Page 84 of Light in Your Eyes
"It's a suicide," the guard says with guilt present in his voice. "He poisoned himself."
"What?" the brother's voice breaks, and I can almost feel his pain.
"He what?" another voice echoes, and my breath catches in my throat.
I know who this voice belongs to.
"Layla," I whisper in disbelief.
I told her not to come with me, but she must have followed me because of her worry.
Before I can proceed to make my presence known to all of them, Marco's brother hisses, "You filthy bitch. It's because of you that he died."
I stride with anger boiling my blood.
"No." Layla sounds like she's bursting into tears.
"You fucking manipulator." Marco's brother sounds like he wants to kill her. "You'll fucking pay for this one, you—"
I grab him before he can finish his sentence. I wrap my fingers around his throat, putting pressure with my tight grip. "Watch your mouth," I hiss. "Do not speak to her like that."
It takes everything in me to not choke him. The only thing saving him from my wrath is the fact that his brother just died. I can understand his anger because I have a brother too. I don't know what I will do if the same thing happens to Jackson.
I loosen my grip on him and let him go. He pants heavily, but he doesn't say anything back.
The sound of Layla's footsteps rushing outside makesme snap around. Worry consumes me when I follow the sound of her shoes stomping on the ground.
"Layla," I shout. "Wait."
But she doesn't listen to me. She keeps running, and I keep chasing her like my life depends on it. The direction she goes in lets me know that we're heading toward the ground floor.
I'm sure that we reach the backyard when I feel the afternoon breeze blowing through my skin and the rays of sun touching my face. I follow Layla until I hear the sound of water from the fountain.
Her footsteps stop, and I know from the sound of her knees dropping to the ground that she's crying in front of the fountain with her head lying on the edge of it.
I freeze on the spot. Hearing her cries again petrifies me. Her sobs break, and my heart shatters even more. My hands are shaking at my sides because I feel like falling apart too.
"It's my fault," she whispers heartbrokenly. "He died, and it's because of me."
"No," I say firmly.
My voice is also shaking because of the pain I feel for her. I engulf her in a tight embrace from behind. "Please don't say that," I rasp.
I feel her tears on my skin when our cheeks touch. I can taste her tears, and it's not only on my lips but also in my heart. It tastes like a bitter punishment.
"It was never your fault," I say, swallowing a lump in my throat.
If it's anyone's fault, it's mine.
If I hadn't been an ass in the beginning, she wouldn'thave sought comfort in anyone else.
If I had been a great man and leader who could protect my fighters, he wouldn't have doubted me and thought of me as a horrible human being.
If I hadn't been blind, he might have believed that I could protect her.
Layla keeps crying in my arms while I keep hugging her from behind. The mixture of the sound of her crying and the water from the fountain creates harmony in the silent afternoon.
I'm silent, but in my head, Marco's voice echoes very clearly, as though the dead man is watching us and trying to warn me.
