Am I Forgiven?

Chapter 16

Recap- Alexander and Nathan kidnaps Colton and ties him up. They try to coax out information from Colton but fail. Alexander and Nathan share an emotional moment and we see Colton softening for a bit. Alex warns Colton to open his mouth after he returns or there would be consequences. On the way, Alex bumps into Ivan Morgan.

Alex and Ivan just stared at each other, as if trying to convince themselves that they were hallucinating.

Ivan stared at Alex, his body frozen with shock. He blinked rapidly to clear his hallucinations but Alex remained there.

Alex was too staring at Ivan. It's been over a month everything had happened. Ivan was standing before him.

The man who was handling his wife's case.

The man who had promised to provide justice to him.

The man who had failed to fulfill that.

The father who has lost his daughter.

Alex took a step back, trying to create some space so that he could run if Ivan tries to drag him back to his home. He couldn't back out. He was already in it. If the system couldn't bring justice to him, he was damn adamant on doing that.

"You're alive?" Ivan asks, his eyes widened in bewilderment.

Alex took another step back.

"Ivan, I can't go back with you."

"Why?"

"Just can't."

Ivan pauses for a while, constructing the sentences he was supposed to say.

"Alex...."

"Ivan, I alrea-"

"Can we talk?"

"What?"

"Can we talk?"

"Look, I'm busy an-"

"Please, I've something to say"

Alex clenches his fist for a while, a muscle in his jaw ticking. After some moments, he slowly nodded his head in agreement.

"Shall we sit somewhere?"

"Okay." He replied in a clipped tone.

-----

Alex sipped the coffee, his eyes glancing at Ivan from over the brim of the cup. The café was quiet with a group of school boys nearby discussing about their latest football game while the barista shouted at the waiters to hurry up. There was a family of four nearby who talked about how excited they were on moving to their new house. A girl sat four tables behind who was laughing on her phone with her besties. An old couple sat near who were sipping coffee from the same cup.

But all these waves of surrounding happiness failed to calm the raging emptiness inside Alexander Hall's, a place he couldn't find himself.

Ivan was sitting in a straight posture. The blue eyes looked tired and defeated as he glanced at the full mug in his hand. He caressed his own fist, fast as his body was tensed up.

Ivan was anxious about something, Alex thought.

"Ivan?" Alex called out softly.

"I've been suspended from my job till further notice."

Alex blinked.

Ivan was what?

"How?" Alex's voice seemed to get constricted with every passing moment. Why was Ivan telling this to him?