Help me to love again (finished)

Chapter 85 : « We will have to stay united »

Neutral POV

- You know everything now.

It was in their bedroom that Vegas and Pete revealed to Déborah the truth he had been hiding for months. A heavy silence descends in the room, while Déborah learns of new information that has reached her.

  Pete's fear is an oppressive mass in his chest, a dull anxiety that seems to swallow up every thought, every beat of his heart. Now that Deborah knows the truth about her boyfriend Porsche's death, it's like the whole world is collapsing around him.

He feels a searing dread of what this means for him, for Deborah, and for their friendship. He fears Deborah's judgment, anger, and perhaps even revenge. She had been close to Porsche since her law degree and the idea of losing her friendship, or even being confronted with new legal consequences, due to denunciations, chilled her to the depths of her being.

Vegas and Pete spent hours explaining to Déborah how Vegas discovered that Porsche was beating Pete, how he managed to convince Pete to break away from him and get into a relationship with him.

Pete did not hesitate to return to the fact that Porsche mistreated him every day during their relationship, that everything had been orchestrated by Porsche and Big, due to a bad bet, how he had been the victim of blackmail by Porsche and how his descent into hell almost cost him his life several times.

Deborah didn't stop crying when she heard these shocking revelations, a sign that Pete's fate affects her more through compassion than anything else. She seems open to the fact that Big is a real bad guy but not too open to knowing that Pete, Vegas and Kim have set up a whole scheme to have him accused of the Porsche murder.

- I understand how complicated it must have been for you Pete. You acted in self-defense by killing Porsche, but you shouldn't have blamed Big. He's going to seek revenge now, since you told me you suspected him of escaping from prison...

  It's Vegas who intervenes:

- Big was the perfect scapegoat since he loved Porsche but the latter preferred to keep Pete. Big never stood for him and since he started trying to intimidate Porsche and Pete, including trying to make them die in a car accident, we took the opportunity that Pete created by killing Porsche, for us get rid of Big, once and for all. Would you have preferred it to be Pete in prison?

Vegas raises an eyebrow and holds Deborah's gaze.

- Of course not, I never implied that but Pete would never have ended up in jail if he had gone to the police and explained the whole situation. There were other alternatives...

- It was the first one that came to mind Deborah. I...I wanted to end it with him.

Pete starts to cry. Vegas immediately hugs him and Déborah immediately apologizes.

- I'm sorry Pete. I didn't mean to minimize your traumatic feelings... but now Big is trying to take it out on us. My mother almost died at the hands of Mr. Chan Wen, Big's father. I just don't want anything bad to happen.

- We didn't expect them to attack your family. I'm sorry.

Deborah interrupts him:

- It's okay Pete. No need to apologize. Kim promised to protect my family so I trust you. Thank you for taking me into your confidence and from now on, I will adapt my behavior.

- You do not need...

- You are my friend, Vegas is my friend. We are a trio. The coming times may be uncertain. We will have to stay united so that Big and his entire team do not harm us. He won't have us, I promise you.

Deborah grabs Pete and Vegas' hands to squeeze them tightly, thus sealing her words, like a commitment she is making...but without really being aware of what this will really entail.

*To be continued*