Royal love

Chapter 58

Sometimes, when I'm alone, I get to thinking.

Why did my brother have to die when he wanted to live but I have to live even though I want to die?

That's the thought that keeps replaying in my head. The torture I have endured, the physical and emotional abuse, the trauma I now have, it's all leading me to one solution.

Death.

If I were to die, all the pain would be gone, I would see my brother again.

He wouldn't want that. He would want me to live my whole life. If not for me, for him.

Sebastian is talking to me but I'm not listening. I feel a million miles away even though I'm actually only a few feet away. His voice is muffled and I'm focusing on the hole in the cabinet behind him.

"Hello, Adeline?" He tilts his head, blocking the hole in focusing on, bringing me back. For now. "Did you hear me?" He asks.

I shake my head.

"He wrote you a note. A long one."

I focus my eyes on his, no longer dissociating. "How—"

"He knew he was going to die. He knew it was coming and no matter how many times I asked him to hide or tell someone or do anything he told me I didn't understand. Trust me I tried to keep him alive."

I nod.

"Do you want to read it...?" He asks slowly.

"Yes," I respond almost immediately. "Thank you," I say as Sebastian gets up from the chair and disappears around the corner.

When he comes back he's holding a orange envelope.

He tosses it on the table in front of me. I stare down at it for a few seconds before I look up at him.

"Is there anything else we can talk about before I open it? Something you forgot to mention, maybe?" I ask.

Stalling.

Sebastian slowly nods. He understands, I think. He knows I'm about to be very sad and I won't be able to focus on anything else if I read this note before he tells me it.

He sits down across from me at the chair he's been sitting at.

"There is one man behind all of this," he says. "I don't know who yet, but I know it's one man who's playing chess and all the gangs and mafias that work for him are his pawns." He pauses. "I don't know how many gangs or mafias work for him, I just know it a lot and they all have one goal; kill the royal family. Alex wasn't the only one they want to kill. They want to kill you, your mother, father, cousins, everyone. To them, you are just a wall they need to get past to get to where the gold is." He sighs. "That's all they care about, money."

"How did you find out about the leader?" I ask. More stalling.

"I've been going g to the meetings, you have too. I've seen you. I followed the leader of the meeting everywhere. At the first meeting, when I followed the leader, it got me nowhere. But at the second one, I was lead to a dark room where the leader of the meeting spoke to the leader. I puzzled everything together myself, it want obvious the man was in charge of it all until the woman called him boss and started talking about the other gangs and mafias."

I nod.

"Now, I'll leave so you can open the letter. Take as much time as you need."

Then, he's gone, the front door opens and shuts and he's gone.

I take a deep breath.

Stare at the letter.

Stare at it some more.

Move it to the side.

I need to think.

One man leads about every mafia and gang in the city. He has spoken to the headmistress, so the headmistress is apart of a gang, already knew that.

So who was the woman who actually kidnapped me and made Sebastian pay my random? A mafia leader? Gang leader? Rival?

She has to be a rival. She didn't want me dead, so she can't be with the actual leader.

All of this is too confusing.

I suppress a scream that's growing in my throat. I've suppressed it for a long time, my throat hurts.

I stare at the orange envelope. My brother had once touched that. My brother had once sat down to write that knowing he wouldn't watch me read it, knowing he wouldn't live much longer.

I grab it.

Toss it aside again.

I play that game over and over, having the full intention of opening it and then throwing it to the side with an aggravated groan.

I don't know what to do.

I finally decide to open the letter. Before I can change my mind I rip the top and put my hand in the envelope, pulling out a piece of folded up notebook paper.

I unfold it and read the first line.

Dear Adeline,
      If your reading this, I am dead.

But before I can read anything else, before I can respond with tears, the door to the small cabin slams open, at first I think Sebastian has come back but when the person turns around the corner, it's not Sebastian.

It's Hayden.

And he's dragging Sebastian by his shirt.

I suppress another scream at the bloodied mess of Sebastian. His faces is bruised and cut. Hayden's fist is covered in blood.

I don't know what to feel, scared or saved.

I don't know if I should run to Hayden and hug him simply because he's familiar or if I should scream for hit to let go of Sebastian.

So I do neither.

I stand there, frozen.

It feels like time is slowing to a stop.

I watch in slow motion as Hayden's eyes find mine, and they look scared. An emotion I've never seen on Hayden.

An emotion that doesn't suit him.

He drops Sebastian.

We both stand there, staring at each other.

Then, as if on cue, we both run to each other's arms.

It's the first hug I've gotten in weeks.

And it feels like fireworks.

Word count: 1029
9-12-23
9:25 pm
(Not revised)
I feel like this chapter is kinda cringe but whatever 😐