Melodies Of Betrayal: The Toxic Encore ✓

Chapter 12: Grave Danger

Chapter 12: Grave Danger

RAJWAN sighed heavily and glanced at the wall before him, tears filling up his eyes at the thoughts that continued to hit his mind from all directions.

"What do I do?" He whimpered, his voice barely above a whisper. "What am I supposed to do?"

A sob escaped his mouth as memories crossed his exhausted mind. All he could do at that moment was stay there, on his couch, unmoving until he received any further notifications.

And for all he knew, it was the last thing he wanted to do.

He couldn't afford to lose any more loved ones. Especially if it was his beloved sister.

Soft shuffles made his ears perk up in the air. His neck barely shifted to his side to meet the sight of his partner and lover, Quinn. The soft, sympathetic pair of hazel eyes and the pale skin that he caught with the corner of his eyes.

"Baby?"

The soft voice caused him to turn around to face his partner for a brief second before turning away, reaching up to wipe the tears that streamed on his face in the process.

"Hey..."

"Why are you up so early, baby? It's seven in the morning."

The question caused him to think once again about the reason for his restlessness. After all, there was no point of staying in bed if his mind refused to put him at ease.

Right?

"J-Just..." He began in a shaky tone of terror and pain. "Just wanted to check on Mal, that's all."

The lover's lips curved upwards into a sad, sympathetic smile.

"You know she's going to be okay, right? I know Mal. She's so strong." The sentence rang in Rajwan's ears, causing him to nod his head in agreement at his partner.

"She is. She really, really is." He replied, a small tear finding its way through his handsome face. "But... I c-can't do this anymore."

His lover tilted their head to the side as if to continue his words.

"I can't stand by and watch as my sister gets hurt. What if they suddenly decided to hurt her or Junwon, or worse, kill one of them?" He whispered, grimacing at the thought of his sister getting killed by one of her two brothers. His brothers.

"I can't let her get killed." He promised to himself. "I can't let her or Junwon lose their lives over some money, or power."

His lover shook their head in agreement, biting their lower lip in anger and terror. "What are you going to do, baby? We can't leave the country right now."

"I know. I know." He replied in a desperate tone of pain and bewilderment. "But he's in her area and I know he's going to do anything to hurt her."

It didn't take a detective for him to know that his sister was on the verge of being killed.

And it didn't take a detective for him to know that Junwon might be in danger as well, despite him not knowing his lover's two brothers and the problems between them.

"I know she's in danger, but she's going to get through it. She's going to make it."

Rajwan could only hope so.

He nodded his head at the sentence, sensing his partner's presence as the empty area beside him on the couch dented lightly to adjust to their weight. Quinn wrapped their arms around Rajwan's torso and pulled him closer to their embrace, their eyes glistening in the soft morning light. For all they knew, their future sister-in-law was in grave danger.

And for a brief moment, they were filled with terror as well.

Because the last thing they needed at that moment was just another loss of a loved one.

It was true that they were filled with hope.

But for how long was their hope supposed to continue despite all the terror, anxiety and desperation?

. . .

"Hey, Rajwan." Mal began in a small voice as she made her way out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind her quietly as to not wake up her lover from his deep slumber.

"Mal?" Rajwan's voice rang through her ears, causing her eyes to fill up with tears. "A-Are you okay? Where are you right now?"

A small smile spread itself across her lips as she heard his caring, loving tone.

"I'm at home, baby. Don't worry about me..."

"How can I not worry about you, Mal? Do you think it's time for jokes right now?" He replied, already defensive and exasperated.

"I'm not joking, Rajwan. I'll be fine." She replied, dramatically rolling her eyes as if it would help ignore the pit forming in her stomach.

"How's everything going at your place anyway?" Rajwan asked, his eyes shifting uncomfortably from one side of the room to another.

"Um, everything is... Not doing so well." Rajwan tilted his head to the side and paused for a moment to allow her to explain further. "Junwon is really, really sick."

"He still is? But it's been a week since he had been sick with food poisoning! Wasn't he supposed to get better?"

"I-I don't know what's going on!" Mal replied, tears threatening to stream down her face at the latest memory of her boyfriend. The image of him laying on the gigantic bed, unable to move nor open his eyes, along with his small, unconscious groans and the deafening urge to vomit every now and then. "He's getting worse... I've been trying to give him his medicine on time and even set up a schedule to not forget anything. The doctor said that he's supposed to get better with the medicine within a few days, but now it looks like he's getting sicker and I'm scared—"

She interrupted herself to cover her mouth in order to stop her sobs from escaping her throat. "H-He's not even eating well. He doesn't talk to me— I've been trying to feed him whenever I can but he refuses to eat or drink anything!"

Rajwan's lips quivered and pursed themselves at his sister's broken voice. "God, what's going on?"

"I-I don't know, I've tried to forget about everything and all, but then I saw how he is, and I'm really scared for him..."

Her voice quietened down for a few, brief seconds before Rajwan could catch the soft noise of her sobs.

"Hey, hey—" Her brother began, a sympathetic, sad smile spreading over his face. "Don't cry, please. He's going to be alright. He'll get better, I just know it."

She nodded her head, a glimpse of hope and despair filling her eyes. "I hope so. Because I can't bear the fact that he's sick like this while I can't do anything to help."

"He will, don't worry. I know so."

For a brief second, she could only hope that the love of her life would get better. All she needed at that moment was to see him healthy and well.

Because she couldn't worry about her safety and his at the same time.

"I really, really hope so."