Mark Tuan was like a painting he would never be able to understand. Even if that artwork was just a plain circle, he would never truly understand.

Behind that poker faced expression, was a tragic past. He wished that he knew this earlier, so that he would’ve prevented the bet to happen in the first place.

When the rain was getting unbearable, they retreated back to his car. Mark seemed comfortable enough with the jacket that he handed. For a moment, it was silent. It was like both of them were trying to figure out what to say, so again, he decided to start things off.

“I found out that my dad was cheating two years ago.” He said. “On that day, I didn’t know what to say. All he said was it was their last time meeting, and that he would stop seeing the woman. Of course, he was my dad; I had to give him the benefit of the doubt, so I believed him. The worst thing is, I saw him, them again.”

“Why don’t you tell Tzuyu and your mom? Wouldn’t that be better?”

“God knows I’ve been wanting to do that for the longest time, because I hated hiding something like this to them. But, I can’t, I just can’t. I’m afraid my mom won’t be able to handle it.” He chuckled. “That’s why I go here, I can say everything without any worries.”

If only he had the courage to do it, he would’ve done it since the day he found out. But, he didn’t want anyone to get hurt, as much as he hated his father for cheating on his mom. How could his dad even go home, like nothing happened? Was the man that heartless?

“What about you? Your mom?”

Mark sighed, staring into his eyes. “It was over a year ago, when my mom and I found out my dad’s gambling problem. I was well aware that we were having a hard time with our finances, but we still managed.”

As much as he didn’t want to see Mark crying, he had to do this. It was better to let things out, rather than keeping them bottled up.

“I could never forget that day.” It was painful to see the boy cry like this. “I was awoken by my dad’s shouting, and when I ran to their room, Joey kept crying. My mom wasn’t moving at all, even when my dad tried his best to wake her up. I wasn’t sure how we got the hospital that fast, but we made it. My dad had to leave, and I wasn’t sure where he went. But then, my mom had an attack, and another one, and another one, and another one.” Mark wiped the tears away. “She had six attacks, and I was holding her hand the whole time. I felt so helpless. I wanted to take the pain away, but I couldn’t do anything to help her. My dad came back, and I found out that he had used up all the money we had in a casino. He kept saying that he had no choice. A few hours after, she died.”

How could life be so cruel?

“I can never forgive my father. That’s why I want to get my brother so badly, because I can’t trust Joey with someone like him.”

For a moment, he just stared at the boy. Even though they had different situations, they had the same problem- their fathers. But, unlike the boy next to him, he could never feel that much towards his dad.

“And you know what’s sad? We get hurt by the people we trust and love.” The boy chuckled. “If only we could remove our emotions, right? Maybe, we wouldn’t be in this kind of situation.”

And, guilt was starting to eat him up.

He went out of his car, and went to the back. Even though he was the cause of all this, he had an idea on how to lessen the pain. He opened the door, and knelt down.

“Sorry” He said, gently playing with the torn area like a puppet. It was a relief, seeing Mark smile like that. “I’m sorry if I almost took away a part