Red of Berlin

Chapter Twenty-Two: Confrontation

Michael's point of view:

It was a split second between events. One minute, Adèle was comfortable and happy, bringing joy and conversation to the table of visitors that convened in the dining room. But then she choked on that water, excused herself outside, and it all went awry. I came out there to check on her seeing as she had been outside for a while, but she wasn't fine. She was standing across from me, leaning over the fence of the porch, looking sick, terrified, sad and angry.

"Fleur?! What happened?" I asked, using her alias just in case. She was in a tiff, like she was having some sort of brain aneurism. I had never seen her so stressed in the whole time I had known her. What happened to her? I went to her side and put my arm around her waist. "Darling, please tell me what is wrong." She sighed and held onto me for balance. She was on her way to fainting, so it inspired me to hold her even more securely.

"That man, serving dessert. Remember him?" She asked. I tried to imagine the man that served that cake. Yes, I do remember him. The dark hair, really dark hair that was almost carbon. His eyes, they were almost the exact same grey as Adèle's. Then it came to me, the reason why she was out of it when she spoke of this waiter. My eyes widened when I deduced who he was, there was no other way she could have known him.

"That's your brother," I stated. Adèle nodded and began to cry again. Adèle continued to lean against the balcony fence, breathing her way out of falling unconscious.

"Not only that, but he hates me," Adèle replied. Why would he hate her? He had just been reunited with his sister, why was he so ornery? There had to be something behind this that I wasn't noticing.

"Why would he hate you? It doesn't make sense. Shouldn't he be happy to know you're alive?" I asked. She shook her head and continued to breathe. It was as if one little encounter had her going senile. It was amazing what a reunion with a lost sibling or loved one could do to a person when negative enforcement came with it.

"It's because of why I'm alive. He hates you too. He doesn't want me to be married to you, nor does he want me to be having a baby. All because it's with you," she said. I didn't know why, but this seemed to have offended me. She was like this because her brother didn't like me. I understood why he wouldn't appreciate me, but shouldn't she not care what anybody thinks. It wasn't all her fault, and I didn't want to start something here.

"Maybe we should go home," I said. She sniffed and shook her head. Adèle took one more breathe and straightened herself.

"No. We'll stay. It's better that way," she replied. I sighed and shook my head in disagreement. That was the worst of all ideas. We needed to go home, because the mood had changed and neither of us were in good spirits anymore.

"Fleur, let's go home," I said to her. She began to walk away from the balcony and back into the house. She again shook her head, and it began to frustrate me. I felt myself becoming more and more upset with her. "Fleur!" I raised my voice a little, firmly with a deepened chagrin. She turned around abruptly and met my frustrated gaze.

"Fine. Let's go home. But you have to explain why," she snapped, moving away and bumping into me purposely as she made her way to the car. I didn't mean to snap at her, but it was late and we had both been through hell by now. It was time for us to go home and settle our argument. This wouldn't be our first fight, so to speak, but it felt so. I informed everyone that Adèle was feeling sick, and made a joke about her supposed pregnancy to lighten the mood. Werner explained to me he was fine that we left early, and to have an enjoyable rest of the night, which I knew we would not. I made my way to the car and sat in the drivers seat, the engine starting as I completely ignored Adèle at my side.