"Learn to stay calm in your anger. It will prove to be best for you." [Ifveen]
*******
Stuart closed his eyes and remembered the whole incident. In his mind, he saw Riley walking down the deserted road crying as he followed behind her. He saw that she turned her head towards him and then ran away hurriedly.
The moment he catches up to her she was helping a man who seemed heavily beaten down. He was reluctant to help the man and even tried to persuade Riley but she ignored him and kept trying to help him. She ordered him to either leave her alone or call the ambulance. Because of the network issue, he had to go around the corner to make the call, but when he returned she was surrounded by goons. After that what happened was a horrible nightmare for him. He was attacked with fists and iron rods while he asked Riley to go away. The attackers had beaten him till his wounds had widened into a throat and he was unable to scream. The last thing he could remember was her bloodshot eyes.
The room felt quiet despite the chaotic atmosphere outside of the room. His eyes focused on the man of the hour again. He would have forgiven Christian for the fact that the man was the victim of assault and it wasn't his fault too. Perhaps he might have pitied Christian but he ended up losing the most precious person he never wanted to lose. The man was a living example of a mockery reflecting how fate set stones in the eternal flow of his love story.
His vision cleared from the memories, he found himself back in the room. The accident might have brought him a great family, but the cost was the love of his life. Was it worth it? He didn't know. But the emptiness he felt every time he remembers she was no longer he was too much to give up on. He refused his soul to throw away the love they had. He would keep trying until he would not have anything left to achieve.
He looked at Christian with bright and stubborn eyes.
"Who is Mendicate?"
"That's me."
"You?"
"Yes!"
"But Mendicant is the husband of Riley Brown."
"I am her husband."
Christian replied to his question one by one directly. His eyes seemed to be dropping in between each answer. He looked like a drunk man.
"Take off your mask and tell me why are you living like a singing beggar?"
His voice was cold.
He removed the mask slowly. After he kept it on the table he answered Stuart.
"I have fallen in love with a woman who protected me when no one else did. I even proposed to marry her, but she rejected me every time. Last time she denied me with a challenge that she will marry a beggar rather than me. So I pretended to be a beggar and we got married."
"But she didn't recognize you?"
"From the moment we met, she never saw my real face, only the ugly one. Except for my similar eyes, nothing is recognizable. So she didn't."
Stuart stared at him. His eyes were bloodshot and clouded with tears. But he did not let them flow. He would not allow himself to cry in front of the enemy.
"What is the name of the woman?"
"Riley Brown."
Switching off the camera he grabbed the collar of Christian and punched him squarely in the face. His weak body swaggered to the left side but he didn't regain his consciousness. His forehead curled as he noticed the man unresponsive. His blood began to sizzle as the weight of his confession rang up in his brain.
Dr. David rushed in and saw Stuart punch Christian again. David hissed, feeling the man's pain even though he knew the man would not feel even an ounce of pain even if Stuart killed him.
"How dare you deceive her. She protected you at the cost of her life at the cost of my life. And in return what did you do?" The unanswered question made his blood boil even more. He pounded his fist against the man's face.
"You fucking betrayed her. You are a fucking monster." He struck Christian with one more punch in the stomach.
His dark hair swayed to the side, eyes tightly shut. He didn't even defend himself, making Stuart stop in frustration. He didn't want to fight with the unconscious man. He threw a few more jabs but seeing him completely knocked out made him finally stop.
Blood flowed through his nose. His jaw seems to be dislocated. His face reddened, his upper lip had a cut because of the finger Stuart was wearing. His fury had got better of him and now the guilt made him unable to feel good about it.
'What kind of Man am I turning into? That I even stepped on my morals and punched an unconscious man?'
Clenching his fists at the side, he exhaled. But the bubble of frustration only grew worse. He looked at Christian again and lifted his hand to flip the man on his stomach. Now he felt better as he looked at Christian who was sprawled on his stomach with his face now glued to the seat of the sofa.
'Stop feeling guilty Stuart. He deserved it. He Betrayed Riley!'
Soothing his guilt he comprehended the effects.
Sorting his thoughts he Rushed his fingers through his black hair, silently backed away from Christian, and turned towards the doctor.
"After your session is over, take him to the hospital." His thin lips opened as he said coldly.
Dr. David stares at Stuart for two long minutes. His eyes fumbling over from Christian to Stuart from time to time. He had never seen Stuart so angry in two years. The man was always calm, collected, and cold. He was as if nobody could affect him and he admired Stuart for that. But now looking at him made him realize how wrong he was. The Man's face was red with anger. His knuckles were dyed with blood, his eyes bloodshot. The man screamed fury but he was not in the position to question that. Taking a deep breath, he smiled and said unaffectedly.
"Okay, sir."