Chapter 72

He stood at the graveyard and in front of the grave that held his best friend inside it while the tears that his emotionless eyes were holding, threatened to come out soon which could not be seen as Louis stood alone under the howling darkness when the night completely coped up with his feelings as it was being too quiet around him, his tall figure was being statue as later that he knelt down and sadly stared the grave stone along with the wind blowing his hair from his forehead and kissed his cheeks.

Seth Elbort

(1995 - 2019)

An angel.

“Seth. Why did you leave? Why did you fall in love with her? Your own love took your life. What kind of love is this?” He spoke and gasped right after few moments, just to fill up his lungs when hot tears skimmed down his eyes while cherishing his cheeks. “I know that you're being in heaven right now. Happy with your family. I'm also happy that you're now being with your parents.” His tears didn't stop but he surely tried his best at converting them into the happy ones when he let out a sad chuckle afterwards. “Dude, look at what you're making me do! I've been struggling damn hard to fulfill your last wish. I want to curse you so bad but I need to hug you so bad at the same time. I need you, Seth! I need you. You lied to live forever.” After lowering his head, Louis tried dead hard to hold himself back from crying but still that the feeling was too heavy that was stained with sadness holding in it as he later started crying for real. “Why you even sacrificed for a shit like him? He doesn't even seemed to care about it.” He sniffled after lifting his head when his tears burnt his eyes and he finally broke when he was sobbing afterwards. “You could live on.”

She saw him trying his best to cope up with his emotions while standing at a distance when she too felt a lump in her throat while watching him there.

“I'm sorry, Seth.” She mumbled after lowering her sight.

After few minutes, he felt a hand over his shoulder when he wiped off his stained face and made a turn after making a stand. “C'mon, let's leave. It's so late already.” Louis's shaky voice held his words when he direction her to move.

Two situations were worrying Louis like hell at the moment. One was that, she was being his responsibility and he had to drop her at her house, safely. Whereas, the second was that, he had himself stuffed with those millions of dollars and while being outside late, during these hours was dead dangerous for him to handle when he was risking his own life, as Louis hurriedly left the place when he drove fast towards her location. Marquis himself doesn't had any idea about how many other people were suffering just because of him yet along with him.

“Where's your house? Tell me.” Louis frustratingly asked when goosebumps were generating inside his everything while he was driving the same car from all of this time as he was deadly scared at roaming around with that much heavy amount of money. “Oh! Wait. I know.” Later that Louis spoke after remembering the case that he was working over, when sweat was also clearly gleaming over his forehead. She sat silently in the car as her words were waiting for another person to be heard except Louis. It was being hell late already and Louis was facing terrible breath rates when, after hours that they reached her home as they stepped out and proceeded to heel at the door. “Lock the door. Be careful and stay safe.” Very calmly that Louis informed her after he dropped her at her place and made sure that she stays safe when he added further ahead. “I'll come back in the morning.”

Though Louis was dreadfully tired and it showed, when his figure became all dull and gloomy as that tiring feeling that ruled his face from all of this time, was also noticeable for her.

“Louis. Thank you so much. Please be safe and you too be careful. I'm sorry for everything. Because of us? You're in terrible trouble. Please forgive Marquis too.” The words that she conveyed later after observing his state, held condolence in them as it surely comforted his state for a moment. Obviously, he wasn't unknown to the fact that she was also being so much worried for the man behind the bars when it looked like she was just living for Marquis right now, as she was desperately waiting to meet him again. Louis escaped a heavy sigh when he lowered his head and rubbed the nape of his neck as the constant tension was already surrounding him from everywhere and later that he lifted his sight at her.

“Don't worry. I will.” After conveying those words, Louis held her hand and comforted her. “I'll be careful and also will be making sure that he's fine too.”

Yenail nodded after lowering her head when she slightly bit her bottom lip as right now it was really hard for her to prevent those tears named by him, which were ready to stream down her eyes anytime. Her tinted lips also missed the taste when currently, she was being at the verge of crying. With a sigh that Louis left her hand and took a turn, later that he stomped his feet towards the car when he passed one last glance to her and at that vary moment, he caught her eyes, as he got to know that there was being no other way for her to sleep like this when Louis wished to end this all soon.

She closed the door and her figure stood at the spot for a while when a horrible feeling started taking over her body as she stared the house. An incomplete hollow feeling that her own house contained which was eating her out alive when her life was so changed now, so much different. The days of her mother and the days that she spent with that criminal? They were colliding inside her mind like a mixing machine, when her heart started to fill with heavy emotions. Marquis was the mere person who pushed her off the cliff but at the same time he grabbed her hand right after, when she was about to fall off. She pulled herself out from her own comfort zone while being with him when he was also being so decent to her afterwards. Later that, she thought about how he too destructed his own self. How he also made himself suffer while breaking through his own shell. Everything wasn't being at their places already but she tried to do it anyway.

“I hate my life. I'm too naïve. I'm too weak and I'm also making him weak. He was so powerful in the eyes of the world. He must be feeling so down. It's all my fault. I'm sorry Marquis. I'm so sorry.” Those hurtful words that left her lips when she considered her own self as the weakest root of their love as Yenail was blaming everything onto her own self and only if he knew about this? He would definitely pull up a consoling lecture for her while hugging her tight but sadly, no one was being there to conserve each other.

They don't explain (Love) as the hardest feeling among other emotions like that, because it is the mere root of every other emotion and feeling as this powerful feeling lets you strain through the pain but also delights you with the reward. Sometimes. The feeling which allows you to see the darkness but also strengthens your everything to conserve that darkness inside yourself without letting yourself hurt. A mere feeling that destroys you and builds you at the same time, but surely love has never been easy. Never was easy, as struggles are written in order to make you become even stronger.

Her weak whimpers filled the silence of the house when she slid her back upon the door and sat at the entrance of the house for a while. Until a voice rung her head.

“Yenail dear.”

She lifted her head so instantly with wide eyes after she heard her mother's voice all of a sudden when her eyes were already burning with hot tears at the moment whereas her mother's voice hallucinated her mind. 

“Mom?” Her shaky lips came a little bit in motion when she stood up and her eyes searched for her sight, later that she only found her mother's blur figure standing right in front of her.

“Dear, are you okay? What happened, my child?” Her mother's melody rung her ears again.

“Mom, I disappointed him. He must be thinking that I'm doing nothing for him. He doesn't deserves me, mom. I'm his weakness. I'm so useless.”

“Don't say that, love. He's also worried about you! You surely did change him. I never saw him considering you as his weakness. You're his strongest thing.”

“How can you say that, mom?”

“He loves you so much, my child.”

Even though, it was being just hallucinations but her mother's voice was being so comforting for her at the moment.

“He loves you to the point that he's ready to even name his last breath to you! My child, he believes you. How hurt that he would be, if he listened to these words?”

She felt her hand caressing her daughter's head as it contained pure delicacy.

“He loves you, dear. He really does loves you so much and you too love him.”

She sobbed now, after feeling her mother's arms wrapping her at the moment.

“My princess, I'm really happy that he changed. Just for you. He's being silly sometimes but he really took care of you more than his own self and I'm actually stunned towards this thing. Don't do this, my child. He really needs you the most right now.”

That was the moment when she held herself and thought of rummaging her self-esteem as she made a stand.

“Dear, live for him. Until, he's breathing for you.”

______

1:30 A.M.

At The Jail.

“Two million!! You offered him two million??” Marquis roared with wide eyes while he was having himself seated at the other side of the bars.

“Yeah! What else could I do at that time? He wasn't agreeing over thousands and told me to raise up. I had no choice left.” Louis frustratingly replied while facing tension in his veins. “Besides, you told me that I can use your money when in trouble.”

“Hm. Yeah.” With a sigh that Marquis lowered his head.

They had themselves seated upon the floor when they were having their legs crossed while being upon the cold chilly floor as there were just being those metal bars which stood between them both. After dropping Yenail at her house and making sure that she's safe, Louis immediately drove towards the police station which was being near the high court, in which they had the criminal captured. The lawyer was finally arranged after Louis gave him the desired money that the man spat as the next rising sun will going to decide about what will going to happen with Marquis's life further ahead. Even the cold floor wasn't bothering them two as the males talked in peace while one of them was facing body pain.

“So, what was the name?” Marquis started the conversation once again after few moments when he was being curious to know about the person who was arranged as his helper.

“Well...he told his name as Frank Al...or something. I don't remember the second name.” Louis declared unknowingly while rubbing the nape of his neck that he stretched afterwards.

“Frank Albert.” Marquis suddenly pointed out that name while forming a stern look over his face when he eyed Louis and heaved a sigh afterwards. “He's known for the highest bribe among the other lawyers but he's honest with his work. He's great. Dirty but great.” He nodded after completing his sentence while making Louis almost losing his mind right there.

“How can you be so sure about anyone like that?” Louis asked while being completely perplexed towards the criminal's tough brain.

“Well. My style of collecting information about the people is certainly different from you guys.” Marquis smiled so confidently and yet somehow very proudly while dropping his head aside when he leaned back over his arms and supported himself on them. “Just like. Your elder brother who recently left for a business trip. Right?” He amazed him some more.

“Wha—How you got to know about that?” Louis almost froze towards the piece of information that struck his mind when he couldn't utter a word further ahead after Marquis told him the thing.

“Don't panic.” Marquis held his hand right away. “I just wanted to say that...thank you so much for everything that you're doing currently.” While feeling so embarrassing that he lowered his head and conveyed his words.

“You're not planning at doing something to him?” Louis's tone hinted anger when he glared Marquis’s soft eyes. “Because honestly. If you dare—”

“Are you crazy? I was just telling you. I wasn't threatening you.” Marquis quickly cut him off when he softly spoke. “Calm down. Your body is currently asking for rest. You look exhausted.” He observed his state as later his hands rubbed Louis's arms from beyond the metal bars when Marquis was feeling so deceased towards this only officer. “I'm really sorry for everything. I made a mess and you're in it for no reason at all. I honestly am sorry for the big loss of Seth and for them to consider you a corrupt officer because of me. Obviously, they must have done that. For everything. I'm really sorry for every little mess that I created, Louis.”

Though Louis hated him for the things that he mentioned while making him remember everything once again, but soon than he also got to know that this guy really does cared about it when Marquis's continuous apologies were ringing Louis's ears from time to time, not even stopping for a moment as he felt his words. He felt bad for everything.

“It's alright.” Louis suddenly spoke when Marquis still apologized him again for the last time and made himself go silent as the guilt was eating his every blood cell. Louis's next words came out low and to those words, Marquis immediately lifted his head in utter surprise when his heart fluttered after hearing the words. “She's missing you so much.”

“How is she?” Marquis grabbed both of his hands out of extreme curiosity when his voice sounded so worried as later, he tightened his grasp around Louis's wrists. “Please tell me that she's fine.”

“She's fine but...” Louis said but the pause that he made, was killing Marquis.

“But what?!” Marquis raised his voice a little when he breathed fast at this moment.

“She's being so alone and she's also terribly worried about you.” Louis's tone was being so calm when he talked so peacefully but somehow it didn't calm down Marquis, not even a little bit.

“I know, Louis. She's the most innocent girl that I've ever met in my life and I could not simply risk to lose her.” Marquis's heart clenched while conveying those words and it was simply hurting him more after knowing that, now when he was ready to protect her all of a sudden but simply, he was unable to do that thing. “I just pray that she's alright.” At this time, Marquis craved for her presence but he doesn't had any idea that the sun will going to bring her too.

“Hey! Time up!! Leave now!!” Another rude manly voice joined their conversation and Marquis and Louis left a deep annoying sigh with their heads low when they both were irritated at the same time.

“Just rest well and think about few better things in your defense for tomorrow morning. You'll be up after noon.” Louis lifted his head when he informed and instructed Marquis further ahead.

“Don't worry. It is now or never. I don't have to think about it as everything will going to be truly honest, tomorrow morning.” Marquis's words were literally being no joke when they were held by a serious tone as later that he saw Louis making a stand when he too nodded afterwards and passed him the last glance as the officer left.

Whereas Marquis was remaining at the same spot when he was thinking and focusing upon something important as he closed his eyes after lowering his head. “Honest and be true. Just be honest and be true.”

__________

TBC