<><><>
Once home, Yenedith approaches her brother with two cups of hot tea. — Phew… That was… intense. Don't you think? — she says, setting both cups on the coffee table.
— I'm sorry I lied to you. I made you believe you could stay at that mansion because I wanted to keep being your hero, just like when you were a little girl.
— You wanted to be the only one to make the sacrifice, and I recognize that, I appreciate it. It's true that I would have liked to know everything that was going on, but I don't think it would have changed the situation much either. — She places a hand on her brother's interlaced fingers resting in his lap, rests her forehead on his shoulder, and takes a deep breath. — I'm sorry you had to go through all that, it aches me that you didn't have a happy mother when you were a little child. I'm so sorry about what happened at the river, and most of all, I lament complaining about the decision she made. I…
— Yenedith, you didn't know, — says Tadeus, caressing her cheek.
— I will forever rue with all my heart blaming you for…
— Don't say more — Tadeus says, hugging her and covering most of her head with one arm to guard her wail in his heart.
— I wish he'd never known how strong you are, so he wouldn't have tried to break you.
— Sometimes I think he succeeded.
Yenedith separates from the embrace to take a sip of tea. She sees her brother touching the other cup; at that moment, she notices a ring with blue stones on the ring finger of his left hand. — What a beautiful ring.
— I forgot to tell you that when I traveled to Greece, I went with Alexander. I was with him the whole time, and he gave me this ring.
— Elaborate a little more — she says, setting down her cup. She takes Tadeus' cup away, too.
— He proposed to me.
— You obviously said yes. Oh my God, Tadeus! — She brings her hands to her cheeks; the smile she tries to hold back when she notices her brother's uneasy expression spreads impulsively until she even lets out a sigh. She takes his hand to look at the stones more closely. — You've had this ring for weeks! If I hadn't asked you, were you never going to tell me?
— We're not in a relationship anymore; it was all…
— Oh, uh…
— A lie from the start.
— Are you serious? I thought that…
— I flew here to see you, and I haven't heard from him since. I don't think we'll ever see each other again.
— But Tadeus, you love him. Have you talked to him?
— I couldn't convince him to leave that corrupt life behind too. I couldn't go on living in fear that he'd eventually find out I lied to him, and to be honest, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to say no to him. I think it's better this way; no contact, no tears, no pain. Like ripping off a Band-Aid in one quick pull.
— You don't have to convince yourself that it doesn't hurt.
<><><> OCTOBER <><><>
Alexander is watching news reports from twenty years ago about the uproar caused by the disappearance of two children in a rural area — According to testimony from prosecutors' office agents, the farm, the family's primary residence, showed no signs of a struggle. But the presence of personal items such as the mother's wallet and the children's identification suggested that there was no intention to leave the residence permanently… Ah… This is driving me insane.
At that moment, he receives a text message: — Everything's ready.
To which he replies — Come right now.
About half an hour later, Alexander meets Claire at his apartment in the early hours of the morning. — I was hoping you'd see my message when you woke up this morning.
— What do you have?
— I have copies of the files from the investigation into Edward and Esther Singer, the children of the man we now know goes by the alias "Coyote"— she hands him the folder.
The report lists the date of the disappearance, the father as the prime suspect, statements from the father, relatives, and acquaintances about the family, and photos of the scene and the children. The photo of the child Edward, that smile reminds him of the time Tadeus smiled before kissing him after introducing him to his grandmother. He feels his throat begin to tighten and the heat in his face increment. It even includes a paternity test report ordered by the police a year ago — Tadeus Windmill… there's a 99.9 percent probability… It concludes that the father is Edwin Singer.
— I had another test done through some contacts in prison who gave me Singer's hair, and a police officer who got me Tadeus' saliva sample because the judge ordered a DNA test to confirm his identity for the trial, now that he's gone back to his birth name.
— Where is he?
— I have the test results right here.
— Where's Tadeus? I need to see him.
— Don't hurt yourself any more — she says, placing her hand on Alexander's arm, but he pushes her away.
— He lives with his sister in the southern part of the city, but none of my contacts have access to his address. They really don't want his identity to leak to the press.
— Who is their attorney?
<><><>
Tadeus, for his part, has a meeting with his lawyer, who explains the possible outcome of the trial. The company is still under investigation for financial crimes, so the accounts will remain frozen for a while.
— We won't receive a single cent from the civil lawsuit for kidnapping and extortion until they close the main case — Yenedith complains — Fucking luck we've got.
— Be proud of everything you've accomplished. This is better than nothing — he says, taking her hand and squeezing it to encourage her.
— At least we have a cushion for our ex…penses… — Yenedith is taken aback at first, but isn't sure whether to smile when she notices her brother's expression — How are you, Alexander? It's been a while.
— Hi — he says seriously. Tadeus takes a deep breath and blinks three times to make sure he's not dreaming — Could you give us a minute, Yen?
— I'll wait for you in the car. Just tell him the truth, like we discussed — she whispers before walking away.
— Is your name Edward? — Alexander's appearance with his disheveled hair and reddened eyelids, makes Tadeus worry.
— That's always been my name, at least here. I guess you already know… about my father.
— How long have you known they're involved with the mafia?
— Ever since I met them, about a year ago or more.
— Was it your plan to get close to me from the start to sabotage my business?
— I didn't know it would go this far.
— You must have enjoyed putting me in danger.
— What?
— Tell me, did you feel happy when they shot me?
— You know that's not true.
Alexander takes a deep breath and exhales, gazing up at the sky before looking back into her eyes. — Is this what you wanted? — he says, his eyes start brimming with tears. — To distract me with empty words and false promises until I fell in love with you? Answer me. What did you really think the first time I told you I love you? — The tears don't make it all the way down to his chin because Tadeus wipes them away. Alexander holds onto his wrists to keep that contact a little longer.
— Don't fill your head with wrong conclusions.
— What's the truth then?
Tadeus pulls his hands away, and in that instant Alexander places his own on the back of his neck, bringing their faces closer together — Please… Give me an explanation. I'll believe whatever you tell me. No matter what it is, I believe you — He sighs against Tadeus' lips and kisses him intensely.
— I don't want to lie to you anymore.
Alexander nods, looks him in the eyes, and holds his face with both hands to kiss him once more.
Tadeus breaks the kiss, pressing both hands against his chest in an attempt to speak. — I sent men to your house the night I introduced you to my family so you wouldn't discover my intentions.
— Why didn't you tell me that when I asked?
— Because I killed Leonard and Dove after that — Alexander lowers his hands and pushes him away before taking a step back. Tadeus takes a deep breath to continue. — While you were distracted looking for answers about their disappearance, I negotiated with the Greeks so they would no longer work with you.
— Did you know my life might be in danger?
— Yes.
— You were always aware of everything, weren't you?
— I had no other choice; I had to protect my family from my father's threats. I'm truly sorry. — Tadeus notices Alexander's gaze drifting downward, but his expression doesn't change. He flinches slightly when he feels a caress on his cheek again; it moves down to his neck and slides through the opening of his shirt, where his fingers play with the chain necklace with a ring on it.
— It's fine — When Alexander looks up into his eyes, the tears escape him — And what about the promise you made to me? Are you going to break it? — Alexander, though he hesitates for a moment, wraps his hand around Tadeus' waist as he waits – It hurts to think… it would hurt to know that everything you demonstrated to me was just an act.
At that moment, Tadeus lurches forward and leans on Alexander's shoulders to keep from falling to the ground. — Ah… ugh! — he groans.
Alexander feels moisture on his hand; he realizes it's blood when he pulls it away from Tadeus' back. Then he looks around, trying to spot anyone suspicious, but all he sees are people running.
The sister rushes out of the car — What on earth happened?!
— Call an ambulance! — Alexander tries to rest Tadeus against his knee and left arm; he opens his coat to see where the blood is coming from. He notices a bullet orifice on the side of Tadeus' lower abdomen, as well as a stain on his leg that extends down its length.
— They're on their way! Don't close your eyes, don't fall asleep! — Yenedith pleads, her face close to her brother's.
— I'm awake — he says, opening his eyes to see Alexander's face and his sister's appear in his field of vision. As soon as they arrive, the paramedics cut off his clothes, put an oxygen mask on him, and bandage his wounds lightly until they reach the hospital.