The Devil's Love

||. Chapter 41: My Choices .||

Jiang looked into Angelo's tired black eyes. His hair disheveled, his mind probably torn into millions of directions. He clasped his palms together, rubbing them gently to ease the growing feeling of uneasiness in his chest about Ansel. Pushing those feelings aside, he faced Jun Ho and Annika who seemed to be lost in thoughts, processing the newfound information. Angelo seemed to have lost his voice at the moment. Jiang breathed out warm air on his palms, parting his lips to speak again.

"Though I must admit, we could not put full blame on Angelo. Truth to be told, I did know a lot of things earlier than both of you. About Angelo, his family, and the angelic world, but I didn't want both of you to be traumatized by it. I am saying this because I have seen how both of you have reacted each time Ansel made ridiculous choices. I want to protect her, to make her feel at home. I don't want both of you to question her relationship with Angelo continuously just because Angelo is a different being from us. It's..."

"You are right about that. If I knew he is an angel, let alone one that has no power to protect her, I would..."

"Jun Ho!" Jiang exclaimed staring at the elder. "That's not a nice thing to say. See what I mean. I know you are a wonderful elder brother to me, Jun Ho, but you cannot put your judgments on choices that are not ours to make. I respect Ansel's and Angelo's relationship together and I am not saying otherwise. You and I both know that once Ansel made a decision on her choices, there is no way of talking her out of it. I was wrong to raise my voice at Angelo earlier."

Jun Ho crossed his arms.

"So all these years, you are the one that has been encouraging Ansel to stay in the Black Mamba. I tried multiple times to advise her, but she paid no heed to my words," Jun Ho said, staring at his younger brother in disbelieve. "You almost ruin her life!"

"No, I did not!" Jiang hissed. "I give her a choice, a chance to choose when you, mom, and dad picked out something that could cost her, her life. Ansel is a grown woman. She knows what is right for her. Don't make me the villain brother, just because you cannot gain her trust for you. What is the point of curbing her life when that is what she is running from? I trust her choices, Jun Ho and I always will because I trust her capabilities in making one. Can you stop doubting her choices for once?"

Annika reached out, holding onto Jun Ho's arms, and squeezed them lightly.

"Come on, we are not here to argue about her choices. She already made one. There is no use talking about it. Jiang is telling us about the situation because we have to solve it together. Let's not make it worse. Now," Annika said, turning to look at Jiang and Angelo. "What should we know about this incident?"

Angelo gathered all the courage he had, wanting to make up for the mistakes he made. He needed to tell them the truth, just like how he told Ansel the truth about himself. So, he mustered up all the remaining energy he had left and begun the story of how and why he was sent to Earth. Angelo felt grateful that Jun Ho and Annika did not do much questioning throughout except for a certain clarification of the situation. His heart scrunched each time he mentioned Ansel's absence. He forgot the exact number of times he had paused his sentences just to prevent himself from tearing up. Retelling the story made him questioned his choices. Ansel would not be in this mess if it wasn't for his stupidity in searching for her to win her heart. She could have lived a normal and peaceful life without drowning herself in angelic matters.

The words flowed swiftly from his lips, yet endless to his heart. Angelo turned to look at the clock, noticing that it was almost five in the morning. Time sure passed slowly when he wasn't enjoying the moment. Annika took a sip onto her wine, nodding at each and every word, and from her eyes, Angelo knew that she was searching for a possible solution. He tried not to be enraged or break down, yet his heart clenched at every sentence that morphed and shaped his reality.