Enjoy. 𓂃⋆.˚
...
Veronica was feeling bitter that night because her son wouldn't listen to her. But she was also feeling pretty good because she finally found him. So, she went into her house and started upstairs without even glancing at her husband or daughter, who were waiting for her at the dinner table.
"Sweetheart, we were waiting for you. Come and eat with us," her husband said. She stopped in the hall, turned her head toward them, and smiled faintly. "I ate outside. Enjoy your dinner."
She left, and they were surprised. They looked at each other, confused. They also felt that something was wrong with her. Then Ashley got up from her chair and was about to follow her mom, but her dad stopped her by grabbing her arm and saying, "I'm going to talk to her; sit down and finish your dinner."
"But," she said, and he nodded while touching her cheek gently, "it's okay."
She looked at him for a moment and then slowly nodded.
...
"Veronica," said Ryan in a worried tone as he entered their bedroom. She was lying on her side with her back to the door, and the large blanket was wrapped around her body to cover her face too.
"Sweetie, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?" He asked, but she didn't answer. He sat on the bed and took the blanket off her face. Then he looked at her with furrowed eyebrows when he noticed the tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Why are you crying? What happened?" He approached her, touching her hair. She sat on the bed, staring at his face with a sorrowful expression on her face. He ran his thumb over her cheek, wiping away her tears. "Tell me, what made you sad?"
She grabbed his wrist and said, " I have to tell you a secret, but please don't judge me. Ryan."
He looked at her with a confused expression, then slowly nodded, and she continued, biting her lower lip hard as she found herself facing reality, a reality she couldn't hide or escape from anymore.
...
The next morning, Aiden woke up and found himself in his car. His body was numb from sitting all night.
"Oh my god, did I spend the night here?" He said, yawning and stroking his neck, and then he remembered the events of the day before. His eyes widened, and he quickly turned his head to the other seat. He left, and he had no idea where he could be.
He checked his phone and saw a message from Veronica.
(Can you come to my house after work? I want to give you something that I want you to give to Taylor.)
(Of course.)
He let out a deep sigh, then threw his phone on the seat next to him, running his fingers through his hair and grumbling, "I don't even know where he is or where he lives."
...
He went into his apartment early in the morning, threw his shoes in the corner, and stood in the middle of the hall, looking empty-eyed, like he couldn't think of anything or analyze anything.
"I'm starving. She put a damper on my appetite last night," he said, frowning. Then, he headed for the kitchen, took all the vegetables that were left in the fridge and put them on the table, added some cheese and meat, and started cooking violently, making loud noises that woke Steven up in a panic.
"What's he doing?" he grumbled, leaving his bedroom and standing near the kitchen door, watching Taylor treat the kitchen utensils and food as if they were his rivals in the wrestling ring.
"I had no idea you liked to eat a lot for breakfast," said Steven, sounding a bit shocked when he entered. But the other person just ignored him.
Steven rolled his eyes, annoyed, and decided not to get involved. Just as he was about to leave the kitchen, he heard a slight groan coming from his friend's mouth. He turned to see blood running down his thumb.
"Shit!" Taylor yelled and threw the knife away.
"Be careful!" Steven stepped in and hurried to the bathroom to get the first aid box. He grabbed Taylor by the arm and made him sit down on the chair. He took his hand, and when he put some wound disinfectant on his wound, he screamed in pain and pulled his hand away, saying, "Ouch! This burns!"
"What's wrong with you? Are you a child?" Steven grumbled and tried to grab his friend's hand again, but Taylor refused and slapped his hand, and his eyes began to fill with tears. "No!"
"Are you crying?" Steven said, raising his eyebrows with surprise, because it wasn't something you'd expect from Taylor.
Taylor, on the other hand, shook his head and hid his injured hand behind his back. Then, suddenly, he burst into tears like a lost child in the middle of the street. This made Steven freeze in place, not knowing how to react or what to say.
He approached him and began to pat him gently on the back. "It's okay, I'm going to buy another sterilizer."
"Tell me, what happened?" Steven asked, looking concerned. Taylor wiped away his tears before answering, his voice still shaking, "My father lied to me.
...
Ryan was just outside his bedroom when he leaned his back against the door, staring at the ground with a look of shock on his face. He couldn't believe what his wife had told him—he thought he knew everything about her, but he was mistaken.
He wasn't sure if he should be happy she had finally found her son or upset because she'd never talked to him about her past. He also had no idea if she wanted to put all that behind her and move on in life or if she didn't trust him enough.
He would rather not blame her for anything, but he was sure she would shake up every member of the family's life. He tried to understand her, and at the same time he decided to give her more space to think, or maybe she would have the courage to tell her daughter, too, since he had promised her not to say anything until she was ready.
He was about to head downstairs when he saw Ashley a few steps ahead of him. She looked worried but also curious. He let out a deep sigh when she came closer. "What's wrong? Is she sick? Should I call a doctor?"
"No need, she's just tired from working hard and needs to sleep. She'll be fine," he said, smiling at her, about to leave until she stopped him and said, "You don't look well since you left the bedroom. I can see the difference. I'm not a child."
She kept staring at him with a look that said she wasn't going to move until she knew the truth. He felt stuck between his wife's promise and his daughter's insistence. He lifted his head and looked at the ceiling. Either way, she's going to find out.
"Come with me to the terrace," he said.
...
"Hey, Curly, what's been giving you a hard time for hours? Do you miss your wife?" The scrawny man said, sitting on the edge of the bed with his arms crossed. He was smiling at Albert, who was sitting on the cold prison floor. Albert raised his eyes towards the other man and smiled faintly.
He stood up from the floor and shook off the dust from his clothes before approaching him with a lazy stride until he was in front of him, and he said, after putting his hands in the pockets of his pants, "What did you say, bug?"
He slid his tongue along his lower lip and continued, bringing his lips closer to the other man's ear. "What's the matter? You want to replace my wife? Or my next victims, sweetheart?"
He shuddered as he listened to the other's words, which made him nervous and regret having chosen someone like him to bully.
He grabbed his neck, squeezing hard enough to make the other guy groan. "Get away from me, you monster!" He tried to break free of his grip and let out a strangled scream.
Albert let out a sarcastic laugh, tilting his head and speaking in a low voice. "I haven't seen you around here before. Is your offense stealing cotton candy, kid?"
The man bit his lower lip so hard that he could feel the taste of blood in his mouth before he gave him a look that could kill. Meanwhile, Albert's laughter grew louder and louder before he violently took his hand away from his neck. He brought his face really close to the other's.
"I've killed a lot of people before, and I wouldn't mind adding you to my list," he said, and the other man just sat there, silent, as Albert's hot breath on his terrified face made his eyes widen.
There was a tense silence for a few seconds while they looked at each other, and then the prison guard interrupted them as he opened the bars.
"Prisoner Albert Madison, your sentence has ended, and you're free to go."
Albert moved away from the man, letting him catch his breath, then he messily ruffled his hair before running his finger over his nose and laughing a little, like he couldn't believe he was finally free from the hellhole that had been rotting away his soul.
After he passed through the exit door, he turned around and gave the prisoners a quick look. Then he smiled broadly and waved his arm at them. "Gonna miss you, kids."
He let out a deep sigh, like he was about to chill, and then said, still smiling, "Oh, Veronica, I miss you, darling."
...