I came and answered the door.

"Good day sir, you're,?"

I gazed at him in his well-ironed Italian suit.

"I should be asking you?" He raised his eyebrows, "Who are you and what are you doing in my son's apartment,?".

He walks inside after I pulled away from obstructing the door

Clay rushed out and he was stunned to find me talking to his father.

"Dad! What are you doing here,!" he held my hand and conceal me behind his back

"You shouldn't be asking me son, and besides you haven't been answering my calls, what happened,?".

Clay's dad goes to the couch and sat down

"Nothing happened Dad and I do not want to talk about it,".

Clay said he kept me behind as I listened to him speaking with a lot of animosity in his voice for his dad.

"Talk,?" He says and later laughed.

"Did I say anything funny,?" Clay held my hand.

"Yeah! You did because I should warn you, "

I heard footsteps approaching further.

" You have two months to answer your call, or else, you'll have to pass risks getting everything that I have worked for, go to ruins,".

He says as he rode past his son.

But all of a sudden, he ceased and turned to me.

"What's your name dear,!?" He raised a question.

"Anna?," I responded.

"Anna! What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he stroked my hair, " please take good care of my son, okay,?".

He said and went out the door.

Immediately Clay went ahead and locked the door, he felt so uncomfortable by his dad's visit that I was compelled to speak about it.

"Is everything okay,?" I said in a concerned tone.

"Yes, please don't worry," he shook his head continually and went to his bedroom.

Again, Clay has told me not to worry, and why does he seem annoyed by his dad coming to see him, Is there more to what I don't know?

What mantle is Clay about to lose, and why isn't he liking to take it?..

The entire day I kept myself locked in.

It was a few minutes later, a bit late in the night, I walked out of my room, came downstairs and I couldn't help but notice Clay talking to himself on the front porch of his apartment.

I came there

"Hey! You okay,?" I shut the door behind me.

"Yes Anna, tell me, why aren't you sleeping,?" He shifted a bit and asked me to sit down next to him on the bench outside

"I am not fatigued," I came and sat down next to him.

"Okay, but tell me something, is there a particular reason why you can't sleep,?".

He brought his hand to my shoulders and pushed me nearer to him.

I rested my head on his shoulder and said.

"Nothing in particular, but what about you,?".

I turned around and asked him the same question.

Clay laughs.

"To be honest Anna, ever since my Dad came to visit me, I haven't been myself,".

He says to me.

"Yes I noticed, but can you tell me the reason why,?"... I queried.

Clay however becomes a bit silent before considering replying to me.

"Nope! Don't worry about it, it's not important,".

He reiterated the same words he had said to me an hour ago...

What is with him and not to worry, if he keeps on saying that, I literally might just being to worry myself and maybe then he might want to tell me what is happening with him and the toxic tension he has with his dad.

I kept resting my head on Clay's shoulders and didn't know when I had slept, I only woke up the following morning to find out that I was inside my room.

Last night I remember talking with Clay on the front porch, and after that, I don't recall what happened.

I came down and I even past his bedroom.

Clay's door was wide open and I walked in to speak with him.

"Good morning,!!" I yelled at the top of my voice, hoping I'd get an answer, but I got nothing but my voice coming back to me.

It indicates that Clay wasn't in his bedroom.

I came to the living room, and I went by the breakfast table when I noticed someone sleeping on the ground.

I ceased and I glanced down.

To my surprise, I saw clay on the floor, he was bruised and beaten so badly.

"Clay, what happened to you,?".

I tugged the table to a corner and woke him up from his slumber.

Clay attempts to push me away from helping him.

"Don't!" He cautioned.

"Stop it,!" I strongly held his hand and carried him over to sit down on the couch.

"Where is your first aid kit,?".

I raised a question.

"At the bathroom inside my bedroom,".

He tells me.

Immediately I run there and I came back holding the first aid kit in my occupancy.

I kept the spirit and Cotton at the side.

"Take off your shirt," I said.

"No!" Clay stubbornly rejected

"Come on, don't be like this, or else your wounds will get infected,".

I picked the spirit and poured it on the cotton.

Clay in his reluctant manner brought his hands above his head and he let me help me remove his shirt.

His body was full of belt marks, did someone hit him with a belt or was there any struggle last that I didn't know?

I cleaned off Clay's wounds.

I closed the first aid kit and then helped him to his bedroom.

I laid him down on his bed.

"Don't move, I'll go get you ginger tea,"

I told and went back to the door.

After I came with a cup of ginger tea and I kept it on the stool beside his bed.

"Drink, and I'll go clean up," I went to the door again, I was just about to leave when he stopped me.

"Anna!," He made me turn back to him.

"Yes!, " I said with a smile.

"Thanks for your help," He respected me.

"You're welcome,". I smiled away, going back to the living room.

I don't know what happened to Clay, and if I do ask him, I don't think he would be willing to tell me.

He seems to be harboring more secrets from me.

I might be a stranger, a girl that he just met, I verbatim might be the reason for his liberation.

I want to help Clay, but will he be willing to accept my help?