Spider-Man | Doesn't Need Help

CHAPTER 21

  May placed a cup of tea in front of me, but I didn't look away from Mr. Ad… Harold.

  Now that I could look at him more closely, I could see the differences, though I still didn't quite believe it all.

  The three of us sat in the living room. I sat next to my aunt on the couch, and the man sat in the armchair across from us.

  "So…"

  "Wait," Hogan interrupted, finally looking up at me.

  He had the same eyes…

  "I promise I'll answer everything in a moment, but first, I'd like to apologize, for my... For Matthew." I looked down, unable to look at him anymore. "He's always been different, doing stupid things and such, but years ago he cut me off, changed his name and surname, which is why I had no contact with him." He spoke. "I admit it suited me, because he was the definition of trouble. But I never thought he'd be capable of such things... Kill for fun? Kidnap a child and try to train him?" He listed, and I clenched my jaw. "I apologize for him, Peter, even though I know it won't change anything."

  He was right. What good is his apology to me? That speech of his was really unnecessary.

  Aunt May put her hand on my knee, and when I looked at her, she was looking at me with a sad smile. Her eyes looked as if she understood me, but then again, no one understood me…

  "Try to understand him, please." She whispered inaudibly. But I heard it only thanks to my super hearing.

  I sighed quietly, returning my gaze to Hogan.

  "You're right, it won't change anything." I began honestly. "But you can't blame yourself or even apologize for something he did." Apparently my words surprised the man a lot, but not only him, because I was surprised too.

  For a moment I didn't believe what I said, but somewhere deep down I knew it was the truth, and on top of that May's request. Damn.

  He nodded.

  I had so many questions before, and now I didn't even want to ask them.

  "You don’t believe me, do you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

  I reluctantly raised my gaze, looking into the blue eyes. I had heard on the street that eyes don't lie. In Harold's eyes I saw sadness, regret, and compassion. It was something I could never see in Mr. Adams's eyes.

  They had the same eye color, but in reality they were completely different.

  But did I really believe him about all this?

  "Yes and no," I replied cryptically.

  "Yes and no?"

  "Ugh... It's complicated, okay? I believe you, but you're so much like him." I said, congratulating him with my hands.

  Why has speaking become so difficult for me at this moment?

  "Similar? I thought we were pretty much identical since you reacted like that..." He reminded me, and I sighed inaudibly.

  "Yes, but…" For the umpteenth time that evening, or rather night, I raised my eyes to look at the man.

  For the first time, I was so keen to show him that I didn't hold anything against him for what his brother had done to me.

  I have no idea what caused it, it just happened.

  "Do you know the quote," They say the eyes don’t lie? In Mr. Adams’s eyes, I have never seen such emotion in them in all these years as in yours. And although he could fake any emotion and had perfect control over his facial expressions, his eyes always remained the same.