Our fallen souls [EN] (High Enough) : VOLUME 1

56 - END

Blake had no idea when he was arguing with Jared about the exchange that had gone wrong. Meanwhile, however, Joséphine was prey to nervous, preoccupied thoughts. She tortured her fingers, imagining various troubling scenarios. She visualized Blake cheating on her or descending into debauchery, haunted by the idea of her father's business, but she quickly banished these thoughts.

Meanwhile, Shawn was driving through the dark night, his hands firmly gripping the wheel, his fingers slightly twitching in anticipation. The glow of the intermittent streetlights swept across the young man's concentrated face. The atmosphere inside the car was charged with electric energy, while the roar of the engine accompanied the tense silence between the occupants. He knew what awaited them, for taking Joséphine to the truth meant the inevitable confrontation with Blake, his childhood friend and now the man at the center of this situation. Memories of a once-solid friendship mingled with anxiety about the turn events were about to take.

Rachel, for her part, was perfectly relaxed, looking forward to the reprisals. She hoped to find Blake, having always had a soft spot for him. However, the irony of fate was revealing itself, for Blake was hopelessly in love with Joséphine. He had never felt such love before, and it took him by surprise. Every fiber of his being was filled with an ardent passion for her, and his heart raced at every thought of the young woman.

As he sat on a sofa, gulping down his glass of whiskey with a cigarette in hand, he constantly scanned his phone to watch for Jared's return from the exchange. He counted the bills one by one, absorbed in his thoughts. A young woman tried to approach him, attracted by the mysterious aura emanating from him. However, Joséphine's image was so vivid in his mind that he pushed her away almost instinctively, without even paying attention to her advances. The girl's presence was paltry compared to the power of his feelings for Joséphine, and he had eyes only for her, even in this place overflowing with temptations.

Meanwhile, Shawn, Rachel, and Joséphine parked in a dark alley, where the grayish walls seemed to hold dark secrets. The streetlamps barely lit the place, casting eerie shadows on the gravel floor. A light rain was beginning to fall, adding to the gloomy atmosphere that enveloped the place. Joséphine, unable to wait any longer, leapt from the car and entered the building. Her heels clicked on the cold, damp floor, sounding like the accelerated beat of her heart. She wondered what could be so serious that Blake would try to hide it. The nervousness and anxiety in her veins were palpable, her emotions urging her to act without further delay. She couldn't wait to get answers to all the questions that had been haunting her for too long. In the entrance hall, she passed a dressing room where a woman, dressed in a sexy outfit, was trying to talk her down. But Joséphine was determined to press on, her quick steps leaving no time for superficial distractions. She was focused on Blake and the revelations she was about to uncover.

When she entered the main room, all eyes turned to her, creating an electric atmosphere charged with emotion. It was an eclectic mix of people who frequented this place, each of them witnessing the arrival of Joséphine, whose status and situation had become the subject of much gossip. There were murmurs, and both sympathetic and accusing glances.

The walls of this room were covered with dirty mirrors, reflecting the curious and inquisitive faces that surrounded her. Flickering neon lights illuminated the room, adding an unreal touch to the scene unfolding before her. The further she moved, the more people shifted to let her pass, as if she were the baroness of this dark place. The sound of Joséphine's footsteps echoed, and the atmosphere in the bar seemed to freeze as she approached the truth. The murmurs had fallen silent, replaced by a silence heavy with meaning, while the onlookers' gazes seemed both sympathetic and intrigued by this young woman in search of answers.

For his part, Blake rose from his sofa, intrigued by the silence in the room. He lit another cigarette, nervously scanning his surroundings. The smoke rose in swirling curls around him, like a veil trying to mask his intense emotions. Then their eyes met, and a tumult of emotions overwhelmed Blake. Memories of their shared history flashed through his mind, mixing moments of complicity with moments of doubt and secrets. He was torn between running away, leaving the situation behind him, or begging Joséphine to listen to him, to understand that he wasn't quite who she thought he was. Joséphine's eyes filled with tears at the mixture of incomprehension and betrayal reflected in Blake's. The emotions that invaded her being were so intense that she couldn't stop crying. The emotions invading her being seemed to overwhelm her, as if the weight of the world suddenly rested on her fragile shoulders. She looked away from Blake, trying to escape this visual embrace, scanning the others in the room in the hope of finding an answer, support, or a reason not to sink into this abyss of grief and confusion. The silence that still reigned was like a deafening echo, amplifying her inner torments. Still moving forward, Joséphine passed Joey coming out of the bathroom, accompanied by an unknown girl. The subdued light of the bar caressed the contours of their faces, but the sparkle in his eyes was instantly extinguished by the sight of her, for he knew this moment would come sooner or later, and this moment was now. Time seemed to pass in slow motion as he perceived the emotions running through Joséphine's face: pain, anger and bitterness.

The accompanying girl's wry smile also faded as she realized that she wasn't the only one occupying Joey's mind.

Hatred, sadness, and nothingness mingled in Joséphine, while her heart seemed to break on the floor stained with unknown substances. The bar's heavy atmosphere grew heavier, as if all the love she'd felt for Blake was dissipating at this moment, giving way to painful bitterness.

Feeling a firm hand on her shoulder, she turned to see John standing in front of her, much taller than her. His gaze was imbued with the firmness of a man determined to face the truth, whatever the consequences. The flickering lights from the bar illuminated his wrinkled face, testifying to the hardships he had endured in his life.

Thinking she'd seen it all, Joséphine realized her world was crumbling further when Joey approached to speak to her, but the imposing man in front stopped her with a gesture.

Rachel, for her part, watched the scene from afar, wearing a mischievous smile. Her sparkling eyes seemed to revel in the emotional chaos reigning in the room. Her nonchalant attitude contrasted with the intensity of the feelings swirling around Joséphine and Blake. She had sown the seeds of the drama that had erupted that evening, and the satisfaction she derived from it was palpable.

Blake and Rachel exchanged a long look, their gazes clashing like two combatants.

In Rachel's eyes, Blake detected a complex mixture of lust and bitterness. The flame of jealousy in her eyes could not be denied, and he understood that it was she who had orchestrated this confrontation, seeking to sow chaos out of pure resentment.

Blake lunged at Joséphine, barely grazing her arm, but John stopped him by throwing him to the ground. The force of the impact shook the ground, but Joséphine remained calm, watching the scene without the slightest emotion. The evening's ordeals had exhausted her emotions, and a kind of resignation had settled over her. Everything she had thought she knew was in question, and she felt as if her heart had already been broken into a thousand pieces.

Blake tried to stand up, determined to fight John, but Shawn and Jared held him back. Blake's inner struggle was reflected in his tormented eyes, and the injustice of the situation made him want to scream. But he knew this physical battle with John was a losing one. Blake's heart burst into a thousand pieces. The realization of the irreversibility of the situation washed over him like a wave. Memories of their shared love, of knowing smiles, of sweet moments of tenderness, all seemed to evaporate in this stifling atmosphere.

He stared at Joséphine, hoping for a sign of understanding or a glimmer of hope, but her gaze now seemed distant, lost in an abyss of sorrow. Every step further into this gloomy room seemed to take them further apart.

Conflicting feelings churned inside him: anger at Rachel for destroying everything they'd built, frustration at not having been sincere before, sadness at witnessing the collapse of their relationship. But above all, he felt the heartbreak of losing the person he had loved with all his being.

Time seemed to stand still as John gently placed his hand on Joséphine's shoulder. Joséphine's heart was racing, her emotions in turmoil, as she anxiously awaited the words that would turn everything upside down.

Suddenly, the words came out of John's mouth like an icy breeze on a winter's night. His voice was calm but charged with emotion, and every syllable seemed to carry the weight of an unbearable truth.

"My daughter, here you are at last."

To be continued...