I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU
104. The real thing

Ariel's body slumped and rested on the floor. His tears were rushing, his breathing was panting and his eyes were staring at the unconscious Bram with blood flowing from his forehead.

Although his body was still trembling, he knew for sure, the wound on Bram's forehead was not fatal. The reason Bram was unconscious according to Ariel's guess was because he had previously hit the side of Bram's neck.

Ariel rubbed and looked at his face. Started to sob considering the things that would almost befall him. Suppressing her feelings and wiping away the flowing tears, Ariel approached Bram's body and attempted to move his body onto the bed.

"Why does something like this happen?" murmured Ariel listlessly.

Ariel turns to look for Bram's clothes when she realizes they are completely unusable. And once again Ariel was choked to what she saw.

In Bram's room, full of photos of him, even photos of their togetherness in the past are framed beautifully on the walls of Bram's room.

Ariel also saw his umbrella that he had lent to Bram when they met again elsewhere after being in the art gallery at the time. And an acoustic guitar that he had once sought at auction.

"Why did you torture yourself, Bram?" said Ariel lirih.

Ariel's gaze returned to Bram and hurried to change his clothes, wearing Bram's shirt that he got from the closet.

Finished wearing clothes, Ariel took clean water and a medicine box to treat the wound on Bram's forehead. Ariel could not have left Bram just like she is now, believing Bram would not have done anything like he did tonight if he had been conscious.

Carefully, Ariel treated Bram's wounds and cleaned the broken glass on the floor, then sat beside Bram's bed until Ariel fell asleep.

...>>>>>>>--<<<<<<<...

#The next day at Joel's house.

Joel was startled by Christina's presence that morning as she was about to leave for work.

"What do you want?" ask Joel flat.

"I know you love Ariel so much, and I didn't come to bother you" said Christina softly.

"I just can't accept if he's playing you" he added.

"Omong is empty" Joel said.

"If you just keep putting him down like that, you better never see me again" Joel snorted.

"You're angry just because I said this while she was having fun with Bram in her apartment, right,?" greet Christina.

"Go home! I don't have much time just for your bullshit" replied Joel annoyed.

Joel passes Christina and leaves. Just as Joel was about to get into his car, Christina yelled at him.

"If you don't believe me, I can prove it" cried Christina.

Joel's movements stopped and looked back at Christina who approached him, giving Joel a brown envelope.

"If you still don't believe me, investigate yourself at Bram's apartment, I've written the address inside. There's always a cctv, and look at it for yourself" Christina said.

"I'm saying this because I accidentally saw it" he added.

Finished saying that, Christina left just like that leaving Joel who was still sculpting.

Joel got into the car and opened the envelope that Christina had given him. Instantly Joel widened his eyes looking at the photo in his hand.

Ariel with Bram in the photo where Ariel is holding Bram out of a nightclub. Also the photo when Ariel entered the apartment Bram.

"When was this photo taken?" mumbling Joel.

"Yesterday Ariel came home late, and still had time to text me, so when was this photo taken?" mumbling Joel.

Joel shakes his head, trying to stay clear-headed.

"No, I better ask later, I don't want to go back to misunderstanding and it will affect my relationship with Ariel" Joel said.

Joel pulled the lever and started running his car to the hospital to work. On the way, the photo again disturbed his heart, making Joel pull out his phone and contact Ariel after pulling out his car.

Long wait, the call is still not lifted, to make Joel repeat it for the third time.

"Hi, Bunny," said Ariel. "Sorry, I just got out of the toilet" he continued.

Ariel's greeting voice was a little reassuring, but Joel still wanted to make sure about the photo he saw a while ago.

"Where are you now?" ask Joel.

"Hey, what's up? Did something happen?" ariel replied asking.

"Jawab only" said Joel.

"Why is your voice so tense?" greet Ariel.

"Ariell,,?"

"Yes, yes, well, I'll answer. I'm not in the apartment, because I got a sudden call" Ariel replied.

"Where?" ask Joel.

"Your question sounds like you already know where I am" Ariel said.

"And is my guess right?" joel asked, starting to sound annoyed.

"I don't want to answer the question of an angry person" Ariel said.

"Ariell,,, then,,,!" furious Joel.

"What?" answer Ariel.

Joel heard Ariel take a deep breath before returning to speak.

"Look! I will tell you the details later, it will be easier to say if I face you directly than yelling at each other through a mobile phone" said Ariel calmly.

"I'll see you later after you're done, okay?" persuade Ariel.

"Where should I pick you up?" ask Joel.

"I'll see you at the hospital" Ariel replied.

"It's quieter now?" ask Ariel.

"Well, I'm sorry, I just_,,,"

"What?" ask Ariel.

"Then we meet again" Joel said, ending his call immediately.

"I'm just afraid you're going away from me, I'm afraid you're leaving me, I'm afraid you're turning away from me and coming back to him" Joel murmured softly as he stared at the phone in his hand.

"I've always been afraid you'd come back to her, to the one you've loved, the one who has everything, the one who has anything more than me,"

Joel lays his head on being driven for a while, trying to win his ever-volatile heart just by looking at Ariel with Bram.

Taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Joel drove his car back to the hospital.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Ariel stared at her phone as Joel ended the call abruptly. Feeling Joel know something and say nothing to her.

"I'm starting to feel something awkward right now" murmured Ariel.

"Call it a coincidence, but it's a too-perfect coincidence" he said, thinking.

His gaze turned to Bram who was still asleep, but the next second Ariel's attention was distracted by the sound of the doorbell.

Ariel walked towards the door, then peered through the door hole to see who had come to watch.

"Sam,?" hiss Ariel.

"He's one of the most trusted people, Bram, isn't he?" mumbling slowly.

With a slow motion, Ariel opened the door, not caring about Sam's surprised reaction at that moment, Ariel only said one firm word that Sam could not resist.

"Lake in!" Ariel Strictly.

Sam who was very surprised to see Ariel in his master's apartment just according, but once he was inside, Sam looked at Ariel with a confused look.

"N-Miss Ariel? This really you? How did you get here? Since when? How do you know where you live?" scowl Sam as soon as Ariel closes the door.

"Then, why do you_,,,,"

Sam did not continue his sentence, but his eyes were clearly staring at Ariel from top to bottom.

The frown on his face seemed clearly filled with questions that wanted to get an answer right away.

"Sit down before you ask, Sam," Ariel said in a calm voice.

"M-I'm sorry," welcome Sam nervously.

Sam was sitting on the sofa opposite Ariel. His head was bowed when he met Ariel again after a few years ago when Ariel and Bram were still in a relationship.

"I'll answer your question, but before that, can you answer my question?" ariel Pinta.

"Sure miss," welcome Sam still nervous.

'Is this really the same Miss Ariel? Miss changed so much compared to before, now miss is much more beautiful and charming, even just wearing a shirt-waiting, is that a master shirt?' inner Sam.

"Is Bram here with you from the beginning?" ask Ariel.

"No, miss," replied Sam politely.

"Sir contacted me after a few weeks of leaving, and asked me to catch up with him" Sam said.

"Did Mr. Evrad know Bram was here?" ask Ariel again.

"Absolutely not," Sam replied.

"I caught up with the master quietly, and the great master didn't really care where the young master was, '" explained Sam.

"Tell me what really happened? Why Bram_,,,"

Ariel breathed a rough breath, trying to ease her sudden anger in her heart.

"Tell me everything, Sam!" ariel Pinta.

"But lady, it is not my authority to say everything without your permission" Sam replied reasoned.

Ariel sighed softly, perfectly understanding of Sam's current position. But he also has no other way but to ask Sam for an explanation, the only person who knows so much about him, Bram and Bram's father.

"Mr.Evrad came to see me a few days ago, said a lot of nonsense to me," said Ariel.

"What,,???" exclaimed Sam reflex woke up from his seat in shock.

"Given your reaction, it's obvious you know something" Ariel flatly welcomed.

"Bram was at a nightclub last night and was drunk" Ariel said.

"Somehow drunk he was that he didn't realize someone was putting drugs in his drink and that's when the bartender on duty called me,"

"I had no choice but to pick her up, Bram and drive her home, in the end I'm stuck here" Ariel said.

"What-a-apaka sir has_,,,," Sam hung up his sentence and sat on the couch.

"No" answered Ariel. "Almost," said Ariel began to feel tightness in his heart.

But Ariel quickly controls her own heart.

Seeing that, Sam understood the reason Ariel was there and wore his master's shirt.

"I understand, miss. You don't have to say it, please forgive me," Sam regretted.

"I'll say everything" he added.

Sam took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.

"It all started when the master defied the wishes of the great master to make the great master lose control and beat the master mercilessly,"

"None of us saw him dare to stop him. The master even only resigned when the great master beat him,"

"Master thinks if you fight back then, you will put you in a difficult situation,"

As if struck by lightning, Ariel widened her eyes when she heard Sam's words.

"So, the cut on his lips back then was because of Mr. Evrad?" ask Ariel to make sure.

"Well, wait, where do you know about your wound?" sam asked surprised.

....

....

.

.

To be Continue