Kristof and Adam raced by carriage to the mine after Adam was done recounting the story. After the news, Kristof's heart had stopped beating for a second. How could this have happened? An explosion in his mine!
When they arrived at their destination, it was complete chaos. Men were screaming, running, and crying. During Adam's absence, the survivors had laid all the bodies that were found together. Twenty-two bodies were taken out of the rubble already, but not everyone had been found yet.
"What exactly happened?" Kristof asked the mine supervisor.
"I don't know, sir, but my guess is that we had a methane gas leak," the man replied with teary eyes.
"I'll inform the police and call in doctors for the wounded."
Kristof quickly got to work. It helped to have money in situations like these. He wanted to make sure his injured workers got the best care possible.
Kristof then helped the men collect their fellow workers' bodies and covered them up with a cloth. Most of them had died from inhaling the dust. But the bodies that were killed inside the explosion had not been found yet. Kristof was scared for what he would find, but he needed to be here for his men. He needed to show them that they were not alone in this tragedy.
And then there was yet another task that Kristof had to do. The families of the deceased men had to be notified about what had happened, and bringing that news was something that made Kristof even more afraid.
~~~
Searching with lit torches, they'd found the very last missing worker when it was almost midnight. A total of forty-three men had died and many more were injured. Kristof was heartbroken by every death.
Forty-three fathers, husbands, sons, and brothers. Dead.
Some families had already arrived to take the bodies home. Shrieking cries filled with pain and loss tugged at the core of Kristof and it was all he'd heard that night.
Wives threw themselves on the dead bodies of their beloved husbands. Mothers fainted when they saw their sons lying on the ground. The men's faces were black from dust, but their eyes were wide open and lifeless.
It was the darkest day out of Kristof's life. All these men had died because of his mine. He immediately promised to pay for the funerals of every single worker. The families were grieving, but they were also grateful for his generosity.
It was the last thing he could do.
✧══════•❁❀❁•══════✧
"I'm sorry Klaus, but things are pretty hectic today. Kristof had to leave because of an explosion in the mine and everybody is very shaken up about it. Also here in the castle," Armin said, apologizing for the not-so-welcoming reception his friend had to receive.
"It's okay, Armin. I'm very sorry to hear about the accident. Do you know what happened?"
"No, I know nothing. I hope it's not too bad and the men are okay." Armin bit his lip with worries. Kristof had left hours ago. "Anyway, let us drink some tea now and catch up. I need some distraction."
"I'd like that," Klaus responded.
During tea, the two men caught up on what was going on in their lives.
"So, how is married life?" Klaus carefully asked. He'd heard from their friends about Armin's misfortune. How he'd hated to marry the man with only one hand.
"Very well," Armin answered with a genuine smile.
"It is? I heard you didn't want to marry the man at all."
YOU ARE READING
From hate to love (BxB) COMPLETED √
RomanceA young man is forced to marry the much older Kristof, who isn't only known as the wealthiest person in the country, but also as an ugly, flawed, and grotesque man. Will Armin look past his new husband's imperfect looks and perhaps even learn to lov...
