Broken Bonds and Stolen Hearts (discontinued)

Chapter 22

"Let's go back to Ryan and Tom. I believe you prefer their company to mine," Ian smiled as he placed a hand on Louis's shoulder before he moved. Louis felt his body tense upon the contact, but he quickly shoved it to the back of his head as he followed him.

"Aren't you scared of me? I mean, you saw what I did to them," Louis quickly caught up with him, his hands were still covered in dried blood, and his clothes were dirty. Ian slowed down a little as he looked at Louis up and down.

"I could only think of what horrors you had to face at this age to be like this. And even then, I couldn't imagine it. The enormous mistrust you place in people is understandable," He gave Louis a sympathetic look before looking at his feet.

"I was trafficked, and I was rescued. Every day I wake up panicking, thinking that I am still a helpless child stuck in that hell. For you who were never rescued. For you who were sacrificed and then robbed, what you did was nowhere near enough for these assholes. And even after all that, deep inside you regretted it. You were shaking, I saw you," he confessed, his eyes slowly going up from his feet to Louis's face as he looked at him in the eyes.

"You are braver than any of us, and more human than any of them. Don't feel bad about what you did," He continued, keeping eye contact for a few seconds as he started moving forward.

Louis didn't know what to say. How was he brave? How was he human? How did he seem admirable at all? All he could think about was the blood on his hands and the burning jealousy he felt of those who got rescued, of the girl whose father loved her so dearly he was willing to give up his life for her, of their relationship, of Ryan's friendship with Tom. He was jealous of it all, he was jealous of them all for having a home and for being free.

"I'm not a good person," Louis mumbled barely loud enough for Ian to hear, but he heard it anyway and gave Louis a puzzled look.

"What are you talking ab-"

"I'm not a good person. Ask anyone who claimed to love me. Hell, ask anyone. They will tell you how truly horrible I am. I live on the hatred I harboured for others. I tried to kill your friends, and I am only helping you for my own selfish desires. I am the least admirable person you will ever meet," Louis glared at him as he spoke coldly. He hated this, for people to say things about him that weren't true. He felt fake.

"Your selfish desires? You call saving your brother selfish?" Ian raised an eyebrow as he picked up his pace since the sun was starting to set.

"I don't care about other people,"

"You don't know them to care about them. Yet you still helped. Don't downplay your role and beat yourself over it. A good action is a good action. If you wanted to be truly horrible, you would have been. And you know that" It went quiet after that as Louis tried to understand what Ian had just told him.

......................................................................

"What are you doing, Dad?" ____ asked as she looked at her father writing something in a little notebook. She had continued to pester her father to let her take off the blindfold for hours, and he finally agreed when it got dark. To make it believable that they were still underground.

"Writing things for your mother. I am starting to miss her," he smiled at his daughter as she buffed her cheeks.

"Why can't we just go back? I miss her too... And I miss Carlos too. Let's go back!" she pouted as she wrapped her little arms around her father's neck and jumped on him.

Ryan chuckled as he hugged his daughter back. She was fairly energetic for someone who just had a major surgery, and he wondered if she didn't feel any pain because of the ointments they rubbed on her scar. Maybe it numbed her? He didn't really know and he didn't bother asking Tom. As long as she was fine, it didn't matter to him.

"Well, we are far away. So it will take us some time before we can go back home. Maybe you will get a new brother? What do you think about that?" he asked as he brushed a hair off her face, remembering Louis.

"No," She said shortly as she frowned at him, and Ryan laughed out loud, not expecting this.

"Why not? He's nice," he smiled

"Because. I only want me and Carlos. No more," she placed her hands on her father's cheeks and started pulling it as she explained.

"Ow ow ow. STAPH!" Ryan jokingly yelled as she tugged his cheeks a little harder than usual, which made her laugh and loosen up her grip.

"I am serious ____. What do you think about having another older brother?" he asked again as he gently held her hands and moved them away from his face.

"If he will be mean to me, then no. If he's nice... ____ will think about it with Carlos," ____ crossed her arms as she tried to look seriously at her father.

Ryan smiled in return before he grabbed her face and kissed her cheek repeatedly, which made her laugh like crazy.
"Who is my favourite baby girl? Hmm? Who is my little love? Hmm?" he smiled as she continued to laugh.

"ME! Memememememe!!" ____ started purposely smacking the side of her head to her father's face in an attempt to make him kiss her more.

Once their laughs turned into giggles and chuckles, they were interrupted by a gentle knock on the door.