53 A Heart for a Family

Anita was ready to take both of Rafał's secrets to her grave. She was determined to defend them even at the cost of her own happiness. After all, she had to protect Rafał from the cruelty of this world. She couldn't forget that helpless little angel turned into an icicle so close to Christmas. She had to protect him.

Just how far could she go in her protection? Was she going too far? Was Radosz right to accuse her of being overprotective? After all, even Rafał himself had had enough of her behavior.

Yes, Anita should let him try his own luck. She should remember that Rafał was no longer a child. Of course she should, but how could she do that when she knew how painfully people had hurt him? Anita had seen his tears, his fear, his pain. She was the one who had been there for him when he woke up in the night covered in sweat, chased by nightmares of the past. She was the one who gave him a hand when he stumbled and fell. For him, she had even decided to become a poor actor's assistant and help with his makeup, just to be around if anything bad happened to Rafał. Now something bad was happening, and she was powerless because her brother didn't want to share his burden with her.

Was it the events on the set that had shaken Rafał so much? When he was out for a beer together with Radosz, did the producer ask about the kiss scene and Rafał was plunged into a nightmare of memories again? But if so, why didn't he want to talk to her?

Or maybe Radosz asked one question too many and got one answer too many?

And how much could Anita ask Rafał?

The girl's left foot twitched and her toes moved a little outward.

She loved Rafał like a sister, like a woman, that's why she wanted to protect him and that's why....

Her foot moved again, another centimeter or two.

If you love someone, you have to give them freedom. That's exactly what parents should do to their growing children. Give the freedom to choose, the freedom to make mistakes, but be around if the situation became too serious for their child to handle on their own.

Anita Janiszek took a deep breath and straightened her head. At the same moment, she turned towards the corridor and began to walk briskly towards the staircase.

She will give Rafał the freedom he wants. She'll let him make mistakes, but if Rafał is in serious danger, Anita will be right there, ready to react immediately.

Anita was so immersed in her thoughts that it took her a long moment before she realized her phone was ringing. She was surprised that it was her mother who wanted to contact her at such an early hour. The call from her mom pleased her, however, and the young woman smiled and answered the call.

“Good morning, Mom! How are you?”

“Anita, we need to talk.”

Her mother's serious voice worried Anita. She would not be a woman if at that moment her intuition did not tell her that something bad had happened. Even her heart was clearly and painfully screaming for her to increase her vigilance because something bad was happening.

Janiszek looked around the corridor. From far away came the sounds of footsteps and conversations of other guests probably coming down for breakfast. Anita looked around and decided to hide quickly in her own room, but first she had to ask.

“What happened? Are you or dad sick?”

“No, Anita, this is about Rafał. Someone... someone from his past is looking for him.”

***

“God damn it!” Damian Radosz cursed bluntly and immediately looked worriedly at the wall of the adjoining room - the wall behind which Rafał Brylski now lived.

Behind that wall...

Frustration and anger at himself were currently dominating Damian's heart, who had been unable to find solace for his mind ever since he returned to his room after his late-night games with his neighbor. They were immediately followed by shame and remorse. A man who has a fiancée, who is almost planning his wedding date, practically drags an innocent, vulnerable man into his bed. Could there be anything more despicable?

Damian was simply the biggest scoundrel in this world!

The worst part was that Radosz had no idea who of the two of them he hurt more.

His first thought was that the biggest scumbag was his betrayal of Justyna. He had bonded with her, belonged to her, and yet he had betrayed her and, allowing himself to rage uncontrollably, slept with someone else. Of course, his fiancée had been a victim of his dishonesty and he had behaved like a pig to her, but Damian couldn't shake the feeling that he had behaved even worse towards Rafał.

Radosz's eyes, blackened from sleeplessness, were fixed on the wall behind which Brylski was standing. Rafał, this young, sensitive and erotically inexperienced man did not deserve to have his first experience, so important to him, with a two-faced pig like Radosz. They should have taken place with someone who could take care of him both physically and emotionally, not someone who cheats on his fiancée with him.

Holy fucking shit!

Damian had never felt so worthless, so despicable, as he did now. He had experienced a few hours of unearthly pleasure, as if he had moved to a completely different world, but then came the awakening and the sudden realization that his pleasure had essentially been at the expense of two innocent beings. Now he would have to face both reality and them both. Meanwhile, he was so ashamed that he couldn't even look his own reflection in the mirror in the eye.

Why did Rafał have to be so damn attractive? Damn it all to hell!

The signal of an incoming call startled Damian so much that he almost jumped. If it was Justyna...

Radosz reached for the phone with a trembling hand. If it's his fiancée, he'll have to pretend to her that nothing happened. He'll have to lie about why he didn't answer the phone at night. After all, he can't tell her he was in his neighbor's room.

The person who called Damian, however, was not his fiancée, but his sister-in-law. A phone call from Danusia this morning? From Danusia, who had never actually called him? Did she need money or maybe...?

“Hi Danusia” Damian answered feeling relieved that it was not his fiancée but also anxious about what his sister-in-law was calling about. “Where did this morning's call come from?”

“Damian, your mom... Her condition has deteriorated. We called an ambulance this morning...”

Suddenly Radosz's eyes went black. His hand squeezed the phone more tightly.

“Did...?” he asked in a trembling voice.

“She is alive. She was taken to cardiology. It's a second heart attack. They're going to put in stents.”

She is alive! That was the most important thing, but Radosz could not let his guard down for now. His mother, although still not an old woman, after all she was not even sixty years old, was very ill and every operation was a challenge for her body, which at any moment could prove too difficult. According to the doctors, it was a miracle that she was still alive.

“Danusia, I'm on my way,” Damian said without hesitation. “Thank you for letting me know!”

Damian did not have time to pack his things. He just grabbed his keys and wallet lying on the table and almost ran out of his room. In his head and in his heart at that moment there was nothing more than anxiety about his mother, who had just undergone a second heart attack and was facing such a dangerous for her operation...