Anger, grief, guilt, and emptiness all welled up inside him as he took an enormous gulp from the tequila bottle in front of him. There he was, perched in his room, curtains down, closing off every bit of light that could come through. He wanted to wallow in the gloom, sink himself in the immersing subtle anguish. Tears gathered in his eyes, but he blinked them back. That was something he never did_ cry_ but this time it was different. The tough walls he built around his heart weren't as strong anymore."Hardy I'm sorry" he whispered, but that wasn't enough. It also didn't abduct the guilt.All the emotions recapitulated into outrage as he snatched the bottle of wine and hurled it angrily at the wall."argggghhhhh" he cried out with the impulse of grabbing a piece of glass and plunging it into the flesh of his wrist."Boss" the door banged from outside. It was Peter. Xavier wanted to tell him to leave, but his mouth seemed too heavy to be parted by words. He just stared at the door numb
"Mum" Rachael called out in tears. Mrs. Rebecca looked up at her staring in awe. "Oh mum I'm here" Rachael left Andrew's side and ran to her mother who sat on a couch, nuzzling her."Thank you so much" she grinned at Andrew who gave her a slight nod.Rachael turned back to her mother. "Did you miss me?" she cupped her chin. Mrs. Rebecca gawked at her with a grin not uttering a word. Rachael didn't anticipate any. She hadn't said anything since the death of her husband.She sauntered back to Andrew and tapped him on the chin lightly. "Thanks""Anything for you princess" he shrugged. Rachael furrowed her eyebrows."Hey don't call me that" she nudged his shoulder slightly, causing him to chuckle."Did the police ask you questions?""Yes, those psychos took your mother for questioning too""They did?" Rachael boiled in anger."Relax. They found out I wasn't lying about her autism and they let her go"She perched on one of the couches "what did they ask you?""Where you were, if you called
"Thank you" she muttered softly."For what?""For the ride and for dropping the charges," she said but didn't get any response from Xavier. Not that she expected any response. She just felt the need to show her gratitude.Racheal sighed, resting her back on the car seat. Her eyes fell on something lying on the central console of the car and they narrowed in confusion. She immediately sat up. It was coal briquettes_ something you don't usually see lying around, especially in a place like Xavier's car."What do you need coal briquettes for?""When burnt, they produce a reasonable amount of carbon monoxide""What do you need carbon monoxide for?" she drew closer to the driver's seat."What do most people in America use it for?""Xavier you are not killing yourself"He chuckled slightly. "I thought you would be happy to hear that""God Xavier" her voice changed as she fought the urge not to cry ugly."Life is worthless at this point Rachael. Everyone I ever cared for is gone. What more do
***The next morning****Racheal glanced at her weary, sleep-deprived eyes from the mirror and a sigh evaded her lips. She applied mascara on its lashes, followed by a lipstick that ran smoothly on her thin lips, smacking it together to get the product evenly distributed. She took one final look at the red pan suit, taking a twirl to have a view of every angle of the clothing.Rachael finally yanked her bag from her bed and walked elegantly to the sitting room. She kissed her mother's cheeks slightly. "I made your favorite" she announced which induced her mother to beam. "Ok I'm off now," Rachael said abruptly. **Fast forward**Rachael took apprehensive strides through the foyer of the office with people hurling glances at her from their glass doors. This was more arduous than she thought. The charges being taken down didn't do anything because their eyes held a lot of Judgement as they bore holes into her clothes.She got to her boss's office, took deep breaths before knocking on th
For the first time, Xavier opened the veil of his curtain, permitting the morning sun to penetrate through the tempered glass. It was something he never considered doing. This was the same room he intended on killing himself, but he didn't and that was all thanks to Rachael. She made him feel more different than he had been yesterday. He was just a walking corpse, waiting for the right time to give death the chance to have a grasp on him. Now he felt more alive with subtle solace, streaming in his veins. One question lingered in his mind and that was how she did it.A knock was heard on the door, diverting him from his thoughts. "Boss" Peter's voice was heard behind the door. He got in when Xavier muttered a quick response."Boss, Cecelia is here to see you" he announced and watched Xavier's eyebrows furrow in annoyance. "Don't let her in""But. ..." Peter tried speaking, but a lady's voice cut him off. Xavier shook his head, sighing in frustration."Why wouldn't he let me in?" her s
*******Rachael held the phone to her ear while she tried to chew the freshly baked buns, trying to curb them from scorching her tongue."Hello Rachael" she heard the voice and froze momentarily. She brought the phone down to look at the number on the screen."Xavier?" She blurted, alarmed. "How did you get this number?" "The same way I tracked you down effortlessly," he asserted, placing forth the obvious.If he could track her in less than 3 hours, getting her number was a lesser walkover."What is it?" She inquired, crouching on the handle of her sofa."I heard you have been having difficulties finding a job" he uttered, calmly. Rachael was astounded by his right inference. "How did you know?" she asked, looking around her house to detect if there was any CCTV camera installed to watch her every move. Probably he had them fixed when she was away. When she found none, her mind relaxed a bit."Can we meet?" he said and Rachael didn't let his dismissal of her questions go by."How t
"Hardy Collin died and we are just going to drop the case like that?"Silvia asked bewilder at the absurdity of the situation.Mark's hand left the bookshelf he had earlier been rummaging in and turned to look at her. "His brother dropped the case. There is no more we can do. Why are you so interested in this case?""Isn't it crazy Mark? Don't you want to find out more?""Not everyone is as inquisitive as you Silvia""This is a criminal case. It can't be dropped all of sudden. It is against the law and you know it. God, you are the DCI. You are supposed to know this" Mark's countenance altered into a grimace as he stood with hands akimbo. "And you shouldn't talk to your DCI like that. Look, some things are beyond me, Silvia. I can't carry on. He is very powerful in the state and has the higher-ups around at his finger. I am just a DCI and I do have not much power. Now" he pointed his index finger at her. "this case was dropped because of lack of evidence. That's exactly what you'll fi
"come with me" Donald, the old man from the other day said to her. She gave him a slight nod and he left to call Xavier.Rachael while seated, joined her sweaty shaky hands together to help with the apprehension she acquired the moment she trudged into his house. This was the third time she was here but still didn't change the nervousness that frequently emerged. Her hands instantaneously adjusted her hair, tucking it behind her ear and also her black dress.The sound of footsteps from the stairs, halted her actions as she sat up, waiting for him to show up. He came into view, dressed in a blue tuxedo and red bow. Rachael was stunned. The first reason for her reaction was how insanely attractive he looked. Everything about him emitted perfection_ the way he walked, even his aura. The second reason was how overly dressed he was for a meeting with her. Probably he wasn't ready for "therapy" today and was going somewhere instead. "I didn't expect you to show up so early" his voice echoe