The Sun Always Sets in Paradise

{Max’s P.o.V.}

I paced in my room. I knew this was going to fucking happen. Why did I let her go on that trip? We should have just run away. We brushed upon the topic once. But there was nowhere to hide from Dmitri. If he really wanted to find us, he could.

I slammed my fist into my wall, which caused the drywall to crumble where the impact was made. Fucking Dmitri had to take her from me. He never gave me a specific reason as to why he was so intrigued with her; just said that there was a special request.

I knew it was Haden and his uncle who requested her. I’d have to pay a visit to them soon.

I continued to pace once again. My mind was in a flurry. I couldn’t focus on one thought without feeling pure hatred or bitter misery. I could feel myself breaking down. My walls were being crushed as the realization was finally beginning to set in.

I found out yesterday while I was in the office at the school. I was helping the secretary with some of my medical paperwork. My mother had written a majority of it in Russian, causing Mrs. Higgins to have fits of confusion.

The principal had come rushing into the office blubbering about an issue that happened in France. He was red-faced and wide-eyed. I knew instantly what happened even when he stopped speaking. I went home immediately to only be met by a phone call.

Ellie had called me when she had failed to reach Desiree’s mom. It started out with her cussing me out on leaving Desiree before she blew into sobbing story of how “some fucked-up bastards" had taken “her sister.”

I hadn’t said a whole word during the one sided conversation. When it was over and I had hung up, a string of profanities left my mouth. I did throw my phone at the wall soon after when I went into a blinding rage. My sister had kept herself locked in her room. She feared me and I felt horrible for it.

That wasn’t something I currently worried about, though. My room still lay in a mess when I had torn it apart. I didn’t know what else to do at that moment but release some anger.

I stilled as my mind finally comprehended what could be happening to my love. She could be getting beaten, raped, or drugged at the moment.

Here I was. Throwing a fucking temper tantrum towards something that I knew was going to happen.

I fell to my knees. The tears fell silently and freely now. My heart was tearing and I couldn’t breathe. I now openly sobbed. My strength was splitting at the seams. I had to fall apart. The person to make me feel right and finally comfortable with myself was gone. She had been torn from my grasp.

I hugged my chest and began rocking myself. The pain was nearly too much to bear. I knew what happened to girls like her. I had been part of it. The turmoil was unsettling and would haunt me forever. Death would be welcome at this point.

I always had to be so strong. It had been ingrained in me from the start. I just couldn’t now.

Lyobov pushed open my door and stared at me tentatively. Or at least I assumed it was her. We were the only two people currently in the household.

I couldn’t see her face but I could feel the fear emanate off of her. Even with my emotions in overwhelming disarray, I still was aware of what was going on around me. I hated it. I wanted to be swallowed whole by my grief.

“Maxim?” She whispered. Her voice still shook slightly.

The tears never stopped but I held my breath for a moment to hold back the sobs.

“Max, what’s going on? Is something wrong with mom? Or dad? Max…” She sounded so young. “Why are you acting this way?”

“Nothing has harmed mom or dad.” I said slowly. “Moya lyubov' byla razorvana ot moyego serdtsa.” My love was torn from my heart.

Lyobov didn’t understand at first before gasping. “No…No, no, no!” A door slammed shut. “Mom!” Lyobov shrieked before running away from my room.

I proceeded to rock myself. I tightened my grip on my body in hopes of subsiding the pain. It only grew the more I thought of Desiree. I probably would never see her again. My love. My angel. My heart…

My mom came running into my room. She completely disregarded the mess I had created before swooping me into a hug. She smoothed my hair and wiped my wet cheeks gently while cooing soft words.

She hummed a lullaby that she would sing to me when I was a toddler. I cried only harder.

“My heart hurts.” I whimpered before wrapping her up in my arms. I held onto her as if she was the only thing that would keep me in reality at the moment.

“I know, dear. I know.” She whispered. “Calm your mind, child. Deep breath. In and out.”

After a few minutes, my sobs calmed. The pain never did but I was able to bear it in the slightest. I pulled away from my mom who was reluctant to let me go.

“My poor little boy.” Her eyes were soft with concern and sorrow. Her lips trembled before she murmured, “you need to let her go.”

I stared at her, stunned. “I – I can’t. I love her.”

“It’ll fade in due time.” She whispered, looking away from me to my sister.

Lyobov was shocked. “Mom… what are you saying? He loves her. I have never seen Max so happy ever since I was little.”

My mom began to talk once more but a phone ringing cut her off. I recognized that the tone was my general ringtone. My limbs were heavy but I began looking around my room for the device. The ringing stopped so I froze. Then it began once more.

I found the device shoved in an indentation in the wall. I was amazed that the case I had on it saved it from being completely destroyed.

The number on the screen was private so I obviously didn’t recognize it. I had an idea though.

“Hello?” I answered indifferently.

“Max?” the weak voice sobbed.

My body went cold. “Desiree?” I breathed.

Her sobbing grew louder before a harsh voice made her subside slightly. A resounding slap of something hard on skin was followed by an ear-splitting screech.

Anger made my blood boil. “Desiree! Babe, listen to my voice. Concentrate on what I’m saying.”

Desiree whimpered. “I will always love you,” she whispered.

A muffled, ‘say what you were told’ was shouted in Russian at her.

“Desiree, my love, what was it you were supposed to tell me?” I spoke softly and coolly; knowing that she could understand very little Russian.

“I no longer belong to you.” Desiree’s voice trembled but was clear.

“You’ll always be mine,” I told her, “no matter what. I will always love you. I promise I will find you and you’ll be in my arms again. If not in this life, then I will in the next. I promise you that we-“

There was silence and a beep to signal that the call had ended. I sighed before finishing quietly, “that we will be together again…”