176 NOT THAT BAD? ARIEL’S DOV I sat in my car, completely lost and devastated. My children were in danger, and I didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, my phone rang, and I answered without even looking at the caller ID “Ariel, it’s me,” a familiar voice spoke on the other end. “Mason, what do you want now?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. “I can’t let you go through with this alone. I’ll help you save your children,” he said, surprising me “What? Why would you do that? I thought you were the one behind all of this” “I was, but I’ve had a change of heart. I can’t let innocent children suffer because of my revenge against your husband.” “I don’t know if I can trust you,” I said, feeling conflicted. “I understand, but you don’t have much time. We need to act fast. I’ll text you the location of where they are being held. Meet me there in an hour,” Mason said before hanging up. I sat in my car, contemplating whether I should trust Mason or not. But I didn’t have any other choice. I quickly drove to the location he had sent me, my heart racing with fear and hope. As I arrived, I saw Mason standing outside a rundown building, his expression serious. I got out of my car and ran to him. “Where are they?” I asked, not wasting any time. “Inside, in the basement. There are two guards, but I’ve taken care of them. We need to hurry,” Mason said as we made our way inside. We quietly made our way to the basement, and I could hear my children’s screams and cries. I felt my heart break into pieces, and tears streamed down my face. Mason and I reached the basement, and I saw my children tied up to chairs, their mouths covered with tape. I ran to them and quickly removed the tape. “Mommy!” Janice cried, hugging me tightly. “It’s okay, baby; I’m here now,” I said, tears still streaming down my face. Lukel hugged me as well, and I felt a sense of relief wash over me. “Thank you, Uncle Mason,” Janice said, looking at him with grateful eyes. “Yeah, thank you,” Lukel said, nodding his head. “I’m sorry, kids. I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through,” Mason apologized, looking 176 NOT THAT RAIN). genuinely remorseful. 20 “It’s okay, Uncle Mason. We forgive you,” Janice said, surprising me with her forgiving nature. “We need to get out of here before anyone finds us,” Mason said, snapping us out of our emotional moment. He led us out of the basement and the building, and we quickly made our way to my car. I hugged my children tightly, grateful for their safety. “Thank you, Mason. Thank you for saving my children,” I said, looking at him with tears in my eyes. “I’m just glad I could help,” he said, giving me a small smile. 1 drove my children home, and we all sat in the living room, exhausted and emotional. I couldn’t believe we made it out alive. “Mommy, what happened? Why did Uncle Mason take us?” Lukel asked, breaking the silence. “I’ll explain everything to you, my love. But for now, let’s just be grateful that we’re all together and safe,” I said, kissing their foreheads. I shook my head, snapping out of my imagination. I looked around, still in my car, and the rain. continued to fall heavily. The cold wind blew, and the thunder unfolded. I had been so worried that I started imagining things. Mason is helping me? I knew that was too good to be true. I began to call André, thinking maybe he could help me out. He was not reachable, and I’m frustrated; I slammed the steering wheel multiple times. I don’t even know what to do right now. I could only hope that Mason would do nothing for my children. And after what I told Luke, I didn’t think we would be getting back together again. But to hell with that. My children were all I could worry about at the moment. I decided to go meet Andre at his company, if he was still there. LUKE’S POV Here I was, in my mansion, standing like a statue, and all I could think about was what Ariel had brought out to me. Her words stabbed me in the heart and went hard, like a blade sinking in. I thought the recent moments I spent with her were just… I didn’t even know the words to use. But I thought we had finally sorted things out and that the feelings were true. But I guess it was all a lie. Yes, I did feel guilty for all the terrible things that I did to her. Those memories kept haunting me, and I wished to have never carried out any of those actions. But the deeds had already been done, the history had already been made, and the past could not be changed. Only a wish to make things straight. The heart is brimming with regrets, and the present suffers the consequences. “Big L?” Ethan advanced towards me. That was how he addressed me. “What’s going on? Why are you standing like that? What are you thinking about?” Looking at his innocent face, I gave him a fragile smile. I was also this innocent when I was young, like him. Too bad things changed, and I became the bad guy. The one with so many sins and intense darkness. 176 NOT THAT BATH 1/3 “You want to know something, Ethan?” “Oh…sure. What’s that?” I exhaled deeply. “I’m a bad man. A bad, bad man. I’ve caused a lot of people just die right now.” 1 “Don’t say that, Big L. You’re not a bad man.” I glanced at Ethan. “You think so?” in that I wish I could “I know so. Will a bad man take the two little children from the streets and put them in his home, treating them like family?” I chuckled in pain. “You’re only saying that because I’ve been treating you guys nice.” “Yes, you’ve been treating us nice because you are the good guy here.” “Trust me, Ethan. There are tons of people who hate me so much. And I guess I don’t deserve to be loved. My demeanor has brought this toward me. I was filled with pride, and now I have the knowledge that not a lot of people like me. If you’re being nice to me, then it must probably be an act.” “No, it’s not an act. You are a nice person, Big L. I don’t know what you’re thinking right now or the person responsible for putting these thoughts in your head. But you don’t have to hate yourself or blame yourself for anything. Yes, I am still a little kid, and I have no idea what you all have been through in your journey, but I know for a fact that you’re nice, and you won’t want to harm anyone. If you were that bad in the past, it’s the past. You don’t have to live your life based on yesterday. That’s history; let’s focus on the present, hoping for the better. I don’t know who sees you as a bad person. As for me, you’re the good guy.” I looked at Ethan in surprise, quite fascinated by Ethan’s words. Then I answered my phone call as my phone began to ring. It was Jack. “Sir, we have a problem,” he told me.
