The Other Side Of love

The Lust

The sound of gunfire echoed loudly in the place we were, even though we were far from the city. After shooting, I thought my anger would fade, but that was in vain. Cedric was screaming in agony, yet I hadn’t aimed to kill him even though that’s what my heart wanted my mind had resisted. The gun was now empty, so I threw it aside. Cedric was trembling, fear still gripping him. He looked at me and saw I had become a beast.

I picked up my phone and made a call. Sometimes our past hunts us down, people from our history come back to remind us of who we once were. The call went through, and to my surprise, it was answered by an old friend Travis. I was shocked he still had my number after ten years of no contact. Travis answered cheerfully: “Who would have thought? The Professor!”

I replied, “I never forget those who saved my life.” Travis chuckled and said, “Don’t worry, the time for you to repay me hasn’t come yet.” I whispered, “But I need you now.”

“What do you want, Professor?” he asked.

I told him where I was, and he said it would take him thirty minutes to get there. I was ready to wait even a month if needed. I turned and looked at Cedric, who was still kneeling before me. I told Travis, “I’ll be waiting.” He laughed and replied, “Lightning never delays.” Then I hung up.

Cedric whimpered, “I’m thirsty.”

I laughed cruelly, knelt before him, stared into his terrified eyes, and thought of the worst thing I could do to make him feel real pain. I scooped some of the blood dripping from his wounds, shoved it toward his mouth, and sneered: “That’s the only drink you’ll have.”

Cedric shook his head, saying, “I agreed to raise the child, to live with Diana… What do you want from me?”

I answered coldly, “What I want is to never see you again.” He lost all strength.

It hadn’t even been thirty minutes when Travis arrived, not alone, but with his men. As he stepped out of the car, we embraced tightly. He was surprised to see my hair full of grey. He laughed like he always did, but when he looked into my face, he saw the grief written there. His eyes shifted to the ground, where he saw the gun and bullet casings. He spotted Cedric kneeling, tied up.

He stared at me curiously, waiting for an explanation, but I couldn’t tell him much. I pointed at Cedric and asked, “How much will it cost me?”

Travis studied me for a moment and asked, “What exactly do you want?”

“I want this boy gone. I never want to see him again,” I answered firmly.

Travis smirked, glanced at Cedric’s car parked nearby, and I added, “You can do whatever you want with it too.”

He signaled his men.

The young men closed in on Cedric. Fear consumed him as he cried out my name, begging for my help. But he was pleading for the impossible. My ears were deaf to his voice rage had blocked out every sound. They dragged him into their car. Travis turned to me and said, “We’ll talk another time?” He extended his hand. I gripped it tightly, locked eyes with him, and said, “I don’t want any mistake or connection linking me to that boy Cedric.”

“Trust me,” Travis assured me with a grin, then left with his men. I picked up my gun and walked away.

I made my way to the highway, caught a bus, and returned to the city. Back at the university, I sat in my office and poured myself a drink. Just then, there was a knock. Dr. Ange entered, carrying some books. I forced a smile and welcomed her, though she was startled by the mess in my office. I told her to ignore it, claiming I was just searching for something. She sat down, watching me with curiosity, sensing my heavy heart.

I diverted the attention and asked why she had come.

“I heard the news congratulations,” she said.

“Thank you,” I replied.

“You must give me a job,” she added quickly. Before I could answer, she said, “Cedric told me you had already promised him one.” Cedric was her brother’s son. I nodded reluctantly.

Dr. Ange smiled and said, “If you have time, let me buy you a coffee.”

I teased, “Are you trying to bribe me?”

But truthfully, I wanted anything that could make me forget what I was going through, so I accepted. We went out, had food and drinks. She was witty, always joking, making it impossible to sit with her without laughing. Watching her smile, I began to see Lana’s face in hers. Memories of the previous night came back, making me force a smile to hide my sadness about Cedric and my wife.

It was the first time I had ever shared a drink with Dr. Ange. She reminded me of how jealous my wife used to be of her. I told her, “You’re beautiful; no wife would ever feel at peace seeing you near her husband.”

She was surprised by my words and whispered, “It’s been so long since anyone told me something nice.” I shook my head, denying it, but inside I couldn’t deny how beautiful she was, nor understand how she didn’t have a husband.

She had a daughter, also beautiful. At first, I had suspected her daughter was dating Frederick, but they had both denied it. Dr. Ange rarely spoke of love; she was like a woman scarred by the past.

I looked at her deeply and said, “You deserve good things.”

She smiled back, “So do you.”

I opened a bottle of champagne, poured her a glass, then myself, and we raised them, saying, “To our lives.”

Just as our glasses clinked, I noticed everyone in the café staring at the TV. A breaking news report was on there had been a car crash. I looked closely it was Cedric’s car, burning as police tried to put out the flames.

My heart dropped, my hands trembled, and my glass slipped, shattering on the floor.

“What happened?” Dr. Ange asked, dabbing at me with a napkin.

At that moment, my phone buzzed with a message from Travis: “Done.”

Dr. Ange’s eyes widened with fear she recognized the car too. Her phone rang immediately. She answered, and news was confirmed: Cedric had died in a car accident.

She lost herself in grief, unable to eat or drink, grabbed her bag, and rushed off. I remained seated, staring blankly at the TV.

On my way to the hospital, my chest tightened with dread, my phone ringing constantly. I feared it was the police calling me. Word of Cedric’s death spread faster than the wind.

At the hospital, I found Diana crying bitterly in her mother’s arms. Pauline was crying too but I was the only one who truly understood the meaning of her tears. She had lost the man she was secretly sleeping with, while my daughter had lost her lover and the father of her unborn child.

When I walked in, Diana rushed into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. The way she gasped for air told me how deeply she had loved Cedric. I tried to comfort her, but my eyes kept drifting to Pauline, whose heart was shattered as well.

Suddenly, Frederick raised a finger like a patient waking from a coma. Pauline noticed, her grief instantly replaced with joy. She cried out, “He’s awake!” Everyone rejoiced, except Diana, who remained buried in sorrow.

Then the police commander called Diana, asking her to come to the station immediately. She wiped her tears and answered. They told her she would be in charge of following up Cedric’s car accident case.

As she prepared to leave, I asked if she knew why they wanted her. She shook her head. Her mother held her hands, telling her they were with her, urging her to be strong. I quickly added, “She won’t go alone. I’ll come with her.” Pauline agreed, asking me to stay close to Diana since she had just lost her lover.

On the way, Diana wept silently, while I tried to comfort her. Watching her broke my heart, and guilt began to gnaw at me. No parent wants to see their child in such pain. But then, I wondered how would she have reacted if she knew Cedric had also been sleeping with her mother? And what about my wife how would she have reacted if she learned Cedric had been with her daughter?

At the police station, Diana took a deep breath, composed herself, and went in. I stayed in the car until she returned. She told me they had assigned her Cedric’s accident case, and she would be responsible for following it through.

I wasn’t allowed to drive, so I got out, hugged her, and left. The thought of Diana handling that case terrified me. She was in love with that boy there was no way she would let his case remain unsolved. She was ready to give everything just to uncover the truth.