Chapter Twenty-Two

I stepped from the bathroom in a great mood.

All I could think about was breakfast with the boy I’m falling so deeply for. However, since the universe hates me, I knew that wouldn't happen when I saw his face.

He was sitting in front of his laptop, staring in my direction with an expression I couldn't decipher. I immediately became alert and concerned.

The look on his face worried me. It was obvious that whatever he had on his laptop was serious. That’s saying a lot, considering that Fabian is barely serious.

Oddly, my body began to shake as I sat beside him. He shot me an unsure look, and I saw that it was actually a video. The cursor was positioned over the play button, and as much as I wanted to see what was in the video, I was reluctant.

Was this what he had to show me? Will this explain why he stayed away from me because of what Colton had over him?

I lifted my gaze towards him again, watching his Adam’s apple bob up and down before meeting my eyes again. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came. He noticed this too and uncertainty flashed in his beautiful eyes for a quick second.

So, I held onto his hand for reassurance. What I needed him to know, was that whatever he had to show me, whatever Colton found so awful that it convinced him to stay away from me, it wont let me leave him.

Fabian is a good guy. His past doesn’t define him.

Isn’t that what we preach to people? Especially people who have a hard time letting go of something. Well, as cliché and corny as it is, I believe in it.

IF that person has definitely changed, then their past really doesn’t define them. It may leave a mark or a stain in their personality forever, but they shouldn’t be confined to an image of something that happened. Especially if it was a mistake.

With a small smile of my own, I leant over to place a kiss on his cheek. His body visibly relaxed as I pulled away, and his eyes were glued to our intertwined fingers. Relief and confidence shone in those beautiful eyes of his, before he took a deep breath and pressed the triangle on the screen.

His hold on my hand tightened as I watched what seemed like a footage from a  security camera. It wasn’t the best quality and it was black and white, but it showed a perfect image of a boy in Hamilton High uniform, standing in a corner as if he’s waiting for someone.

I squinted my eyes, suddenly wishing I wore glasses as I tried to make out his image. However, it didn’t take me long to realize that it wasn’t Fabian. I felt a tad of relief. Because from what it seemed, this guy, whoever he is, was the main cause of trouble.

We waited for about two minutes, and all he did was look over his shoulder and clench his fists. He was definitely angry. Even the small grains that made his eyes hard to see showed this perfectly. Anxiety ate away at me as I watched the clip like a movie. Fabian’s hands got sweaty in mine, and when I turned to look at him, his eyes were far off despite the fact that they were trained on the video.

What the hell happened this day?

Suddenly, a group of girls started walking towards him. They seemed like what high school clichés would label as the ‘popular group’ even though they seemed like sophomores at this time.

The guy who was waiting suddenly seemed calm as he pulled one of the girls from the group. She waved at her friends as they left before pulling him into a hug. However, he didn’t return it.

My interest got piqued even more as I shuffled closer to the laptop involuntarily. His angry state returned full folds once the girls were gone. He looked even more pissed. He shoved her from him so hard that she stumbled to the ground. My interest no longer stemmed from the need for drama, but mere curiosity and concern for the girl.

The way how the guy was steaming, I got scared for her. She started shuffling away on her bottom with fear filled eyes.

He shouted something at her and waved his phone in front of her face. From what I’ve seen and understand, they were together and she did something really big to piss him off.

He threw the phone beside her head as she shook in fear and it shattered to pieces beside her head. It only missed her by an inch, and something tells me that he didn’t intentionally miss. He wanted to throw it at her.

My own body began to shake as he hauled her in his hands, immediately wrapping his large hands around her neck. Even with the poor quality, I could make out what he was shouting at her.

‘Why did you do this to me?’

That was all he said as he squeezed the life from her body. After a couple times, it made it easy to see what he had been saying. She writhed and fought under his hold as she visibly gasped for air. I didn’t even realize I had even cried until a tear fell on my hand.

I could see the life leaving her body as her boyfriend strangled her. He was weeping endlessly in anger and grief. Whatever she did really hurt him, but that gave him no right to be doing this.

NONE.

I freaking hate him and I don’t know him. Why feel compelled to hurt her in such a manner? Even if she hurt you, that is no excuse.

Men like this make me sick.

But then just when all hope was lost, a figure appeared in the dark, empty hallway. I immediately recognized him. It was Fabian.

Hope and joy welled in me as I watched him walk further in the video, but then I remembered that this is supposed to be bad.

Oh no.

Did he really…?

Just as my fears predicted, I watched in horror as Fabian turned his head to the writhing girl and abusive boyfriend for a split second, before continuing his journey down the hall. Plugs were in his ears and his face seemed blank of emotion, showing that his mind was nowhere in that space, but I still couldn’t help the pang in my stomach when the girl reached out for him and watched him disappear from the space of the video.

Tears flowed even harder when I realized what had happened. He didn’t help her. He could’ve but he didn’t.

From what it seemed, it barely looked like he even noticed what was happening. His mind was completely far off, and I could literally hear the music from his earbuds, as much as the video was silent.

But when I saw that girl stop fighting, and her boyfriend finally letting go, I knew what had happened.

He killed her.

A sob broke from my lips as the boy jumped from his kneeling state with eyes wide and hands buried in his hair, watching as the girl he called lover took her last breath. All by his hands.

That’s where the video ended, and that’s when it all became real.

I understood completely why Fabian was so afraid to tell me. I remembered my promise clearly. I still won't leave him no matter what that video held.

Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling, just that small, tiny feeling, that she could still be alive, if only Fabian intervened.

It wasn’t his fault, but human nature will definitely evoke a nudge to think so. However, the look in his eyes when I looked at him told me clearly that he had heard this countless times, and it would crush him to hear it from me too.

It must’ve hurt to realize what really happened that day, and it’s obvious that he had been battling with guilt and shame ever since.

So, instead of feeding the urge to cry for that girl and dwell on the fact that he could’ve helped, I pulled him into my arms, hugged him tight and told him that it wasn’t his fault.

Because at the end of the day, it really wasn’t.

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Yikes! That was something huh? How do you feel about this? What’s your onion towards Fabian’s role in the situation? What do you think was happening? Do you blame him? Do you feel a bit of resentment as Paris did? Lemme know!

Disclaimer: This is not a joke or mere entertainment. Domestic violence is real and serious in everyday life. No man (or woman, it goes both ways) should hurt their partner because of emotional hurt.

No matter what they did, it is NOT okay to kill or abuse someone. Life is precious and cannot be re-given. Don’t take it.

I apologize if this was a touchy subject for anyone, and I understand that some people will feel differently towards my lead male character from now on. But if you read my other books, you realize that I bring alive real-life situations and problems to bring awareness.

In my country, domestic violence is so prevalent, and it kills me to hear such news. If you or anyone you know is a victim of such abuse, don’t be afraid to report and seek help. You are NOT alone!

As for the story’s sake, I hope you don’t mind me using such a tragic thing for a story plot. As always, my intention is never to hurt or offend anyone. As I said, it’s for raising awareness, whilst building my plot and character development. This is a big part of Fabian’s personality and nature; hence, I took the risk to integrate it in my story.

Enjoy nonetheless. Next chapter will explain a lot more so stay tuned. Remember to keep safe and happy. Whether you are Single or in a relationship.

Mwah!