- So you want to play, my friend? Do you want to protect that traitorous bitch who ratted us out? - muttered Rafael under his breath, standing in front of the building. A contemptuous smile appeared on his face. - You spoiled my plans, so now I will spoil yours. I will make Alison regain the memories you took from her. She will remember human life and suffer. I hope she will be writhing in pain from the loss of her parents. You won't be able to protect her from me.
He raised an eyebrow when the quiet moans coming from the basement reached him. Curious, he walked closer to the building and laughed when he realized who was down there.
- What are you playing at, Jack?
- I heard you whining. What do you want? - The man asked, stepping outside. Rafael leaned with his back against the building and looked at the fallen angel with curiosity in his eyes.
- I'm trying to figure you out. You protect Alison from me, you take away her memories so she doesn't suffer, and you keep an angel in the basement to take care of her. Will you tell me what Henry is doing there? - He asked, amused, and a mysterious smile appeared on Jack's face.
He walked up to Rafael and put his hand on his shoulder.
- I have a plan, and you don't even know you're in it up to your ears. Whatever you do, I will still outsmart you," he announced, patting him on the shoulder. - It's true, I'm protecting her. I took away her memories so she wouldn't suffer because of you," he said with emphasis on the last word, then added. - Besides, I wanted my old Alison. Her new incarnation was quite innocent, and I felt sorry to see her suffer. She didn't deserve it," he replied, and a strange glint appeared in his eyes. - It was all a plan from the beginning, so I tried to regain her trust. It was not difficult because she still loves me. Therefore, you have no right to interfere. Remember that everything you do will turn against you. She is supposed to suffer because of me. I'm the one who has to inflict pain on her so she can't handle it. I want to derive satisfaction from it.
Rafael stared at Jack, thinking it was a great joke.
- Do you think I'll believe you? You say that so that I will stop my revenge. You are still crazy about her, you were even able to forgive her betrayal.
- I never did. For a hundred years, I waited for the moment when I would meet her again. All that time I hated her. Since I went to the dark side, something like love ceased to exist in me. I have never deceived you. It's true, initially I did it just to find a way for us to be together, but the darkness consumed me more and more," he replied, and Rafael looked at him from under his squinted eyelids. - I wanted her to go to the dark side, but she gave us away. She was too weak to turn away from God. So weak that she turned us in before the Archangels! Because of her, I lost a hundred years, sitting confined, so now she will regret what she did. - He broke off, surreptitiously glancing at the window from the bedroom, where Alison was watching them. - I'm telling you all this because I'm fed up with you non-stop trying to spoil my plans, so from now on, you're just to watch, understand? You'll soon see what I mean.
A smile appeared on Rafael's face. He looked at the fallen angel for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the window from the bedroom.
Alison didn't know what they were talking about, but Jack looked serious. She began to have doubts and decided to go back to Henry again to find out more from him than she had originally wanted. All the while she pondered his words. They still did not give her peace of mind.
What if the angel was not lying this time? What if Jack really pulled the wool over her eyes because he knew how much she loved him? If he actually did, this pain would kill her. She couldn't bear the thought that the only man she loved was not an angel who would do anything for her. That lurking within him was only a desire for revenge.... Revenge for trying to save him from the darkness.
She ran downstairs and, as quietly as she could, made her way down to the basement. She knew their hearing was acute, so she tried to be discreet. With a finger pressed to her lips, she stepped in front of Henry, telling him to keep quiet. Her attention was drawn to a block of cards lying among the garbage. It must have belonged to the previous owners, considering that Jack had no need for such things. She looked around for something to write with and immediately spotted colored pencils lying loose. She took the darkest one and wrote Henry a message to communicate with him. Furthermore, she needed to confirm whether his words were indeed true.
" Did you really protect me when I was human? And did I really trust you?"
The angel nodded, so the girl bit her lip and wrote another sentence.
"So you think Jack is trying to get revenge on me, that he never forgave me?"
Henry once again nodded, and she saw hope in his eyes, as if he was beginning to believe that she was trying to trust him. She wanted to, but only because she concluded that he was one of the few angels who did not lie. He was sinless and dedicated to doing good. He may not have had bad intentions toward her and Jack because love between angels was forbidden in advance, but they were so in love with each other that they considered him a threat. They hated Henry because he tried to destroy their love.
She was frightened when she heard footsteps heading toward the basement. She quickly texted the angel that she would improvise so as not to trick Jack. Furthermore, she had to find out the truth at all costs before the man she loves unexpectedly stabs her in the back.
She tossed the block of papers between the trash and faced Henry. She slapped him the moment Jack entered the basement.
- Stop lying! I will never believe you. You have tried many times to separate us. Jack and I will always love each other. Our love is indestructible. It was because of you that I caused him harm. If you hadn't caught us, Jack wouldn't have tried to find a way for us to be together and wouldn't have made a deal with the demons," she said in a raised tone. - I sincerely regret giving him away. I thought I was doing it for his sake, but in doing so, I only hurt him. If I had gone to the dark side with him, at least we would not have been separated, and I would not have been reborn as a human being. Now I'm nothing, I have no powers, I'm weak, and I have to use Jack's protection. He has already done enough for me anyway. He forgave me, and it cost him a lot of sacrifice. It's all your fault... - She added more quietly and unexpectedly slapped him again.
Jack stood down beside the girl and put his arms around her waist, not allowing her to make another move.
- Calm down. I didn't think you would find Henry. I wanted to move him to another place because I know how much you hate that bastard," he replied, and the brunette snuggled her head into his chest, surreptitiously glancing at the angel. She would rather not hit him so hard, especially since he was weakened by the sign painted on the wall, but she got a little carried away. For a moment, she even thought that he deserved it because this all really started because of him.
She felt tears gathering under her eyelids. She loved him so much that if what Henry said turned out to be true, she couldn't bear it. Furthermore, she knew that the pain would be so strong that she would not be able to cope. Jack had always been everything to her, she had given her heart to him without being able to love anyone else. If he really tried to take revenge on her, she knew what would be the only solution for her. She would not fight him. He meant too much to her for her to defend herself.
She will do what she deserved, even if she knew what awaited her after death. The fact that she was given a second chance as a human being was not the goodwill of the Archangels. She agreed to it, knowing that if life gave her a hard time, and she decided to kill herself, then punishment awaited her. She was not an ordinary person, and therefore her soul would go to purgatory. To the worst place where she would spend all eternity, suffering.
- I love you so much, Jack," she whispered, but the man unexpectedly let her go. He stroked Alison's cheek, and she looked into his eyes.
- I know, I loved you too," he announced, looking at Henry. - But at some point something broke, didn't it? - He asked, and she looked at him closely. - But now we can rebuild it. Our bond is too strong for us to live without each other, angel," he added quietly, and suddenly crouched down by the garbage, taking in his hand the block on which Alison had written messages to Henry.
How did he know?
He looked at the piece of paper, and a dangerous smile appeared on his face. Suddenly, he squinted and threw the block at her with all his strength. It hurt her, especially since he had more strength in him than the average person. She looked at him with frightened eyes, and Henry opened his eyes wider, however, he was powerless and could do nothing to help her.
- Did you think I wasn't home at night? I heard everything you talked about, and I know perfectly well that you believed him even then. Did you want to make a fool of me and pretend you had no idea about anything? Why prolong this! - he shouted shrill loudly, and she froze. Currently, he was not himself. This was not the angel she loved.
- Jack - she whispered tearfully, but he came to her and pressed her against the wall.
She was shaken. There was nothing she could do.
- It's been a long time since I've been him. Since the day you betrayed me....