I Would Kill For You

15. At The End Of The Tunnel

❝ darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. ❞

martin luther king jr

I was dreaming, wasn't I? My vision blackened out of a sudden and I shut my eyes for a second, but when I opened them, he was still there, right in front of me. It wasn't a dream. It was very, very real.

"You'll have to excuse my other son. He's running late, as usual. Punctuality was never his forte." William Belfort apologised affably.

My other son. My other son. My other son.

His words reverberated in my mind like a broken radio. I goggled at Joseph, unable to say anything. Even though he was Damian's twin, they were far from identical. He wasn't intimidating and didn't have that mysterious, dark aura that his brother did. He returned my gaze bashfully, visibly uncomfortable because of my insistent, critical scrutiny. He was just as handsome, but if Damian's beauty was almost destructive, fatal, his beauty was soothing, familiar, like a childhood song that brought you solace whenever you heard it.

"Excuse me." I muttered with a strangulated tone, rushing to the bathroom. I needed to calm down my nerves. I considered splashing my face with cold water, but I didn't want to ruin my make-up. 

I hid my face in my palms, taking deep breaths. 

Okay, Damian had a twin brother. No big deal. He just never mentioned him to me for whatever reason. Did Ellie know? Did Devon know? A scarier question popped in my head.

Did everyone know, except me?

Composure. Composure. I inhaled sharply, swallowing the hard lump in my throat. I glanced at myself in the mirror. I could do this. I got this.

I exited the ladies room and faced my parents again. Thankfully, Joseph and his father were already mingling with other people.

"Are you okay, Rosie? You look a little bit pale." my dad noticed worryingly.

"Why wasn't Joseph on the guest list?" I questioned them slightly revolted.

"Because we didn't know he'd be coming until yesterday. We forgot to tell you, dear. We had so much on our hands, with the party and all. Why, is there a problem? You kept staring at him as if he were a ghost." my mom noted, tucking a dark blonde strand behind her ear. With her subtle diamond earrings and necklace, elegant updo and sophisticated gown, she resembled a young queen.

"I wasn't aware of his existence, that's all." I said in a calmer tone. "I should probably apologise to him. He must think I'm some lunatic."

"Great idea, Rosabel. But don't disappear anywhere. The food will come in a minute."

"You know I wouldn't disappear anywhere without food first." I responded with a playful grin.

 I looked in the crowd for Joseph and caught him chatting enthusiastically with Devon. He was gesticulating a lot when talking and seemed a very open-minded, nice person, perhaps a little awkward. Devon was watching him with his typical conqueror smile on, nodding every once in a while. They couldn't have been more different. Joseph was captivating through his simplicity and frankness of manners, the blonde through his luxurious looks.

 I straightened my dress and approached them. Devon noticed me almost immediately and beckoned me over. His arm wrapped around my shoulders and he pulled me closer to him. As usual, he smelt of strong perfume and cigarettes.

"Bel, you've met Joe here, haven't you?"

Joe. Short for Joseph. Monica's boyfriend. It all made sense now, the photo in Monica's album. It wasn't Damian that was kissing her cheek, it was him. He's nothing like his ill-tempered brother, Devon had told me, but I didn't pay any attention to that bit. Maybe if I did, I wouldn't have been in this position. I looked at Joseph with different eyes out of a sudden. He wasn't only Damian's brother, he used to be Monica's boyfriend, Devon's friend. It was so puzzling: two twin brothers, one considered to be Monica's killer, the other one her boyfriend. One was Devon's mortal enemy, the other one his friend. That made me presume that Joseph and Damian didn't get along.