BETRAYAL

17

"What!?" they all shouted simultaneously.

"What do you mean you didn't lose your memory? Why have you been pretending like you did then?" Martin questioned him.

"Yeah, why Mike?? Didn't you want to come home to us?" Katherine felt hurt. "Why would you do that??"

"No, of course not," Michael quickly denied. "I wanted to come home more than anything, I wanted to see you more than anyone."

"Then why?" Winnie asked, confused.

"I didn't fall off the cliff. I-"

"You didn't??" Martin eyes widened. Katherine and Winnie had the same expression.

"Then what happened?" Katherine asked him.

"I was pushed," he told them. He felt a sharp pain on his chest as he finally lets that out, but he ignored it.

"Pushed!??" they all exclaimed simultaneously.

"By who? Who would do such thing? And why did Calvin and Haroon told me they saw you fall? Why wouldn't they say anything if someone pushed you?" Katherine asked him, even more confused.

"Because they're the ones who pushed me," Michael said as he looked sadly at her mom.

"WHAT!????" Katherine and Winnie gasped.

"Who is Calvin and Haroon?" Martin asked, seeing as he was the only one that didn't get the depth of what Michael was saying.

"T-They a-are Mike's best friends," Winnie answered him in a small stretched voice, confusion and shock still on her face. How could they?

"Michael, are you really sure about that? Why would Calvin and Haroon do such thing? Why would they try to kill you??" Katherine cried, not wanting to believe they could do such thing to her beloved son.

"She is right Michael, are you sure it was them? Maybe you didn't see t-" Winnie trailed off.

"I'm sure it's them, we were the only three people there," a tear fell from his eye.

He closed his eyes to hold back the tears and opened them again after few seconds, "When I woke up from the coma. I really wished for it to not be true. Everytime I fell back asleep I wished for it to be only a bad dream, a nightmare.....but that wasn't the case, I remember the moment vividly. That day feels like yesterday. I still remember the hurt and betrayal I felt as I fell down that cliff."

"Michael!" Winnie and Katherine cried out. How was that even possible? Martin who didn't yet know the depth of their relationship was also shocked; who could be that heartless?

"It was early in the morning, As you know I'm a morning person. I would usually wake up early and just go for a walk or a run. That day started the same, I woke up early as usual. It was 5 a.m, still a bit dark. I usually refrain from going to a walk in unfamiliar places but since Haroon and Calvin was still sleeping and I didn't want to disturb them I just decided to go for a short walk. I lost track of how far I went and before I knew it I didn't know where I was, I was lost. I took out my phone so I can call someone or something but there was no network so I started looking for the network. Since my face was fixed on my phone as I tried to lift the phone farther up to see if I would get any network that way, I didn't see the big dark pit infront of me. So I fell hard in the pit. I sat myself up and examined my hand which was hurting, I thanked God I only had few scratches and that it wasn't broken. As I tried to wake up I suddenly saw something shinning under a big rock in front of me. I used all my strength and removed the rock and my eyes widened at what I found. A beautiful shinny rock, I was not good with gemstones but I immediately knew I found one. I was so excited to go back to the hotel to show Calvin and Haroon. After a long struggle I finally climbed myself out of the pit. And after hours and hours of searching I finally found my way back to the hotel. It was almost noon when I reached the hotel, Haroon and Calvin were surprised to see me all dirty because they didn't even notice I was long gone since they woke up late in the first place. They only noticed I wasn't in the room and assumed I went down to the lobby to eat or to have a fresh air. I happily showed the gemstone to them and they all agreed it was indeed a gold gemstone, and they all thought a gold that size would cost a fortune. We all agreed that we should just cut the trip there and go back to the city that night. Since I was too tired from all the walking and climbing I took a bath and a short nap. Few hours later when I woke up Haroon and Calvin weren't in the room but they came back after few minutes and told me they thought about it and they thought it was a waste to just go back home after going all the way there. They suggested we should go back the next morning instead and that night we should just go and see the famous waterfall of Getha. I thought why not? And after an hour we all left to see the waterfall. We climbed the cliff for the better view of it. Now come to think of it they all seemed nervous and less chatty on the way. I was the only one who was so excited. But Calvin is like that sometimes, and I figured Haroon must've been tired, he was the less athletic one among the three of us. And everything happened so fast from there, one minute I was telling them how glad I was we went up there instead of just leaving like we initially planned while admiring the waterfalls, the next minute I'm falling down the cliff as the results of being pushed by two pair of hands," tears were falling from his eyes nonstop by the time he finished.

"Oh my God," Katherine cried. She pulled Michael in a hug. Winnie who was also sobbing beside Michael took his hand and hold it so tight. How could they do something that inhuman!!

Martin also silently sobbed.

"How could they do that to you?? How could they!??" Katherine sobbed loudly. "I treated them like my own sons, how could they do this to you? how?"

"Y-you guys were best friends. You cared for them more than anyone, how could they?" Winnie cried.

"And that too over a small gemstone!! Just some small gemstone!! I'll never forgive them. Never!!" Katherine cried.

"Waking up I wanted to come back to you, but coming back to you meant facing it all and I didn't think I was ready for that. I didn't plan to lie that I lost my memories but when I woke up and all the doctors and nurses were calling me Henry, I just took it as a temporary escape place. I didn't think it would come to this. I'm so sorry for not coming back sooner Mom," Michael apologized.

"No, you shouldn't be sorry. They're the ones who should be. I'll make them pay for this, I'll make them pay for doing this to you," Katherine said angrily.

"Yeah, they should pay. They don't deserve to live a peaceful life as if they did nothing wrong," Winnie added, tears in her eyes.

"And to think that all the past five years Calvin kept coming home and smile at me, how dare he?? He must have laughed at how foolish I was smiling at him like that not knowing anything," Katherine wept. Martin then remembered Cal, that must be Calvin. He remembered how Katherine spoke fondly of him as if he was her own son. He felt his blood boiling.

"I'll use everything in my power to make them pay Katherine, I promise," Martin told her.

"No everyone, stop. I'll deal with this. It's not like I've any evidence anyway. It will be hard to bring them to face the law," Michael told them.

"That's why I'm telling you I'll deal with this. Did you forget who I am? I'll use everything in my power to put them behind bars, I'll hire the best lawyers all over the world if I have to."

"No Dad. Don't. Let me deal with this. I'll deal with them my way," Michael told him.

"What's your way Mike? Don't tell me you still think of them as your best friends after all they did to you?" Winnie exclaimed.

Michael didn't know the answer to that. He has been asking himself the same question for the past five years. Does he still think of them as his best friends after all that!?

"I've to meet them to know," He answered her, tears in his eyes.