Chris Evans: One Shots

Corruption (Part 2)

She was inconsolable. I didn't know how long we were in the tub before she fainted in my arms. When I carried her out from there, I took it to myself to change her clothes, as well.

I was too worried about her that I didn't think about whether I was invading her privacy or not. All I cared was for her to be alright and not get sick.

I watched as she sleeps. She needed, I thought. Whatever happened, I'm certain it will keep her awake for days to come.

I dialed Scott's phone. It would be morning in the West Coast by now. When he answered, I asked him directly, "Do you have work commitments in the next few weeks?"

"Wow, Chris! Not even a good morning before the question?" he kidded.

I brushed my temple, which had been throbbing for a while now. "Sorry, bro. It's just something big came up."

"With your tone, I'm assuming that something big isn't good at all."

There was silence. I was calculating my next words. After all, Scott and Jeremy were really close friends. I breathed in a whole big chunk of air but the tightness in my chest made me even more nauseous.

"Scott, did you know Jeremy was here in South Korea?"

"Yeah, he told me he was invited by a designer there for a collab. Why?"

Based on my brother's tone, he might have already suspected that the bad news I was to say was about his friend. But before I could break the news to him, I heard his boyfriend scream from the other end.

"Scott, baby you should see this." I caught him say.

"Hold on. I'm on my phone with my brother," he came back to talking with me. "Spill, Chris!"

I swallowed before I talked. "Thing is... Jeremy's dead... I don't know how, bro but I saw it on the news a couple hours ago. I need you here because Liv's here and I'm not sure how I could handle her right now. She isn't speaking. She seems in shock and there's seem to be something more than meets the eye."

"You're asking me to fly there ASAP?"

"Yes! Let's do this for our friends, Scott... If only my hands aren't tied with work commitment, I'll look into this myself but I will be back to filming in a day. I can't take care of Liv, right now. She needs you."

After that, I heard a faint voice from behind me. "You don't have to take care of me. Or even ask someone to take care of me. I'm no one's responsibility." Her last words were shaking. She was willing herself not to cry again.

"Just come down here, Scott. I have to go. Liv's awake."

When I put down the phone and faced her, she instantly turned her back on me. I lied down beside her and said no more. I knew talking at this time was senseless. I simply pulled her close, wrapped my arm around her. To let her know I was there. I wasn't going anywhere, That I was ready whenever she was ready to speak.

*

It's almost 24 hours later that Scott arrived with his boyfriend. Liv was taking a nap in the room so I ushered the two in the living area of the hotel room. They had some answers that I didn't. All news were in Korean so I had no way of knowing what they were saying regarding Jeremy's death or who's the other guy that died.

In almost a whisper, Scott talked shaking his head. "This is more than news, Chris! It's a fucking scandal! With the news that's circulating, it would seem that Jay is the bishop's lover."

The bishop of California was the one who was found dead with Liv's brother.

"They're saying it was a crime of passion. They were saying that the bishop was filled with guilt and so he ended their affair, but Jay couldn't accept it. He followed him here in Korea, they were in a heated argument. Jay may have lost it, strangled the bishop then killed himself afterwards."

I incessantly shook my head with the news. Something didn't add up. "Do you believe this is the case?" I stared at my brother.

"No. Of course not. Not in a million years would I think Jay would fool around with a Man of God. He may be gay but he believes in his faith, as well. He could not do such a thing."

I paced back and forth the living area, thinking. Liv was there, I'm sure of it. She might have seen the whole thing come down. If the rumors were true about Jeremy and the Bishop, which I would like to doubt as much as Scott did, then I had to entertain the idea that Liv might have something to do with what happened at the JW Marriot.

"How did the police come up with the affair theory? Surely there's someone they had interviewed whose statements insinuated it." I asked.

"A colleague of the bishop was interviewed by the police. He said the bishop confessed to him about the affair."

Scott's boyfriend butted in. "This is what's questionable about that. If I'm not mistaken priests are bound by an absolute duty to not disclose anything they learn from people who confess to them. Why is he then speaking about it?" His tone was a matter-of-fact. "Just saying."

"Who is the priest, did the reports say?"

Scott shook his head. "He remains anonymous. The police said they're not at liberty to divulge names."

I sat on the nearest couch. I brushed my hand across my thigh. "That's curious."

"Chris," my brother called. "How about Liv? What is her role in all this?"

I inhaled deeply and shut my eyes as I leaned on the couch's backrest. "I think... she was there. She might have seen the whole thing. She might have been involved in some way."

Scott, without meaning to, punched the coffee table hard. "I just don't believe it. There's no way they should have been in the center of this. There's no way Jay could do what they are saying he did. There's no way Liv could be a part of it either. I know them, Chris, I know them well. Something is off."

From the bed area, we heard a thud. I rushed there. When I opened the door, a glass of water was on the floor. Liv was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands shaking. I couldn't stop Scott. He ran to her and held her in his arms. "Liv, I'm sorry! We'll get through this. I promise you we'll get through this."

Her wails stung my heart. As if she would no longer break, she broke even more. Her sobs in the bathroom were nothing compared to her sobs right now. Both she and my brother were now crying. Their foreheads met. "It's going to be okay, Liv. It will be okay."

Between whimpers, she spoke. "It's... my... It's my fault. This is all my fault. Jeremy's dead because of me."