"Rafael!"

Rafael didn't stop walking for a second even after he stormed out of the large metallic prison gate, loosening his tie while taking deep breaths at the same time. His direction was focused on getting to his black Mercedes.

He knew Tony had followed him right from the waiting room, calling his name over and over again, wanting him to slow down a bit or at least talk to him but Rafael knew exactly what he was going to say and that was exactly what he was trying to avoid.
He rushed to his car and pulled the back door open.

Why did he do what he just did though?

The door shut quickly.

"Why did you do what you just did?"
Tony's glare was so hard on him while his left hand held on tight to the door's handle so Rafael didn't try to open it again.

Rafael glared at him for a second.
He had barely noticed when Tony rushed to the car before he did.

"Why did you do that? I'm asking you"

Tony was trying so hard to understand what had just happened in there. He never really understood why Rafael stormed out of the interrogation room in the middle of a session with so much anger and disgust written all over his face. He didn't even stop for a second to inform him he was taking his leave.

"She did it." Rafael told him, "She killed him."

"What?" Tony blinked in disbelief

"There's no need pushing this case. She can't win it. The evidence they have against her is huge."

"T-that's not possible. You can figure it out, I know you can-"

"That's the point, you're not listening to me!" Rafael cut him off quickly. Now he was yelling a little bit. He had had enough of it. Even Tony was surprised. "This is not just a regular murder case Tony, she killed a very important person, an heir of one of the biggest companies, and the son of one of the most powerful families the country has ever known. The Silvers are scary people. She can't win. She was doomed from the start and I don't want to get involved in whatever mess this is."

Tony exhaled. He knew he had to at least reason with him.

"Come on brother, you just said the Silvers are scary people. It means you believe they are just doing this to cover up their mess. They are using her as bait-"

"What does it even matter?" Rafael cut him off. He was getting really frustrated. "None of this matters, none of what you think, what we think matter. I promised my previous case was going to be my last and you know exactly why I made that promise. The Silvers are very dangerous people, they have one of the best resources, best lawyers. Going up against them is suicide. A war we might not win."

"So what? We just let them get away with it? We let her die in there?"

"Honestly Tony, it's not my problem." Rafael snapped. "I don't know that woman, and I definitely don't care what happens to her. There are a thousand other lawyers out there, good lawyers that can defend her. I'm not taking this case or any other cases. I quit the practice and I mean it. Now you can either ride home with me or order a taxi, but this is your problem now, not mine. She's not my responsibility, never has been."

Rafael reached for the door handle not bothering who was in the way. He just wanted to leave that place so bad and he didn't want anyone to stop him anymore. He opened the door.

"What happened to you?"

Rafael froze at the sound of Tony's voice.
He didn't have to look at Tony to recognize that tone in his voice. There was a lot of disappointment evident in them.

"You used to love this. You used to jump at opportunities like this, opportunities to help people, to save people. Why do you want to quit so badly now?"

"Because it's useless."
Rafael cut him off. He took a few seconds before he slowly turned to face Tony. "What's the use saving all these people, defending criminals and not, when I couldn't even save the ones that mattered, the people that mattered to me?"

"What happened to Constance and Kamsi was not your fault Rafael-"

"Stop saying that!" He raised his voice, slamming the car door to a close while he took a few steps towards Tony, hurt and a lot of pain evident in his eyes.

"You weren't there, you don't know what happened."

"I know enough!" Tony snapped back. "What Constance wanted from you was selfish. Now I know she felt you weren't always there for her and the baby but you were there the best way you could. This job, this was everything you wanted, it meant a lot to you, we all know how much it meant to you. You sacrificed a lot to get here and she just couldn't accept how important it was to you."

Rafael scoffed.

"You didn't know that plane was going to crash and you could never have stopped it just like you could never have stopped them from leaving."

"But I should have tried. I should have chosen them. Do you think I care about this stupid practice?" Rafael asked him. "Those people that died were all that mattered to me. They were the most important things to me in the world, they were the reason I wanted to achieve all of this and now that I did, it's all for nothing. Do you know what that is? To live four years of your life for nothing because the only reasons you ever wanted to live in the first place are all gone?"

His voice was so cold and so was the look in his eyes. He looked like he was going to levitate Tony from the ground with his eyes and throw him away like they did in all those sci-fi movies.

"This was what she wanted, what they needed, all
of me. I should have listened to her, I should have stopped when she wanted me to, I should have stopped them from leaving or better still left with them and that's what I'm trying to do right now, I'm trying to do what I should have done four years ago, live right by them. If you were truly my brother, you should understand that instead of trying to force my damn hand."

Tony exhaled

"And now you're bringing this lady, someone who isn't even worth an extra week of my time, someone who is probably guilty of everything she has been accused of. You're asking me to give up my only chance at redemption and self forgiveness for a criminal? Why on earth do I have to help her huh? Why on earth do I have to help anyone anymore? Can't I just leave when I want to? Aren't I even allowed to stop? Why does everyone keep asking me to do the exact same things I don't want to? Tell me why?!" Rafael yelled so hard now that everyone around the gate had to take a second turn to see what was going on.

None of them cared. They were so busy glaring at each other to bother themselves on what was happening around them. Rafael was so frustrated but not as frustrated as Tony.

Tony flickered his tongue on his lower lip for a second, nodding his head continuously like he was agreeing to everything Rafael had said. He gently raised his hands and rested them on his hips.

"Fine." Tony told him, trying to remain as calm as ever "You're probably right and you probably have the right to feel exactly how you feel right now. You lost a lot."

Rafael scoffed, gently placing his hands on his lips, rubbing his pointer finger beneath his nose.

"And I can't blame you for feeling like this, for wanting to end all of this, all you've worked hard for and dreamt of all these years but don't you for once think you're the only one that lost a lot four years ago. You might have lost a wife and a child but I lost my family too. I lost my best friend and my God daughter and four years is barely enough to mourn them because they were just as important to me as they were to you. But they're dead Rafael, they are dead and no matter how much you try to forget it, or beat yourself for it, it's the truth. They are dead and they are never coming back but you see that lady in there?"

He pointed at the gate.

"You and I Are probably all she has right now. We might be the only ones that can actually help her. If you feel so bad for not being able to save your family, you can change all of that by saving someone that is actually alive, someone that needs your saving. You and I know what that place is like, it's not safe especially for someone like her, not after what she is being accused of . You know the government better than anyone else, you know how these rich people think, people like the Silvers. They won't let her live another six years talk more of thirty two years."

Tony exhaled. Was he talking too much?

"Look, I'm not saying this is something you must do. I'm not saying you have to do this. If you'd want to quit right away and move to an island in Mozambique, I'd support you just like always. I know how hard all of this must be for you, and I wouldn't blame you if you'd want it to end, if you'd want to just look away this time. I'm more concerned with how you'd be able to live with yourself when it's all over, when you've turned your back on the most important thing in your life, your profession, being a lawyer, your whole life's worth of dreams, hope, patience, sacrifice and hard work. Give up now and all you've sacrificed to get here, turning your back on everyone else that mattered in your life all for this moment, it would all be for nothing, just like the way that lady in there, is going to die for nothing but of course you wouldn't care about that. You don't care about anything or anyone else but yourself. I mean Constance knew that, and I guess I just got to understand what she meant eventually ."

Tony exhaled and dropped his hands. He could tell the sudden change in Rafael's expression.

"Drive safe my brother, let's talk some other time ."

Tony turned slowly and walked away.
Rafael had no idea when his legs moved one step. Was he really going to stop him?

He stopped.

He couldn't.
Tony didn't actually mean that. He didn't just mean what he said. How could he-

He scoffed. Unbelievable

He slowly turned back to his car, he was so furious.
He kicked it as hard as he could till the alarm went off.

"Oga sir,"

He could hear his driver who had been standing behind the car, pretending not to listen, call for his attention out loud as he hurried towards him to see if he was okay.

He scared everyone. A few heads had turned and it was beginning to make him so uncomfortable. He was so upset, so furious.

Darn it.
Darn all if it.

"Get me out of here."

He opened the door and then got in. The man hurried to the drivers seat as fast as he could. It only took a second before he drove off