Dylan's POV.....
I froze in the place. For a moment, I wasn't prepared to hear this. My mind went blank. Did I hear it right? Raped? Who was raped? She?
"You should..." She stopped in the mid-sentence when she saw me standing like a robot, holding the doorknob of the door. Her expression went calmer. She took the phone down from her ear slowly, looking at me with her expressionless eyes.
What should I do? Should I pretend that I didn't hear anything?
"Actually, I was going to... knock... I'm sorry... I didn't hear anything." I hesitated.
She let out a soft laugh and tied her hair in a ponytail before looking at me again. I can't read her mind. What is she thinking?
"You did. And you heard the right thing. I was raped by my uncle!"
Tiara's POV...
"I was raped by my uncle." I said, clenching my hands into fists.
Was it easy to say? Was it easy to believe? Was it easy to survive? Was it easy to live a normal life?
No, nothing was easy. After all these years, the attempt not to be alive still comes to my mind. Still now, sometimes I stand between the lines of death and life.
Still now, I want to burn my whole body when I remember how my uncle was eating my body like some kind of wild animal. I was 10 years old. I was screaming, I was crying in that dark room. No one was there. No one.
Actually, there was when I was destroyed already. There was Ethan. Back then we were just a stranger to each other.
He was playing cricket in the field beside the dark cottage.
He went to the cottage to take his ball which he threw inside by mistake but before he could take his ball and run out, he saw me devastating. I still remember the look in his eyes.
He was so worried after seeing me half unconscious. He extended his hand to me, pulled me up, and hugged me tightly. I don't remember anything after that.
He was my like my shadow, he always gave me warmth, brought light to my life just like the sun. How can I not love him?
When my father found out about this, my uncle was in jail because of a murder case. He was in the urge to kill his own brother. My father is the reason why I've become strong now. My life was never easy.
When someone finds out about this, I try to become the strongest and not bent my head in front of them. Why should I? That was not my fault.
"And I will never attempt suicide. Even if the whole world is cruel to me. I'll live. I'll live for the people who gave me this life." I put a dry smile on my face, without daring to look at him.
I don't want to see his sympathetic gaze. I hate that when people look at me with sympathy. I don't want them to pity me.
But why isn't he saying anything?
"Dylan." I turned to look at him and froze seeing his glittering dips eyes. He was looking at me not with sympathy but with a lot of respect, a lot of appreciation.
We're now standing beside each other in the large balcony of my room. The light was dimmed but his eyes were ceasing all the darkness, lightening my surroundings.
Who is he? I just meet him today and I've already shared my biggest yet darkest secret with him. Why did I tell him everything when he didn't even ask?
Well. I don't know. It just happened.
---
Dylan's POV...
I meet an amazing woman today. No, actually she is a fallen angel. Her name is Tiara. Princess Tiara. She is a real Princess.
When I first saw her, I thought she has no experience in reality. She is a dreamy girl, a girl who has no sorrow, who has no worries. I really thought she is the happiest person in this world.
Somehow I was right at this point. She is the happiest person because she knows how to deal with her pain, she knows how to smile, how to hide tears which she is doing now. I can see the pearls she was hiding in her eyes.
"Dylan!" She called my name again, looking at me with her teary fascinator eyes. I don't want to stop looking at her. Ethan, you're the luckiest person in this world.
"You shouldn't look at a woman like this who is already taken!" She narrowed her gaze at me, imitating what I said to her on the ferry.
And yeah. I should stop. I averted my gaze from her and forced a smile on my face. "What do you do for living?" I asked, changing the topic.
She gave me a confused look. "I live for living, isn't it enough?"
I couldn't help but laugh. "What about politics? Do you have a political party?"
She also laughed softly and shook her head. "My dad runs an NGO in Daegu. I'm just a social worker. Not a politician."
"Is that so? Anyone will misunderstand that you're a politician seeing your hands movements and the way you were talking on the stage! You should be a politician."
No, you shouldn't be actually. I hate politicians. They are all about showing off like my elder brother. He does nothing but shows off.
"Maybe." She replied and inhaled a deep breath before holding the railing and rolling her beautiful eyes outside, observing the night, surveying nature. Or is she scanning the darkness? It's really foggy outside and dark, the soft breeze was playing with her untied hair.
Sometimes the darkness can be breathtakingly beautiful.
Tiara suddenly moved her gaze at me, I was taken aback.
"I think I should go." I said, rolling my eyes around.
"Are you sleepy?" She asked.
I was sleepy but not now. I shook my head. "I'm not."
"Can we go for a walk?"
"Now? At midnight?" I asked, widening my eyes. She is really insane.
She glared at me. "Never mind. If you don't want to."
"Let's go."
Dylan's POV...
"Are you cold?" Tiara asked without looking at me, her all concentration was on somewhere else. But why am I staring at her? Why am I giving my all concentration on her??
The freezing fog was wrapping around us like a blanket while walking beside each other. I was taking steps with her, following her every step. I'm cold but I'm also getting the warmth in this freezing cold!
"Yeah. I'm." I nodded. And I know it's the same with her. She looks cold, yet cute. Her nose and hands are red now because of the shivering cold weather.
The streets were almost covered with blurry haze. The streetlights visible the fogs with their yellow lights.
I breathed in the sharp, pure smell of fresh air while walking on the empty street. The only sound of her footsteps was breaking the awkward silence between us. I never walked with a girl on the empty street at this time.
I never liked talking with girls, spending time with girls. I rather sat underneath a tree and played my guitar. But what's wrong with me today?
I'm liking this time with her. I'm enjoying every single moment with this girl. She's even made me smile twice today. It's not me! And it's not right.
"I used to walk at this time often with Ethan when we were in high school." She smiled. I noticed one thing, whenever she talked about Ethan, a soft smile always appears on her face. She loves him so much!
What again? Why am I feeling slight discomfort inside my chest? Is it because of acidity?
I came back to my right senses hearing some noises, at first, it was distant but with every step, it's getting closer.
I looked around and saw two cars at two corners of the street on my right. This street isn't broad at all, two cars can't move on this street at the same time. Maybe it was an accident. One of the cars is slightly broken.
Two guys came out of those cars. One guy was apologizing when the other one was looking extremely mad, grabbing his collar with a dangerous glare. As the other guy started pushing him, he slapped him on his face.
"Did he just?" I almost jumped when Tiara shouted loudly while looking at the guy who was slapping the other guy.
She heaved a deep sigh before taking her hand behind her hair to tie her hair. She does it frequently.
"Why are you tying your hair all of a sudden? It's cold." I asked in confusion.
"I can't think with my untied hair." She was busy tying her hair with an irritated face. Was she irritated by them?
And she can't think with her untied hair? Like seriously? Is hair connected with thinking? And thinking? What is she thinking now? She'll not do anything here, right?
I widened my eyes and turned to look at her, but she was already disappeared from there. Where did she go? To those guys? Please no.
I panicked and averted my gaze at those guys to check and yes. She was walking towards them. With obvious burning anger on her face.
Shit! I ran behind her to stop her but she was fast enough to reach them and push the guy who was slapping the other one. Here it starts again.
-----
Tiara's POV...
I hate people who use violence when the other person is apologizing and they can easily forgive.
Here the guy is apologizing and saying it was his mistake, he'll give him the money to repair his car. But he wasn't even giving him the chance to talk, he was slapping him continuously.
"Uncle. Stop." I pushed that guy who was looking like a mad monkey.
He took a glance at me before taking something out from his pocket. Oh! It's a knife! What's wrong with him? Will he kill me?
Wait a minute, he is having trouble while maintaining his balance. That means he is drunk!
He was coming closer to me with that knife. I took steps backward to save from his stab. And from nowhere Dylan came and grabbed his hand, trying to take the knife from him.
That mad monkey isn't in his right mind. He can hurt Dylan.
Without thinking twice, I pushed that monkey. And my bad luck, he lost his balance and fell on the street. His head hit with the lamppost and started bleeding instantly. I wasn't planning to hurt him.
Damn it! From where the siren of the police 's cars is coming now? The sound is getting closer every second. Who called the police?
I looked at Die Land with shock when the cars stopped in front of us. He was now holding the knife, glued on his position.
Where is the other guy whom I saved? His car isn't here. When did he leave?
I can't believe it. How can a man be this ungrateful! Why did I save him?
The guy is still bleeding and the police are giving us the looks like we were planning to murder him.
"Bonfire. They will not arrest us, right?" Die Land asked me, he was also shocked by the whole situation.
"I don't know. Do you know who called the police?" I gritted my teeth.
"Me!"
I didn't believe what I heard just now. Did he say he called the police? My lips parted in disbelief. "What?" I asked with my wide-opened eyes.
"I called them." Hs gulped, his gaze fixed at the police.
Before I could react, the police took their guns out and targeted at us seeing the knife in his hand.
This guy is still holding the knife! I'll kill this guy for sure. First, let me save myself from these cops.
"Hands up. You're under arrest."