Page 42
Story: The Day Love Died
Yes.
She assured Lola that she hadn’t broken any bones and hadn’t lost any blood; after all, someone had taken the impact of her fall. She turned around to see Kellen on the phone, talking quickly with his eyes furrowed and one hand in his hair.
He hung up and put his hand over his eyes. She walked up to him carefully.
He didn’t open his eyes, but he knew she was close by and murmured, “The police will be here any minute.”
“Thanks,” she said. There was a lot they needed to talk about, but this was all she could say for now. “Are you okay?” she inquired, worrying about how he looked.
He didn’t answer. He let out a trembling sigh as he ran a hand down his face. “It was on purpose,” he muttered, saying what she had already thought.
Kellen slammed past the butler who had let him into Isaac Arthur’s fancy duplex residence. Kellen walked down the short hallway and into the sitting area, with the butler following him like a persistent, buzzing bee.
Isaac Arthur was in the middle of drinking tea, and he was sitting up straight and looking quite calm and cool.
Kellen said, “I know it’s you,” and pointed at the man, who only grinned at the accusation.
Isaac answered, “Well, nice to meet you too, Kellen,” and put the teacup down. He told the butler who had been standing at the entrance to go away.
“Stop it, Arthur,” Kellen shouted between clenched teeth. He was coming close to wanting to beat the man to death. “You’ve already ruined me; my business is falling apart faster than a comet. You got your revenge, so why are you after Lena?”
Isaac lifted an eyebrow and smiled playfully. The bags under his eyes, the evident weight loss, and the fact that his hair was getting grayer were all physical symptoms that were very different from how calm he seemed. The man was stressed out and maybe perhaps not getting enough sleep.
When people are in pain, the good and the bad react in different ways.
Isaac tilted his head back so that the back of his head rested on the backrest of the luxurious sofa and said, “You think I’m trying to hurt your ex-wife?”
Kellen squinted and said, “Oh, I’m sure of it.” “You and your father own the right to have people run over by a car.”
Isaac shook with a deep laugh. “Well, let’s try something different now. Anyway, you’re here to say?”
“Stop,” Kellen ordered sternly. “Stop whatever you’re doing right now. Otherwise, you’ll be locked up in a cell next to your horrible daughter. The police have your name on their list of suspects, Arthur.”
“And yet you’re afraid of me,” Isaac said slowly.
Kellen’s blood heated because Isaac was correct.
He was afraid. Afraid of what he would do next, afraid that Lena would get harmed again or worse.
When he was one of the richest people in the country, that was one thing. But now that his firm had failed and his money was running out, it was like quicksand was sucking it all up, and he felt virtually powerless. It used to be easy for him to protect his loved ones and get rid of certain bad things.
Kellen ran out of Isaac’s flat, but not before hitting the old criminal in the jaw with a punch that broke bones.
The police had talked to them, and practically every witness indicated that the terrible event appeared planned. But every one of those claims has the word “probably” following it. The officers also talked about the notion that the motorist was either inebriated or asleep.
Kellen told them to offer Lena security, but the fuckers thought it was too much at the time and said they would rather wait for more information. He was too upset to handle it.
He really wanted to hire bodyguards for her, but he didn’t have any money. But thank goodness he still had thoughts.
And that’s when the stalking started like he wasn’t already doing it.
He thought that if he couldn’t afford her bodyguards, he could at least become one himself. He was not going to see any more blood on Lena, no matter what.
Lena remained calm, but Damien and Lola were condemning the whole family of the mysterious truck driver. Their vocabulary is vibrant, their tone is crazy, and their eyes are searing. It had been like this since Damien got there and got a call from her. The police car sped away with an ambulance in tow shortly after the policemen took their statements.
It was strange to watch Damien thank Kellen for nodding. It was awkward for everyone to stand there and not attempt to pull Kellen’s head off.
Damien had said, “What were you doing here, by the way?” as he put Lola and her in his car.
“Passing by,” Kellen had said quickly, his gaze blankly fixed on her face.
Lena wanted to think it was true.
Kellen remained beside the road like a confused man as the car drove away. Lena couldn’t take her eyes off of him until he was totally out of sight, too far behind.
She moaned gently and closed her eyes, which made her head hit the back of the bench.
That night, as she leaned against the window frame in her pajamas and looked out at the darkness, she saw Kellen, who she knew well, walking down the sidewalk in a hoody. She knew she wasn’t wrong; she could never be wrong about who he was, even if everyone else was. She furrowed her brows and stepped back into the gloomy room’s shadows.
And as Damien climbed into her bed, over a pillow that separated them, just like he had the night her nightmare had come back, she closed her eyes and knew he was still out there. And she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
“Night, Lena,” he said, moving his hand across the distance between them and over the edge of the cushion until it found hers.
She liked how warm his hand was. “Night, Dami.”
At that moment, she couldn’t help but feel secure and warm but also lost, confused, and in danger. There was just too much of everything, both good and awful. It was almost hard for her to understand everything because of how she was feeling.
She understood what was true in the past, but what was this here and now?
Whatever worry Lena had been feeling after almost getting hit by a truck, it all went away as soon as she stepped inside the orphanage grounds.
It was a lovely day, and the grass in front of Gwen’s Home was even sunnier because of the sisters and volunteers who were getting everything ready at the last minute. Some of the older kids from the home were helping them in any way they could. Chairs were set up in the shadows of four huge oak trees across the grass, one of which was the oldest oak tree in the whole city of Velden.
Lena walked with Damien and Lola, and for the first time, she noticed the Ashley-style orphanage building. It was old and worn out in some parts, yet it never appeared spooky. With so many innocent people and their altruistic saviors in the building, it felt more like a paradise than anything else.
As they came through the main doors and into the hall, a group of kids in their best clothing ran toward them.
Lola smiled and held up her camera. “Aren’t you all looking beautiful?” “Now smile big and say Cake!”
The kids all stood in line and yelled, “Cake.”
Nancy, a four-year-old girl, walked up to Lena as she was laughing and stole shy looks at Damien. Nancy had put on her favorite Elsa dress, but Lena saw that a few buttons on the back of it were open. Damien beat her to it before she could kneel down and button up her dress.
“Hi there,” he said slowly as he turned Nancy around so her back was to him. He buttoned up her dress and added, “You look so pretty today.”
Nancy turned around, and Lena gasped as she saw the girl’s face flush crimson. “Thank you. You’ve cleaned up nicely, too,” she said in her usual bashful voice to Damien.
Then Lola ran over to Nancy and pulled the small child away, claiming she needed a braid like Elsa’s, too. Lena and Damien observed as Lola sat on a stool with a basket of various combs. Little girls lined up in front of her to get their hair done.
“Nancy’s got a crush on you,” Lena said as she playfully jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
Damien smirked like a wicked boy. His nose had little dents from wearing reading glasses a lot. “At least now I can say that someone is noticing my charms,” he said, leaning in a little. She noticed the strange shade of brown that was taking over the normal hue of his eyes. She drew a quick breath because seeing into his eyes was so lovely.
The way Damien’s eyes seemed foggy had held her transfixed, but it also shook her. He broke eye contact with them and looked down at his side with a grimace. Then, a sweet grin came across his lips. Lena saw a bunch of lads nearby who were waiting for something. One of them, with a beautiful dark complexion and a head full of black hair, was pulling on Damien’s pants.
The lads moved a bit closer when they saw that Damien was looking at them. A cute blonde boy handed up a container of hair gel. “Miss Lola told you to make us look good.”
He laughed and said, “Ah ha.” Lola smirked from the seat, and Damien looked up at her for a second. She had a three-year-old girl with a pouty face sitting on her lap, waiting with a serious look on her face as Lola twisted her hair into a bun. The small girl seemed to think that if she uttered even one word, her hair would not be able to be knotted properly.
She assured Lola that she hadn’t broken any bones and hadn’t lost any blood; after all, someone had taken the impact of her fall. She turned around to see Kellen on the phone, talking quickly with his eyes furrowed and one hand in his hair.
He hung up and put his hand over his eyes. She walked up to him carefully.
He didn’t open his eyes, but he knew she was close by and murmured, “The police will be here any minute.”
“Thanks,” she said. There was a lot they needed to talk about, but this was all she could say for now. “Are you okay?” she inquired, worrying about how he looked.
He didn’t answer. He let out a trembling sigh as he ran a hand down his face. “It was on purpose,” he muttered, saying what she had already thought.
Kellen slammed past the butler who had let him into Isaac Arthur’s fancy duplex residence. Kellen walked down the short hallway and into the sitting area, with the butler following him like a persistent, buzzing bee.
Isaac Arthur was in the middle of drinking tea, and he was sitting up straight and looking quite calm and cool.
Kellen said, “I know it’s you,” and pointed at the man, who only grinned at the accusation.
Isaac answered, “Well, nice to meet you too, Kellen,” and put the teacup down. He told the butler who had been standing at the entrance to go away.
“Stop it, Arthur,” Kellen shouted between clenched teeth. He was coming close to wanting to beat the man to death. “You’ve already ruined me; my business is falling apart faster than a comet. You got your revenge, so why are you after Lena?”
Isaac lifted an eyebrow and smiled playfully. The bags under his eyes, the evident weight loss, and the fact that his hair was getting grayer were all physical symptoms that were very different from how calm he seemed. The man was stressed out and maybe perhaps not getting enough sleep.
When people are in pain, the good and the bad react in different ways.
Isaac tilted his head back so that the back of his head rested on the backrest of the luxurious sofa and said, “You think I’m trying to hurt your ex-wife?”
Kellen squinted and said, “Oh, I’m sure of it.” “You and your father own the right to have people run over by a car.”
Isaac shook with a deep laugh. “Well, let’s try something different now. Anyway, you’re here to say?”
“Stop,” Kellen ordered sternly. “Stop whatever you’re doing right now. Otherwise, you’ll be locked up in a cell next to your horrible daughter. The police have your name on their list of suspects, Arthur.”
“And yet you’re afraid of me,” Isaac said slowly.
Kellen’s blood heated because Isaac was correct.
He was afraid. Afraid of what he would do next, afraid that Lena would get harmed again or worse.
When he was one of the richest people in the country, that was one thing. But now that his firm had failed and his money was running out, it was like quicksand was sucking it all up, and he felt virtually powerless. It used to be easy for him to protect his loved ones and get rid of certain bad things.
Kellen ran out of Isaac’s flat, but not before hitting the old criminal in the jaw with a punch that broke bones.
The police had talked to them, and practically every witness indicated that the terrible event appeared planned. But every one of those claims has the word “probably” following it. The officers also talked about the notion that the motorist was either inebriated or asleep.
Kellen told them to offer Lena security, but the fuckers thought it was too much at the time and said they would rather wait for more information. He was too upset to handle it.
He really wanted to hire bodyguards for her, but he didn’t have any money. But thank goodness he still had thoughts.
And that’s when the stalking started like he wasn’t already doing it.
He thought that if he couldn’t afford her bodyguards, he could at least become one himself. He was not going to see any more blood on Lena, no matter what.
Lena remained calm, but Damien and Lola were condemning the whole family of the mysterious truck driver. Their vocabulary is vibrant, their tone is crazy, and their eyes are searing. It had been like this since Damien got there and got a call from her. The police car sped away with an ambulance in tow shortly after the policemen took their statements.
It was strange to watch Damien thank Kellen for nodding. It was awkward for everyone to stand there and not attempt to pull Kellen’s head off.
Damien had said, “What were you doing here, by the way?” as he put Lola and her in his car.
“Passing by,” Kellen had said quickly, his gaze blankly fixed on her face.
Lena wanted to think it was true.
Kellen remained beside the road like a confused man as the car drove away. Lena couldn’t take her eyes off of him until he was totally out of sight, too far behind.
She moaned gently and closed her eyes, which made her head hit the back of the bench.
That night, as she leaned against the window frame in her pajamas and looked out at the darkness, she saw Kellen, who she knew well, walking down the sidewalk in a hoody. She knew she wasn’t wrong; she could never be wrong about who he was, even if everyone else was. She furrowed her brows and stepped back into the gloomy room’s shadows.
And as Damien climbed into her bed, over a pillow that separated them, just like he had the night her nightmare had come back, she closed her eyes and knew he was still out there. And she wasn’t sure how to feel about it.
“Night, Lena,” he said, moving his hand across the distance between them and over the edge of the cushion until it found hers.
She liked how warm his hand was. “Night, Dami.”
At that moment, she couldn’t help but feel secure and warm but also lost, confused, and in danger. There was just too much of everything, both good and awful. It was almost hard for her to understand everything because of how she was feeling.
She understood what was true in the past, but what was this here and now?
Whatever worry Lena had been feeling after almost getting hit by a truck, it all went away as soon as she stepped inside the orphanage grounds.
It was a lovely day, and the grass in front of Gwen’s Home was even sunnier because of the sisters and volunteers who were getting everything ready at the last minute. Some of the older kids from the home were helping them in any way they could. Chairs were set up in the shadows of four huge oak trees across the grass, one of which was the oldest oak tree in the whole city of Velden.
Lena walked with Damien and Lola, and for the first time, she noticed the Ashley-style orphanage building. It was old and worn out in some parts, yet it never appeared spooky. With so many innocent people and their altruistic saviors in the building, it felt more like a paradise than anything else.
As they came through the main doors and into the hall, a group of kids in their best clothing ran toward them.
Lola smiled and held up her camera. “Aren’t you all looking beautiful?” “Now smile big and say Cake!”
The kids all stood in line and yelled, “Cake.”
Nancy, a four-year-old girl, walked up to Lena as she was laughing and stole shy looks at Damien. Nancy had put on her favorite Elsa dress, but Lena saw that a few buttons on the back of it were open. Damien beat her to it before she could kneel down and button up her dress.
“Hi there,” he said slowly as he turned Nancy around so her back was to him. He buttoned up her dress and added, “You look so pretty today.”
Nancy turned around, and Lena gasped as she saw the girl’s face flush crimson. “Thank you. You’ve cleaned up nicely, too,” she said in her usual bashful voice to Damien.
Then Lola ran over to Nancy and pulled the small child away, claiming she needed a braid like Elsa’s, too. Lena and Damien observed as Lola sat on a stool with a basket of various combs. Little girls lined up in front of her to get their hair done.
“Nancy’s got a crush on you,” Lena said as she playfully jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
Damien smirked like a wicked boy. His nose had little dents from wearing reading glasses a lot. “At least now I can say that someone is noticing my charms,” he said, leaning in a little. She noticed the strange shade of brown that was taking over the normal hue of his eyes. She drew a quick breath because seeing into his eyes was so lovely.
The way Damien’s eyes seemed foggy had held her transfixed, but it also shook her. He broke eye contact with them and looked down at his side with a grimace. Then, a sweet grin came across his lips. Lena saw a bunch of lads nearby who were waiting for something. One of them, with a beautiful dark complexion and a head full of black hair, was pulling on Damien’s pants.
The lads moved a bit closer when they saw that Damien was looking at them. A cute blonde boy handed up a container of hair gel. “Miss Lola told you to make us look good.”
He laughed and said, “Ah ha.” Lola smirked from the seat, and Damien looked up at her for a second. She had a three-year-old girl with a pouty face sitting on her lap, waiting with a serious look on her face as Lola twisted her hair into a bun. The small girl seemed to think that if she uttered even one word, her hair would not be able to be knotted properly.
Table of Contents
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