Chapter 17
Chase wanted to kick the table in front of him. He wanted to scream out loud. He wanted to punch people. He wanted to cry. He wanted to run. He wanted to escape.
No. No. No. No.
He was screaming inside as his body began to tremble as he stood up and walked out of the cafe, letting all the words he had just heard sink in his mind. making all the seemingly jumbled questions a while ago make their ways to be let out.
Why is Isabella in the city?
Wasn't she supposed to be in her hometown?
Wasn’t that town miles away from the city?
Why was she with another man?
Who was that man?
What was his relation to Isabella?
Why was Isabella with Chase's mom?
Why was she meeting her grandmother with Chase's mom?
Why did she call Chase’s mother…mom?
Above all, why did she lie? Why did Isabella lie?
Chase gripped his hair as hard as he could, ignoring the people who walked past him who gave him mixed strange, concerned looks as he continued walking while processing the event that just happened a few minutes ago.
Chase felt his breath shortening, his mind started to open another chaotic world inside and he started to hear voices. His eyes widened at the voices. Voices he knew so well for they had been playing inside Chase's mind for so many nights already.
"We'll stay together forever."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
No. No. Nooo! Chase screamed inside. This was the last thing he wanted to hear at this very moment! His mind was already in chaos because of what he witnessed a while ago, and now these voices were making it even worse. Stop!
"Whatever happens, you will stay in my heart forever."
"Me too. Forever."
"NO! Stop!!" Chase managed to scream outside but then he noticed he was receiving weird looks from people so he ran fast as he could, with his hands covering his ears, begging the voices in his head to stop.
He was sure of it, he was hallucinating. He felt his chest tighten as his knees trembled and gave in, completely making him fall to the ground on one of the narrow alleys he wasn't familiar with. Slowly, slowly, his breathing became faster, and it was becoming difficult to breathe.
"You won't forget, right?"
"Of course not. I will always remember you."
The two voices continued as Chase let the tears roll down his cheeks, his hand leaning on the wall for support, his other hand on his chest, trying hard to remind himself to breathe. Breathe, Chase, breathe.
Stop, he repeatedly screamed inside his head. Please, stop.
But then the two voices continued their conversation, the same conversation that played on Chase's mind every night in his dreams. Now they don't just live in his dreams but in Chase's real life as well. And it came. Their last lines came, and Chase sobbed harder than he used to, feeling his heart cracked at the words uttered.
"Promise?"
"I promise."