Hi everyone! Here we go, on our last and final chapter together. You have all been so amazing, and I just want to give every single one of you a giant bear hug. You've all helped me become more confident in my writing, and I'm just so happy people enjoyed reading this. This chapter is going to be my longest because I have so much to reveal. So, without further ado, the final chapter, the epilogue, to The 23rd Year of Helga G. Pataki.

Four and a half months; that's how long it took me to stop crying everyday from the pain I was in. Four and a half months to stop having nights of waking up screaming from a vivid and violent nightmare. Four and a half months to laugh again. Four and a half months to want to live. Four and a half months to realize it wasn't my fault.

My heart still wrenches with pain every time I think about him. Every time somebody uses his name nonchalantly. Every time a slight image of him pops up; my whole soul wants to give up and surrender right then and there.

It took Arnold weeks for me to have a full conversation with him again. It took him two months to get a slight smile from me.

I had stopped eating full meals; Arnolds coaxing had no affect on me. My usual daily intake of food consisted of two pieces of bread, a glass of water, and if I was feeling extra empty, a piece of fruit.

A psychiatrist came every other day in hopes that I would leave all my emotions with her, and feel new and refreshed; it took 15 sessions before I spoke a word to her. At first nobody was worried about me. They said it was 'post-traumatic stress'. Yeah right, I used to say under my breath. This was something more; nobody realized it. It wasn't until I hadn't moved out of bed for three weeks. Or how after Chance's funeral I talked to Arnold once and then made no attempt to contact or talk to him whatsoever. It took me two months to kiss him; I did get slight pecks from him on my head every now and then.

Arnold took it better than I did. He struggled to make it though the tough time; he succeeded though. Of course on some days he would cry when he thought I was asleep, but other than that he tried to be as happy as possible. He refused to cry in front of me because he was positive that it would make me more depressed.

I lay in bed all day, every day, staring blankly at the wall. Some nights I refused to sleep, in fear that nightmares would occur and I wouldn't wake up. Arnold was always there to hold me in my darkest moments.

He tried to get me to sleep in the day because I never slept at night anymore. I couldn't. My heart beat fast and I felt like I was going to be sick every time I thought of sleep. Nightmares never came unless my eyes closed. Fatigue overtook my body some nights, but I just ended up screaming in my bed, trying to make the bloody scenes stop.

Arnold never brought anything up in front of me that could even merely relate to Chance. The first time he let the word 'baby' slip, I went four days without eating.

People never understood; I couldn't control what I was doing, what I was feeling. Nobody understood that it hurt me more than anything to have my daughter try and talk to me and play with me, but I didn't have the emotional stability or strength to do anything. Nobody ever realized that it killed me that I was feeling that way; I couldn't just stop. Every day my hunger worsened, but anytime a crumb of food came near my mouth, I would become nauseous and most likely throw up. Arnold had doctors come and check up on me every once in awhile. They said I was fine, and eventually was going to get over it; that hurt the most. That somebody could be so ignorant, so full of hatred that they think I could just 'get over it'. Breaking a bone, someone cheating on you, losing a best friend; all things someone can get over. Notice how 'your child dying' doesn't quite make the list.

When I started becoming myself again, Arnold was so proud of me. My appetite wasn't as big as it used to be, but it was getting there. For awhile, Arnold and I never did anything romantic past a kiss; I was content with it staying like that, and he never pushed into do anything more. Caressa was happier than ever because her mom was finally talking, laughing, and smiling again.

I was kicked out of the university months before; I never told anyone. It hit me the hardest when Caressa was at preschool and Arnold was at work and I sat at home doing nothing. I told Arnold when I was finally speaking to him again; he called them and stood his ground. They hung up on him, so he marched over to the school to give him a piece of his mind; neither I nor Arnold are already within 200 feet of the campus.

I was needed in my case against Rob, so they kept postponing it until I was healthy again. Looking him in the eyes again was torture. He had a smirk on throughout the whole trial. A smile that said, 'I don't regret what I did. You deserved it'. The ex-girlfriend who cheated he on me with came forward, and placed another case upon him. She revealed that before he came and attempted to murder me, she was attacked brutally by him but never told anyone. He was declared life sentence.

When I was able to walk and talk again, for awhile, I visited Chance's grave every single day. Some days would hit me harder than others.

The wedding took place a year and a half after Chance's passing. We visited him that morning, tears streaming down our faces, but we knew we should enjoy today for him.

I was dressed in an all white mermaid-shaped gown. It didn't have sparkles; only slight beading at the hemline. It was simple and was perfect.

Luna was my maid of honor; it was going to be Olga, but I didn't think she deserved it. I hadn't heard from her for years. Caressa was the adorable flower girl, dressed in a baby blue dress. I called Phoebe up, and asked her to be one of my bridesmaids. She immediately said yes, and drove from California to be at my wedding. She brought along her husband, Jared, and her daughter, Isabelle. We invited some of our old friends, so Gerald came along with his wife; she was pregnant with her first. Arnold insisted on inviting Rob's family, which at first I said no to immediately. He said it was important for the healing process so I allowed him to send an invite.

My mom and dad were on the list and got the invitation, but gave a lame excuse that they were 'busy'; didn't even give a reason. Even though their presence wasn't wanted on my part, I still needed someone to walk me down the aisle. I thought long and hard about whom should walk me. I didn't have any uncles or aunts, or grandparents for that matter, so I had to depend on friends. Arnold finally convinced me that Gerald should walk me down the aisle. I, of course, glared at him for that one, but he persuaded me. Gerald and I butt heads every once in awhile, but throughout my high school years he was always there. I agreed, and he ended up walking me down the aisle.

Arnold looked absolutely stunning in his tux, and I was beaming with excitement with how happy he looked. When I reached the front, Gerald pulled me in and whispered, "You have no idea how happy you make him. Thank you". He gave me a kiss on the cheek, and then walked off to Arnold's side. Not knowing what was really going, Caressa yelled, "Hi mommy!" out of nowhere. It made everyone laugh.

Arnold and I decided to do personal vows and I ended crying my eyes out as he was reciting his. His delicate hands were shaking, and his voice was vibrating as he was reading. Mine was short, and because I was crying it wasn't really comprehendible.

When Arnold and I sat down at the head of the ballroom in front of all our guests, it was time for the speeches. It made me heartbroken that neither mine, nor Arnold's side of the table was filled with our moms and dads. He noticed, so he thought it was the perfect time to make his speech to lighten the moment.

He stood up, and hit the side of his glass a few times with a fork. "Everybody, everybody, thank you so much for coming," the sea of people quieted down. "I'm sorry if my voice is shaking, but I am so excited right now. If someone were to tell me three years ago, that I was to marry my girlfriend from when I was in grade school, I would've told them they were crazy. I remember when I saw her around three years ago for the first time in so long, sitting in my class. My heart completely stopped. And from then on, I had an everlasting crush on her. We talked almost every single day and even though she told me she had so much going on and didn't want a boyfriend, never once did I stop loving her." He took a break, to flip through his little note cards, and then continued. "We had so much history, and over these last few years, we have made so many more memories. I remember when I let it slip that I loved her. I was petrified. I stood there and then ran off like a lost puppy, because I realized I messed up our relationship completely. I ran to the park to sit and think when it started pouring. All I was thinking was 'how could this day get any worse?'. Then, as I was walking through the puddles, I got a tap on my shoulder and it was Helga. She was drenched from head to toe, and screamed over the thunder and rain that she loved me. From that moment on, I knew that I wanted to be with her forever." In unison, the audience let out an 'Awe!'. Arnold giggled. "Seeing Helga in pain is one of the worst experiences that someone can ever have. It kills you on the inside. She has had to go through so much pain these last few years. And having to watch her go through all of it was one of the hardest things I had to do. After everything we have had to go through, she is sitting next to me, and she is still the strongest and most caring person I know. She has changed me forever." He looked into my eyes. "Helga, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. You're like my best friend. You make me a better person ever single day I'm with you. You are the most beautiful, caring, and loving soul that has walked this planet. I love you so much and I'm so glad that I get to spend the rest of my life with you." When he reached the end, I was crying. I loved him so much.

When I reached age 27, I got a little surprise. I came home one day after picking Caressa up from school, when I got a sharp pain in my stomach. I had noticed that I was feeling extremely sluggish, but thought nothing of it. I knew something was wrong and that I had felt the feeling before. I took the test, and found out that I was pregnant. I didn't know how to react. I was reminded immediately of my son, and of Caressa. I didn't know what I was feeling. I was so excited that I was going to have another child, but my last two children died horrible deaths. Arnold wasn't home from work at that point, so I told Caressa first. I walked out of the bathroom slowly. She knew something was up.

"What's wrong mom?"

I looked her straight in the eyes. "I'm pregnant." I said in one breath.

She stared at me for a moment, processing the information. "Are you serious?" She screamed with excitement. She reacted better than I expected, but telling Arnold was best of all. He was bouncing off the walls for weeks, and was like a little nurse the nine months I was pregnant. He giggled at how I walked, so I didn't hold anything back when I was angry. I was already deadly when I was angry, but the added hormones kicked it up 100 notches.

On August 15, my daughter was born. Arnold and I decided on the name Avia Fleur. She was a healthy and happy baby girl. She had thick beach blonde hair. Throughout the pregnancy I knew for a fact she was going to be like me. She was a rambunctious child, even in the womb. In my first trimester I had the worst morning sickness. Then, in my second and third trimester, I couldn't go a week without throwing up. Her little legs kicked constantly, which made any food that entered my body come out. It wasn't pleasant, but the doctors said it was good. 'She's obviously a healthy baby', a nurse said one day. That's all I wanted.

The pregnancy was hard mentally, because I had so much paranoia. Any time I got a pain, I would start hyperventilating. It didn't help that she would kick if I was stressed. Whenever Arnold sang, she would stop somersaulting and jabbing my stomach and fall completely silent. It was a blessing to get some peace. If I ever started breathing heavily and shaking, Arnold would come, rub my belly, and sing. I loved him for that.

The birth of Avia was simple. I was in labor for five hours, and after beginning the pushing process, she slipped out within seconds. She came three weeks early, but was seven and a half pounds. I like to think that she just couldn't wait any longer.

Caressa and Avia loved each other. Caressa treated her like a little doll that she could dress up and play around with. Having a little sister was her dream. The age difference between them was perfect; 7 years.

Avia was loud and crazy; unlike her usually quiet older sister. One she learned to walk, or run, she never stopped. Anywhere she went, she ran. And she was very independent. I wasn't allowed, by her rules, to choose her clothes for her anymore. She learned to talk very quickly, and reached her terrible twos by the time she reached one.

Two years after having Avia, at age 29, I was expecting my third child. Arnold and I couldn't be more excited. We were a little nervous that we would get another child like Avia, who was always hyper, no matter what. This pregnancy, we decided to find out the sex when we could rather than wait six more months. I was such an impatient person. Even though parents aren't supposed to say what gender they want more, I could just tell Arnold was itching for a boy. He wouldn't say it out loud, but I knew he wanted one; so badly. I was crossing my fingers for a boy, because I wanted Arnold to have his wish granted.

We into the doctor's office one morning, and out knowing the gender; a girl. We were both ecstatic. Arnold showed no sign of disappointment.

At six months pregnant, we moved. We just couldn't squeeze five people into one tiny apartment. We said goodbye to the city we loved and moved to a town on the outskirts. We found a perfect house and fell in love with it. By the time we were completely settled, the baby was coming. The doctors were going to induce me, because she was a week and a half late. On the day for the scheduled inducing, I was relieved to find out that she was ready. Her birth wasn't any more painful than the others.

June 1, we had our third beautiful child, Aurora Poppy. Arnold loved the name Poppy, and he wasn't going to back down. He was fine with it being a middle name.

Aurora turned out to be the 'middle' child. Not in the sense of the order in which she was born, but that she had equal personality traits from Arnold and I. When she wanted to be, she could be completely silent, and be a perfect angel. But man, could that kid throw a temper tantrum.

Avia loved being able to pick on Aurora. She wasn't the youngest anymore, so she stood her ground. When Aurora got to the age where she could fight back, Avia laid off a little.

Caressa stayed the same, except she was nine years old and looked more like me every day. Her baby fat was going away, and her facial structure was appearing.

She loved Aurora as a baby. She did the same to her as she did to Avia. She dressed her up and loved her. She especially loved her hair. It wasn't blonde like the rest of ours; somehow it came out brown. It was absolutely gorgeous. It grew out quickly and developed lone gorgeous waves. All of the girls were jealous.

Caressa never mentioned Rob. Not once. I didn't even know if she knew him or remembered him. It hurt to bring him up, but I had to tell her who he was and what he did to our family. If she's going to find out, I wanted her to find out from me and nobody else. Arnold said he could be there for support, but I told him I would be okay. I had to do it alone.

"Sweetie could I talk to you alone?" She moved away from the pack of girls in the living room and we proceeded into her bedroom.

"What's up mom?" She had no clue what was coming.

"I'm just going to ask you, right now, not to say anything until I'm done. This is really hard for me to talk about," I say, with slight embarrassment. She had true concern on her face.

"Okay," she says quietly. "I won't."

I take in a deep breath. "Caressa, do you remember your real dad? Do you remember what he looks like, why he's not here?" She shook her head slightly. "Well, I married your father very young, and I had you at 20. We were so in love, but I wasn't doing anything in my life, so I decided on going to college. He completely disapproved, so we got a divorce and I moved to the apartment that we lived in before we came here. Anyway, I saw Arnold again at school."

I was cut off. "Again? What do you mean again?" I peered at her. "Sorry, I forgot I wasn't supposed to say anything." She looked down.

"It's okay." This was going to be a long story. "Well, Arnold and I knew each other when we were very young. I loved him so much, but he never knew. We ended dating for awhile, but he broke it off. We didn't speak for years. So seeing him at the school I was going to was a complete surprise. We immediately hit it off, and he fell in love with you. He thought you were the cutest thing ever." I tickled her belly. She giggled. "Well, mommy got into a car accident, and your biological daddy came and helped her. I didn't know what I was doing honestly. I was broken, and I needed somebody. We fell in love again, and I ended up preg-," I stop, noticing the tears coming. I suppress them. "I ended up pregnant with twins. It was amazing. One boy, one girl. Do you remember their names?" She shook her head. "Their names were Evangeline and Chance. I came home early from a little trip one day to find Rob was cheating on me. I screamed at him to get out and he left without a word. Arnold came and helped me through it. Then he accidently spilled he loved me and I realized I love him, too. And he loved you, and the babies. Then one night after he left to go home, I heard a rattling at the door. So I got out of bed, locked your door to keep you safe and went to see what it was. I won't give you the details because they're pretty gruesome, but Rob tried to kill me." Caressa gasped. She looked like she wanted to talk, but shook her head, as if to say keep going. So I held the tears back and continued. "One of my neighbors came and saved me. If he hadn't of come, I would've died right then and there."

Caressa cut in. "Why would he do that to you mom?" She sounded like she was crying. "How did he and try and kill you?" Her face was distorted with sadness.

"He wanted revenge on my, sweetie; I was helpless. I was so pregnant, I couldn't fight back… Are you sure you want to know the details?" She nodded. "Well, he punched, kicked, and threw me around on the floor. Then-," It was hard to say. It was so hard to talk about. "Then he stabbed me." I let out, in one small breath. Caressa engulfed me in a hug. "He ended hurting me severely, and the attack killed Evangeline. I was devastated. I didn't know what to do. I thought it was my fault."

She chimed in. "It wasn't your fault mom!" She smiled slightly.

"I thought it was though. I thought I should have died, not a poor helpless baby. So Arnold came and helped me through it and I gave birth to Chance. Arnold proposed to me that same day. Chance was healthy the first few days of his life, but then developed a stomach condition where he wouldn't digest anything. Then your mother here had a mental breakdown, and while I was in hospital Arnold brought Chance home. Not too long after coming home, I found Chance lying in a pool of vomit with blood in it. He died from internal bleeding. And all of this was caused by Rob; all of it." I paused finishing my story. "I know that's a lot to take in, but do you have any questions or anything?"

She pulled me in for another hug. "I'm sorry mamma. He was a terrible person." After a few seconds she asked, "Where is he now? Can he find you?"

I laughed. "No sweetie. Awhile back he went to jail for life. He can't harm anybody anymore. But, we still have to respect his family when they come over. They're really good people; he was the bad egg." She smiles.

"Thank you for telling me." I smile in return.

"No problem, kiddo."

Not once did she ever mention Rob again.

On my 33rd birthday, I couldn't eat the cake. Arnold took hours perfecting it and I felt terrible, but I just couldn't down it. The sight of it made me feel sick.

I know this feeling, I thought to myself. Oh god… That night Arnold and I were talking, and I couldn't keep it in any longer.

"Arnold," I interrupted. "I'm starting to feel nauseous." He looked confused.

"Awe, I'm sorry honey. Too bad it's on your birthday." I gave him a sarcastic look with my eyes. "What?" He said.

He didn't catch on. "I'm starting to feel nauseous! Everything I smell makes me want to gag."

He put two and two together slowly. "You don't mean…" He looked at my stomach. "That can't be possible! You're taking birth control!"

"Yes, I am, but it's a ninety nine percent chance I won't get pregnant. A ninety nine percent chance." He looked at his hands.

"But we were so careful!" I looked at my hands, too. I twiddled my thumbs.

"I know! Not that I wouldn't love to have another baby," I say.

"Of course! But we both decided on three kids." I smile slightly.

"Yea, I know. I haven't even taken the test yet. It's possible my mother's intuition is failing me." He laughed a little.

"Well go! I'm dying of anticipation!" He said playfully.

I walked into the bathroom, and came out. I showed him the test.

"You're pregnant…" He said quietly. "We're having another baby." He was in disbelief.

We found out the gender of the baby, and automatically felt terrible for the unborn child. It was a boy, in a house with four girls. Arnold was ecstatic. This baby didn't kick or cause absolutely any trouble.

Liam Tristan was born on December 15th. He was an absolutely stunning new born. His eyes were bright blue and his hair a beach blonde like Avia's. Arnold bonded with him immediately and I could tell he was overjoyed with having a son. Liam never cried when he was tired, never woke up in the middle of the night, never whined to get attention, and never went through the terrible twos phase.

He was exactly like Arnold. He was content, quiet, but was the sweetest boy in the world. He put up with so much, having to grow up with three older sisters. He was such a good sport.

When Liam was 4, Aurora was 8, Avia was 10, and Caressa was 17, Arnold and I decided tell the whole family story; the whole family history to each and every child. We sat them all down, and began talking, adding in funny little stories along the way. They seemed to enjoy it and never did the little kids realize that Arnold wasn't Caressa's real father. They didn't question it.

When the discussion was over, Caressa was picked up by her friend and left to go to a movie. Aurora and Avia played dolls in the play room, and Liam attempted to play catch with Arnold.

It was picture perfect. My kids playing, my daughter becoming an adult, and my husband playing with his son. And I was happy.

Rob never changed me. I wanted him to know that. After everything I went through, after suffering for so long, I'm still as strong as ever. There's still some nights where I scream from nightmares, but those have lessened now and aren't as bad. Arnold is still there to help me through them. Rob didn't change anything; he caused heartache, but I can look at my beautiful children and smile, knowing they're happy.

He was never able to hurt them; that was my goal all along.

The End

That's it! I'm so grateful for every single one of you for following me on this journey. Who knows, maybe I'll do a second story with the same characters and plot?

I would just like to thank every single person personally. Thank you: An Sinsear Crazy O Sreabh, Arab83, Ashley2223, Asian-Lover 01, Badblondie, Bullet Babe, Bunny7433, CGK0113, Crysie1979, DangerouslyBeautiful, hana Cabrodi, HeatherLPotter7, HomeSkilltBsicuit5, IamYlen, JustAnotherGirl8, Justins mancini, Lady Mia Granger, Lauralogan80, Midnighter67, MikeWeesy1323, Miya Silver, muffilLove03, Nep2uune, Panfla, Pohla, RinandSesshomarufan22, Rose2Life, ShiningEmerald0, SMayLife, Stavros 92, The Incredible Rori, aubzdall, crystal. , flap2756, fuzzySlippers1005, heyarnoldfan1, ijohnaserrato, jenniy04, , mightymighty1, .5, moonellen, serena99, tabbisaboss, xxmasoquismoxx, .5, ,12, .3344, storm rider at night 18, therealrunningman.

And, thank you to all the Guest readers!

I would love it if you told me how you liked the epilogue and if it answered your questions. If you want any questions answered that weren't answered in the epilogue, leave it as a review or PM me and I'll answer any question! I really hope everybody enjoyed this story! I love every single one of you! Bye!