5

It's been two weeks since I left Dom. A week of pure sleuth as I sneakily checked my phone for texts, voicemails, missed calls, anything. I haven't heard a word from him.

I told myself I wasn't waiting for him but it was all lies. I feel like maybe a part of me wants him to try and reach out, just to show some kind of emotion, but nothing happened. He really isn't one to show how he feels, he likes to bottle them inside.

I sighed as I leaned on the couch, blanket still around me, switching on the television. I swiped to the N*****x station deciding to watch an animation to pass time. I chose Red Panda as it's been out for sometime and has also been on my watchlist.

What better time to get lost in cartoons than after a heartbreak, right?

I shrugged the blanket off my shoulders and made a move to the kitchen to get a tub of strawberry ice cream and a spoon. I come back and situate myself, legs tucked in and play the movie.

I watched till the part where Mei-lei and four towns started to sing, "nobody like you" and I couldn't help the tears that threatened to flow as I listened to the lyrics. When they sang the part that said, "I'm never gonna let you cry, oh cry, oh cry. I'm always gonna be your ride, or die, or die," the water works started. With each words, tears flowed as I put a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth, blubbering the lyrics.

After about twenty minutes, the movie came to an end and I yawned, wiping dry tears from my face and stretched my limbs. I heard a snap, crack and pop as I did so.

The house was silent and only the sound of the clock ticking filled the silence. My head tilted in it's direction and it read 6:15pm. I watched the movie for almost two hours considering I woke by 4. I sat again and decided to watch a kdrama series, "Lovers of the red sky." I moved the arrow to the read synopsis option and clicked.

“Set during the Dan dynasty era when ghosts, demons and gods are involved in human life, the story recounts the fateful relationship of a female painter (Kim Yoo-jung) and a blind astrologer (Ahn Hyo-seop). It begins at the sealing ceremony conducted at the 3rd year of King Seongjo's rule where they try to extract Ma Wang (Demon King: god of Death), who is residing in former King Yeongjong's body, and seal it inside a portrait of the King painted by a divine painter. Though they manage to seal the Demon King successfully with the help of Samshin (goddesses of Life), the Demon King places a curse on the country that it will suffer from droughts and famine for years to come. He also curses the offspring of Ha Seong-jin (the officer who conducted the sealing ceremony) and Hong Eun-ho (the painter of the King's portrait). Both Ha Seong-jin's son, Ha Ram, and Hong Eun-ho's daughter, Hong Cheon-gi, are born on that very day. Cheon-gi is born blind due to the curse of Demon King.

Nine years later, the country has been suffering from severe drought and the royal shaman is preparing for the Dragon Rain Making Ritual. Ha Ram, as a child born with the energy of water, is noticed by her and she chooses him as the helper of rain making ritual. As they come to the capital to attend the ritual, Ha Ram meets blind Hong Cheon-gi who lives with her father, who had lost his sanity after the sealing ceremony. The two children make memories with each other and promise to meet again after the rain ritual. But, unexpected things happen at the ritual. The King's portrait in which the Demon King is sealed gets burned and the Demon King enters Ha Ram's body. Ha Ram who was sacrificed in order to make rain, comes back to life with his sight lost while Cheon-gi miraculously gains her sight since Samshin takes the Demon King's eyes and leaves them with Cheon-gi.

Now, 19 years later Hong Cheon-gi is a talented painter at Baek-yoo Painting Group and the only female painter of that time. She copies valuable paintings to make money for her father's medicine. Ha Ram has become an astrologer at Seomungwan: government office in charge of astronomy, weather and calendar. He is capable of predicting the future by tracing the movement of stars. He also lives a disguised life as Ilwolseong: the chief of information organization Wolseongdang in order to take revenge on the royal family who had destroyed his family 19 years ago.

After Hong Cheon-gi and Ha Ram reunite, they fall for each other, but the duo is sucked into the machinations of the royal court, particularly those involving two princes: the free-spirited Prince Yangmyeong (Gong Myung) and the cruel, scheming Prince Juhyang (Kwak Si-yang) – a man who longs to become the next king. Their relationship is further disturbed because one of them (Ha Ram) is possessed by the Demon and the other one (Hong Cheon-gi) is the divine painter tasked with making the vessel in which the Demon must be sealed.”

The synopsis was really good, so I settled to watch it. It was so interesting that I didn't know when I had reached the eighth episode, it was the drooping of my eyes and the splitting headache I was starting to get that had me pausing the movie for the meantime.

I took the now empty tub of ice cream and disposed it in the trashcan. Opening the fridge, I brought out a can of orange juice and took a big gulp before returning it to its normal position. I went back to the couch and stood, picked up the remote and my fingers pressed the news channel by accident.

Ughh, wet fingers... I was about to switch back when the news caught my attention.

"Reports today states that trillionaire son, Dominic Payne was arrested for being the suspect of the murder of twenty year old model, Diana Levitt." Janis Rivers, XVL47 news anchor spoke. "The deceased was last seen entering the car with the suspect on a chilly Saturday morning. The suspect–"

The remote dropped from my hand and landed on the table with a thump, the batteries springing out of it. My eyes remained frozen on the screen.

Dominic killed a girl?

Suddenly a video of him being arrested popped up on the right side of the screen as the news went on. His eyes were hard and bloodshot as he was shouting, "I didn't fucking kill her. That wasn't me, you fucking idiots. Let go of me!!" He struggled to get out of their hold. "Do you know who I fucking am? When I get out of here I'm going to sue you all, you little pieces of shit!!!" With the machine beeping the curse words, he strained against the cops as they cuffed him and pushed him into their car, driving away.

"Hey, what's happening?" I heard Zack ask as he descended the stairs, but I couldn't answer him. My whole attention was on the fact that Dom had just been arrested. Zack stopped by my side and when his eyes read what was on the screen, he swore.

"Oh shit!!"

***

I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the news. Nic, a murderer?! No, something had to be wrong.

He can't do a thing like that.

Sure, he could hurt a fly and some insects but to harm a girl?? That's not likely.

But he was also a bit hot-headed . . .

What if that's how he took out his anger . . . What am I even thinking? He wouldn't/can't do that! I shushed inwardly, silencing the voice of doubt that crept up.

But he did hit Zack, my brain added.

I turned to him. He swiped a hand down his face and silently swore. He bent and rested with his elbows on the back of the couch. His eyes was still trained on the screen, a small frown etched on his face as I could hear the wheels turning in his head.

The room was fairly bright, the source being the one that came from the television. The swelling on his cheek went down after a day and half, and his jaw had gone down to it's chiseled shape.

His black hair hung over his eyes, slightly covering the small silver reading glasses he had on. The sleeves of his sky blue shirt was rolled to the middle of his forearm.

In contrast with Dominic, Zack was always caring. He was funny, charming and ever ready to run to my rescue. Metaphorically speaking, I was Rapunzel stuck in the tower; a damsel in distress, and he was my knight in shining armor, Flint, although Flint was a thief at first. Does that mean Zack is a thieving knight?

What the hell is going on with my brain? I silently asked myself.

I let my mind return to Dominic.

I know I left him but that doesn't mean the feelings still aren't there, it kinda takes time for these things to move away. I mean, yes, he was a major asshole and jerkward but he had his good days.

"Do you think Dom did this, Zack? I don't want to believe any of this but . . ." I stuttered.

I don't know what to believe. Dom was always so secretive, always doing whatever his mum wanted, trying and going out of his way to please his mum.

As the youngest, he received anything and everything he asked for and was his mother's pride. He was like a purse she liked to showcase.

I bet if she told him to put his hand in fire, he would, but to kill someone... I don't think he could. Although I could be wrong...

"I don't know Ria," Zack sighed. "I mean the dude seems capable but something just doesn't feel right. It doesn't add up."

He looked at the screen again, his eyes squinting as if trying to put something in place. Suddenly he slapped his hands together and I jolted in surprise. I turned to him.

"What? What is it?"

"Doesn't that girl looks familiar?" He questioned and my eyes lands on the screen again. She does have this aura of someone I've met though...

"I've been trying to place where I've seen her and then it hit me, relatively speaking," he said and flexed his jaw. "She's the one who came to the restaurant with him," he supplied.

Him? Who's him? I frowned in confusion. "Dominic?" My neck swiftly turned to him and he nodded.

I looked closer and saw he was right. "Leather girl?" I gasped. Zack raised a confused brow and I shook his question away.

"What happened to her?" I whispered.

We both sat on the couch tensely and listened to the news anchor as she spoke.

"Diana Levitt's body was found at the trunk of Mr Payne's vehicle," the newscaster said as a picture of the model popped up at the right upper corner. I took in her black hair that laid on her shoulders, her eyes and her face that held a sweet smile.

"The suspect was first noticed by a witness who was going home and saw the car accident of which Mr Payne was involved in. Rushing to the scene, the passerby met Mr Payne unconscious at that time and dialed 911 emergency line, reporting the accident. The police arrived on the scene and the witness, Daniel Watson, recalled everything he saw. Paramedics were called and Mr Payne was revived, when asked he couldn't remember what had happened. The cops on searching the car, opened the trunk and jumped in shock revealing the dead body of the victim, Diana Levitt."

"The cops handcuffed the suspect, taking him away while the body of the victim was pronounced dead."

"What lies in store for the suspect? What was his motive? Is he really innocent as he claims or is he a hidden serial killer in disguise?"

"We'll bring you all the answers you seek on XVL47 news. This is Janis Rivers, signing out."