us know of Ariel’s location. Please miss.” “Are you begging her?” I asked Andre, giving him an irritated look. “She has a hold of Ariel, and her life is in danger. We have no choice.” “We have a choice,” I said immediately, shifting my gaze to the woman in red standing in front of me. “You better tell me where Ariel is, or else…” “Or else what?” Her voice was sharp, interrupting me mid–sentence. My frustration was reaching its peak, but I somehow found the strength to keep my composure. I could feel the tension in the air as we both stood there, glaring at each other. I didn’t even know if I should try to find the right words to diffuse the situation or if I should slam her to the ground. Because this woman could make me go nuts, she was already driving me crazy. I shook my head in intense annoyance. “How did my father even get married to you?” “How did you love me so much all those years?” She retorted with an acidic smile. “You know, you can just put your pride down and…” “There’s no pride around here,” I interrupted. Andre held both of my shoulders. “Think about Ariel. Would you want her to die?” I took his hands off my shoulders, and then I sighed deeply, closing my eyes and thinking things through. If Ariel died, how would my life be after that? Hold on, why were thoughts coming in like this? Who was Ariel to me anyway? I was going to tell her something until her children had to interrupt, and realizing that brought me to a universe of pure spleen. And my ignorance was what put her in this situation. If I had helped her, we wouldn’t be living in this moment right now. “You should start thinking like your friend, Pushki. He has a brain right in that head of his,” my mother continued with her mocking tone. f exhaled deeply for the second time. “You want me to beg you, right? I’ll do it.” “You should go down on your knees.” She smirked, tilting her head left with her arms crossed. Andre and I exchanged a glance immediately, and my glare towards this woman had to intensify.