Chapter 12

Ve took Taria to the seaside, then he asked her to sit down on the chair, and he sat beside her. Taria felt heavy with the sound of every wave, but on the other hand, she was so excited to know more about Tian.

"Listen kid, I won't tell you everything, but I will give you the option to stay with my brother, or to leave before your relationship becomes deeper after you hear what I will say. Are you ready?" Ve said, and his words made her heart shack as if it was about to jump out of her chest. Taria was scared, so scared of hearing what Ve would say, but she held the necklace that Tian made out of her mother's earring, then she took a deep breath, and nodded her head for Ve to start talking.

"Everyone in our family will have to kill at least one person in his life, and I literally mean killing. Tian killed eleven people for now, and I can guarantee that the number will increase in the future. That's why I told you that you can't say (good) about us", Ve said with an expressionless face.

Taria felt her heart hurt as if a spear was shot inside her chest, and she felt that her stomach became stiff. She couldn't breathe properly, and she didn't want to believe what he said, but her brain continued to display scenes indicating that his words were true. The time he came to her house with a wounded leg, the times when he became so worried for no reason, the time when the police were shocked after seeing his ID, and the time when he threw a knife at his brother.

Taria started crying, and her tears covered her cheeks. How can the person who is so kind and caring towards her kill someone? How will she feel safe around him after knowing that? and how will he react after knowing that she knows his true identity?. She looked at the endless black sea that reminded her of Tian while her tears were still falling, then she put her hand on her chest while closing her eyes, and she took a deep breath. She looked at Ve with a sharp look and said "I don't care. I don't care if he was a killer or anything else, sniff. Tian has always been by my side when I needed him since the first day we met, even after knowing that my dad killed his mother. He filled up my lonely night shifts with happiness, and my boring school days with joy. I believe that he had a strong reason to kill those people, and even if he hadn't, I still want to be by his side. I feel safe around him and that is what matters the most".

Ve seemed speechless seeing how brave she was not long after crying like a little child, then he patted her head softly.

"I now see why he likes you a lot", Ve said, but Taria's eyes looked more concerned as if this topic shot another spear into her chest. Ve looked at the sea again while crossing his arms, then he said "I know that you can recognize easily that he likes you. You are smarter than any other young girl I've met in my life, so why are you playing dump?"

"I really didn't know, and why would I be playing in the first place?", Taria said while looking at the sea

"A girl who can differentiate between a normal wound and a poisoned one is smarter than not knowing a person liked her", Ve said, and Taria looked at him, knowing that she can't avoid saying the truth anymore.

"I just wish he hadn't. His feelings would make everything more complicated", Taria said with sad eyes

"Why? Don't you like him too?", Ve said

"I'm scared. Tian has become an important part of my life that I can't live without. I'm now used to seeing him almost everyday, and I can't imagine how empty I would feel if he left. If I agreed to date him, then I would be risking losing him as a friend and a lover at once. My heart can't take another lose", Taria said while holding her necklace

"Ok then, date him when you make sure that you want to move with your relationship to the next stage. That brat can wait", Ve said while patting her head again. Taria looked at Ve's black cold eyes while he was patting her head, then she got emotional and started crying again

"Brother Ve you are the best, sniff, I wish you were my real brother", Taria said while hugging him

"Let go of me, kid. I'm a killer too you know", Ve said coldly while pushing her away

"Ee so mean", Taria said, then she stayed silent for a while, watching the sea that copied the night sky, and feeling the cold wind getting into her lungs and healing her hurt heart. Taria knew that she would never regret the decision she made that night, because she also knew that she reached a point where leaving Tian would be impossible, so she made a ring with her fingers and pointed it towards the moon, then she thought "what's wrong with being with a criminal in the first place?"