I've Been There Before

Humbert was feeling very shocked and his feelings were indescribable. He was listening to his best friend squabbling nonsense, “If only I didn’t drop my phone…”, “If only I didn’t move the nightstand away when I picked up my phone…” Humbert had a clear image in his mind, his best friend moved the nightstand away when he was trying to pick up his phone, and accidentally came across this hidden secret.

“If only I didn’t drop my phone…”

“If only I didn’t pick up my phone…”

Humbert clenched his fist, he was getting annoyed listening to his best friend repeating the disheartening “If only…” again and again. Caden was like a useless and dispirited middle-aged man whose wife had left him and whose son had died. Humbert felt like punching his best friend and beat the sense out of him. But he couldn’t do it.

“If only… If only I realized it sooner!” The whole time, Caden was very pessimistic, he was acting like a coward and was just running away from his problems, giving himself excuses. Finally, he cried out what he was really feeling deep down!

If only he realized it sooner, would the situation right now have changed?

Would his lovely wife be right next to him, along with his sweet children?

Humbert looked at Caden, his best friend of many years. He never saw Caden in this state before.

Humbert’s eyes flickered, he stood up abruptly and strode towards the exit.

Wilson was a worker who fulfilled his duty well and was rule-abiding. He waited outside of the corridor which was 3 to 4 meters away from the room. Humbert walked out of the room and saw Wilson, he said emotionlessly, “Follow me.”

Wilson hesitated briefly, but Humbert walked pass him without a pause. Wilson glanced at Caden’s room, he gritted his teeth and decided that he had no choice but to turn around and follow Humbert.

“Mr. White, where are we going?”

Wilson followed Humbert downstairs, seeing that Humbert didn’t even slow down his pace, Wilson quickly ran after him. But Humbert quickened his pace, he was silent the whole time and finally stopped in front of a small door.

“This…”

What beneath this was…

Wilson knew that Humbert was familiar with the Shaw manor, he could only follow behind Humbert. They walked down the winding stairs that led to the basement.

The stairway was dark and it led directly towards the basement. The basement was lighted with warm yellow lights that weren’t too bright, the basement also had a strong alcohol smell to it.

Humbert didn’t hesitate, he walked towards the end of the wine rack and took one bottle of wine after another, he shoved it into Wilson arms until he couldn’t hold anymore. Humbert then held 4 bottles of wine himself, he still wasn’t saying anything, he just turned around and left.

Wilson didn’t understand what was going on at all, all he could just follow behind Humbert. They both reappeared in front of Caden’s bedroom, Humbert kicked the door open and threw the wine bottles that he was holding on the bed. He was rough and didn’t care that his action might easily break the wines that probably cost a fortune.

“Wilson, put done those wines and you can take your leave.”

“But Mr. White, the master is…”

“Put down those wine and get out. I will take responsibility for whatever that happens, if he dies, I’ll die with him.” Humbert glared harshly and coldly at the butler, Wilson was having cold sweat as he gritted his teeth because he was responsible for Caden. Humbert was a respected and prestige person, but even with his promise Wilson wasn’t assured, it wasn’t his principal to walk away like this.

Humbert quietly held out his hand and took the wine bottles away from Wilson’s hand seeing that he wasn’t going to do what he said. He threw them onto the bed, the bottles were hitting each other and the noise they made give people the shivers.

Wilson was driven out of the room by Humbert as he was pondering about what should he say. Before he could even react, the door slammed shut right in front of his face heartlessly.

Humbert’s expression was frigid. In the room, he quietly took the two bottles of whiskeys on the bed and twisted them open. He held out his hand and gave one bottle to the haggard Caden who was sitting on the floor by the bedside, “Come, I’ll drink with you.”

Though Caden kept looking at his palm in a daze as if he didn’t hear Humbert at all.

Humbert squinted at Caden who was right next to him, he straightened out his leg and used his feet to kick him, “Hey, drink.”

and insulting like this towards Caden normally, Caden would beat him up already. Not to mention that Caden was a prideful man, an average person wouldn’t stand up to another person kicking them like

throbbed in

the Caden

when did the prideful and king-like Caden become

your strength? Where are they? The Caden I knew was apathetic, full of confidence, firm, persistent and strong, where is he right

was this drunkard before his

He didn’t know him!

flight tickets. We can go anywhere. Maybe by chance, you would meet her

you two

happen, she would never see me again.”

away as far as she could. She hates me, I knew that she hates me…” As he was mumbling he unconsciously picked up a wine bottle lying

out of the bottle again, “Where is the wine?

there was a hint of agony in his eyes.

it was just a letter… But it wasn’t just a letter, it was more like a punishment for Caden! A death sentence! It cut Caden’s heart into

overbearing of a person Caden was, he knew how rational and logical Caden always acted. It was

children, he had never seen Caden bowed down or lower his head for anybody else before. “Who, who was the one that stole away your pride?” The answer was obvious,

the name was cursed, memories of the past came rushing in his mind. The scene before him was something he had witnessed

meet again for the first time at the Royal Club’s exquisite private room after Grace got

that the arrogant and confident Grace would throw away her pride just in three years. She

was the same thing with Grace three

Was this Karma?

she went to prison, the reason why

him for about three years, pushing Caden to

years for three years, a

clearer. But he still couldn’t just give up on Caden and let him

also knew that Caden loved Grace with all his heart, and that was why he tried to not be prejudice against her. He only wanted to help his friend and preventing him from making the same mistakes, he wanted to help him overcome the

Grace to stay. Humbert knew very well how selfish he was, he was Caden’s best friend, not Grace’s.

strong, Caden who was sitting on the floor was now drenched with the transparent liquid from head to toe, “Is this enough? I have more if

if

if the letter was

distressed seeing him protecting the letter so carefully, he hated it but he couldn’t do

of paper, Caden. You put the cart before the horse,” said Humbert plainly, “I don’t know if she hates you, but Caden, what you should do is to apologize sincerely to

flung the bottle on his hand away upon finishing his sentence, he then walked over the shitfaced Caden. He opened the door, paused for

he didn’t stay any longer. He took a big

as if outside the bedroom door was another side of the world.

the bedroom was dim, dirty and filled with a

bedroom saw Humbert came out, he hurriedly went up to Humbert and

and his head was throbbing,

to pull himself together even after Mr. White visited him?

to prepare his meals for him, just

he

couldn’t possibly stop him from dying if he

nothing to

by itself from inside. Don’t knock on the door, don’t try to open it from outside.” The person inside would naturally

come again tomorrow.”

the homestay was making dirty money, driving their guests away even though they paid in advance, that they picked on people who weren’t their own size, and that all the workers generally harassed the guests together. The online post was small, but