HE 2

Two years had passed. I had turned twenty-nine.

The first day we moved to that coastal town, I swore my life would truly be a clean slate. That luxurious home we built with Evelyn, our baby in her womb, the sea air that smells of peace... Everything was designed to erase those bloody brushstrokes of the past. I had promised; I would never fall into that dark pit again.

So, what happened on our first day in that coastal town two years ago?

While Evelyn was relaxing in the house, I watched that woman in the garden of the mansion opposite from the studio window. That mysterious woman in black. They say some habits lead to the grave; I couldn't deny it, I was smitten with that woman. Our paths crossed shortly thereafter. We fell into the same bed through secret meetings, forbidden words, and ultimately an insatiable desire.

But that night, the worst nightmare of my life turned into a trap.

Our breathing hadn't slowed down yet as we held each other in bed when the woman suddenly jumped out of bed. He pulled out a black-barreled gun from the hidden compartment on the nightstand and pointed it right at the center of my forehead. There was no way I could forget that wild sparkle in your eyes.

"It's over, Adrian," he said in an icy voice, with a mocking smile on his lips. "I've been waiting for this day for months to hunt down a scumbag like you. That's it, that's it."

I froze. Turns out he wasn't a neighbor; he was an undercover cop from the organized crime department, a bouncer who had been after me for years. The trigger was about to fall, and my survival instinct came down on me with all its weight.

I was thrown over the barrel at the same time. A deadly struggle began in the room. While the gun was being thrown right and left between our hands, the bedroom door was opened with a noise. Dec.

Evelyn appeared on the threshold.

"Adrian, what the—"

His words were interrupted by the deafening sound of a gun exploding during the struggle.

Time stopped that second. That bullet that ricocheted off her hand or was fired between us. Dec... It had hit Evelyn directly. Evelyn collapsed to the floor slowly, clutching her chest.

"Evelyn!"

My world fell apart for me. I quickly pushed the woman over and ran to Evelyn. When I picked it up, my hands were covered in hot blood. The blood on her stomach and chest was quickly staining the light-colored carpet red. "No, no... Look at me! Baby... The baby's gonna be fine!" I shouted, my voice breaking.

But Evelyn only drew a wheezy breath. That last, painful, but familiar smile appeared on his lips. The light in his eyes slowly went out.

That locked monster inside of me exploded like a volcano that broke free.

I was freaking out. I was unconscious. I was thrown like a tiger towards the policeman, who was staring at me in surprise with his gun on the floor. Whatever I found in my hand —or pulled the gun out of the policeman's hand— I squeezed one after another. I didn't know how many bullets I fired, where I hit. The woman collapsed on the floor covered in blood.

I was left alone in the middle of the room with two corpses and a pool of blood.

I was crazy. My eyes were dimming, a buzzing ringing was echoing in my ears. The blue-red lights of the police sirens coming from the street shone through the windows. I knew; within minutes this place would be packed to the brim, and I would rot behind those iron bars for the rest of my life.

But I hated that prison. I couldn't stay there.

I couldn't do anything. I only looked at Evelyn lying on the ground and at that unborn child in her belly. In that vast emptiness where even my tears have dried up, as the siren sounds that scratch my ears approach... I ran away from there without even looking back.

Evelyn was dead. My child was dead. Everything I had was gone.

And from that day on, Adrian Cole disappeared.

I swore an oath. I was never going to pick up a paintbrush again, never going to look a woman in the eye again and get into that toxic game.

Today.

I am here now. I live alone in that remote seaside town very close to the sea, where the sound of waves calms a person. I stopped drawing and painting many years ago. On my own, I opened a quiet beach cafe. Things were going well, I was earning well. In my own little world, I was living a peaceful (or so I believed) life, braving the ghosts of the past.

Until today.

It was lunchtime. There was a knock on the cafe door. The moment I saw the person entering, all sounds in the world ceased.

She was an incredibly beautiful girl. He had impeccable lines, an assertive style on it, and a dangerous aura that dominated that room the moment he stepped inside. For the first time in two years, I was instantly and completely attracted to a woman. My heart started beating in my rib cage like in the old days.

Immediately after, a terrible fear gripped my mind. *Again? Never. I won't make this mistake again.*

The girl walked straight to the safe. She rested her arms on the counter, leaned forward slightly and called out with a sweet but sarcastic smile, looking into my eyes:

"Your coffee and this cafe... I'm sorry, but it's absolutely terrible, sir."

I stood frozen. That old, dark Adrian inside me tensed up to smile. I took a deep breath and answered in my coldest voice:

"If you don't like it, fuck off."

The girl burst out laughing. Not just an ordinary, polite laugh; a deafening, defiant, dangerous madman's laugh. I saw that abyss in his eyes, that pure psychopathy.

He was just like me. Like the old Adrian.

And I realized that no matter how many oaths we take, some troubles and some loves are inevitable. This was the beginning of a new story that would consume everything.