend crying in a restroom.”
“Crying?” Helene and Natalia get horrified.
“Yeah, but she acted as if nothing happened when she came on the set.”
“And you didn’t know it?” Helene wonders.
“No, I just found it out! And it scares me. It’s not the first time Raquelle cries for nothing… It often happens to her… I’ve gotten your friend caught crying many times, but I still haven't found out why she was upset.”
“Oh, gosh…” Natalia pronounces quietly, rounding her eyes and closing her mouth with a hand.
“I’m worried about her, girls. I’m afraid that something the same thing that happened to Peter might happen to her.”
“Do you wanna say she might try to kill herself?”
“I’m afraid of it to death. Remember, Pete also seemed happy, but he broke down at some moment. His real emotions went out of him, got obsessed with him, and made him cut himself so that the doctors barely saved him.”
“Do you think Raquelle has depression because of something we don't know about?” Helene asks with fear in her eyes.
“If it’s so, we must find it out as soon as possible and help her. It’s all getting too serious! Raquelle is destroying herself, but I don’t know why!”
“Excuse me, Terrence, but is everything really okay between you and Raquelle?” Natalia frowns slightly.
“No, no, Raquelle and I have a good relationship,” Terrence replies confidently. “Yesterday, we spent a fantastic time together. We swam in the pool, laughed, and played the fool… She felt good…”
“Well… Maybe, something is happening to Alicia or Mr. Cameron?”
“Mr. Cameron is fine, Alicia is okay, too… Though, I haven’t spoken to them for ages… Anyway, I’m afraid I’d have to visit Raquelle’s grandfather if I don’t find out what’s happening to her in the nearest time.”
“You know, Terrence, your suspicions make me worry about her, too…” Helene says with anxiety, grabbing her throat. “What could happen if Cameron is crying?”
“I don’t know, Helene… But it all makes me nervous.”
“She’s hardly worried about what’s happening now so much,” Natalia frowns slightly. “Yes, Raquelle does worry about Daniel and Anna. But I don’t think she’s worried so much. She just wants everything to be back to the right place, and everybody to be happy.”
“No, she’s hardly worried about Anna and Daniel…” Terrence shakes his head. “It’s been happening for a long time, since the trial of Uncle Michael.”
“But it’s been a few months!”
“And she’s been acting like this since that time! I didn’t find anything suspicious about it ‘cause we were all worried. But even after the trial was over, she didn’t get better and kept being sad, crying, and withdrawing into herself.”
“So, something happened during the trial of Michael?”
“Most likely. I have no other guess.”
“And what could it be?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been reflecting on it for a few months, but I can find out nothing.”
“But what can we do if Raquelle is really too close to doing the same thing that Peter did?” Helene asks with anxiety.
“Until we find a reason, it will keep happening,” Terrence throws his hands up.
“Then we must save her! But from what and how?”
“I don’t know, Helene, but I’m madly worried about her…” Terrence replies anxiously and squeezes the bridge of his nose for a second. “And the fact that Raquelle says nothing to me makes me upset. I’m her fiancé, but she doesn’t trust me. She fears something. She doesn’t want me to help her. Cameron lies that everything is fine, but I know that’s not true. Everything is kind of fine, but there is a wall between us.”
“Sorry, MacClife, but we can’t help you,” Natalia shrugs with sadness in her eyes. “Raquelle says nothing to us. She doesn’t trust only you. She trusts nobody. You, the girls, the men, and me.”
“That’s why I'm starting to make sure that the visit to Mr. Cameron would give me nothing.”
“But he can advise something. Mr. Cameron is a very wise and smart man, who knows Raquelle much better than we do. Maybe, he’d tell you how to make Cameron confess everything.”
“Oh, shit…” Terrence, exhaling sharply, runs his hands over his hair. “What do I do? What?”
“Don’t worry, Terrence, Raquelle will tell us the truth early or late,” Helene expresses hope with sadness in her eyes. “Whatever she hides, it can’t happen forever. Any secret will be revealed, no matter how hard you hide it.”
“I know… But when will she stop being silent? When I give a damn about everything and let her solve her problems alone?”
“Helene’s right, buddy,” Natalia agrees. “Raquelle will have to explain her behavior anyway. Or she will betray herself when she’s sick of being silent.”
“Girls, I have a plea for you.” Terrence bends toward Helene and Natalia slightly, looking at them confidently. “Please, watch her closely. Watch her actions and words. Or you better try to find out what she feels and what she’s worried about. I need to know where to go to push Raquelle to an open talk.”
“Don’t worry, Terrence, we’ll be watching her closely,” Natalia promises with a slight smile. “If we notice something that makes us suspicious, we will let you know.”
“Thanks a lot,” Terence smiles shyly. “I knew I could count on you.”
Helene and Natalia also smile shyly and say nothing for a few seconds. And then Marshall hears the ring of her phone, which she takes.
“Oh, excuse me, it’s from my work,” Helene says a little hesitantly. “That’s very important.”
Helene stands up quickly, takes her purse, and leaves the café, putting the phone to her ear and starting to talk to someone. Terrence watches her with a suspicious look, frowns slightly, and moves his eyes to Natalia, who is watching her friend with sadness.
“Hey, Natalia, don’t you think Helene is kinda weird, too?” Terrence shows suspicion. “She rarely speaks, seems very quiet, and looks sad…”
“Yeah, I think so,” Natalia nods. “I tried to find out what happened to her, but I couldn’t get anything outta her. Marshall refused to talk about it and changed the subject.”
“I’m ready to bet that something happened between Peter and her.”
“Peter?”
“She kinda lied when she spoke about him and Sammy. I mean, I’m sure your friend lied.”
“You talked to him?”
“Nope, Pete turned his phone off, and I can’t call him. But something is not right in this case.”
“You think they fought?”
“I don’t know, friend… She talked about the blond with reluctance…”
“Right…” Natalia frowns slightly. “Helene answers questions kind of distantly…”
“But I don’t exclude that she could really bring Sammy to Peter’s home. And not to talk to him.”
“Maybe, Helene is really gonna go to work in two hours. And you know that she almost always leaves Sammy at Pete’s home on these days.”
“But she has a grandmother. Doesn’t she take care of Sammy?”
“Helene says it’s hard for Mrs. Marshall to watch him. She can only feed that doggy, but playing actively and washing him is not for her ‘cause she has hurt legs. Pete does it well… And Sammy is attracted to him and spends time with him with pleasure.”
“I know. But agree, there’s something suspicious about it.”
“I can’t disagree. But it’s okay… Maybe, she’ll want to tell us everything later. And won't be silent as well as Raquelle does.”
“And I’ll ask Peter about everything. I think he’s gonna be much opener than before.”
Terrence drinks the rest of the coffee and looks at Natalia with a slight smile.
“Okay, let’s not talk about bad things and make our mood worse,” Terrence suggests cheerfully. “Let’s better talk about the wedding of you, Edward, Raquelle, and me.”
“Is there something to talk about?” Natalia wonders, wrapping a couple of strands of her hair gathered in a ponytail. “Now, the thoughts about the wedding are in second place. We stopped making our plans for the wedding after Edward gifted a ring to me, and you proposed to Raquelle.”
“Right.” Terrence smiles much wider. “But the parents of Edward and me are getting ready actively. They say they’re super excited about the wedding and happy they’re gonna become a family.”
“Cameron and I are literally relatives of all of you! We only need to register everything officially, so my school friend becomes my sister-in-law, and the actor loved by all girls becomes my brother-in-law.”
“You’re lucky with relatives, my darling,” Terrence says confidently, clapping Natalia on the hand. “Not everyone gets the honor to become a relative of Terrence MacClife himself.”
“If you didn’t have such a good bro, I wouldn’t become a member of your family.”
“Yeah, you drove the boy crazy.”
“He’s guilty! He shouldn’t have seduced me!”
“I’d bet who seduced. My bro has never hidden that he lost his jaw when he saw you for the first time.”
“He thought only about how to find you. And the feelings were born by themselves.”
“You didn’t pay attention to him immediately. But he quickly realized he liked you.”
“Yeah, love at first sight didn’t happen. But even if I didn’t pay attention to Edward as a man, I thought he was a handsome guy with an angelic voice anyway.”
“Yeah, he has a cute face. But he’s far from me. Because I’m not just sympathetic, I’m incredibly handsome. Just like Apollo!”
“Oh, MacClife, here you go again…” Natalia laughs shyly.
“A man like me is more expensive than any brilliants.”
“You give a bad example to your brother. Edward has lately loved praising himself and doesn’t doubt that he’s gorgeous.”
“Not a bad one! Vice versa – I help him! The kid has changed a lot in a few months! Thanks to my efforts!”
“Let’s see what you’d teach your children.”
“I’ll teach them everything,” Terrence replies with pride. “My children will get all the best from me and Raquelle.”
“I guess, your parents often ask you about when you’ll become a father?”
“Oh, yeah! Mother can’t wait to babysit her grandchildren, and she always says it to Edward and me. Father also wants it, but he says when we’re ready, we’ll have children.”
“Edward said,” Natalia laughs shyly.
“But the most important thing for us is the wedding. Raquelle and me and Edward and you.”
“My parents are also terribly excited and getting ready actively. Besides, they talk very much about it with your father and mother.”
“They often say your parents are thrilled that Edward will become your husband.”
“Oh, they do adore him!” Natalia smiles shyly. “They say Edward is the best man of those I met before. And I can’t deny it, ‘cause all my exes can’t be compared with your bro.”
“I know. And I think he’s lucky with the mother-in-law and the father-in-law. Your parents are wonderful people.”
“Raquelle and I are gonna have a great father-in-law and mother-in-law. I love Mrs. MacClife with all my heart and got along well with Mr. MacClife. So, we won’t face the problem of your spouse’s parents.”
“And we won’t have problems with other relatives,” Terrence notices with a slight smile. “I’ve said many times that I’m thrilled you’re gonna be a part of my family. And Raquelle is nicely excited, too.”
“I know,” Natalia smiles widely. “I’m so happy that Raquelle and you are gonna become my relatives.”
“Although I’ve said it many times, I’ll repeat that Edward is really lucky to have you. You take care of him very well. I say it ‘cause I see how much he has changed lately. Not only did the work with the band liberate him and teach him to be more confident. Love does magical things, too.”
“I think I’ve also changed to some extent since I met your bro.”
“Even if you have, it’s only for the best. You’ve become very happy and smiling.”
“Aw, Terrence, you’ve always known how to make someone smile,” Natalia replies with a slight smile.
“I’m just telling the truth.”
“Ah, why does Raquelle get sad and cry when she has such an amazing man? What does my friend want? How could Cameron do it to you? I don’t understand it!”
“Oh, Natalia, I’d like to know why your friend is so changing…” Terrence says tiredly, running his hand through his hair. “I really wanna help her, but I don’t know why she suffers. Maybe, I’m doing something wrong. Maybe, she needs something, but Raquelle is afraid to say it… Though, everybody knows I do everything for her and would sacrifice a lot for her to be happy.”
“At least Cameron has never complained about you. She’s never said she’s suffering next to you.”
“Sometimes I think Raquelle doesn’t trust me. Maybe, she’s afraid… Who knows…”
“Don’t be upset, buddy,” Natalia claps Terrence on the hand with an encouraging smile. “Raquelle can’t be silent forever and will tell you everything, early or late.”
“Will she tell us everything when she’s brought to the edge?”
“Let’s believe it will happen much earlier.”
Terrence says nothing and glances aside with a quiet sigh, while Natalia looks at him with sadness in her eyes. Both of them think about something not very nice, suffering that they are getting more and more problems, which cannot be solved at the moment.
[1] esp. my family
[2] esp. sweetheart
[3] esp. yes, yes, my love
[4] esp. my love
[5] esp. no, my kitten, it’s not the truth
[6] esp. generous for compliments
[7] esp. Why, my love? Why?
[8] esp. my love
[9] esp. sweetheart
[10] esp. my love
[11] esp. sweetheart
[12] esp. my kitten
[13] esp. Oh, Daniel, my love, you’re incredible
[14] esp. I love you so much
[15] esp. sweetheart
[16] esp. my love
