Derrick hadn't talked with his mom and dad since that day at the storage place.
Days went by, turning into weeks.
Weeks turned into a really cold silence that lasted for longer than he thought.
Every time his phone made a noise, he hoped it was them calling him.
Every time he went past the south part of town, he felt bad about it.
But he just couldn't make himself call them.
Not yet. He still felt hurt, like they had let him down, and he felt weighed down by everything they said.
He kept saying to himself that he needed more time.
He didn't know that he didn't have as much time as he thought.
It all happened on a Wednesday afternoon.
He was at his job, trying to focus on his tasks, when his phone started ringing. It was a number he didn't know. He almost didn't answer, but he answered because it kept ringing.
"Hello?"
A shaky voice said, "Is this Derrick… Derrick Moreno?"
"Yes," Derrick answered slowly. "Who is this?"
The phone made some crackling sounds. "I'm calling from City General Hospital. You need to get here right away… It's about your parents."
Everything froze.
"What? What happened?" Derrick asked quickly.
But the nurse only said again, "Please come quickly."
The urgency to the hospital felt like a dream, like he was stuck in a dream he couldn't get out of. His heart beat really hard in his chest, and he felt really scared.
When he got there, a doctor met him in the hallway, looking very serious.
"Mr. Moreno… I'm very sorry."
Derrick stopped breathing for a moment.
His mother had passed out earlier that day. The doctor said it was because of very high blood pressure. It was really bad. By the time they got her to the hospital, it was too late. They did everything they could, but her body stopped working.
And his father…
His father was at home when he heard that she had died. Neighbors said he grabbed his chest and fell down. He had a really bad heart attack. He died before he could get to the hospital.
Both of them were gone.
Just like that.
Derrick looked at the doctor, not blinking, not breathing. He couldn't understand what he was saying. It felt impossible. Not real. Very cruel.
"No… no, they can't…" He couldn't talk without his voice cracking. "I didn't even We haven't spoken "
But what happened couldn't be changed by feeling bad.
His parents were gone.
And the last thing he remembered about them was being angry.
Derrick went into the small room where they were. The cold air felt bad on his skin as he went over to their bodies covered in white sheets.
He lifted the sheet from his mother's face first.
She looked calm too calm. Like she had just gone to sleep. Derrick felt like he was going to fall, and he had to hold onto the bed to stay standing.
"Mom…" He could barely whisper.
He went to his father next, also taking the sheet off him. His usual serious face even when he was dead made Derrick feel like he was breaking inside.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, crying hard. "I'm so sorry…"
All of his anger went away.
All of his bad feelings disappeared.
All that remained was a heavy and cruel sense of loss.
He stayed there for a while, saying sorry to them, sorry to the quietness, sorry to the him that thought more time was available.
He quietly finished the hospital papers, feeling numb. Leaving the hospital felt harder than any load he had carried. Once he got outside, he leaned on his car and let the sadness completely overwhelm him.
There was no one else that he could call.
Or that's what he believed.
He needed to feel better.
He needed someone
A person he knew. A person who cared.
So, he decided to visit Sophia.
It was late at night when he got to her place. He didn't even knock softly; he just tapped the door like a desperate, broken person.
Sophia opened the door, annoyed by being bothered, pulling her robe more tightly. Her eyes got wide when she saw him not with guilt, not with sadness, but with annoyance.
"Derrick… what in the world are you doing here?"
"I Sophia, I needed to see you. It's my parents… they they've passed away." His voice broke. "Both of them."
Sophia blinked once. No feeling. No care.
Then she sighed really hard.
"Derrick, are you serious? At this time? You decide to show up now?"
Before he could even understand that, a man came up behind her, with no shirt, stretching like he didn't care.
Derrick's heart dropped. "Sophia… who is that with you?"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't be so over dramatic. You weren't meant to see this."
"Are you seeing someone else?!"
She laughed loudly. "Seeing someone else? Derrick, please. Don't think so highly of yourself."
Her words hit him harder than any hit could.
"You and I were never a perfect couple. You were good for pictures. You made me look normal. People liked the 'regular boyfriend' thing. It made my numbers, my brand, my events better."
Derrick looked on, not believing it. "Sophia… I was in love with you."
"Yeah," she replied, crossing her arms, "and that's your problem. You actually thought all that feelings stuff was real." She chuckled quietly.
"I mean, come on, Derrick. Did you actually think I would marry you?"
His chest felt very tight. "We were going to get married, Sophia."
She smirked. "People break up engagements every day. It's not a big deal."
When he didn't move or say anything, she put her hands up.
"What exactly are you wanting from me? Comfort? Tears? A hug?" She moved closer, her eyes cold.
"I'm not here to save you. I'm not your therapist. And I'm definitely not your wife."
The man behind her laughed quietly. "Babe, is he always like this?"
Sophia didn't even turn around. "Only when he wants attention."
Derrick felt like he couldn't breathe. "I came here because I had no one."
"And now," she said quickly, "you still don't. That's not my problem."
He stepped back, but she wasn't done talking.
"Derrick, pay attention," she said, leaning on the doorframe. "Whatever bad place your life is in right now? It's not my issue. I don't have time to take care of you. Some of us actually have jobs."
He swallowed, not able to say anything.
Sophia smirked one last time. "Now move. You're in front of my door."
And with a quick, unfriendly push, she shut the door right in front of him.
He walked without a plan for many hours before stopping in a dark, quiet, and lonely place.
His head was everywhere, while he looked at nothing at all.
Nothing seemed logical now.
Nothing was important.
Until a sad, empty thought went into his brain.
Someone has to be punished for what happened.
The Carlsons.
Sophia's family.
Everyone that had made his life had to get a taste of it.
The people he always thought were better than him, controlled him, and told Sophia to take advantage of him.
He looked up straight and took a deep breath.
If the world wanted to hurt him, he would hurt it back.
Even if it meant making an agreement with the worst person ever.
Even if it meant being in front of Don Toscano again.
At that moment, hurt, sad, and feeling betrayed, Derrick ma
de up his mind.
He would do whatever it took
whatever it took
to get revenge on the Carlsons.
Even if it meant agreeing with the Mafia leader he promised he would never see again.