.

.

My saliva swallowed my temper slowly in my arid throat. Hazel was pleaded guilty in my mind. My heart waved by the ocean of darkness. My vivid brain blamed my eyes for being so blind. My only dark secret was floating in the enemy's boat.

Heavy words were too light to feed my emptiness. Hurry pain, I need you. Goodbye happiness, I blame you. Cancer is the worst poison of life but the pain is the remedy of death. It hurts, it kills you inside but you'll learn to love it because it stays in forever and forbids itself to replace you.

I can explain, , I can explain, Babe.

Well, can you, traitor? Can you really explain?

I respected your father, I loved your mother but I worshipped you, Hazel. I praised you like a goddess. I trusted you like the Holy God from Heaven. I gave my life to you as if you were the creator of death. I gave my last saliva to your selfish lips.

How could you be so selfish, Hazel? When I gave you all of me. How could you hide the truth from me when I've shown you my pain? How could you betray me like that? How can I even trust you with my secret now? Was your love real? Was it all an act? Was I just a game?

I was eating on the enemy's table and yet, why didn't they poison me?

Mr. Dean was a free man and my dear father was buried under the cold ground.

Ana, my invisible mother left the room with a scary look on her face.

"Please, just listen to me." Tears greeted her eyes, suddenly as she tried to reason me. "Let me just explain myself." My teeth squeezed against each other, my jaw clenched, my angry eyes couldn't stop staring at the traitor.

I was speechless. I just couldn't say a word. I was still here next to her. I just couldn't move. My heart just wouldn't leave her behind. I was fighting my feelings to go away but I just couldn't hate her. I wish I could just say it with a good meaning. I wish I could lie and say that I hated her but I just couldn't.

Deep inside, I was broken. Her voice was poisoning my blood with her lies and excuses.

"Hawk, babe." She started with her broken voice. "Baby, please. Give me a few minutes."

"My fucking name is Hawk Wale," I yelled, angrily. "We're over. Hazel Brown. O-V-E-R." I shook my head side to side, negatively" I'm done with you. I hope you take a good look at my face because that's the last time you're going to see this face."

"Please, please." Her voice cried out. I stopped and tried my best not to give in. It was really hard to walk away from someone you really care about and like with all your heart. I liked this girl so much, I never thought that she was capable of hiding the dirty truth from me. I should've known that women are instruments of lies and betrayals. I should've closed my door and threw away the key. I opened my door and she destroyed the only key that was protecting me from love.

My heavy breath jumped from my chest.

"Hazel?" I rubbed my face with my hands as I tried so hard not to lose control. My anger was rising up and I was trying to hold it inside. I didn't want to hurt the only person I cared about. "Don't. Please," I paused as tears destroyed my eyes with a painful vibe. "Don't make this harder than it already is. You... you... you destroyed me, Hazel. You... you..." I dropped myself on the floor as I begged myself to stop talking.

I was hurt. I was in pain. I wanted to stop myself from breathing the same air as her.

"I... I'm sorry." She caressed my back gently. She was up and her presence was closer and I just couldn't push her away. I just couldn't. "Please, forgive me. When I found out, I wanted to protect my dad from pain. I didn't want him to suffer. I wanted him to have a normal life. I felt bad and I asked him for you to stay at the house. My dad is a good man and he doesn't deserve this pain. Please, I'm begging you, if you have any affection inside your heart for me, don't tell the cops. Don't do this, Hawk. Please, please."

Did she really just say that? Did she really tell me to keep it a secret and protect her family? Did she really just tell me to ignore justice for my dear father?

How selfish of you, Hazel Brown. How selfish.

It was always about you, Hazel. You never cared about anyone but yourself.

How could you? How could you, Hazel?

"You're crazy," I replied as I pushed her away from me. "It was my father. I loved him. He was the only good thing in my life. He took care of me, he was always there for me. Your father was his best friend. His right hand. The only person he trusted. How could he murder an innocent man? My own blood, my own father and offer me plates off his table? What about all the money that my father worked hard for? Where is it? Did he use everything or maybe buy people to keep the truth from the world?" I paused as I swallowed my saliva, slowly. "Hazel, did you ever feel anything for me? Why didn't you tell me the truth from the beginning?"

"I love my father." She sighed, desperately. "I did like you. I wanted to tell you the truth but I had to choose between you and my father. I made my choice. I did it to protect you from the pain."

"You chose your father." My jaw clenched. "A criminal."

"He's not a criminal. He's a good man, Hawk." Her voice hurried my tears to fall even more. "I care about you and I wish that you can forgive me, start over. I wish that you could understand why I did it. I wish that--"

Enough Hazel! Enough!

"You know what I wish..." I made some steps towards her as I whispered in her ears with a dangerous warning. "I wish that you didn't survive in that car accident. I wish you were dead. I wish... I wish... I wish I never met you."

"You don't mean that." She tried to caress my face. I stopped her. "Please, don't say that." Tears burned her cheeks, urgently. "You're hurting me."

"!" My emotions played hurtful melodies in my mouth. "I hate you with all my heart. You're dead to me. Your father can rot in prison for all I care. Hazel Brown, you were my biggest mistake ever. I don't feel anything but hate. You played your game and I was the worst player. You should be proud of yourself. Traitor!" I slammed the door after me as her voice destroyed me completely.

"No, No, no. Hawk, please come back." Her broken voice cried, loudly. "I'm sorry."

Tears just couldn't fall. It was darkness all over again. Hazel broke my heart and Jack was right. Hazel was like the rest. She didn't care about my feelings. She enjoyed hurting me. She was laughing and faking everything with her parents behind my back. She knew the truth.

Everyone in that house knew everything and they hid the truth.

Hazel protected her family and decided to hurt me instead. She chose a criminal.

****

"Hawk?" Jack entered his guest room. "Why are you crying? From the hospital to my house, not a word from your mouth. Hazel is going to be fine, brother. Stop wasting your tears." His tone was confident and firm. He didn't know what was going on. I didn't have the courage to crash truth in his ears.

Or maybe he knew already.

"Fuck Hazel," I yelled, angrily. "Stop mentioning her name. I don't ever want to hear about her anymore."

"What happened?" Jack sat on the little chair in front of the bed. "What did she do this time?"

"I don't want to talk about it." My voice was weak and crushed. "I want to be alone, please."

"I won't leave you by yourself." He refused. "Tell me, what's going on? Stop pushing me away man. I'm your brother." I squeezed my hands against the bed as I pulled the sheets between my palms. "You're not okay. What's up?"

Hazel made me this way. Hazel is the reason why.

"I am okay." I forced a lie. "I just want to be alone."

"It's about Hazel," He paused. "Isn't it?"

I nodded my head. "Yup," I whispered under my breath, trying my best not to lose my temper. "Hazel's dad is the one who... who..." I sighed, painfully. "Who murdered my father. He's the criminal. Hazel knew about it all, she hid the truth to protect her father."

"Oh my God!" Jack's eyes enlarged. "What? Man! Wait, what?" He kicked the chair behind him as it flew against the wall. "I'm so sorry, Hawk. We need to call the cops right now and report everything. He needs to pay for what he did to Mr. Justin." He tried to convince me to do the right thing.

"No," I said, urgently. "Not yet." I refused.

"You love this girl. Don't you?" He questioned my decision. "Is that why?"

"I hate her, Jack." I destroyed the vase in broken pieces with only one punch. "I hate her." Heavy tears betrayed my words, suddenly.

"I'll take that as a yes." He sighed. "You're in love with this girl. You can deny it all you want but it's the truth. She betrayed you and her father deserves to be in jail right now. Don't let your feelings take the decision in the situation. You need justice for your father."

"I don't know what to do, Jack," I said under my breath. "I want to hate her, I want to destroy her, I want to murder her with my own hands but..."

"But you're madly in love with her." Jack finished my incomplete sentence. "You were sleeping with the enemy, fell in love and now you can't control your feelings. I get it, Hawk but this girl didn't care about your feelings. She hid the truth from you to protect her handsome criminal and now you're letting your feelings for her get the best of you. Wake up, man. Wake up." He nodded his head. "Stop listening to your heart. Listen to your mind this time."

"I need time." I sighed, confused. "I want revenge but It's hard. I wish that I didn't have strong feelings for her. I hate this. I hate her father."

I hated Dean Brown. With a passion.

"So what are you going to do? What's the plan?" His tone sacrificed my thoughts with curiosity. "Please, think wisely."

"I need Hazel to stay away from me," I stated. "I'm going to write her a letter. More like a warning. If she can't stay away from me, I'll denounce his father to the whole world."

"I don't think it's a good idea. You need to call the cops." He insisted. "This girl betrayed you, Hawk. Her own father killed your dad. Are you just going to sit there and let talks? Love is poison. You can't listen to your heart, Hawk. I'm begging you. Make them suffer for what they did to your father."

Jack wanted justice and revenge.

I wanted peace.

"I want my father to rest in peace." I started, gently. "Hazel knows my secret and I'm not safe anymore. You know what's going to happen if the whole world knows what I am. They'll hunt me down, they'll kill me without hesitation." I opened the window as I contemplate the beauty of the sun. "This world is not mine anymore. Soon or later, I'll be a dangerous creature to humanity. I have to play my cards right." The sentences were hard to admit but it was nothing but the real truth.

"Hazel is calling you." I glanced at my phone. "Let me answer."

"No." I refused, urgently. "She will get tired eventually."

"She's calling again." He picked up and put it on speaker. Why Jack? Why? Why would you do that now? I grabbed the phone, hung up and slammed it on the floor with strong pressure.

"I'm going to need a new phone and a new number," I exclaimed. "Please tell Mr. Dean that he has three days to give me back every single paper from my father's company. I'll take care of myself with my father's fortune. I also left my father's picture at his house. I need you to get it for me. It's under my bed. Don't worry about my clothes. I don't really care about that." Jack agreed to grant me the favor. "Be safe." I gave him a friendly punch.

Jack headed to Hazel's house, rapidly.

Hazel, I don't know what might happen next but I'm going to fight this war by myself. I trusted you. I fell in love with you, I thought you were different but I was wrong.

Waffle, you broke my heart. You made me look dumb in front of Jack and everyone. You laughed behind my back. You destroyed my heart in a million pieces. You broke me, Hazel. You broke me. This pressure is killing me, I want to make you suffer, I want you to pay for your words but I just can't. Your father murdered my only father.

I don't know how to deal with this pain, Hazel. I just want to know why. Why? Hazel. Why?

What did I ever do to you? Why didn't you tell me the truth?

Why am I still in love with you? Why? I want the Holy God to take it all away but I just don't want to love anyone else.

Why did my mother wait that long to spill the truth? Did she want revenge too? Was she happy? How did she know about my father's death?

My father was poisoned. Mr. Dean killed him but why?