With Love, Étienne | ✓

Chapter Twenty-Four

LOUELLA WAS CALLED DOWN.

The sky was dark outside and harsh winds flowed over the city. It was as though the weather was reflecting the stormy feelings I was feeling inside. It showed no mercy, dragging trees from left to right and howling through the empty streets -- desperately calling out, but never receiving an answer. 

It was around half an hour later when Louella rushed in, looking frazzled. Her hair had blown up everywhere and her nose was bright red from the cold. She sniffled and dragged her sleeve across her eyes to wipe away the moisture. Immediately, her eyes locked on mine and flickered over to where Milo was sitting with his arms crossed over his chest. I could see the fear and hesitation peeking out from her and I hated that how she trembled coming closer to him.

Milo was slumped in his seat. He refused to even look at any of us and a snarl was painted across his lips. His eyes were narrowed and focused on everything besides us. His parents were notified and were on their way down -- something I knew he would do. His jaw was clamped and I wondered how it wasn't giving him a cramp from clenching down so hard. However, both Milo and I looked a mess, with dried blood sticking to our faces. Louella's eyes widened when she took in our states, but I offered her a hopefully comforting smile that would ease her nerves a little.

"Ms. Rey is it?" 

The Garda officer in charge stood up from his chair and greeted Louella with a warm smile and a handshake.

"Yes," she replied, blinking out of her trance, "Louella Rey."

He nodded his head and gestured for her to take a seat beside me, "I'm Officer Michael. Apologies for calling you down so late at night, but it was necessary. Would you like a tea or anything before we start?"

Louella shook her head, "No, I'm okay. Thank you."

Her eyes were red-rimmed and it was clear she was the farthest from being okay. It looked like she had spent hours crying, only to try and hide it with a little makeup. But the puffiness of her face and eyes wasn't concealed well enough. My heart tugged in my chest and I longed to pull her into the safety of my arms, but I couldn't.

"Right, well, I'll just jump straight into it then. We've just received a report from your friend here," he gestured towards me, "He dropped an anonymous report a few hours ago regarding some serious situations, however we wanted to call you down here and ask you a few questions, if that's alright."

Louella turned her head an inch to glance at me and I could see the disappointment shining through her eyes. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and angled my head towards the ground.

"Of course," she said after clearing her throat.

"Right," he placed his hands in front of him gestured towards her phone, "Today, a few intimate photos were sent into a group chat, if I'm not mistaken. Is that correct?"

Louella's eyes glossed over. She fell silent for a moment and no-one spoke while she seemed to be gathering herself. Her hands were clasped tightly together and she was digging the sharp edges of her nails into her skin. I wanted to reach over and grasp her hand in mine, but it wasn't the time nor the place to.

". . . Yes. That is correct."

The officer nodded his head once more and gently asked her another question. He looked about as uncomfortable as she did, but he approached her in a calming manner and didn't push her to answer if she fell silent.

"Would you be able to confirm that those are your photos?" 

Her name was stamped on the photos on her phone and her face was visible. I placed my hands over my stomach when it started to churn with nausea.