Broken Promises

Chapter Twenty One

Laura reread the same paragraph for close to the tenth time. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't concentrate on anything this morning. Finally giving up, she folded the newspaper and placed it on the coffee table. Her mind began to wander once more as she stared out the window of the 3rd floor apartment.

Alex had been kind enough to put them up for the time that they would be in Chicago. Laura had argued, albeit unsuccessfully, that she and the children were intruding too much. Alex would have none of it. They were to stay as long as they cared to, and that was that. End of discussion.

Laura appreciated everyone's helpful attitude and truth be told she was more than thankful that other people would be around to help out with the children. More than once, either, or both, of the children had cornered her with questions about their father, and honestly, she was running out of answers. Answers and energy, it would seem. Glancing at the clock, she noted that it was barely 10:00 AM and she already felt worn out and listless. She knew the reason, of course. In the past 2 days alone, she'd barely been able to sleep more than a couple of hours either night. Sighing heavily, she ran her hands over her tired face and wondered when it would ever end. It, of course, being the unbearable silence. Jake, Cody and the rest of Frank's old team had been doing their darnedest to collect any information about Frank or his mission, but so far they had come up with nothing……absolutely nothing. It appeared that Raymond Marsh had been the only one privy to whatever this mission entailed, and, obviously, he had taken what he knew to the grave. For one brief, fog-filled moment of lightheadedness, she'd even entertained the idea of a séance. A dry, humorless chuckle erupted from her lips as she pictured the group of them huddled around a wrinkled old woman with a crystal ball.

"What's so funny?" Alex asked as she entered the living room, eyeing Laura cautiously.

Shaking her head, Laura replied cryptically, "A séance."

Alex frowned. "What the hell?" she asked, her eyebrows knit in confusion and concern. For the past couple of days, she'd witnessed her old friend walking around the apartment, refusing to go out, preferring instead to spend her time staring out the nearest window or pretending to read a novel while never turning a single page. In her opinion, Laura had become a ghost of her former self. Maybe a séance would be in order.

"Sorry," Laura mumbled, slightly embarrassed about having actually vocalized what she'd really been thinking about. "I was just wondering if attempting a séance would help get us some answers. I mean, it would seem that Marsh was the only one with the answers that we need." Glancing up, she noted the worried frown on her friend's face. "I'm kidding," she added, halfheartedly.

Alex stared at her a heartbeat or two longer before deciding to change the subject. "So….what do you want to do today?" But before Laura had a chance to respond, Alex held up her hands in a 'don't even say it' type of gesture. "And no, I'm not going to let you hang around here all day, so pick something……anything." She watched as Laura barely contained the look of annoyance that threatened to cross her face. Alex continued on, "I mean it. All you've been doing since you arrived is sit in that chair and stare out the window. That's it. We're going out, and yes, that means all of us," she added before Laura could interrupt. "We can go to the pool…..the park…..the shopping mall. Just pick something!" For more than a few seconds, she saw an angry spark flash in Laura's eyes. There was a set to her jaw that told Alex she was preparing to tell her where to get off, but the look was there and gone before it could barely even register. And in it's place, an unbelievable look of anguish and exhaustion took it's place. Alex watched as Laura turned her head toward the window once more, her shoulders slumped, the fire in her doused before it could even be kindled.

Still gazing out the window, Laura answered in a quiet voice, "I know that you're just trying to help out, Alex, but honestly…..I don't even think I have the energy to get out of this chair." Turning then, she looked toward Alex as she sat perched on the end of the couch. "I appreciate your efforts. I really do. But….." Her voice trailed off as if she didn't even have the strength to finish the sentence.

"But you're worried too much," Alex answered for her.

Laura could only nod, as the tears that she refused to let fall, threatened once more. "I can't explain it, and God knows that I don't expect anyone else to understand. There's something wrong, Alex. I don't know how I know…..I just do. He's been in hundreds of dangerous situations since we've been together, and yes, I worried every single blessed time, but this time……this is different." Sighing heavily, she closed her eyes and felt 50 years older than she really was. Had she ever been this tired? For the life of her, she couldn't remember a time when she'd felt so helpless…..so out of sorts. The logical side of her brain knew that what she needed was sleep……18 to 24 hours of nothing but sleep. From the time that Frank left until this very moment, she'd barely been able to close her eyes without images of what could be happening engulfing her mind. Images that wouldn't let her rest, some too horrible to even think about except in the bright light of day. Sleep……that was what she needed. Sleep…..and her husband back by her side.

"Laura?" Alex asked softly.

Laura's eyes flew open, and her breathing sped up for a moment or two. Had she just nodded off? Glancing at Alex's concerned face, she knew that she must have. "I'm sorry. I'm just…..tired," she finished, wanting to say so much more.

"I know. I have an idea. How about if I take the kids to the pool today? We'll swing by and pick up the others and we'll make a day of it. How's that sound?"

"They'd like that. I swear the two of them would stay in the water from morning 'til night if we let them," Laura added, a slight smile gracing her drawn face.

Alex smiled back. "There's one condition though."

"What's that?" Laura asked hesitantly.

"You have to promise me to try to get some sleep while we're gone." Before Laura could object, she rushed on. "I mean it. Sleep. Not sitting in this chair all day. You go back to bed…you lie down….you close your eyes and you sleep."

A look of disbelief crossed Laura's face. "Don't you think I want to sleep?? I'm a doctor, Alex. I know what sleep deprivation does to people. Paranoia…..irritability… confusion…."

"I know….I know," Alex stated, interrupting her. "I've heard you…..pacing back and forth out here after the rest of us have gone to bed."

Laura looked at her friend sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize that anyone else could hear me. You should have said something."

"Laura…..that's not what kept me awake. It was knowing that you're so worried and that I couldn't do a damned thing to help you."

Laura managed another slight smile. "Thank you for that……for everything."

Alex nodded in acknowledgement. "I have another idea," she explained as she went into the bathroom and came back a moment later carrying a pill bottle. Laura eyed her quizzically when she saw what Alex had retrieved.

Holding the bottle in front of her, Alex explained. "Do you remember when I hurt my back last year?"

"Falling onto that balcony from the roof, right?"

"Right. I was lucky I didn't break anything, but I hit hard enough to shove a few discs in my back out of alignment." Pointing to the bottle, she added, "These are some major painkillers. I guarantee you at least 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I kid you not. These bad boys will knock you on your ass."

Laura glanced at the bottle and then back to her friend's face. She'd never been a major proponent of pill popping. If something hurt, it was for a reason. Finding the cause and correcting the situation was the only thing that would make the pain go away permanently. But Alex was right, something needed to be done or one of these days she would keel over from exhaustion. A drug induced sleep was better than no sleep at all.

Alex watched the wariness in Laura's eyes and began to prepare any number of arguments to plead her case, but then Laura did the unexpected.

"Alright. I'll take them."

Alex's eyes opened a little wider before responding. Her acquiescence was just one more indication that Laura was not herself. "Great. As soon as Jake gets back with the kids, we'll get out of your hair and you and Mr. OxyContin here can take a nice long nap." Before Laura could change her mind, Alex headed to the phone and called Jake's cell, letting him know about the plans that they had made.

"He'll be here in about 10 minutes," Alex informed her after hanging up.

"I'll get their swimsuits for you," Laura announced as she unfolded herself out of the living room chair. As she passed Alex, she placed her hand on the woman's shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Placing her own hand on top of Laura's, Alex responded, "You're more than welcome." The two women read so much more from each other's eyes. Laura was more than just grateful and Alex was trying to make up for what she considered to be fault on the group's part. Laura needed help and had turned to them for the support that she so desperately needed, and so far all that they'd been able to do is to entertain the children and her for a few hours at a time instead of coming up with the answers she searched for in vain. A small smile of understanding passed between the two, and then Laura went to retrieve what the kids would need for the day.

Several minutes later, the two women headed down to the parking garage, waiting for Jake to pull up. After only a minute or two of waiting, he did just that. Laura leaned into Jake's SUV and told the children to mind the adults and to behave themselves. Both agreed that they would. After Christopher asked why she wasn't coming along, she glanced briefly at Alex before answering that she wasn't feeling well today, but that they should enjoy the day without her.

Jake exited the vehicle for a moment, and approached Laura who now stood near the elevator. "You OK?" he asked with more than a hint of concern in his voice.

Laura managed a weak smile and nodded her head. "I'm fine Jake. I just……I just need to get some rest. That's all, and thanks for taking care of the kids for the afternoon."

"Hey…..it's nothing. I'm more worried about you," he told her as he rubbed her arm comfortingly. "Anything you need…….you know you just need to ask, right?"

Laura was once again fighting the tears that she had been so desperately trying to stave off. It still amazed her how quickly the group of them had become fast friends after "the accident". In so many ways, these 4 individuals had become closer to her than she could have ever imagined. As a doctor, she knew the phenomenon wasn't uncommon amongst people who had shared something life-threatening. To be a part of such occurrence still awed her. Alex and Jake especially had become the brother and sister that she'd never had.

Jake saw the jumble of emotions in Laura's eyes and it sent a shooting pain to his heart. He felt utterly at a loss as to what to do to help her. He'd tried almost every single contact he could think of in order to help get a track on Frank's whereabouts. He had a couple of more leads, and would tend to them in the morning. In the meantime, he vowed to offer whatever help and comfort he could in order to get Laura and the children through this. And to that end, he approached Laura and wrapped her tightly in his embrace. He wasn't sure who needed the hug more, him or her.

The move stunned Laura at first, but she quickly responded, burying her head against his shoulder as she finally gave in to the emotions that threatened to overwhelm her. Although the tears flowed freely now, she still strained to suppress the wracking sobs that fought to overtake her. It wouldn't do at all for the children to see her break down entirely. As it was, she had showed more emotion in front of them than she would have liked. She needed to remain strong for them. If she broke entirely, she knew that they would worry more than she was sure they already did. Children were very intuitive, even at a young age. They may not understand the why's and the what for's, but they certainly understood, and fed off of, the emotions that flowed around them. For the children's sake, she needed to find a way to keep it together.

After a few seconds, Laura forced herself to pull away. Taking a deep breath, and sniffling heavily, she looked up at Jake. She saw some of her own emotions reflected back in his eyes. She wasn't the only one effected by the bizarre recent events. This she knew all too well.

Jake reached up and held her face in his hands, his thumbs gently wiping away her tears. "We'll find a way to get him back, Laura. I swear it," he declared to her, meaning every single word.

She smiled as brightly as she could in return, her heart feeling just a fraction lighter than it had just mere seconds before. "I know, Jake……I know."

The two stood there for a moment more before Laura shooed him away, telling him that the kids were getting antsy and that the best way to avoid all out chaos was for them to get going. With more than some hesitance, Jake finally walked back to the vehicle. After making sure that everyone was safely buckled in, they finally pulled away, leaving Laura feeling alone and lonely. A shuddering sigh escaped her lips before she turned to push the elevator button. As she entered the lift a few seconds later, she failed to sense something that she would have picked up on at any other time…..she had not been alone in the parking garage.

The doors closed and the elevator began its ascent. Curiously, it stopped once at the second floor, although no one was there waiting. Shrugging off the delay, she pushed the 'Close Doors' button and the elevator continued. Slowly she exited the car and turned toward Alex's apartment at the far end of the hallway. Moments later, she was inside, the door firmly locked behind her.

She glanced here and there, making a mental note that she and the children needed to clean up their mess when they returned later. In the course a couple of days, they'd somehow managed to take over Alex's normally neat and tidy place. After surveying the damage, she shuffled toward the kitchen, intent on getting a glass of water so that she could take one of the pills that Alex had left for her. A full glass of water, she told herself, and be sure the pill doesn't break open before it's swallowed. She'd read research about OxyContin. It was a strong painkiller, not to be trifled with. Chewing or otherwise opening the medicine while it was being ingested could lead to overdose. Even with one pill. Always the doctor, huh?

After filling the glass she went back to the living room, looking for the bottle that she was sure Alex had left there. Her eyebrows narrowed when she failed to find it immediately. I could have sworn she left it on the table. Shaking her head at her own confusion, she set the glass down on one of the end tables and returned to the kitchen, making that her next logical choice for the search for the pill bottle's whereabouts.

Rounding the corner, Laura was barely able to stifle a scream when she saw what awaited her. Heart racing wildly, she could hardly believe it. There…..standing in the middle of Alex's kitchen, was the one person she wanted to see more than anything else in the world.

"Frank," she was barely able to whisper, her voice trembling as much as her hands that now clutched the counter behind her for support. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him. His clothes were wrinkled, his face paler and more drawn than she had ever remembered seeing, his beard now more than 4 or 5 days old, but it was his eyes….his eyes that caught her attention more than anything else. They looked……cold……almost lifeless.

Somehow, she managed to maneuver herself toward him, although her legs felt like they would give out at any moment. The closer she got, the more confused she became. He still eyed her with the same trepidation and…..mistrust(?) that she'd noticed from the very start of this weird encounter. For more than a heartbeat or two, she began to wonder if this was all some sort of hallucination. Had she been so sleep-deprived that her mind would invent the very subject of her dreams, bringing him to her when nothing else could? As the seconds ticked by, she made herself believe that he was indeed real. Even in her wildest dreams…..never had he looked at her in the way he was now.

"Frank?" she repeated when he still failed to respond to her. If not for the eyes that followed her slowly as she crossed the floor toward him, she would have sworn that her presence didn't register at all.

When she stood less than 2 feet away from him, she tentatively reached out her hand, intent on at least making sure that he wasn't just some phantom presence come to torment her soul. As she slowly reached toward his chest, his hand swiftly grabbed her tightly around the wrist and pushed her away from him, nearly sending her to the floor if not for the table had been close enough to grab on to.

A single ominous word finally issued from him. "Don't."

Stunned, she looked at him not knowing quite what to do. In all of the scenarios that had played through her mind….never…..never would she have imagined the hateful way that he greeted her now.

"Frank…..please……"

"Please what, my darling, faithful wife?" he answered back, every word….every syllable dripping with sarcasm and something deeply malevolent.

Her eyes widened. Faithful? What had he meant by that? What was going through his obviously troubled mind, she could only guess.

She attempted to remain as calm as she could, willing her heartbeat to lessen from its now frantic rhythm. "Frank…..I've missed you so much," she told him truthfully, putting every ounce of emotion and love that she could muster into the declaration.

"You missed me?" he asked her, his face contorting with disbelief and disgust. "And exactly how have you missed me….my love?" he asked, the last two words added almost a jest. "Tell me," he ordered, his eyes now darkening as mysteriously as if the sun had suddenly disappeared from a cloudless sky.

Her moment of composure was gone. She knew….at that very moment she knew…..she was no longer talking to the man that she loved more than life itself…..the man who had risked everything to save her from the cave in that nearly took her life…..the man that she had shared her life with for the past 12 years. This…..this was someone else entirely. Someone she hoped she would never see again.

"Luis?" she asked tentatively, holding her breath as she did so.

An amused expression now slowly crossed his features, a twisted, cold smile now graced his lips. "My dear doctor……you do remember me," he told her with some delight.

"Dear sweet God," she muttered under her breath, as she now slowly backed away from him.

"Not quite," he answered her. "I'm afraid it's only me. God deserted us some time ago."

"What do you want?" she asked, boldly trying to discern why he was here.

An ominous, almost lecherous smile spread across his face. Laughing softly to himself, he finally answered. "I came here to prove a point."

"To prove a point? I…..I don't understand," she told him truthfully, her eyebrows now knit in confusion and near panic.

"Oh, but I think you do. I had to prove to him…..prove to him that you couldn't be trusted."

A sickening feeling gripped her insides. Even during all of the time that Frank had been her patient, never once had he spoken as if Luis was another person. Even in his confusion, he had been very clear that Luis and he had been halves of the same whole……just another aspect of his own personality. This…..this behavior spoke of something entirely different. She knew who he spoke of when he said 'him'.

Frank's mind had split into two totally different entities. Luis had come to prove something to Frank, and Laura felt the world spinning out from under her feet.

Laura shut her eyes tightly and took a deep calming breath. If she wanted to get out of this situation safely, she needed to keep her wits about her. If she wanted to help him, she needed to think as a doctor, not as his wife.

"What's wrong, doctor? Have you decided that you didn't miss me as much as you thought?" he asked with a coarse laugh.

"I…..I…..just wasn't expecting….you," she answered, hoping that her fear didn't show in her voice.

"Ahhhh…..I see," he answered as he slowly moved toward her, now looking like an animal stalking its prey. "You weren't expecting me? Or…..you weren't expecting me…..just now?"

Before she had a chance to answer, he came even closer. "Tell me, Laura……what have you been doing while I was away?" Stopping but mere inches away, he slowly raised his right hand and began to slowly run his finger down her bare arm.

A cold chill raced through her body. Part of her wanted to run. Part of her wanted to smack his hand away, but she knew that either action would be an irreconcilable mistake. From somewhere deep down within herself, she sought the strength that she needed to respond to him. She told herself that this was the man that she loved and at this very moment, he needed her like no other time in their lives together.

"I've been doing everything that I can to find out what's been happening to you," she told him as calmly and as truthfully as she could.

Looking down at her, one hand now resting against the counter top next to her, he responded. "And who did you go to for this information, hmmmm?"

"Jake….." He interrupted before she could finish.

"Jake?" he asked, an iciness now to his voice that she didn't like. His eyes slowly met hers. "Tell me, Laura……how long did you wait at our house after I left? One day? Two? Or did you wait at least a week or two before you came running to your lover?"

A nearly violent shiver coursed through Laura's body. That's why he called me his faithful wife! She could see the violent storm in his eyes, now barely contained beneath the surface. Should she deny the accusation? Should she get mad? Should she plead for his forgiveness for a transgression that she never committed? What was her best course of action now?

Taking into account what she knew about Luis' background, she opted for choice number 2. "How dare you!?" she nearly yelled as she planted her hands squarely in his chest as she pushed him away from her. "Don't you dare touch me!"

For a second or two, he looked shocked by her reaction, almost as if he had already worked out in his mind how she would react, and now found himself completely wrong. But after that second or two of hesitation, the fire returned to his eyes. Quicker than she could ever remember seeing anyone move, he grabbed hold of both of her arms and spun her around so that her back was up against his chest and both of his arms were locked squarely around her.

As she squirmed in his embrace, desperately trying to free herself without causing him any harm, she heard him rasp in her ear, "You like it rough, huh? Is that how he takes you, mi esposa traviesa?" As he spoke, his breath fanned her ear as his head dipped and roughly took an earlobe between his teeth.

Her own breath caught in her throat. The world seemed to be spinning off its axis. Could she allow him to touch her like this? Deep down, she knew that this was still her husband, but his touch…..his manner…..everything told her that this was someone different……a stranger.

He mistook her labored breathing as arousal and as his incentive to continue. "I saw you…..the two of you….together. His touch…..does it excite you?" he asked, a dangerous timber to his voice.

Closing her eyes, Laura willed herself to respond, to give him the answer that she thought he sought. "No…..only you. Only you excite me," she whispered to him.

His hands paused their perusal of her body, and the strength of his embrace lessened somewhat. He hadn't expected her to answer in that way. He'd expected a fight, a struggle. Not this….

Laura sensed a change in him. Because of the way that he held her, she couldn't turn her head in order to look in his eyes. If she could only see him, she would be able to read whether she was getting through to him. As his hold on her loosened, she gathered courage enough to turn toward him. She had to see. She had…..

As she completed her turn, she knew that she had made a grievous error. Instead of seeing a softness in his eyes, she saw only blackness. A seething darkness. The storm about to be unleashed. Too late, she began to pull away from him.

"¡Puta!" he yelled as he backhanded her, sending her flying across the kitchen and into the table and chairs, toppling anything and everything in her path.

Stunned, she sat on the floor, her hand pressed to her face where she could already feel the tissue swelling. She couldn't cry. She felt like she couldn't even breath. She half expected him to come after her, to finish whatever he had started. But after several minutes lapsed and still nothing happened, she slowly looked up at him. His jaw was squarely shut, his hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. But most disturbing of all was the pure, unadulterated hatred that she saw in his eyes. Something she never thought she would see, not in a thousand lifetimes. Not from the man that had loved her gently….tenderly. Not even during their most heated argument had she ever seen this side of him. A side she never could imagine would exist.

At that moment, all hope was lost to her. Nothing else existed. Nothing. An overwhelming sense of loss swept over her. She'd prayed for the day that he would come walking back into her life. Never could she have imagined this. A strangled cry escaped her lips as she finally gave into the pain and grief that had threatened to consume her since the day that he'd left. Pulling her legs up in front of her, she wrapped her arms around them and bawled like a baby. She'd lost him. The man now standing some five feet away was a stranger, someone she never knew.

Her crying became almost frantic as she called out his name time and time again, oblivious to the fact that he still stood within the same room as her. Her sobs wracked her body, almost to the point where she made herself sick. A choking cough, the only thing that interrupted her tears interminable flow.

How long she cried, she had no idea. All sense of time and place were lost to her. Slowly…ever so slowly……she regained her senses. Every part of her body felt as if it were weighted, and everything ached. Her back from sitting in this position for so long…..her head from the intensity of her crying……and mostly her face where she was sure there were now purple and blue marks. As she slowly resurfaced and calmed herself, she felt something else too. A hand….slowly, gently rubbing her back.

Slowly she raised her head, almost afraid to see who now sat beside her. How long had she been crying? A terrifying thought occurred to her. What if Alex and the children had come home and seen her like this? A gasping breath hitched in her throat, as she slowly swiveled her head to look.

Frank.

He was still there. Leaning up against the fallen table, his eyes firmly shut. His own tears traced rivulets down his face. A face that wore a pained expression.

She sat there for a moment or two wondering how the events of the last hour or so had brought them to this point. When had he come to her? What had brought him to her? She couldn't even venture a guess for fear that things would turn horribly wrong once again if she thought about it too much.

"Frank?" she whispered, her voice still thick with the tears that continued to escape from her eyes.

He winced when he heard her voice, but still he kept his eyes closed, afraid to see what he knew would be there. Only when he felt her hand on his leg did he finally open his eyes. The look in her now brilliant green eyes would forever tear at his soul, but even worse, he could see what he'd done to her face, her right cheek now bruised and swollen. Clenching his jaw tightly, he swiftly closed his eyes once more and turned his head away. The night before he'd left, he'd hurt her. Although he'd been in the throes of a nightmare, he knew that he would never forgive himself for what he'd done, and now this…..

"Frank…..please look at me," she pleaded softly. She didn't know how. She didn't know why. All she did know was that the man beside her now was her husband. Something had happened. Something had returned him to her, and some miracles shouldn't be questioned. "Frank…please."

She turned so that she could more fully face him. Raising her hand, she gently touched his face, and in response, he pulled almost violently away from her. His eyes now open, he stared back at her, unable to believe that she wasn't running away from him as he knew she should.

"Why are you still here?" she asked quietly, her voice still raspy.

The question froze in the air between them. He looked into her eyes trying to interpret the question. Confusion and guilt clouded everything that he saw, including what he thought he saw in her eyes. He thought she was accusing him…..telling him that he should leave. And although he knew she was right for doing so, a very small part of him that still believed in forgiveness, died quietly. Closing his eyes once again, he shut away the image of what he'd done. Slowly, he rose to his feet.

She saw the struggle going on in his eyes, and knew that he had misunderstood her question. Rising to block his way, she added, "I didn't expect you to be here….with me. I thought……" She couldn't finish when she saw the anguish in his eyes. Once again, he misunderstood.

How could she get through to him? What could she say? What could she do to convince him?

"I love you, Frank."

As he brushed past her, intent on leaving as quickly as possible, he froze dead in his tracks. He knew that he couldn't have heard her correctly. How could she possibly love him? The thought was both foreign and comforting at the same time. While part of him believed that there was nothing remotely loveable about him, the other part desperately craved to hear her say the words once more. Turning toward her, he looked deeply into her eyes, silently praying that she was speaking what was truly in her heart. What he saw made his heart stop briefly and then beat wildly in his chest.

Crossing in front of him, she placed both of her hands gently on his face, and repeated what she'd already told him, "I missed you so much," her voice breaking as she uttered the last word.

The world dissolved around the two as they gazed into each other's eyes. Civilization stood still. There was nothing else but them. Slowly, ever so slowly, Frank drew Laura into his embrace and the two melted one into the other. Two contented sighs escaped their lips and mingled.

Laura held on to Frank as if he would disappear at any second if she let go. All of the worry, the lonely nights, even the events of the last two hours vanished, leaving only the warm, secure knowledge that her husband was back where he needed to be, where he was meant to be.

As Frank clutched his wife to him, a small voice in the back of his mind clamored for attention. A voice that told him to enjoy the moment, because it was never meant to last. Squeezing his eyes tightly shut, he relegated the voice to the dark recesses of his mind, intent instead on reveling in this moment. A moment that he had prayed for……fought for.

Somehow, the voice made itself known once more before being hurtled back into the void.

Do you really think she'll still love you when she finds out what you've done?

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