Seventy-Eight: Underground decorations?

It was sad that his brother was lying on the bed, looking so lost.

It was heartbreaking that his other brother was in jail and was responsible for the downfall that had befallen them.

It was also crazy that Sebastian was gone, never to be seen until one gets to the other side.

And it was crazier that the woman he loved was not who he thought she was.

His eyes furiously trained on Amir who was still keeping mute, Nathaniel wondered why Gabriel did the things that led them all to that moment.

Surely, something must have happened.

Surely, something must have gone wrong along the line.

He either was not a good leader and brother or Gabriel just wanted more than he could take.

But Nathaniel knew that he tried on his part. He did the best he could for the only people he called family, the people he knew as family.

"Amir..." he called his friend, emotions embedded in his voice. "I am so sorry I didn't come to see you earlier. I should have been here."

Amir's shoulder shifted as he turned away from Nathaniel some more.

"I am so sorry Amir."

"Wh-where is she?"

Nathaniel didn't mind that he was talking to Amir's back, as long as Amir conversed with him, he was fine. "Do you mean the nurse?"

As he waited for Amir's response, he grabbed the jug of water beside him and poured some of the liquid into the cup that was beside the jug.

"I mean..." Nathaniel left his position and walked to the other side of the bed where he would be able to see Amir's face. "...Chloe."

Nathaniel froze. "Where is Chloe?"

"Chloe? Chloe is not here." He had no idea that even hearing her name could make his heart pound as it used to by just seeing her face.

"She was here. I know that," Amir mumbled before covering himself with the blanket like a rioting five-year-old would.

"Oh, isn't she back?" The voice of the nurse from earlier snapped him out of it.

"Who?" he asked as he turned to face the woman who was carrying the thickest blanket he had ever seen in one hand and seemingly dragging a hospital bed with the other.

"Chloe. She said she was coming back." The lady frowned. "Did she leave already? She hardly slept while she was here and anyone can tell that-"

Nathaniel dashed out of the room before the nurse could complete her sentence.

Nathaniel found it absurd that he was trying to look for her at that moment. After all, she lied to all of them, she fooled them, monitored them, and reported their movements. God only knows what else she did

So, he did find it absurd that he was running towards her at that moment. But he couldn't stop himself. Something inside him wanted to see her face, it wished to hug her one last time, perhaps feel her lips against his as well.

That feeling kept pushing him to search for her. And he did as the feeling asked. But, when his feet found themselves outside the hospital gates, he gave up. There was no way he would find her in the sea of people going about their lives.

But that yearning to see her was still there, he could not ignore it. As much as he wanted to hate her, he couldn't. He just couldn't.

So, with the thought of seeing her one more time, he reached for his phone and dialed, with sadness, the number of a friend of Sebastian who would be able to help him with what he wanted.

A few days later, after Amir was confirmed to be in a more stable state, Nathaniel decided to visit Gabriel.

As he walked down the very corridors he was dragged past half-conscious, a few days ago, he began to imagine things.

Nathaniel pictured what Gabriel might look like at that moment. He definitely wouldn't look clean.

With his steps increasing, he also wondered if Gabriel would wear a look of remorse, perhaps he would seem like he hated himself for what he did, for the damage he caused.

Nathaniel's imagination was going to find its answers soon enough, all it needed was a few more steps.

Following the uniformed man in front of him led him to the very cell he was kept in. For a second, he replayed the moment Chloe stood in front of him while he stared at her through the iron bars.

That was quite a heart-wrenching moment for him and he knew it was the same for Chloe, he saw it all over her face but he didn't want to acknowledge that fact. He just wanted to blame her for everything.

"He hasn't spoken a word since we brought him in," the well-built man spoke, his eyes glaring at Gabriel for quite a while. "Hopefully he says something to you, he isn't making things easy for us."

"I doubt he would say anything to me either." Nathaniel's line of sight fell on the withdrawn man whose eyes stayed on the ground without fail. "Apparently, he hates my guts too."

Brows lifting, the man in uniform wished him the best of luck before walking away from that space.

"Gabriel..." Nathaniel called as his legs moved closer to the cell. "We need to talk."

Planting his buttocks on the ground, his head resting against the pillar that connected two rooms, Nathaniel could tell that he was going to be there for a while.

Or maybe not.

A small sound that sounded like a scoff emanated from Gabriel's lips.

"Talk about what?" The coarseness in Gabriel's voice shocked Nathaniel even though he did not show it. His friend was really someone he did not know.

"How I killed Amir? How I framed both of you? How I used Chloe? Do you want me to tell you those tales? Now you have the time to listen to me, huh?"

"Gabriel, I-"

"For years!" he screamed into the room. "For years, I wished for the both of you to hear my voice. To hear what I had to say."

Gabriel's voice softened and their eyes finally met.

Nathaniel saw nothing.

Nothingness was the feature Gabriel's eyes carried.

"But now you want to talk to me?"

"You'll have to elaborate Gabriel, I am afraid I don't know what you are talking about."

"Of course," Gabriel mumbled as he grabbed a good part of his uncombed hair. "Of course, you don't know what I'm talking about. You never knew what was on my mind and when I tried to voice it, you guys never hesitated to shut me down."

Nathaniel frowned as his head began to replay the moments they shared. Surely, those moments included arguments but it wasn't as nasty as Gabriel was making it to be. "We never did such a thing, Gabriel."

"I knew you would deny it. At least Amir was wise enough to acknowledge the fact that you left me out of so many things."

"Is this what this is about? You being left out of office work? Our childish jokes? Our-"

"Your what?" he shouted again.

"What is your reason for being here? To rub your freedom in my face?" The look in his eyes scared Nathaniel, the man just knew that he had lost his friend a long time ago, he just didn't know.

"You know..." Gabriel assumed a squatting position.

"You are enjoying this freedom because of Chloe. She ruined my plan so well, I couldn't find a way to escape."

"You had a plan," Nathaniel simply said.

Casually, Gabriel threw one of his hands in the air and said, "Of course I did. What do you think the trafficking was for? Underground decoration? That was my freaking plan."

"You are insane. You need help." Nathaniel could not take it anymore. Getting up, his eyes sternly connected with Gabriel, he said, "I still don't understand why you did what you did but know this, if you find a way to escape this situation, life will become a living hell for you."

"Life is already a form of hell Nate, you and I got to know that at an early age."

He ignored Gabriel's words. "If you know what's best for you, don't leave this place. From now on, this is your paradise, cherish it."

"I have refused to listen to the words that come out of your mouth Nathaniel, so save your breath."

Nathaniel sighed... hard. He felt so sorry for Gabriel who had definitely taken a wrong turn in his life.

Without the ability to argue, Nathaniel gently said, "I'll visit you from time to time to see how you are doing. I'll make sure to bring some of the books you like too. So-"

Gabriel muttered something, cutting Nathaniel's words short.

"What did you say?" the tall man asked with concern.

"Chloe..." Nathaniel frowned at the mention of her word. Almost dramatically, Gabriel raised his head and glared right at Nathaniel's soul. "Come with Chloe. If you want me to stay put in this," he looked around the room, "so-called paradise, come with Chloe."

"That's not possible," Nathaniel replied, his teeth visibly gritted.

"Why? Are you-"

"She has moved out from our lives, we won't be seeing her again."

"What?" Gabriel dropped onto the floor instantly.

Glancing at his friend, Nathaniel felt instantly sorry for lying to him. Even though it was not a total lie, it still had to be padded.

Nathaniel didn't want to give Gabriel or Amir hope that Chloe was still around.

He also didn't want to give himself hope that he would meet her again, after all, his searches failed to figure out her whereabouts.

"See you, Gabriel." Nathaniel's feet began to retreat and as he walked away, Gabriel's shouts filled the room once more.

"How can she leave after what she did? You are lying, aren't you? I need her to pay for lying to us. She needs to-"

"Pretty loud, isn't he?" a voice commented as Nathaniel walked past some men.

"I think he's mental," another responded.

Nathaniel was saddened by their comments. Who would have thought that Gabriel Hovers would end up in such a state?