"He... He died because of me! Bruno died because of my selfishness and not caring about him!" Alberto shouted, causing one of the patrons sitting nearby to raise an eyebrow at Andrew.
"Hey, calm down..." Andrew patted Alberto's shoulder, making the older man sit upright and face him."Yes, you're right. I find it hard to calm down when it comes to Bruno. I've been punishing myself for so long. I've never felt satisfied, I wanted to feel more tormented. I felt... I'm unworthy of living, I wanted to take his place. Bruno should have enjoyed his life; he shouldn't have died because of love; he shouldn't have died due to depression... It torments me."Andrew comforted Alberto, and in his visions, he saw that Bruno had a heated argument with Alberto. They were in a room that indicated the presence of a woman on a bed, her body covered with just a blanket.Of course, Alberto didn't wait long to gulp down the beer. Within moments, his tall glass"How are you, Andrew? Are you okay? It's a tough day for you, isn't it?" Andrew was greeted by Roger, and he could only shrug while taking a deep breath. Roger's words were sincere, as Andrew's expression couldn't hide the sorrow in his heart when he returned to New York. "Of course, this is the toughest day of my life. I lost my love, Roger, how could I stay calm? I won't pretend, feel free to mock me or call me a weak man. That's true; I am weak when it comes to love." Roger shook his head with a sympathetic smile. He and Andrew exchanged glances, communicating through eye contact while opening the car door for Andrew. Andrew's heartache immediately enveloped every corner of the car, and the cheerful song on the radio was quickly replaced by a heartbroken rock song. "Lucky that someone's playing a sad song in the daytime; maybe the radio needs a special gift from you," teased Roger. "Shut up. By the way, forget about my broken heart. Where's Jeremiah? When is that crazy guy com
The rock music from Daniella's kitchen filled the air. Roger was seen enjoying the aroma of garlic that he was sautéing, occasionally mimicking the movements as if playing an electric guitar along with the music he was listening to. Andrew, complaining about hunger, prompted him to take the initiative to cook spaghetti aglio e olio, Andrew's favorite dish."Not done yet?" Andrew, standing near the kitchen's mini bar, looked astonished while covering his ears due to Roger's shouts, which matched the vocals in the music he was hearing. "Oh wow, hey, Roger!"Andrew's shout startled Roger, who immediately turned off the music with an irritated expression. "What's up?""Are you mad at me? I should be the one angry, hearing your voice when my stomach is growling. Aren't you finished yet? It's been almost half an hour, and as far as I know, you only need less than twenty minutes to cook this. It's not the first time you've made it for me," Andrew replied."Relax a bit. I'm just enjoying my f
Andrew waved his hand to disperse the cigarette smoke from Daniella. They were sitting by the pool, their favorite spot for conversations for about an hour. Not much had come out of Daniella's mouth about the surprising arrest of Miller."How long are you going to keep puffing your cigarette and stay silent? I thought I invited you to explain what really happened, not to cosplay as a mosquito when being exterminated using mosquito repellent.""I don't know where to start; there are too many thoughts clouding my mind right now, Andrew. Believe me, I wanted to share with you, even on the first day of the arrest. I wanted to call you, cry, and hug you, but I chose to stay silent. I was afraid you'd get angry and leave my life again," Daniella replied while extinguishing the cigarette in her hand.Andrew rolled his eyes. He moved to sit beside Daniella and took a deep breath. He embraced his biological mother and said, "Okay, if you don't want to tell me, I'll see it for myself tomorrow.
The aroma of cooking that wafted into Andrew and Roger's noses simultaneously woke them from their sleep. The two adult men exchanged glances, their expressions still marked by drowsiness."What time is it now?" Andrew asked, his eyes beginning to close again."It's eight in the morning. We've only slept for about two and a half hours."Andrew stretched upon hearing Roger's response. "If it weren't for this cooking aroma, I might have slept the whole day. I'm not lying, the smell is so delicious, right? You also woke up because of this aroma, didn't you?""Yes, of course, nothing else could disturb us except for this, Andrew.""Ah, both of you are awake, it seems! Wash your faces, and sit with me for breakfast." Daniella approached them while carrying a freshly cooked dish from the kitchen.Andrew and Roger got up from their respective positions, heading to the two different toilets behind the kitchen and near the living room. A warm smile appeared on Daniella's face as she watched he
Andrew, Daniella, and Roger have already covered almost half of the journey. The three of them still wear enthusiastic expressions, especially Daniella, who has been smiling and occasionally resting her chin on her hand, gazing out the car window."Alright, I think we should take a break at the nearest motel. I've been driving this car for almost seven hours without stopping, and I'm starting to get tired," exclaimed Roger.Andrew glanced at Daniella sitting in the back. "Well, I think I agree with you, Roger. Because if we judge by our expressions, it seems like we won't stop. Isn't that right, Mrs. Daniella, who seems not tired at all?"Daniella raised both hands and said, "As you can see. You can judge what I feel, Andrew."Andrew returned to facing forward and immediately pointed to the left, towards a motel on the side of the road. Roger promptly swerved the steering wheel and parked the car in front of the motel.Just before getting out, Andr
Erica's voice sounded weak. Andrew immediately comforted his beloved sister. "Don't worry, nothing bad will happen. I'm sorry if my constant reminders make you scared and anxious. I'm just a brother who worries about his sister. I'll be back in three days, and I'll bring someone to introduce to you."Immediately, Erica screamed on the other end of the call. Andrew was surprised by how high-pitched her voice was."What are you crazy, Erica?! Why are you screaming like a mad person?""Who is the woman you want to bring?! I don't know, ever since I've been with you, I've become possessive and lazy when there's another woman close to you. Just like what you do when another guy approaches me. I'm afraid of losing your attention again, even though you're annoying, you're the best brother I've ever had. I'm afraid you'll leave and belong to that woman, just like what the late Nadine did to you."Andrew laughed contentedly; Erica rarely expressed affection to him
Andrew was greeted by Roger, and he could only shrug while taking a deep breath. Roger's words were sincere, as Andrew's expression couldn't hide the sorrow in his heart when he returned to New York. Roger shook his head with a sympathetic smile. He and Andrew exchanged glances, communicating through eye contact while opening the car door for Andrew. Andrew's heartache immediately enveloped every corner of the car, and the cheerful song on the radio was quickly replaced by a heartbroken rock song. "Lucky that someone's playing a sad song in the daytime; maybe the radio needs a special gift from you," teased Roger. "Shut up. By the way, forget about my broken heart. Where's Jeremiah? When is that crazy guy coming back?" asked Andrew. "He's been back for two days, but now he's out of town, watching someone. It seems he got an order to kill someone." "That bastard is still taking jobs as an assassin?" Andrew looked surprised.
An hour passed, and anxiety crept over Andrew. He looked down, his face creased, as his sister had not yet returned. Erica had promised to only spend half an hour to meet her friend. Andrew had wanted to approach Erica, but he was hindered by the barrage of questions from William's associates. Moreover, he didn't want Erica to get angry if he monitored her intensely. His phone, which had run out of battery, added to Andrew's restlessness. He truly had no means of reaching his sister out there. "Why, Andrew? You seem anxious." "Well, Mr. William, I'm just anxious because Erica hasn't come back yet. It's been an hour. I'm worried that she might have left with her friend." "You're overthinking, Andrew. I'm sure she's fine. No one would dare to disturb her, especially in this elite environment. They're probably just chatting outside. Let her take her time. Maybe Erica is also tired of being inside here, right? Calm down, let's enjoy thes