Belle Stone

Part 29

The sun was on the verge of disappearing. Tired, it was losing its power, so it slowly drifted behind the horizon. Mark still couldn't erase the shock on his face. He still couldn't get rid of the utter disgust from the image that was clearly carved in his mind. His stomach still churned. It was crying for help but there was nothing he could have done. There was no food left. Nothing. Just an empty space that called out to him. A lot of time has passed. Panic kicks in. He could see Belle pacing in front of the door, biting her nails, waiting for him to come. He gets up to go home. Even though the state he was in didn't change, he heads back. He already messed up. Belle will be worried one way or the other.

Belle was worried, worried sick. She stayed next to the window this whole time.
Did he get into a fight? Did he lose? Did the guy hurt Mark? Did Mark hurt the guy? Did something else happen along the way? Should she head to the hospital or to the police?
Mark wasn't the kind of guy to fight. But, that wasn't the Mark Belle knew. She never saw him angry ever since she met him. At least not this angry. Never did he sharpen his voice. Never did he act intimidating. Maybe he was annoyed, a couple of times, but rather than a slight change in a facial expression you could never see him get red or hear him raise his voice. He was in control of his emotions. Patient, calm, and collected in every situation. This strict voice and sharp look in the eyes was so out of his character. That is why Belle was so concerned.
What kind of experience does he have in these situations? Does he even have any experience?

Her heartbeat started raising. Her hands trembled. The fingernails between her teeth bouncing up and down. Salty from the sweat increasing as each moment passed by. Her mind was running wild. She could just imagine all the worst-case scenarios.
What if she lost him? Oh... No... No... No...
She scolded herself for even thinking that. Just as she rearranged her thoughts the door opened. It was him.

She flew into his embrace. He was startled a little bit after the impact, which gave him an excuse for his shocked face. He grunted in pain. His stomach too sensitive to touch. She couldn't hear him. Her heartbeat was right in her esophagus. It beat louder than her thoughts.
"DAD!! Where have you been? I was really worried. What happened?"
"I was searching for the guy. Couldn't find the jerk anywhere."
He wrapped her arms tighter around her as he said it. A believable excuse. It surprised even him. That little insult that he spat out effortlessly made him seem normal, unfazed.

"Why did you search for him? Why didn't you come back straight away? As soon as you saw that he wasn't there you should have come."
Her voice was heavy. The words fell on his heart like a burden. It hurt him that he lied to her but he couldn't say the truth. Not after everything that they went through. He wouldn't let another break-down happen. Not now when she was finally talking normally. It was her normal tone.
"I know. I am sorry. I guess I was just blinded by anger. I didn't think that you would get this worried. Forgive me, please."
"Sure, I will. Don't do this again. I beg of you."
He just nodded.

She didn't know what made her so forgiving. Maybe she was too exhausted from the worry or maybe it was the sudden realization of her yelling. Either way, it didn't matter. All she knew is that he was there, safe, sound, and healthy and that is all that matters. Later she will ask things she was curious about. There is plenty of time for it tomorrow.

"Umm, Can you let go of me now?"
His arms laid limp beside his body.  "Umm... Yes. Sorry. I was just so worried."
Belle suddenly realizes her position and slowly slinks her way out of his embrace. He silently hisses, trying not to flinch away from her touch. Her head falls low as a shy smile spreads across her face.
"It's okay. Why don't we go to sleep now?"
"Sure."

After that night Belle let it go. She forgot about further interrogation and everything was back to its original state.

People started talking about the dead man. It was all over the news. Police weren't sure what kind of death this was: a suicide, a homicide, accidental,... It became a mystery. A mystery that couldn't be solved. There was no evidence, no indication, no proof of anything, or anyone that could've killed that person. It was a miraculous death. Seen for the first time in history. Of course, it would be part of a day to day conversation between people.