The Price Of Sincerity
Candour
Outside the glass window of Max's apartment looks dark starless sky, while the digital clock on his desk shows at 08.24 pm. Max seemed to be busy with the pile of paper that was in front of him. It had been almost an hour since he had finished eating and was sitting there. His computer was still on.
Suddenly in the middle of the busyness was heard a loud voice from his phone. A call came in from the number he dialed twelve hours ago. They didn't say much, Max left his desk after the call ended. He came out of his room, walking towards the entrance.
Beeping. Door opens.
Max was not surprised when he opened the door, he was faced with three men. Two men bowed to her before leaving, while one looked anxiously at Max. The man entered nervously as Max moved his head as a sign to tell him to come in. That's Lery.
The atmosphere seemed unfriendly, Lery sat on the sofa uneasily while Max was in front of the fridge choosing which drink he would casually grab. He picked up two bottles of cold cola on the second shelf, and took them to where Lery was.
“Drink, surely you are tired after a long trip is not it?” max said as he handed Lery a bottle of the drink he had brought.
“Te-thank you,” reply the man hesitated to receive the drink.
Max sat next to him, drinking his cola half a bottle. While Lery could only gulp her saliva, she did not dare to drink the cola she received.
“Why?” Max looked at Lery who just looked down, “Are you afraid I'll poison you?”
Lery shook his head quickly, he was simply unable to make a sound. Max takes the drink back from the man's hand, opens the lid and gives it back to Lery. “It's even still in the seal, what are you afraid of.”
With all the courage he had, Lery drank two sips of cola. He looked down again not daring to hold his head up, let alone to look at Max. He's not really brave.
A faint smile was exposed on Max's face, he chuckled at Lery's frightened-looking behavior beside him. He hugged the man.
“For a long time not meeting Lery, how are you? What's fun there?” whispered.
Beeping. Door opens.
Max and Lery's hug came off as soon as the tall male figure entered and was not far from them. Dye stood up with a gasping breath. The presence of the man made Lery's countenance change drastically, he looked even more relieved now. Although only a little.
“Wah, you came sooner than I thought yes.” Max smiled sinisterly at Dye. “I hope you're not here to pick her up, Dye?”
Max seemed to casually lean his back against the sofa, and looked at Dye waiting for a response. He hoped the man's answer would not disappoint him.
“What do you want to know? You can ask me, he doesn't know anything.”
“And for the thing I want to know isn't it up to me to ask who? I want him to answer, he's also here because he wants to answer my question. Isn't that so Lery?”
Max's usual glances were piercing as their eyes stared. Lery could only nod in resignation. “See? I didn't do anything to her, did I?”
It seemed like Dye was already unable to dodge anymore, she had to tell him the true events. Whatever will happen later he has freely accepted it. Dye took a deep breath before exhaling it briefly. “Good.”
Max, Dye and Lery sit together on the couch. The three of them seemed to be in a tense atmosphere. Max is still waiting, he is still waiting for Lery to tell her what happened back then so she takes Rose away from her engagement event.
“That—I really didn't intend to take her off the show. He asked for helpku—for..” Lery glanced at Dye who was sitting opposite to him, the man nodded before Lery continued his words. “Hospital. I mean—I drove him to the hospital. I could have sworn I didn't take him away. For God's sake.”
Max thought for a moment, as he remembered when the engagement was Rose was fine. Even the woman looked happy, the smile plastered on Rose's face that night still lingered in her mind. He frowned before asking, “What's he going to the hospital for?”
Dye and Lery looked at each other at the question, they fell silent.
“Dye? What else are you hiding from me?” Max looked at Dye seriously, he desperately needed any information right now. He must find his ex-fiancee soon. As soon as possible before his new love withers away.
“She's pregnant,” Dye replied after swallowing her own saliva.
Max's eyes did not blink, blinking several times. He was surprised, confused, astonished, incredulous, angry or whatever he couldn't say. He stood up, he moved around unbecoming.
“He's pregnant? How could she be pregnant, even I haven't done that with her. What is he—.” Max was silent, he rushed to his room. He walks to his desk with a fast heartbeat, Max checking the desk drawer. There aren't. He ruffled a pile of papers on his desk. He was looking for something, he was looking for a photo he saw in the morning. A picture of Rose and the man she said she was cheating on.
He really could not be sure, because he did not believe it from the beginning if the woman cheated on him. The cheating man was also driver Rose of course always with him everywhere. Max re-examined the photos one by one, maybe there were about fifteen photos. For eight photos at the beginning he left to fall to the floor just like that after seeing it.
Max's hand stalled in the ninth photo, a photo of Rose and the man holding hands entering a cafe. Max separated the photo, he looked again. And there are two photos that show both of them very close when entering and inside a bar.
Max placed the three photos on his desk, resting his hands on the edge of the table. Why only now, why only now did he see her. She was so scared, she was afraid that what Dye said was true. He did not dare to look at the photos carefully, just a glance. And now? All this time he believed in the reason that was on his mind, not paying enough for the sincerity he received. All this time, he didn't want to believe the fact that the woman left him because of another man. Max clenched his hand, he hit the table hard.
Max exits his room, Dye and Lery stare at him. The expression on Max's face looked angry but there was also a deep sadness from his gaze.
“Dye take Lery to the computer room, find the woman any way.”
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