for the first time he saw the bottomless green eyes of Victoria, which were transmitted to his son, as she took his hand and he immediately calmed down. Then he believed that everything would be fine and this time he also trusted his wife. Lord Aderley sat here for some time thinking about the recalcitrant son ... how he reminded the man of himself, but the honorable lord could not admit to himself even under the fear of death.

Almost crashing into a car during overtaking, I slowed down and tried to calm down. The brain refused to think. How could she? Olivia was not capable of betrayal. Surely her father made her! A cold thought appeared in my head: you yourself heard her voice. Damn you, Olivia! Now I myself did not know who to believe. It was too hard to understand exactly when everything changed, and whether there was anything at all. It’s good that in London I had a small but furnished apartment where you could live for a while. The main thing to get ahead of the father, to have time to withdraw all the money, before he probably freezes the account. And then. Yes, I myself did not know that later, as if it did not sound silly, but my childhood was over.

All the next week I drank. At times, it even seemed to me that a little bit more and everything, but every new day I found new strength in myself for drinking. My gloomy face was covered with stubble, circles appeared under my eyes, and I was wearing fumes. In constant solitude, all that was left was to look out the window at the roads washed away by the rain and the pedestrians hurrying about their business, occasionally sipping from a bottle and lighting a new cigarette. But in such seconds rage attacked me: I ran to the mirror and threatened to repel with my fist, they say, you will not wait for pink snot from me. From time to time I dressed and rode around London with my faithful companions: a bottle of whiskey and a pack of cigarettes, thinking about this lousy bitch. However, Olivia was only a screen: I was still enraged that my whole life was made decisions for me. But in some places I walked on foot, and I specifically chose those where the most tourists were located: Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, the Ferris wheel - for some reason it was nice to catch on myself condemning, and sometimes contemptuous views of others. Toward evening, I was always at Tower Bridge, admiring the Thames, and these days ended at the Black Widow Bar, where local barman Tom already knew me by name and, barely seeing my figure in the doorway, poured me the strongest and most expensive drinks, who were in this place. It was very comfortable here: elegant furniture, lighting, advantageously emphasizing successful design solutions, various interesting decorative elements. But I didn't give a damn about all this, I only came for the sake of being able to get drunk up to the bestial state and at least somehow speak out, although usually in those moments my tongue wobbled and it was extremely difficult to speak.

- Damn bitch, can you imagine, Jack. We had such great sex, and she traded me for a “happy future” so that she - at this moment I swore so dirty that my father, an aristocrat to the bone, would need heart drops again - and all because that parents are against!

“Yes, man, you would not wish anyone like Olivia,” smiled the strong, dark-skinned bartender and brought a new batch of pure whiskey to me, “at the expense of the institution.”

- Here, Tom, only you understand me. And this lousy creature, she just spat in my soul!

I drank the burning liquid, and wanted to continue to curse Olivia, but a woman sat next to her.

- Hi handsome. You feel bad? You want some fun, ”she asked in a thick bass.

From surprise, I recoiled. Damn me, why do all this trouble just on my head.

- No, damn it, I'm not so drunk!

- So I will wait? - this creature apparently does not understand the first time, and maybe it just does not want to lose the potential, as it seems to her, client.

So, this is too much. Only a trance whore was not enough for me to be completely happy. After paying the bill, I managed to get out of the bar and get rid of this penis. Somehow, staggering and clinging to the nearest lampposts, I got to the corner of the street, where I saw what I could not stand. A passer-by, a man of thirty, was reading a newspaper, on the front page of which was a photograph of Olivia under the heading: "Olivia Levington and Anthony Lorne announced the engagement date." With difficulty understanding what I was doing, I snatched his tabloid from a passerby and tore it into pieces. And then it all seemed so ridiculous that I laughed and could not stop until the nearest policeman arrested me for hooliganism.

In the precinct, although it was an excellent chance to replenish vocabulary with new, complex articulated constructions, I did not stay long: the only real friend saved was Jake. He was not one of the spoiled aristocrats, we met during a drunken brawl, when there were only three healthy guys against me who wanted to warm up after a couple of bottles. Jake, without hesitation, rushed to my aid, and we managed to get rid of only bruises and abrasions, while the hapless fighters barely carried off their legs, holding their broken noses and collecting broken teeth. My new friend was able to stand up for himself, as indeed I was, but he stubbornly continued to tease me with an aristocrat. He was a lawyer in a major law firm and became my real older brother, which I always dreamed of. Once again, he saved me by settling problems with the law.

- Fucking cretins. Instead of looking for real criminals ... - Jacob swore when we went outside.

We lit up.

- Listen, you are my friend and I will not let you drink anymore! - said Jake, deeply drawn on his cigarette.

- And I still will! And since you are my friend, you will not leave me! - I boiled.

- Looks like I have no choice. But only for a couple of days, he surrendered.

Apparently, he still realized that I needed a company and with two calls he predetermined the next week, which had time to start a few minutes ago. He lied at work that he was ill, and his wife, sweet and good, Catherine, who had always been so good to me, lied about a business trip.

And again, endless drunkenness, all kinds of alcohol and their combinations, cigarettes and talking in the kitchen. The apartment finally turned into a dustbin, empty bottles were lying around, on which any homeless person could put together a fortune, ashtrays full of bulls and various rubbish in small things. However, Jake more than anyone else understood me, sometimes without words, so there was no need to worry about such nonsense. In a drunken stupor, I often tried to call girls, but a friend stopped every time, reminding him of his wife, once again doing an excellent job with the role of a lightning rod. Now more than ever I wanted to find the same Catherine, who will be with me, no matter what. After all, Jacob with her at first everything was not so smooth, he worked too much trying to feed his wife and little Christopher, but she really did not have enough attention. And now almost every free minute is spent together, they arrange each other various pleasant surprises. Although it is strange that I was drawn to talk about such topics right now. Only a miracle could save my life, for I had already taken my long-awaited step beyond the line. Perhaps too wide a step.

That morning, on the fourteenth of August, I was awakened by a knock at the door. I didn’t wait for any guests, and no one really knew about this apartment, except Jake. Perhaps this is the mythical miracle? Hastily wearing jeans and a shirt, I lazily dragged myself open, writhing from a headache. On the threshold stood a girl of my age, so beautiful that I caught my breath. She was wearing a purple dress that perfectly accentuated every curve of a perfect figure.The eyes are the color of dark chocolate, a shock of brown hair, soft pale skin. Her regular features seemed vaguely familiar, but I could not remember where I could see her.

- Hi, my name is Ashley Waterback, can I come in? - after this ... Read more →