Disclaimer: The following chapter contains scenes of violence, emotional turmoil, and disturbing content. Reader discretion is advised.
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Silas//
I couldn't sleep. Isabella's confession was just what I needed. I hope she won't remember telling me. The jealousy game between Lorelei and Isabella has been going on longer than I've been alive. Their friendship is the weirdest I've ever seen. Isabella had finally had enough after years of being belittled by Lorelei and losing her men to her. I had to take her home Friday night. She was wasted, mumbling weird things, almost like confessions.
"She killed Gregorie's father. Lorelei, a painter and artist like all of them, was obsessed with her muse. She used to paint him incessantly. They were passionate lovers until he reached his limit. She wasn't bothered by his reluctance to have a child. In fact, she was prepared to rid herself of Gregorie, but she couldn't pull herself together when he ended their relationship. She was...mad, completely unhinged. She followed him everywhere, intoxicated and high. The girls and I had to care for the baby. There was a time we had to rush him to the hospital; he was on the brink of death, but she didn't seem to care. She didn't even come to visit him... All she could think about was being with Federico. Until she snapped out of her obsession as if it had never existed. The next thing we knew, he was dead, and his girlfriend at the time was charged with murder."
I struggled to easily trust her words. In the end, her jealousy towards Lorelei was palpable. However, everything else seemed to align. In Lorelei's painting room, I stumbled upon a hidden box. Inside, I discovered a broken putty knife stained with tiny drops of blood, its tip shattered unevenly. Given Lorelei's penchant for keepsakes, I was certain she harbored mementos of her past exploits somewhere.
Night after night, Lorelei suffered from nightmares, prompting me to share my bed with her. She'd often awaken screaming and muttering incoherent words.
As the clock on the wall signaled 4 am, I sat up in bed, my mind racing. Grabbing my laptop, I delved into the details of Federico's murder.
The revelations I uncovered surpassed my wildest expectations. Lorelei wasn't as naive as I initially presumed. Luck seemed to favor her, as Federico's girlfriend tragically took her own life in jail. Reportedly, she struggled with deteriorating mental health following the loss of her lover. The investigation appeared hasty and superficial, failing to question why a fragment of a putty knife was found in Federico's throat.
Surprisingly, Federico remained married despite his separation from his wife and relocation to another country. Strangely, his wife didn't attend his funeral. I struggled to establish any connection between him and Lorelei.
To unravel the truth, I needed insights from a sober Isabella. However, the risk was too great.
Despite the presence of jealousy, a peculiar form of loyalty lingered.
I'll be damned if I were to be killed by a crazy hot painter.
I want to get rid of Gregory and her. I need to find compromising evidence. Than all was left is to deal with cute Hugo.
I will make my wolfie pay for all the pain I had to endure. Getting rid of Gregory brought me pain. His crazy mother and her jealous friend almost made me cut their throats open. But no, even with his mother's death, he won't go away.
I suffer for my wolfie.
It will all be so worth it.
I promise.
I can't bear our silence anymore. I want to take her in arms, feel her bites all over my flesh, her teeth dipping deeper, making my dick hard. I want to kiss her and take out all the air from her lungs. I want to fuck her and make babies with her. I want to take her to our villa in Denmark and stay there. Enjoying her whole. Caressing each part of her body, biting her hips, her neck, her thighs. Eating her while she screamed. I will make her faint each time. I will make her forget them all, forget they ever existed, they ever been in her life.
I will make forget their names.
I will make her forget their faces, their bodies, their voices.
I will make her forget their soul.
And I will make sure, she forgets their taste.
Only I will haunt her thoughts.
Only my taste will linger in her mouth.
Only I will make her full.
Only I will she crave.
I was interrupted from my thoughts by the blaring of my alarm. Surfing had been on my mind all week. I set my alarm for 5 am and swiftly gathered my gear. Surfing was my escape when life became overwhelming, a way to clear my mind and strategize my next moves. It was strange how surfing often led me to contemplate fatherhood. I longed for the day when I could take Cindy and our children to the beach, teaching our little ones to ride the waves. I'd even purchased tiny swimsuits in anticipation.
Well I always had long-term vision!!
I got up and ate my breakfast in the dark. Humming on "experience" and enjoying the early morning's silence.
After finishing breakfast, I stepped out. The door of my building swung open, and there stood Hugo, blocking my path.
I sighed audibly. Of all people, it had to be him.
"Morning, shitty face," Hugo greeted with a smirk.
"What do you want?" I asked, my patience wearing thin.
"Up for some surfing, old friend?" he asked, trying to sound casual.
"Not with you," I replied flatly.
He pulled out the sad puppy face, a trick he must have learned from Cindy. But unlike her, he couldn't tug at my heartstrings.
"Come on, man. I miss you," he pleaded.
"No," I said firmly, sidestepping him and heading towards my car.
"I won't go away, or perhaps I'll just follow you," he responded, leaning on my car.
"I don't want to talk to you, Hugo," I said firmly.
"But I do," he persisted.
I rolled my eyes and glanced back at him. He seemed determined, and I loathed it.
With a heavy sigh, I relented.
"Well, here we go, asshole," Hugo commented as I walked over to his car.
"I choose the beach," I ordered.
"That's fine by me," Hugo responded.
We drove in silence for some time, which was a welcome relief, until he started talking about Cindy.
"She's really hurt," he admitted.
"I already know," I thought to myself.
"You mean a lot to her," he added.
"I know she follows me," I admitted.
"She works at Hades because of you," Hugo said.
"I know. Why do you think I keep going there? I need to protect her, unlike you," I fired back.
"Why do you think I let her work there? I already know that," he countered.
"Did she tell you... what happened there?" I asked hesitantly.
"No, but I have an idea," he answered.
I stayed silent. She didn't tell him about our small encounters.
"What's happening with you, bro?" he asked, his voice carrying worry and sorrow.
He was genuinely concerned about me, as if I cared.
"It's none of your..." I started, but he cut me off.
"Business," he completed, chuckling.
"You learn fast," I responded.
We remained silent for the rest of the journey. After some time, we arrived, got out of the car, and started changing.
"Doesn't this place have sharks?" Hugo asked.
I chose to ignore him and headed toward the water.
"Let's hope there are none today. I would hate to be a shark's breakfast," Hugo added.
I got into the water and started surfing. Hugo followed me for some time, and we enjoyed the waves. Today, the waves were perfect, and the water felt amazing. I savored the sound of the water and the salty scent in the air. Sitting on my surfboard, Hugo joined me, sitting on his own.
I knew he wanted to talk again. I stayed half-naked, removing my surf suit as he did the same. The scars from my encounters with Lorelei caught his eyes, but I didn't care. I simply enjoyed the sensation of the soft wind brushing against my skin.
"Where did you get these scars?" he asked, his expression filled with concern.
I ignored him.
"Was it painful?" he persisted.
"No, it was pleasure," I answered, closing my eyes and tilting my face towards the sky.
"Pleasure? Your whole skin is cut, and you're telling me it's pleasure?" he responded, sounding a bit irritated.
"I don't expect you to understand, Hugo," I replied, turning to look back at him.
"Why? I never judged you. Hell, I was always there for you," he retorted.
I chuckled.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"You were always soft, Hugo. You will never understand," I replied.
"Soft, really? We are all soft at some point, Silas," he countered.
"Oh really. I am surely not, little guy," I shot back.
"You are. You also have a weakness, Silas," he said.
I tilted my head, curious.
"What is it then?" I asked.
"Cindy," he answered.
My eyes bore into his soul.
"You really think I didn't know, Silas? I could see that you loved her. I've known for a long time," Hugo admitted.
Anger started to consume me.
"All this time, you knew," I said.
"Yes, I knew long before I asked her out. I love her too," Hugo responded.
"So, you're telling me that as the good best friend you claim to be, you knew I loved Cindy since childhood but still pursued her?" I questioned.
"Yes. I love her too. I made the first move. You never did anything. Hell, she doesn't even know that you love her," Hugo stated.
"You knew that I loved her," I repeated, my frustration growing.
"I knew. You hide your emotions well. I couldn't ignore it," he said.
"You took her from me, then discarded her like a used napkin, only to come back, crying and begging for her to take you back. You shattered her and returned to pick up the pieces. And you have the audacity to claim you love her," I exclaimed, my voice rising.
"I had my reasons. I didn't want her to suffer with me," he defended.
I scoffed, unable to contain my anger. "You're weak, always have been. I WAS THE ONLY CONSTANT IN HER LIFE. I TOOK CARE OF HER WHEN YOU WERE BUSY POPPING ANTI-DEPRESSION PILLS," I shouted.
I couldn't hold back my rage any longer.
"That's a low blow. You did the same—cut all contact with her overnight. And speaking of pills, apparently, you don't take yours anymore. At least I was trying to heal myself before coming back to her. You, on the other hand, are dragging her into your own personal hell," he fired back.
"What pills?" I asked, feeling a knot tighten in my stomach.
"Your mother told me about your illness, Silas. You really need to go back to therapy. We still need you, man," he said, his voice tinged with concern.
God damn it, Mom. She can't keep a secret.
"You're blaming me because I kept my depression hidden from Cindy, but you're worse than me and did the very same. To us," he added, his words hitting harder than expected.
"I am not sick," I responded, feeling a surge of defensiveness.
"I'm not telling you that. I'm just saying that you need closer guidance. You need to go back to your pills and therapy," he said, his tone softening slightly.
"I. AM. NOT. FUCKING. CRAZY," I said, my voice rising with each word.
"I know, man. I know. I'm just asking, hell, begging you to go sort things out. Everybody is worried about you. You slammed your mom, and she lost consciousness, Silas. Please, if not for us, do it for Cindy," he said, his hand resting gently on my shoulder.
"Don't you dare get her involved in this," I warned, a flicker of panic igniting within me.
"I won't, as long as you go back to therapy. Other than that, I must tell her. She will be the only one capable of helping you," he answered, his eyes reflecting a mixture of determination and concern.
I stared at him, struggling to rein in my demons as they surged within me. My vision was tinted with rage. All I could think about was killing him, slashing his throat and letting the sharks feast on what remained. He had known all along that I loved Cindy. I was obsessed with her, consumed by her. And yet, he dared to love her, to get close to her, to touch her.
He dared to touch what was mine.
To hurt what was mine.
In the heavy silence, I turned my gaze back to the horizon, willing myself to calm down. My eyes caught sight of a shark nearby.
"Look, there's a shark," Hugo commented, breaking the tension.
We both sat on our surfing boards, motionless, waiting for the creature to move away.
"I fucking love her," I confessed, the words heavy with raw emotion.
"I know," Hugo replied simply.
"I just can't bear the thought of her being with you," I admitted, the vulnerability of my confession hanging in the air.
He remained silent, the weight of my words settling between us like an unspoken truth.
"I always despised you. You were touching what was mine. Fucking what was mine. I loathed seeing her smile at you, kiss you, talk about you. You knew I loved her, cherished her. It was only a matter of time before I confessed, but you beat me to it. Choosing to ignore my feelings for her. You know I'm a better match for her. I would never have hurt her. I would have walked over hot coals for her. Hell, I'm enduring excruciating pain for her," I confessed, the words heavy with bitterness.
"What pain?" he asked, his attention divided between me and the shark swimming beneath us.
"I always thought Gregorie was the biggest problem. Then you came out of the blue. I had to fuck his crazy mother and her jealous bestie just to gather enough evidence to get rid of him. He's just a pawn to his mom. But you... you're much more work," I confessed, the frustration evident in my voice.
"Your scars... are they from her?" he asked, finally focusing on my words.
"Of course they're from her. She's a cunning woman. She punishes me because she knows I also screw her bestie. Her ego takes a toll, wanting to prove her worth. She also knows that I love Cindy, and neither of them will ever be enough for me," I admitted, the bitterness seeping through each word.
"You're doing all of this for Cindy. But you can't just eliminate every man in her life, Silas," Hugo commented.
"Oh, hell I can," I responded, my tone determined.
Hugo looked at me, pity evident in his eyes.
"Don't pity me!" I screamed.
"I do pity you, Silas, because this is not love," Hugo said firmly.
"Yes, it is. Love is sacrificing everything, anything, and anyone for your lover," I countered.
"You're hurting her," Hugo insisted.
"Oh, really! She'll forget you, Hugo. You'll be nothing more than a distant memory," I retorted.
"I won't let you hurt her," Hugo threatened.
"Who said you'll even be here?" I replied coldly, subtly indicating that the shark was behind him.
"What?" Hugo asked, confusion evident in his voice.
"Speaking of breakfast, you'll make a nice meal," I said coldly, then pushed him off the surfing board.
His scream was instantly muffled by the water, and the shark quickly attacked him. The water turned red as I watched Hugo struggle against the fish. He managed to strike the shark's eye, causing it to swim away.
I observed him fighting to get back onto his surfing board, his blood staining the water and his board. Worried that his blood might attract more sharks, I hurried to help him out of the water and onto the sand.
I laid him down as he fixed me with a pained gaze. The shark had bitten into his right hip, blood flowing abundantly, staining the sand and my skin. "You...y..ou..t.t.tr..ried...t..to...k..k.kill...m..m..me," he struggled to speak, blood pooling from his mouth.
"I never fail my missions, Hugo," I replied coldly, my demeanor unchanged.
"h...h..he..lp..m..m.me," he pleaded.
"No," was my simple response.
"I...l...lov..ed...y..you..I..I..wa..nte..d..t..to..h..he..lp..you," he admitted, his voice weak.
His words didn't elicit any emotion from me. He grasped my hand weakly, his grip barely noticeable given his condition.
"t..e..l.l..B..B..ee..i.lo.ve..her," he begged, tears streaming down his cheeks.
I watched him bleed, his hands growing colder, his gaze never leaving mine. Before long, his grip faded, and his chest stopped rising.
He bled to death.
Goodbye, Hugo.
I reached for my phone and dialed emergency services.
"Thank you, shark," I murmured.
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I am sorry guys. Don't hate me.