For The Stars Have Sinned

My heart skipped a beat at what he said. I looked at him dumbfounded as he said what he knew about the incident involving Papa.

“The authorities found out that someone shot your father while he was buying something at a grocery store. The suspect’s face was not clear on the CCTV footage but there were witnesses who witnessed the day your father was shot. They are pointing to Levitus suspects.”

My lips formed a line and stared at him. Is what he says true? He’s not deceiving me, right?

When he noticed that I didn’t believe him, his eyebrows met. “If you ask those witnesses, you’ll know the truth.”

My fist is clenched. “Did you bribe them?”

“Are you doubting my intentions?” he asked and raised an eyebrow.

“Yes,” I answered him.

The corner of his lips twitched and he laughed. I stared at him until the smile disappeared from his lips. Lyndon’s eyes narrowed and he pulled out a photograph. When I looked at it, I frowned.

That was the shot of the CCTV camera and the first thing I noticed was Papa’s blinded body on the floor. There was a man standing by his side and even though the photo wasn’t clear I knew the man was holding a gun. He looked down at Papa.

“Here, see it yourself.”

I accepted the photo he handed me and brought it closer to my face. It is true that he has evidence of what he accused. Even though I can’t see the man’s face very well from the angle of the camera, his bulk is familiar to me. And even if I don’t admit it, I know who the man in the picture is.

I took a deep breath and returned it to him. My lips parted slightly but no words came out. I don’t know what to say when there is evidence that Levi shot Papa.

My fist clenched. Why did he do that? Didn’t he do enough on that rainy night in Boljoon and didn’t even let my father go? For what reason? Why did he shoot Papa?

I looked up at Lyndon and bravely met his sharp gaze that threatened to drown me. “I will ask him first.”

He raised his eyebrows and the corner of his lips twitched. “Are you hoping he’ll confess, Rishel?”

“This doesn’t concern you anymore,” I said then hopped off the car.

In fact, I don’t believe Levi did that for no reason. Maybe this is the right time to ask him why he committed that crime in Boljoon and why he shot Papa.

I sighed and returned to the city. I called the management and asked where Levi was but they didn’t know. The corner of my lips twitched as I stared at the numbers posted on the phone screen.

I just now understood what Levi wanted. He wanted me to be the first to approach him so he hid from the management while he and Nicole were on vacation. I cursed.

I kept calling his number but no one answered. My mood got worse and my face darkened. I was thinking about whether or not to chase after the two idiots, and while I was thinking, someone answered on the other line at last!

I drew a breathe to keep myself from screaming at him. “Levi, where are you now?” I immediately asked him.

“You again, loser? I thought you’ll leave Vine alone? What? You can’t keep your words? Such desperate and pathetic lowly woman!”

My teeth clenched when I heard the tone of Nicole’s voice. “Where’s Levi?” I asked.

“B*tch! Stop looking for my man!”

My grip on the phone tightened. “Your man?” I laughed out loud. “He only chose you because you have that body. Levi’s only after you physically, so don’t pretend to be dignified in front of me!”

“You sl*t! My body is useful to him but look at you, you can’t even find him! Is that what a girlfriend should be? Let’s say, he’s grown tired of you!”

The other line went silent after Nicole’s words and I thought Nicole hung up on me but I was surprised to hear Levi’s voice. “Where are you?” he asked.

My lips pursed. “You are the one I should be asking. Where did you take your girl?”

He was silent for a few seconds before mentioning a resort in the south. I took a deep breath and walked towards the door as I thought about what I would ask him.

I’m actually a little scared of Levi because I can’t tell what’s going on in his head. Even though I was with him for a few weeks when we went to different tourist spots in the province, there were things I didn’t know. Sometimes I was just surprised because his reaction was different from what I expected. However, he didn’t lose his considerateness towards me so my trust in Levi deepened.

But since I found out that he was sleeping with Nicole behind my back, that trust was broken. And even though I tried to convince myself that he had a reason why he didn’t want to leave Nicole, it didn’t restore the trust I once gave him.

So I’m having a hard time making a decision — whether to trust his words again and follow my heart or stop the madness especially since I see that he doesn’t feel that deep for me. But it’s hard to let go of something you once dreamed of and worked hard to achieve.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I looked up at the tall resthouse in front of me. This is one of Levi’s private properties that he once mentioned to me. He planned to vacation here with me but… I smiled bitterly. He took another woman here.

There was no security guard in the area so I went straight inside the open gate. I noticed that there were many flowers planted in the front yard of the resthouse and I inhaled their fragrance in the air. The tension in my shoulders was gone.

When I went inside, I didn’t see even a servant. My two eyebrows met and looked at the stairs. I stepped there and went upstairs.

I stopped walking when I heard an unpleasant noise from the open door of the room ahead. I realized what the two were doing shameful acts in the daylight, so I thought I’d go downstairs and wait in the living room. Just thinking about them doing that thing makes me want to vomit.

“Oh. You’re here,” Nicole said flatly when she saw me sitting in the sofa.

I turned to look at her and Levi who was following behind Nicole. Levi and I’s gazes met and I was the first to look away. Just now I felt disgusted with him.

Huh. I guess I was too stupid to be a die hard fan of a man who wasn’t even ashamed of what he was doing.

I stood up and frowned at Levi. My feet are itching. I want to leave the rest house because I can’t stomach the look on his face. Gritting my teeth, I said. “We need to talk.”

Nicole was about to yell again but Levi raised his hand to stop her. He stared at me before curling his lips. “Follow me,” he said.

I followed him upstairs. I could still feel Nicole’s sharp gaze on my nape but I ignored her and completely passed by the woman whose face was covered with resentment.

Levi went into a room and left the door open for me. I hesitated because I had a bad hunch but this was the only way to know his reason.

But the truth is that I’m just looking for a reason to leave Levi forever. I breathlessly stepped into that room and was startled when the door closed behind me. I quickly turned and tried to open the door but the lock wouldn’t turn.

“Don’t bother,” I heard Levi say. “It won’t open unless I say so.”

My lips became a line and I faced him without any expression. He smiled and motioned for me to sit on the bed.

On the bed. I clenched my fists and glared at him. “Why here?” I asked.

But he didn’t answer and just raised an eyebrow at me, waiting for what I would do. I hissed. I sat down on the bed with the corner of his lips raised. My face crumpled even more.

“What do you want to know?” he asked with a smile and stood in front of me.

I looked up at him. “Why did you shoot Papa?” My jaw clenched as anger surged through my system. “He didn’t do anything wrong to you!”

Levi’s eyes narrowed and bent down to bring his face closer to mine. “Rishel, don’t joke around. He wants you to marry someone else. Why should I behave myself knowing that someone covets my girlfriend?” He smiled and raised his hand to caress my cheek. “He knows you are mine but he wants you to marry another. Leaving him with his last breath is the mercy I gave him… for you.”