Chapter 54: garry

As the warmth of their recent conversation settled, a faint ring echoed in the quiet car. Jimmy glanced toward Lucian, raising an eyebrow as Lucian reached into his pocket to retrieve the phone. Lucian assumed it would be Garry, since he'd just received this new phone and had only shared his number with Garry and Jimmy.Looking at the caller ID, his suspicion was confirmed it was Garry's number.

Lucian answered, a relaxed smile playing on his face. "Hey, Garry, where are you?" he asked, his tone light. But on the other end, there was silence.

"Garry?" Lucian repeated, feeling a slight twinge of unease as he strained to hear.

Finally, a muffled, almost strangled, "sobb…" escaped through the receiver. The faint sound was uncharacteristic of Garry, usually so lively and full of humor. The unexpected silence and the stifled sound of a sob made Lucian's heart lurch.

"Garry? Are you alright? What's going on,are you crying?"Lucian's tone sharpened, each question spilling out faster as a mounting worry overtook him.

Jimmy, unable to hear Garry's voice, immediately registered Lucian's shifting mood. He adjusted his grip on the wheel, pulling the car over to the side of the road. His face was expressionless, but his knuckles were white as his fingers tightened around the wheel. "Crying?" Jimmy muttered, turning to look at Lucian's increasingly intense expression.

He knew Lucian's reaction all too well this was no ordinary concern.

Meanwhile, Lucian's gaze darkened, the worry quickly morphing into a steely resolve. His voice dropped low, a barely restrained fire in each word as he spoke again into the phone. "Garry," he said, his voice deadly calm, "tell me what happened. Tell me, and I swear, I'll burn wolly City down. Just tell me who hurt you."

For the first time since the call began, a faint, trembling sound came from Garry. A breathy, broken attempt at a response.

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Garry's POV

Garry lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to hold back a fresh wave of tears. He could feel his heart pounding heavily, each beat amplifying the ache of helplessness and shame that had settled into him. His fists clenched around the bedsheet, and he could feel the all-too-familiar sensation of bitterness clawing its way up.

He had experienced this before, in his last life. The memory felt fresh, as if no time had passed. Lying in this same room, in the same helpless state, trying and failing to cope with an incident that had left him feeling exposed and worthless. In his last life, he'd been utterly alone, the rawness of that pain eating away at him with no one to turn to.

Back then, he and Lucian had only known each other for a couple of days hardly close enough for Garry to reach out for help.

But this time, he felt a stirring of something he hadn't before: hope. He knew that in another life, Lucian had become his closest friend, someone he could trust without reservation.

After living an entire past life with Lucian, Garry knew deep in his heart that he should have asked for Lucian's help back then instead of letting fear and embarrassment hold him back. He realized now that Lucian would never have judged him, that he would've stood by his side no matter what.

In this life, even with only two days of friendship, Garry was certain that Lucian would come through for him, just as he would have in the past.

A tear traced its way down his cheek as he picked up his phone, dialing Lucian's new number with a trembling hand.

The moment Lucian picked up, Garry felt the tightness in his chest ease, if only for a moment. He wanted to speak, to brush it off as nothing, but all that came out was a choked sob. His defenses crumbled, and the pain he'd kept bottled up found its way out.

"Hey, Garry, where are you?" Lucian's voice on the other end sounded so normal, so steady, and Garry felt a wave of gratitude mixed with sadness. He wanted to laugh at how absurd it was, how much Lucian didn't know yet, but instead, another sob escaped.

Lucian's tone shifted instantly, a protective edge taking over. "Garry? What happened? Are you okay?"

Each word felt like a lifeline, reminding Garry he wasn't as alone as he felt. Lucian's voice, layered with genuine concern, soothed some of the chaos in Garry's mind. Still, he struggled to form words. It was as though his throat had closed up with all the words he wanted to say.

"Just tell me what happened, Garry," Lucian pressed, his voice growing firmer. "Whatever it is, just say it. I'll burn this whole wolly city down just say a word ."

For a second, Garry almost smiled through his tears. He could practically feel the intense protectiveness in Lucian's voice, like a fire that was burning solely for him. Even though they'd only been friends for two days in this life, Garry knew Lucian meant every word...he knows him better then anyone.

"Hey, Lucian... I need a little help here," Garry began, his voice wavering slightly despite his attempt to sound casual. "It's... well, it's not a big problem. Don't worry about it," he said, forcing a chuckle, trying to lighten the tension as he recalled Lucian's fierce comment about burning down the city. But his laugh came out strained, hollow.

"Just tell me what it is, Garry," Lucian replied, his tone a mixture of determination and worry. "At least tell me where you are, so I can come. We'll talk, okay?"

Garry paused, hesitating. He knew how this might sound to Lucian, and he couldn't help feeling a pang of embarrassment. "It's... really not that big of a deal," he mumbled, lowering his voice, feeling an awkward flush rise in his cheeks. "I just, uh… I just need one of your cars for a bit."

There was silence on the line before Lucian responded, sounding bewildered. "Wait, what? That's it? You're… you're crying over this?" Lucian's voice softened, now edged with concern. "Garry, what's really going on?"

Garry let out a shaky chuckle, the sound brittle and hollow. He took a breath, trying to steady his voice, but the words came tumbling out, a dam of pain and frustration breaking open.

"Let me explain... maybe you'll understand." He swallowed, feeling the burn of unshed tears. "See, there's this guy in our neighborhood, a kid who recently got really successful, you know? And he bought this beautiful, expensive car. His mom… well, she was so proud. She brought the car out for everyone to see." Garry's voice cracked, the image of his mother's face flashing in his mind.

"All the neighbors gathered around to admire it, and his mom was beaming with pride, like any mother would," he continued, the bitterness starting to seep into his tone. "And they... they decided to take a group photo with the car." He stopped, feeling his throat tighten as he fought to get the words out. "My mom was there too.

She didn't want to intrude, just wanted to share a happy moment with the others. But... but they told her not to get in the picture. They told her to… stand aside."

He paused, his grip on the phone tightening, knuckles white with frustration. He could hear his mother's broken voice echo in his mind, her attempt to explain it away as if it hadn't bothered her.

Lucian listened silently, feeling the weight of Garry's pain as if it were his own.

"They made her feel so small, Lucian," Garry's voice dropped to a whisper, the pain raw and unmistakable. "She… she was embarrassed in front of everyone. And today... today, I saw her crying, sitting there all alone. She tried to hide it from me, but when I asked... she just broke down.

She couldn't even look me in the eyes. She just kept saying sorry… sorry that she wasn't enough."

Lucian's heart ached with each word, his fists clenching as he held back his own anger and frustration. Hearing Garry's pain so openly laid bare stirred something fierce within him.

Garry's voice trembled, the pain in his words twisting like a knife. "I can't take it, Lucian. It's like my chest is going to split open. My mother—" he stopped, choking back a sob. "My mother is the one person in this world who doesn't deserve that kind of pain. She's given up everything for me, worked herself to the bone just to make sure I had a decent life.

And this... this is what she gets?"

He took a shuddering breath, struggling to hold back his emotions. "I want... I just want her to know that she's worth something, that she deserves the world. I just want to park one car in front of our gate, let her have her moment, and take her picture in front of it. Just her. Just for her."

Lucian stayed silent on the other end, his face dark with anger not at Garry, but at the injustice of it all. Garry wasn't just asking for a car. He was asking to reclaim a part of his mother's dignity, to shield her from the bitterness of a world that had tried to make her feel small.

Hearing Garry's voice breaking, Lucian felt the weight of Garry's self-blame, the guilt gnawing away at him, and his helpless rage at not being able to protect his mother from this hurt. Lucian knew Garry's pain wasn't just about a single, humiliating incident it was about a lifetime of struggling to make up for what he thought he lacked, for what he felt he could never give her.

For Garry, this was something that had haunted him, even in his past life. No amount of wealth or success had erased the memory of that moment. It had branded itself deep within him, a constant reminder of a time when he'd felt powerless, too weak to stand up for the woman who had sacrificed so much for him. And now, in this life, he would do anything to make it right, to change the story.

"Why borrow it?" Lucian's voice was warm, a gentle smile playing on his face as he spoke. "We're friends, Garry. What's mine is yours. You don't even need to ask."

Garry could feel Lucian's sincerity through the phone, and it filled him with a quiet, grateful warmth.

"No," Lucian continued, his voice turning playful yet firm. "You're not borrowing it. I'm giving it to you. Better yet, you're going to gift it to your mother. Let's make her smile, alright?"

There was a pause on Garry's end, and he let out a soft, contented hum, a small smile tugging at his lips. The overwhelming weight he'd felt just minutes ago was easing, replaced by a sense of comfort he hadn't felt in a long time. It was as though a piece of Lucian from their past life had found its way back, standing with him once more.

"Lucian…" he murmured, unable to hide the note of happiness in his voice. The Lucian he remembered kind, unwavering, always willing to go above and beyond was here, just as he'd always been. And even though they'd only known each other for two days in this life, Lucian was already proving he would go the distance for him, as if they'd shared a lifetime of friendship.

With a light chuckle, Garry spoke, feeling a surge of newfound confidence. "Alright, then. I'll be shameless and take it."

Lucian laughed, a sound that was both warm and reassuring, and Garry felt an odd but comforting certainty. In this life or the last, Lucian was someone he could always rely on.

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well heres your second chapter guys... somehow i am not satisfied with this one

sighh just take it as my mistake...i fked up i think

but well my apologies...i think that chinese chicken blood overflowed and ... seaʀᴄh thё Nôvel(F)ire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

well ill get to point from tommorow on....ahhhhh