Song of Torment

Chapter Twelve

A memory of how I lost him

A knock from the door woke me up. With an aching body, I tried my best to get up and look at the peephole of that small apartment staying to see who came at this late hour. Before I can even see who it is, the door suddenly opens and around four men came in and grabbed me.

“Rum wants to meet you.”

I wanted to scream but one of those men is covering my mouth. I wanted to fight my way out of their grasp but my wounds and bruises from the torture I went through are still fresh and aching.

Then I suddenly felt pain on my stomach which made my tears fall and slowly, I lost consciousness.

I was awaken with a splash of water in my face.

“Glad you’re awake.”

My eyes widen when I saw that man again. The man who killed my brother.

He’s wearing the same mask and giving me the same smirk that made me tremble.

“Please. I did what I promised. I already left my husband and send the divorce papers to him,” I pleaded him.

“Well, you really did the part of the bargain. I let you lived as long as you will leave you husband and divorce him.”

I cried and hug myself when he walks near me.

“I did promised to keep you alive,” he said. “But a got some important news about you so I decided to meet you again.”

I cried harder when he reach for my hand and made me stand up. Then he move his face near me and whispered to my ears.

“I heard you’re pregnant with Lute’s child.”

I stop breathing and my heart beats faster. Then I heard his evil laugh as he look at me.

“I never thought that this will become more interesting,” he said and gave a signal to those men who brought me here.

“Just make sure she will stay alive. After all, I promised to keep her alive,” he said and laugh again before leaving me in that room as those men started to beat me.

-

“Cassie!”

I woke up crying so hard and trying to catch my breath. And then someone tried to touch me so I shirked in fear and push his hands away from me.

“It’s me!” he said but I’m still pushing him away from me and started kicking him. “It’s Matthew!”

That’s when I came to realize that it is Matthew. It was only a dream. A nightmare that happened before. I cried even harder as I realize that. I only stop when I felt my husbands warm embrace.

“Are you okay now?” he asked as he give me a glass of water. I didn’t answer him because the truth is, I was never okay.

I look at the clock and saw that it was just 2am. I got here after my meeting with BSC when Matthew suddenly showed up as our driver. Next thing I knew we were already on his penthouse and he told me to live with him.

At first I was startled because I didn’t expect him to ask me to live with him again. But then he emphasized that I can’t continue living with Heiz because I might just ruin her peaceful life because of the reporters and paparazzi who always follow me around. He said that I can live with him until I found a new apartment to stay.

“What are you doing here?” I asked him.

“The rooms are not soundproof. I woke up with your moans and groans. Then suddenly you were screaming so I hurriedly came to your room.”

I sigh and lay down on my bed.

“I just had a nightmare,” I told him.

This is what happens whenever I fall asleep. Those nightmare keeps visiting.

“You were asking for help and calling our baby.”

I turned my back to him so he won’t see my face and tried my best to keep my voice normal.

“I just miss him,” I said.

I quickly turned to him when I felt him suddenly lying down beside me.

“What are you doing?” I asked him. Startled to see him lying down beside me. He didn’t answer and just pulled me back in the bed and hug me. Burying my face on his chest.

“Sleep,” he said. “You usually fall asleep faster whenever I hug you like this.”

I felt like crying again.

“This will only be for tonight because I know you’re still scared of you dreamed.”

He knew me so much. With just one look, he can already tell what I really feel regardless on how much I tried to hide it.

That night, for the first time in 9 years, I slept peacefully. No nightmares about my past.

I woke up feeling so cold because of the air-con but still felt so warm with body and arms that is wrapped around me. When I opened my eyes, I saw Matthew staring down at me.

I don’t know how long he’s been awake. He was just staring at me and brushing my hair with his fingers.

How many times have I dreamt to wake up into something like this again? I lost count already but it’s happening again. He is looking at me. Staring like he wanted to memorize every inch of my face.

“How long have you been awake?” I asked him and look away

“2 hours,” he said making me look at him again.

“Have been staring at me for two hours?”

“I can’t see anything wrong about that,” he said. I didn’t answer him and just stared back at him.

We usually kiss each other good morning before and sometimes end up to a love making. But now, we were just staring at each other. My gaze lowered down to his lips and felt that urged to kiss them. And so I did. I kissed him but then stop when he didn’t kiss me back. He just remained still.

I got up and headed to the bathroom to hide the pain I felt when he ignored me. He’s no longer in my room when I got out.

*

“How was it?” Ethan asked when I got in the headquarters of RL.

“What?”

“Your night with your wife,” he teasingly asked that made me glare at him to shut him up. “Well, you haven’t seen each other for so long. I even saw how you guys make out at the rooftop the other day and then-”

He finally stopped when I faced him and gave me a cold stare.

“I’m just curious. I was shock yesterday when you asked me to get her things at Heiz’s place and bring them to your penthouse.”

I turned away and walked inside our office. My sister and Shawm are already in there. I also saw Tap there.

The office inside the RL headquarters is only open for the RL members. Even the Rhapsody members are not allowed inside but Tap is the only exception to this rule.

“Someone send this.”

Tap gave me a color black envelope that has a letter inside, written in a color red.

Her nightmare will come to her again so you better protect her this time. The promised I made to her 9 years ago is no longer binding when she decided to meet you again.

-Rum

“Where did you get this?” I asked him.

“I saw some intruder at your place from my tracker. I tried calling you but you didn’t your phone. I was the nearest person at your place at that time so I decided to go there and they just gave me that.”

I crumpled the letter I’m holding.

“Violin, I want you to try and look again for information about Rum of the Ministry of Sin,” I told Ethan and went on my sit.

“For now, the main focus of Rhapsody is to find this Rum and bring him to me,” I told them and turned to Shawm. “Tell that to the members of the gang.”

“Lute,” Ethan tried to stop me but I ignored him.

“But how about the upcoming battle with the other gangsters here? I thought the main priority of our gang is to defeat all those gangster on top and become the strongest one in this country?” Harp asked.

“It is still our mission. But I want us to focus on this first.”

“Why?” Harp asked again, almost shouting. “Some of our members join this gang because they wanted to become part of the rising top gang in this country. We already invaded Korea, Singapore and some other countries in Asia. Philippines is our last target and yet you’re ruining our plan. What for?”

I sigh and look at my sister.

“This Rum has been after me for a very long time. I don’t know who he is but ever since I started Rhapsody, he has been tailing me and trying to hurt-” I stop and shook my head. “No. He has been trying to kill the people around me. I don’t have any idea who he is. All I know is that he is after the throne of my mother. And I am Mom’s heir for her throne so he has been pulling those tricks to get me out of his way.”

I saw the shock on Harp’s face. Well, no one knew about this facts except Ethan.

“We think he is the one who killed Cello,” Violin said.

Cello is Cassidy’s brother, Liam. One of the original Rhapsody Legacy member.

“But how come he is back?” Ethan asked. “We didn’t hear from him again after our battle with his gang. He just vanished from our lives and left no traces again. After all these years he is after you again? Why? What happened?”

I didn’t say another word and just repeat what I said earlier. They just agreed then left my office except for Ethan.

“There is something you’re not telling me,” he said and just remained standing beside me and stared down at me. Instead of saying anything to him, I just gave the letter I got from Rum.

“Is he pertaining to-”

“Cassidy,” I finished his sentence. “I don’t know how Cassie got involved in this. Rum is usually after the members of our gang that he is our primary suspect behind Cello’s death before. But after knowing that Cassie is with his brother back then and then this letter appears,” I said and shook my head. “It just confirms everything.”

Rum is the on who kidnapped Cassie and Liam before. He killed Liam and Cassie managed to get away from him. I don’t know the details about what happened before but when I read that letter, I knew that Cassie is in danger.

“Why is he after Cassie?” Ethan murmured.

“She’s my weakness,” I said and smiled bitterly.

“That’s why you let our members to find him. Because he is now after Cassie,” Ethan said and I just nod at him.

I close my eyes as I feel so tired with what’s happening right now.

“You should go home,” Ethan said. “Shawm will take care about informing the members. I’ll do everything I can to find out about this Rum and his gang Ministry of Sin. Right now, you should go back home. You look like you’ve seem a ghost.”

“I did. A ghost from my past,” I said and stood up. “Call me if you find something.”

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