Hello! Its been a very long time since I've done anything on this site, and i highly doubt anyone is going to care to read this, but itll give me a sense of completion. Thank you to everyone who has been super supportive and i hopre you enjpy the chapter

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Sarita was a woman of many talents. She could cook, she could survive, and she knew at least six different languages and could speak them fluently. One of the talents she was the most blessed at was seducing married men. In her short year moving to Georgia, she had five successful affairs. She may not have been the most attractive or youngest woman roaming the earth, but there was no doubt that she knew how to make the most of what she had. She chased after these men because she wanted a man who could keep her satisfied. Someone with enough income to feed a family. Someone who was capable of making strong decisions for her despite their pre-destined wedding vows. It may seem silly to say, but she hungered for the love that these women had from their husbands. That's what she really wanted; love.

For the first time in her affairs, she thought she found the one. Kenny was kind to her. He was passionate, he made her feel special. He was the perfect man, and she didn't concern herself with having to provide him a child since he already had one. There was only one thing wrong with him. He made her anxious as all of hell.

Sarita was a very vain women. Too confident for her own good. She expected him to just jump up and leave his wife the moment she demonstrated how skilled in bed she could be. She was unreasonably disappointed when that was not the reality of the situation. She had been so use to others breaking their backs to try and be with her, that this feeling, that felt like rejection, wasn't sitting pleasantly with her. It drove her crazy to think that he wasn't going be with her by the end of all this, but the last thing she wanted to do was seem pathetic by confronting him by what his intentions were.

No, all she could do was keep luring him to her bed, and reassure herself that Katjaa had already filed for divorce.

She tapped her nails along her coffee mug as she stared at her phone, debating whether it was a good idea to ask him to come over for some alone time. Looking at the clock, she smirked. It was only eight in the morning on Tuesday and they didn't have to show up to work until ten in the morning on Friday. She was always so happy to have the same schedule as him. It gave her more time to keep him waiting and tease him with advances. She never felt guilty for pulling his string, or for the pain she put his wife through. Why should she? If Katjaa was half the woman she was, then she would've had no problem keeping Kenny in the palm of her hand. And why should Sarita feel bad for whatever the boy, Duck, is going through? It was his mothers responsibility to see that she kept her marriage together.

Sarita was guilt free, because in her mind, she had nothing to feel sorry about.

Dr. Logan was at home, reviewing Clementines file in his basement. Well, it was less like a basement and more of a secret lab that you would find in one of those cartoons you watched on a Sunday morning. He can't even count the hours he's spent down there, trying to find other ways to advance medical science. Clementine was a rare, growing, case. Suffering from something between the lines of psychosis and schizophrenia, but far more severe. A mental illness that caused people to imagine ridiculous things in place of their actual life events. They didn't really even have a name for it, but in the few cases there have been found, there was no cure to be found.

Dr. Logan was sincerely hoping to change that. He first became intrigued with this disorder when he heard about it in a much similar case, Ironically also in Georgia. A man named Rick Grimes had also been diagnosed with it after experiencing a near death experience. The story had made full headlines. It made people around the world terrified to go outside in case something traumatized them into that kind of submission to their inner thoughts. Logan was simply amazed at the mere possibility. Although Logan digs around helplessly to find a cure, he cannot be mistaken for a saint.

With that kind of reaction to this, how much money must be involved in the discovery to its end?

Clementine has been the perfect test subject for his investigation. He had tried once before with a woman named Anna Correa, and almost got somewhere with it, but it backfired on him. Anna had become too delusional and started making accusations at him for forcing her into having an abortion. It wasn't true, but her verbal threats had scared him into people finding out about what he was actually doing to her. It would be a heartless thing to say if one considered him lucky that she killed herself and he got away with it, but that's how what he considered himself to be.

Clementine, however was young when first administered into his facility, and very impressionable. She had already suffered a traumatic event that could not be linked back to him in anyway, and she already suffered the early symptoms of this mystery illness. It wasn't hard for him to influence her mind into developing along with her internal world. It also helped that he wasn't alone. He managed to bribe one of the nurses, Bonnie, into administering medications into the little girls system that would leave her confused and easy to manipulate. In exchange, Bonnie received a safe way to carry on her heroin addiction without fear of being discovered.

"Come on!" He grunted, thoroughly examining every little word in Clementine's file, as if he hasn't done that a million times. in the past hour alone. Through all the knowledge he has, he cannot explain how he hasn't found the answer yet. He's pumped her with so many drugs that he cant even count anymore and Hes tried every physiological answer in the book. It angers him that the stupid boy was able to get through to her enough to make some sort of reality come back to her, albeit temporary and vague. It's flat out embarrassing and offensive to him as a doctor. Bringing the boy in was more of a test to see how far her brain could travel back in time. Logan could not have predicted this outcome. But what was the answer? Maybe a chemical imbalance? Lack of the brain being able to function endorphins naturally. Every conclusion he could draw since then just sounded stupid to him now. His mind raced continuously for an answer, but the only thing he could think of was how much money was at stake.

"GOD DAMMIT!" He slammed his fists on the table and let out a hiss of pain and irritation. He felt as if frustration was going to drive him insane himself. His knuckles stung, but he couldn't find the energy to care. Logan didn't know how to handle the situation that hes created, but as long as their was profit in it, and he was able to fool the girls parents into believing his lies a little longer, then maybe he'll be able to pull this off.

He just needs to find a little more time.

Duck couldn't stop thinking about Clementine. Her reaction had just seemed so sudden. Duck would like to think that he's not as stupid as his father thought when he was only a few years younger, but it got to him sometimes. He wasn't sure if Clementines reaction toward him was normal, or if he was just trying to flatter himself. Regardless, he knew that he didnt like that doctor. Something about him seemed off. Controlling. He worried that maybe Clementine wasnt as safe there as he thought. That maybe theyre doing something terrible to her and nobody knows about it yet. But he seemed to be the only person around with this feeling, so he didnt know if there seemed to be a sensible reason to suspect anything bad from Dr. Logan.

At the same time, Duck wondered why he even cared so much. Clementine was just a childhood friend who he hasn't seen in three years. He never thought that it would overwhelm his mind with thoughts of her. He has enough of his own problems, who cares about her? But there was something. The tint in her eyes, the fairness of her skin, there were so many things that just popped out about her. She was his only friend who didn't think he was stupid. Or didn't mind that his parents fought alot. He remembered that she always smelled like her mothers perfume and that scent has been surrounding him for days. A nostalga that wouldnt leave him for the stupidest reason.

Duck jumped when he heard a tap on his door. He was a bit confused since his parents never knock. Instead of replying, he just walked up and opened the door. His father was just standing there, awkwardly. One hand in his pocket and the other scratching the back of his head. He stumbled a bit walking in, and found his way onto Ducks bed.

"Hey, Son," He shrugged. Kenny wasn't very good in awkward situations. he always gets flustered and embarrassed. Sometimes it would make it very hard for him to talk to his son, "Wanted to see how you were doing."

Duck kind of knew this conversations as if it were routine, "Oh, I'm alright, pa. Just doing my thing."

"Oh," Kenny breathed out, smiling a bit, "That's a relief. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

The child shook his head and shrugged, "No,"

"I was worried that your visit with Clementine disturbed you. I know its hard to see old friends when they're... well," He struggled to look for a bundle of words that wouldn't offend him, "Well, just not right."

"Yeah," He agreed, "When do you think I can see her again?"

"Well that depends on what the doctor says, and on what your mom thinks."

Duck wiggled uncomfortably. It made him feel uncomfortable sometimes to think about his parents. There was always this unspoken tension, as if there was an invisible bubble between the two of them that pushed in opposite directions. Duck took a deep breathe in and let it out slow. It felt good to pause for a moment and just focus on himself.

Except he wasn't focusing on himself. He didn't mean to let the words slip out, but he just couldn't help it, "Do you even still love mom?"

Kenny was taken back. He wasn't use to his son confronting him about anything. He always batted his eyes and had a blank stare, something that Kenny had grown to like because it avoided situations like this. For the first time, Kenny found himself intimidated by his own son. This was a fear he couldn't describe. His eyes widended, his heart raced, and his own mind was stumbling around. Nothing felt like this. Not falling in love, not having an affair, not even the anger his wife had at him. Yet the only thing he could think was that he didnt want to let his only child down.

After an awkward pause, Duck sighed, "Never mind, you've already answered."

"Wait!" Kenny felt so pathetic that his voice came out as a plea. He swallowed hard and hesitantly put a hand on Ducks shoulder. The contact didn't make him feel anymore confident, and he stumbled on hos words again, "Your mother and I... Well, sometimes adults have trouble staying together. Sometimes things aren't as simple as they seem tobe and..." He trailed off, making his point seem flat

"But do you love her?" Duck returned the question.

Kennys heart sank a bit. He shook a bit as he moved his hand from his sons shoulder to his cheek, caressing it slightly. Duck looked so much like Katjaa to him. Duck was the most beautiful thing they did together.

"Yes," he responded, firmly this time, "Yes, of course i still love your mother. Because of her, I have you. And I will always love her for that."

Duck smiled at that. It took him by surprise, but it was the kindest thing that his father ever said to him. Still, he burned with questions, "Then why do you hurt her the way you do? Why don't you guys figure all of this out?"

"She's tried, I just haven't let it happen," Kenny frowned. It's not like he didn't know that was the reality, but it was the first time he said it out loud and it just made him feel like dirt, "I should've tried harder. I should've been a better husband, but I wasn't."

"Then apologize to her. Start working harder," Duck shrugged. the solution seemed simple to him.

Kenny smiled at the boys innocence. Regardless of how silly it seemed, Ducks proposal seemed to inspire him. Maybe fixing things could be that easy.

"You know," he started, "Maybe I will."

Duck didn't know what to say, so he simply smiled up at him. Keny was starting to feel a bit hopeful. Maybe it was foolish that such a simple thing helped him, but hearing his son out, although it was breif, made him feel important.

As if on que, Kennys phone went off. He thought it would be Matthew to ask him to come in today, though he wasn't surprised when it was Sarita instead. Kenny remembered the warning he received from Matthew just a few days ago, and was now thinking on his discussion with Duck. With a deep breathe, he ignored her call and looked back at Duck.

"C'mon son," He beamed, "Lets go do something fun."