Unchained

Written by Marissa Struhar

“Doctor Annabelle Shepherd, how are you this evening?”

The clicking of her heels echoed through the dimly lit hallway. The lights flickered with what seemed to be every approaching step, and every drop of rain that smacked the windowpanes caged by bars.

“Glad to be alive. And for the millionth time, just call me Ann.” Ann promptly snagged the clipboard from Roy’s hands.

Roy smirked as he pulled the worn key card from the strap attached to his belt and opened the barricaded steel door. The sound of the buzzer swallowed the sound of the rain, and the operating light converted the hall to a thick crimson. The door creaked open with a slight push.

“Ladies first, Ann.” Roy gestured with a slight bow, directing Ann through the door.

“Shut up” She scoffed.

A hallway, darker and eerier than before held the patients’ who needed special confinement and held the patient Ann came to see. The snarls and banging on the patient’s cell doors welcomed Ann as she tracked to the end of the hall. Both Ann and Roy approached another steel door, and he swiped the key card once again.

“You know the drill. If you need anything, just shout and security will be right in. Be careful.”

Ann passed through the doorway with a loud slam following behind her. The silence made everything around her stand still, and a deep breath released with the screeching of the chair against the concrete floor shook her to the bone. She sat gently and placed the clipboard onto the table and stared at him. His cold gaze felt empty and hollow, as if a soul doesn’t exist beyond those eyes. Ann pulled out an audio recorder and placed it between herself and the man sitting across from her, and pressed start.

“This is Doctor Annabelle Shepherd here with patient number AT2467. Legal name, Flinn Wallace. Current age, 35 years old. Today’s date is October 22, 1982, it is currently 6:47 p.m. Now beginning session number 228. How are you today Flinn?”

The toned static overflowed the room. Flinn observed Ann for a moment and gazed down at the handcuffs linking him to the table. His hands were red and scarred, and the area around his wrists that were tightly secured by the cuffs were bruised.

“Your hair looks lovely today.” he mumbled.

Ann, frozen for a moment, looked up at the camera hidden in the dark void within the top corner of the room, pointing directly at the both of them. She adjusted the glasses resting on her nose with a slight tap, then clicked her pen and began flipping through the papers fastened along her clipboard. She skimmed amongst the list of medical diagnoses that seemed to run on for pages on end. Flipping through a few more pages, she finally paused, and placed the board back onto the table. She readjusted her posture and chair and glanced at Flinn.

“In this session, we will be discussing the importance of people in your life and attempt to uncover the reasons behind the actions that followed. Is that alright with you Flinn?”

A slight nod followed, and Ann began her lecture.

“Do you remember Linda?” Ann lightly spoke, followed by a pause.

Flinn’s eyes shot up and glared and Ann through his thick brows. His head began to rise, and Ann gripped her pen tighter than before, expecting a provoked reaction.

“Of course, I do. She was the love of my life. You know,” Flinn hesitated. “I still dream of her to this day. I think about the way she smelled like citrus and dew combined in a lovely way. How her laugh sounded like a choir of songbirds in harmony, and especially the way that she held me in her arms like a mother to her child, comforting me at my lowest. I really did love her. But tell me doctor, how can I love someone that I absolutely hate?”

Ann gulped down the wretched words that left Flinn’s mouth, and for a moment, had nothing to say. She took the pen that was still gripped within her palm and wrote down Flinn’s words that haunted the air between them. Once Ann was finished, she placed the pen back on the table, and regained her composure.

“I’m not quite sure Flinn. What do“

“Have you ever loved anyone doctor?” Flinn interrupted.

Ann hesitated, wondering if she should reveal the grim past that follows her like a shadow.

“I have. I loved him a lot, actually. But that’s in the past. He’s gone now, and I would rather not talk about that right now. Now Flinn, enough about me, let’s get back on track to-”

“What was he like?”

Ann’s eyes shut with a deep sigh, attempting to keep her calm. She unknowingly grabbed the pen back off the table and held it once again in her grasp. She thought about it for a moment, that possibly, if she complied with Flinn, this conversation might lead to something that could become uncovered with the discussion that follows.

“He was one of a kind. Truly the best man imaginable for me. I loved him, and he always made sure to return that love and more.” Ann stopped to reminisce on her lover, but immediately ceased after the realization of Flinn staring through her like a bullet.

“Well, it seems like you loved him very much, and I’m glad you were in a good relationship.”

“Thank you Flinn. I appreciate- “

“Where is he now?”

Those words pierced though Ann’s heart. She suffocated the pen as sweat began to run down fingers. Ann shoved out the chair from under her as she stood up, anger brewing inside of her. She avoided eye contact with Flinn as she choked back the tears caused by the man in front of her.

“That’s enough for today. I’ll schedule another appointment for us to continue this conversation another time.”

Ann grabbed her pen, clipboard, and recorder from the table and opened the door to her escape.

Ann made her way down the hallway with a quickened pace trying to get back to her office without any interaction from fellow co-workers. The rain continued to smash against the windows, attempting to drown out the thoughts that engulfed her mind, but even the rain and screams of patients couldn’t stop the tears that trickled down her reddened face. Once she arrived at the door to her office, she made her way inside and smashed her belongings on her desk. Slamming her hands onto the table with her head hanging low, tears continued to fall, forming droplets that fell onto the papers beneath her. A light knock on her door made Ann freeze, and she quickly wipes the tears from her eyes.

“Who is it?” Ann called with a quiver in her voice.

“It’s Roy. Can I come in?”

Roy spoke softly with a warm tone. Ann fixed her posture and drew a deep breath. She made her way to the chair across from her and took a seat.

“Hey, I’m sorry about all that. I didn’t know that the conversation would end up like that, and I’m sure you didn’t either. Listen, I knew from the start when you first took on this case, that a situation like his would mess with you. If you’d like me to, I’ll“

“Don’t even finish that sentence.” Ann glared at him. “I knew what I was getting myself into. And I knew the possible mental side effects of this case. I promised myself that I would never let my emotions or past get the best of me, but I failed myself and others today, and I take full blame. But let me tell you something, Dr. Jenkins, I am not one to give up on something, especially a patient of my own. Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate all that you do for me, and you’re a great friend of mine. But if you don’t mind, could I please get back to work? I would really like to get home before 10 tonight.”

“I heard everything. Do you want to talk about it?”

Ann groaned and flung her glasses onto her desk, dropping her face into her palms. She hesitated for a moment and stared back at Roy through her fingers. She wiped her face, her eyes still puffy. Roy made his way up to her desk and took a seat in one of the chairs across from her.

“Thank you, Roy.”

Roy chuckled at the remark Ann made as he stood up from his chair. Once he got to the door, he turned to look at Ann once more.

“If you need anything, I’m right next door. Just knock.”

A genuine smile from Ann surfaced across her face for what seemed to be the first time in days. Roy left the room, and Ann continued to sort through the piles of papers on her desk.

The smell of dew in the sunrise was one of the few things Ann liked about her early morning schedule. Ann made her way into the high security building and greeted the officers that just got off the night shift.

“Looks like you’ve got your hands full this morning Dr. Shepherd.” one of the officers spoke.

“Yeah, just something for a friend of mine.” Ann struggled to say as she pushed her back into the door of her office. She sat down her belongings and made her way next door to Roy’s office with two coffee cups in hand.

“I appreciate it, thanks. This is actually perfect because- “

A loud knock boomed through the room both Roy and Ann sat in, and the both of them stopped in their tracks. Their eyes shot to the creaking door. A man with a large stature that hovered over the ones who dwelled bellowed him made his way through the entrance.

Ann pushed open the door with her hip and greeted Roy, gesturing the drink she had bought for him.

“Got this for you! This is just a thanks for helping me out yesterday.” Ann took a seat across from Roy’s desk.

Doctor Oliver gestured to Ann to follow him through the doorway. Before Ann left the room, she looked back at Roy with a concerned look on her face, thinking about if her meltdown the day before with Flinn was the reasoning behind this.

“Doctor Oliver! Didn’t expect to see you today.” Ann nervously laughed. She side-eyed Roy and the paleness of his skin showed more than usual.

“Yeah. What’s the boss doing around here at this time of day?” Roy quickly tidied up the loose files laying on his desk while still maintaining eye contact with Doctor Oliver.

“Doctor Shepherd. I couldn’t find you in your office, so I assumed you would be here with Dr. Jenkins. Can we talk for a moment? Alone.”

Doctor Oliver gestured Ann to follow him through the doorway. Before Ann left the room, she looked back at Roy with a concerned look on her face, thinking about if her meltdown the day before with Flinn was the reasoning behind this.

As the door shut behind both her and her boss after making way into Ann’s office, Ann took a seat at her desk, but Dr. Oliver persisted to stand above her, never sitting in the chairs that would have separated the both of them. He pulled out a file with the name “Flinn Wallace” plastered on the front, along with a massive red stamp that obscured the cover. Dr. Oliver rested the file on Ann’s desk, turned, and made his way out the door.

“He leaves in 3 days.” Dr. Oliver muttered, closing the door behind him.

Ann took a closer look at the file left on her desk, and immediately saw the bold red words stamped on the front of the file. Her heart dropped, along with the papers that were once held in hand. Roy opened the door without any warning.

“What happened? You look like you just saw a ghost.” Roy whispered, trying to keep the conversation quiet, but his heart pounding loud through his chest.

Ann sat there in shock, choking on her own words. She slowly looked up at Roy from across the room and softly spoke,

“He’s being released.”

Long days and long nights have passed, and now, time has finally come. The day that Flinn Wallace is being released. Ann looked out the window of her office down to the front gates of the institution. Ann saw Flinn get into the car that would transport him elsewhere for the time being, since he had no family to pick him up, or to stay with. As Flinn was about to get into the car, the handcuffs on his wrist were unlocked by the guards escorting him. But, as he was doing so, Flinn’s eyes locked onto Ann’s through the window, and he stared, never breaking eye contact. His eye’s still cold and soulless, but this time it seemed different, as if he knew where to look. Like he knew where Ann was. Ann continued to stare back at the eyes of her former patient, until he broke eye contact as he was being pushed into the car. Ann ragefully sat in the window, and watched as the car pulled away, and the gates shut once again.

Roy knocked on Ann door, and without asking, walked right in.

“This is absurd. I can’t believe they would do something like this.” Roy muttered in rage.

“Yeah, and I’ve had enough of it.”

“Wait a second, Ann! Where are you going?” Roy jumped and chased Ann.

“I’m going to fix this! And I’m going to get that man back into his cell, whatever it takes!”

Ann busted through the double doored room that led to Dr. Oliver’s office, marching up to his desk, throwing the file on top of the papers he was working on.

Roy busted into the room behind Ann, out of breath and eyes wide, watching Ann stand up to the man they feared most.

“What are you thinking bursting in here like this Dr. Shepherd?” Dr. Oliver fell back into his chair in shock.

Ann ripped the file from behind her back and smacked it on Dr. Oliver’s Desk. Her cold glared pierced the eyes of her boss, and he glared right back. Her boss rose from the cushioned chair, and towered over Ann. She took a slight step back, but regained her composure with a deep breath, and marched right back up to Dr. Oliver.

“You know exactly why I’m here Doctor. That patient was my duty and my responsibility. Flinn, was my duty and my responsibility! I believe that Flinn is not ready to be out in the open world, and all of the evidence is right on paper.” Ann paused and gulped down the fear of the response the man in front of her was going to make.

“First of all, young lady, you do not rush into my office like that! Second of all, who gave you the right to speak to me in such tone!”

Other co-workers began to gather outside the office door, peering into the commotion that echoed through the halls. Roy stood in shock and feared any intervention.

The doctors all left and went back to their obligations. Roy began to walk away, still hearing the shouts from beyond the barricaded door. Roy paused for a moment, looked around to see if the coast was clear, and slowly began to creep back up to the boss’s door.

“I don’t understand doctor. I’ve worked with Flinn for so long now, but out of the blue, he gets the green light to go, and I don’t get any notice about such information until right before he left? Don’t you think that’s even a little absurd?”

“You are not in charge of such decisions, and you knew that from the beginning. The board and myself all came to this conclusion, and we feel that with his recent status and behavior, he has just met the requirements to be out in the public. He’s been inside of this cage for so long, and we’ve all decided that taking a step out into the real world will be beneficial for him development and improvement.” Dr. Oliver began to make way back to his desk.

“All? We? Obviously, there has been no all or we in this decision!”

“Enough Annabelle! I’ve heard enough of your bickering for today! The decision is final and written in stone. Nothing will be changed at this time.”

The both of them stood sill, surrounded by the silence that filled the air. Ann huffed in anger, out of breath from the commotion.

Roy leaned against the wooden wall next to the office door and listened as the commotion came to a sudden halt. A faint voice followed, too faint for Roy to hear from the outside. Abruptly, the door swung open, and Ann marched out of the room about to burst into tears, making her way back to her office.

“Don’t touch me!” Ann turned to Roy, eyes red, and cheeks stained by the ever-flowing tears.

“What happened in there? What’s going on?” Roy worrisomely asked Ann.

“He’s making me go on leave for a week. He said that my behavior was unreasonable, and I overreacted.” Ann walked over to her desk and picked up the bag that rested underneath it. She began to grab files and stuff them into her bag, and within those files, grabbed Flinn’s.

“That’s ridiculous! You have every right to be upset. After all, he is your patient.”

“Yeah, well tell that to the Doctor.” Ann made her way to the door and started to open it.

“What are you going to do then? You can’t just give up like this.”

Ann paused for a moment; the door halfway open. She glanced back at Roy for an instant. Her face angered. They both stared at each other for a moment, and Ann told Roy the one thing that was on her mind.

“I’m not giving up. I’m going to make things right. I’ll be back soon, but for now, I’ve got to get this horrible person back to where he belongs.”

Secrets and lies

Emily

Mickens

I imagined he sensed my brain tearing him to pieces. Ripping him apart one by one. His face way too pretty for someone so evil. What is it they say, “The devil was once an angel”. Now I’ve never been religious, but this man is made for unforgivable sinning, and God have mercy upon my soul because he might just be my undoing. Wait. No. I must remind my traitorous heart that this man is evil in the flesh and will only leave me broken and kicked out of my not so secure spot in heaven. Although I suppose the devil himself could always secure me a spot in a bloody river filled with the souls of his other gullible victims. I come back to the land of the living and see the red horned man himself raising a glass in my direction as if we are old pals. Maybe he can hear my thoughts. I raise my glass in return with something that isn’t quite a smile but managed to look victorious, nonetheless. He has no idea what I have in store for him, and I’d be lying if I said that doesn’t make me feel like a cat who got the canary. I’m picturing all the ways that I could make him feel my pain. His time will come. This devil in disguise may be temptation personified, but my goal is clear and bright. I refuse to allow anything to distract me. Certainly not him. It’s very unlikely that I will come up with a plan that can outsmart him, but as for me surprising him? Well let’s just say he’s always underestimated me. It’s the glasses. People always look more innocent with glasses, right?

Back to my “old pals” comment. I wasn’t being 100% honest. Me and this sinner have known each other for longer than I care to admit. Just like I hate admitting that he is not actually the devil, and I am just obsessed. As Jane Austen said, We are all fools in love. He made me out to be a fool with nothing. Not even two cents to rub together. He stole my future and won’t even tell me the full story behind it. He continues to stick around. Always sending invitations to parties at his casinos and galas in his mansion. This is all part of the reason I cannot get him out of my head because he is somehow always in my sights. Something tells me that it’s not a coincidence.

Gage Fitzgerald Erikson has been a tenant in my head for a long time, living rent free. I would love to actually convince myself that he is pure evil and is using his dark delicious devil magic to make me fall in love, but that my friends is unfortunately not the case. He is just a normal guy. Well, if you consider someone who is worth billions and tears people’s families apart as a past time normal, then yeah, he’s your everyday average Joe. Gage, in all honesty, is everything but normal. Of course, he would never let the public see that. The only reason I know him inside and out is because I spent years learning him. Years falling in love with every move he makes. He never eats in public, never stutters, or loses eye contact. He doesn’t fidget or get nervous, and God forbid he lets anyone know he has any human emotion. He is picture perfect. All. The. Time. Even now. His Armani suit fit for a prince fits him just right. Tailored to perfection. His hair, as dark as the night sky, is never out of place. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. Always so God damn perfect. Meanwhile, I stand in my long sleeve black dress, bra strap halfway off my shoulder, hair too frizzy to stay in one place no matter how much frizz control and heat I put into it to make it stay flat. We could not be more opposite, me and Gage. Oh well, opposites attract, I guess. God. I lose all sense in his presence. Nothing new though, it has been this way since I walked downstairs at 6 years old and got introduced to the new neighbors. Gage has had the key to my locked off heart since. Now I know what you’re thinking “why would you plan to ruin the love of your life” and to that I say: eye for an eye. He has ruined me beyond repair, and I hate that I still have any love for him at all afterwhat he’s done to me. To my father.

I guess love that is written in the starts doesn’t disappear as quickly as those written in the sand. Gage starts walking in my direction, my face remains unbothered, but my stomach does summersaults, and my heart feels like it’s ready to jump out and into Gages hands.

“Aria, darling.” Gage says as he reaches out to stroke my cheek. He does this every time even though he knows I hate it. He taunts and teases any chance he gets. I say I allow it because keep your enemies close and all, but the truth is I just want to feel his touch even though it’s the touch of a lies and deception.

“Gage. Lovely party.” I say trying to remain casual. Desperate tohide that I burn with the fire of hades for this man.

“Thank you. I was looking forward to this. I just want to smack that delicious smirk right off his GQ model face. He’s actually been on the cover of GQ. Literally.

“Yes, your parties are always… exciting” As I’m talking, I can see countless people behind him, trying to figure out how to grab his attention how I’ve managed to.

“No, Aria I meant this. Talking with you. It’s been a minute love.” My eyes widen at his admission. Not the pet names, Gage loves those. The knowledge that I have been on his mind. Something about that has me feeling enraptured.

“You alright? You went pale. Are you knackered?” He leans down a little, so we are eye to eye. I suddenly feel as if I am hanging onto every word he’s saying. Like I will drown if I don’t have him to hold on to.

I clear my throat before I answer. “No, I’m fine, not tired. Just zoned out for a second”

He smiles like he knows that is not the entire truth. He has this look of genuine concern on his face but also a hint of amusement. He knows the hold he has on me; I do not know how to feel about that.

I believe I forgot to mention that Gage is British That accent is one of many things about him that make me want to forget all about the past.

“It hasn’t been that long Gage. You’ll survive without me” I say referring to his earlier admission of thinking about me. My control is slightly slipping, and I need to end the conversation but for some reason I can’t. More importantly, I don’t want to.

“I do not know about that. You keep my black heart beating” He places his hand above his heart with a cheeky grin. Asshole. But a small part of me would love to be the reason his heart beats.

“Oh please. As if you have a heart.” I snap at him. I’m suddenly caught feeling jealous of any women who has ever held any importance to him.

“Darling” He warns. He doesn’t want me to cause a scene.

“What?” I’m full-on glaring at him now. We have drawn a small crowd at this point.

“If you must make scene, please don’t make it about my heart. That is such a cliché love.” He isn’t worried about the press finding out about me, he’s worried they’ll think he has heart. The very thing he is trying to prove he has to me.

“Well, if you do have one, I have certainly never seen it” Liar. My words wipe the smirk off his face. He is now looking at me like he cannot believe I think that.

“Aria, you know that is not true. You more than anyone knows that is not true.” He takes on a soft tone that I have only ever heard him use with me. It’s not condescending or mocking. It’s gentle and sweet, like he really wants me to believe what he’s saying.

“Gage. Don’t. Please.” I am begging him to not bring up old memories. To not remind me why I don’t cut him out of my life permanently. He knows this too; it’s why he doesn’t even ask.

He goes from gentle to pissed off in a matter of seconds.

“Damnit Aria. This is not how I wanted this to go. We go in this bloody circle every time we run into each other.”

“And who’s fault is that, Gage?” I toss my champagne back. Now I’m pissed off. How dare he act like I’m the reason we aren’t what we used to be as kids?

“Mine” he says it so low that I almost missed it. Maybe I imagined it. Gage never admits to being wrong. Ever.

“Wha- wh- what?” I can barely speak, I’m so stunned.

“You heard me ”

“I did but I want to make sure I heard you right.”

“It’s my fault Aria. Mine that we are not what we used to be. Mine that you hate me so much. It’s my fault that I’m no longer the one you look to when you’re feeling down. Mi- “

“You’re the reason I’m feeling down. ” I interrupt him before he says something that makes me think he’s not manipulating me.

“You’re the reason I wake up and cry. Why I look around and see chipped walls and my father’s broken soul every day. ”

“Baby ” That one word sounds like a plead. One that makes me feel a little sorry for how hard I’m digging in on him.

“No! You do not get to pull that card. I’m not your ‘baby’, I’m not your anything!” Cameras are flashing at this point, but I can’t bring myself to care when the person who stole my life and holds my heart is standing right in front of me. It’s crazy how something you so desperately want to hate has all your love.

‘Damnit Aria!” He grabs my arm and drags me towards the back of the casino.

“Gage. Gage! Slow down I can’t walk that fast in these shoes!” I huff out in annoyance. Luckily, he slows down enough for me to get my bearings but keeps walking towards a large door.

“I am a wanker. You and me both are aware of this, but one thing I have always been with you is honest” He opens the door and shoves me in after he closes it

“Oh, that’s a load of bull!”

“It’s not. You know me. As much as you think I’m some tosser who just screwed you over, I am not.” He never breaks eye contact as he says this to me. I can’t describe how this makes me feel. All I know is that I, without a doubt, believe him. Even though he has withheld the truth from me, he has never outright lied to me.

“Why now?” The silence after that question is sickening. I don’t even know what I’m asking.

“Because I’m tired of you hating me” He steps so close that were breathing the same air. I would love nothing more than to press my lips to his and forget the past, but I have to know the truth of why he betrayed me. And how he did it so easily.

“I don’t hate you because I think you lied to me” My words are nothing more than a whisper.

“I hate you because you made it look so easy”

“Made what look so easy?”

“Not being in my life” I know confessing this is probably the worst thing I could do, but in all honesty, I have nothing left to lose.

“Oh darling” he reaches up and strokes my cheek. I lean into it because even for just a second, I can pretend we’re still friends.

“Losing you was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life” He rests his forehead against mine. He stares into my tear filled eyes looking for my response.

“You haven’t lost me Gage. I’m right here” he softly gasps when I kiss his soft lips. Remember when I said I was good at surprising him? He had absolutely no idea that I harbored any feelings for him other than anger all these years.

“Wait” He slowly pulls away and stares for a moment

“What?”

“We need to talk first. Before we jump into anything I have to tell yo-,” There’s a knock on the door before he can finish

“Mr. Erikson! Can you tell us who the woman is! Plea-,” The reporter tries to come into the dimly lit room when a giant wall of a man steps behind him and yanks his shirt collar back. The man is dressed in all black with a clear earpiece in.

“Sod off!” Gage yells at the reporter

“Thank you, Kyan,” The man in black nods. He must be security. He pulls the man back from the doorway and soft closes the door. But not before I saw hundreds of people looking our way, trying to get a glimpse of what has caught Gages attention.

“Back to what I was saying. I have to tell you what really happened with your father” he searches my face for any kind of reaction. I don’t have one to give him because I am still processing the fact that Gage is going to tell me what happened between him and my father all those years ago. Why he completely tore my life apart.

“Ok. Talk.” I’m not being mean, it’s just all I’m able to muster up at the moment. For so long I thought of Gage as the devil. As nothing but cold hearted and evil. I’m worried he’s about to flip everything in my life upside down again. Only when I fall, he’ll be there to catch me.

“When my father died, I inherited his company. We had just graduated. I always knew what my father did was unorthodox, and that’s putting it mildly.” He starts pacing the room

“I got all his work, every document, every piece of blackmail-,”

“Blackmail?!” he looks at me with a ‘tell me about it’ look on his face before he continues.

“My father was deep in with some not-so-great people. He kept lists. Countless organized lists of people he owes and people that owe him” With that he finally looks up at me. Almost seeming apologetic.

“Your father was on one of those lists” I gasp. Never in a million years would I imagine my father involved in something so dangerous. I go to say something, but Gage puts his hand up, stopping me before I could get a word out

“Before you ask, your father owed mine according to the list. I couldn’t believe it either when I saw his name. I figured it had to be a mistake. I was going to let it go and ignore it. Let your father have his secrets but then I saw your name” he steps in front of me and grabs my hand.

“Gage I was never involved with your father. In any way. I barely even knew the man!”

I’m almost shouting. I’m scared. Scared he thinks I betrayed him.

“I know, baby. Your name was on the list because your father had a debt” he holds my hand tighter when he says this

“I don’t understand Gage.” I’m shaking my head. Wracking my brain, trying to make this make sense

“Your father was going to sell you to pay off his debt to my father. Hundreds of thousands of dollars and my bastard father was going to settle for just you.” I’m dizzy now. None of this makes any sense.

“No- n- Gage, you must be wrong. The list must have been fake, or you must have misread” he shakes his head

“Aria, I spoke with your dad afterI found this out. Just to get the facts. He told me “They would have killed me. They would have taken care of my baby girl. Treated her right.”” he sneers as he recites what my father told him. He drops my hand and turns around.

“He was so convinced you would be fine, as long as his debt was paid. So, I made a decision that I have regretted my entire life.” He paused to look up at me “I took everything from him and said as long as he kept you safe, I would keep him comfortable. My father would have chewed you up and spit you out like trash once he broke you beyond repair.” He is visibly shaking by now.

“So then why did we struggle so much? Why did I have to suffer if you kept him comfortable.” This does not make any sense anymore.

“That was his fault. He lied and told me you were fine and had everything you needed. He said you were happy. Hewas doing good in the beginning, staying clean and out of trouble so I stopped keeping such a strict watch over him.”

“Happy?! I was anything but happy Gage! I was miserable.”

“I could not have known, Aria. Every time I saw you, you were cursing me to hell. Pretending to be civil” he gave a humorless laugh which only made me more mad.

“Because any time I get to spend with you, whether it be when you are hating me or ignoring me, you’re still with me. I feel normal with you Ari.”

“You lied to me ” It’s barely a whisper but I had to say it. That hurt me more than anything else he has ever done. I trusted him more than anyone else.

“I know and the only excuse that I have is that I was trying to protect you.” He rests his forehead on mine.

“All you did was betray me.” As much as I want to be angry, I cannot be. My father would have sold me off to whoever gave the highest number. If not Gages father for his debt, then some bookie he owed. He is who I’m pissed at.

“Ari, I promise I will give you anything you need and more now. You want college? Done, I’ll call yale. You want the moon; I’ll go pull it out the fucking sky. You want to walk on mars, I’ll track Elon musk down. Anything you want is yours. I am yours ” Now what was I supposed to do with that?