The Forgotten Hero

Trash

The face of the man named Brian, who approached Regina, turned unfriendly, the smile he showed earlier to mock Luke no longer even perched there.

“Stop being so arrogant.” The words came in a cold tone with a sharp gaze from a stern facial expression that was getting fed up. “Just because she tolerated you before, doesn't mean you matter or that she harbors feelings for you to the point where you think you can do anything you want.”

Luke was still staring at him, their gazes still clashing intensely with the same strong aura.

But he didn't reply to that, as he glanced at Regina, who was averting her gaze, taking a deep breath, just as the man started to comment on Luke's arbitrary behaviour.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, all those years of being a burden on the woman you married.” The cold comment made Luke's body start to tremble.

Even though he knew it wasn't true, that what he was accused of was never his intention, Luke couldn't deny that he had relied on Regina. He took refuge under her sacrifice, without ever thinking about what kind of situation Regina was in.

Brian's gaze was still on him, his eyes looking with contempt, a curse that was more disturbing than the words he said.

"For the kindness Regina has done to you, you should never appear in her presence again, and never dare to raise your head to look at her. Live with that guilt, because you can't do anything for her, except add to her misery."

“Brian stop it.” not wanting the argument to get any longer, Regina finally opened her voice.

But not in Luke's defence. Because even Luke could see that Regina's hand was touching Brian as if thanking him for speaking up for her.

The silent Emery stared with satisfaction, grinning slightly with condescension. “All these years he has been living like that, do you think he will soon realize his shameful behavior, Brian?” That sarcastic snort of laughter appeared. "Of course not. His prophets won't go away easily. Leave him alone, there's no point talking to him."

There were no punches, kicks, slaps, or even attacks from sharp weapons. But Luke was much more battered, much more injured than when he was at the forefront of being a shield for the civilians he was protecting.

He was far more hurt and suffering than when he found out he was paralysed, than when he found out he no longer had anyone by his side, since the old man who took care of him was gone.

“We're going home now, sir.” Sam, the driver who worked under Regina's orders to temporarily keep Luke on his toes until today.

He who had been quietly following Luke now stood beside him as if trying to distract Luke from the pain he was facing.

Although Luke was not at all comforted by it, Sam's presence there was the help he needed.

“I'm not going back to that house again.” He watched as the car Regina was driving drove away. “Can you drop me off somewhere.”

Sam nodded confidently without a rebuttal. "Of course, sir. Tell me where you are going?"

“A village in the southwest, it will be very far from here.”

For hours they travelled at normal speed, despite his paralysed leg, Luke struggled with the pain and discomfort of sitting for hours in a car that moved unsteadily over bumpy ground.

He was silent, not making a sound, not even complaining, even though Sam repeatedly apologised for the car hitting potholes and rocks that naturally made it shake.

“Are you going to stay in this place, sir?” Sam looked outside, then began to slow down in a remote village.

Luke looked in the same direction, with a gaze that seemed to recall everything in that place. "Yes. There's a house at the end. Let's stop there."

Following Luke's orders, Sam drove to the end. He found an old house that made him look back before he fully stopped the engine.

His face looked worried and doubtful. “This place doesn't seem very comfortable for you to live in, sir.” Sam got out first and helped open the door for Luke.

Helped by Sam into his wheelchair, Luke looked at the old house directly.

Sam was right. But it would be better for him, rather than forcing himself to stay in the city and being a burden to Regina.

"I've lived there. The place is much more comfortable than it looks."

“But sir, with your circumstances....” Sam paused for a moment, realising what he had said. “I didn't mean to insult your circumstances-”

“I understand.” Luke quickly cut him off, he knew what the man meant. “Thank you for caring about me, but I can't take any more sympathy than this.”

He didn't know.

The sympathy that initially sounded natural, sounded friendly enough to his ears, in the long run turned into a burden on his heart.

Slowly, the words of sympathy and other forms of concern that came to him, hurt him, insulted him, and made him feel so toyed with.

He could not let them pity him any more than this, or it would all end up making him lose his pride.

“What is it?”

“Isn't that Luke?”

"Oh my, is he really Luke? Luke Parker who became a soldier and left this place?"

“What happened to him?”

“Why is he sitting on a wheelchair?”

The rarely seen black car passing through the village attracted the attention of the villagers gathered at the village hall, the road that they had crossed earlier.

The curious people were just going to take a peek, find out where the car stopped, but how surprised they were when they found out that the car stopped at a house that was no longer inhabited, especially since the person who came out of the car was a figure who had been a mystery there.

“The villagers seem to have come to welcome you.” Sam, who had been watching them for a while, thought the villagers were Luke's relatives.

A reason why Luke asked to be taken back to his hometown. At least, Luke would be taken care of, looked after and cared for by those who looked friendly.

One of them came forward, a tall man who was quite full but seemed to have lived a hard life because of his sunburned body, approached closer.

Sam came forward first, the middle-aged man who was worried about Luke's well-being extended his hand for a handshake, before he left Luke to them. Because of course, he had to go back.

“Nice to meet you, sir.” The hand was already outstretched, waiting for a handshake from the other side.

But that assumption was quickly broken by the response he got.

The old man, whose name he had yet to learn, walked past him, stood in front of Luke and then spilt the water from the bucket over Luke's head.

Whoever saw it made a surprised sound; no one would have thought that a man who looked like he had been out in the fields would do such a thing, especially Sam.

“What are you doing, sir?” Sam frantically approached Luke.

From the colour of the water, the smell and the other trash in Luke's lap, anyone could tell that it was dirty water.

Sam was suddenly so angry, he saw Luke almost drenched in the pungent stench. Although he looked calm by wiping his face, and seemed to accept the treatment, it still didn't make Sam remain silent.

He who couldn't understand what the man was doing snapped back, raising his voice while puffing out his chest, which was breathing heavily with emotion. “Why did you do that?”

Despite being yelled at and pushed by Sam to take responsibility for his actions, the man did not look guilty at all. Instead, he stared hatefully at Luke.

His gaze blazed with anger. "Because he deserved it! An ignorant bastard like him deserves to be treated like trash."

True, years ago, he was trash.

He would never forget what he experienced in his life.