The world was blurring in front of her heavy eyelids as Atlantis swallowed hard in an attempt to recover her strength. She was lying either on the bed or examination table, that much she could tell through the fog of her thoughts. The voices that surrounded her echoed in the distance.
The thoughts bumped into each other inside her head; it felt as if the painful drumming would never stop. She was unable to move yet she could feel everything. It was difficult to breathe normally as she recalled all the years of her life beside a woman she thought was her mother. How many times had she felt like she didn't belong under the same roof with Heart, how many times has she felt unprotected, ever since she was a child? There weren't any baby photographs of her or favorite toys or the first blanket… Now she knew why. Now everything made sense…and nothing made sense at all.
The reaction hit her without a warning, and it was a surprising one for herself. Instead of tears and fear creeping up her spine, Atlantis felt anger boiling inside her veins. It pushed so strong through her entire body that in the next second she was on her feet, storming out of the clinic, startling everybody around her. Matthew and Dr. Mike's voices barely reached her ears as she ran toward the jail.
Hank looked up when the doors slammed open. He was surprised to see Heart's daughter Atlantis, but before he could react or even stand up from the chair, the young woman stormed toward the cell and started to yell.
"HOW COULD YOU? ALL THESE YEARS YOU LIED TO ME, USED ME FOR GETTING MONEY AND YOU NEVER GAVE ANYTHING IN RETURN, JUST TOOK EVERYTHING I GOT! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?"
Heart's face was white like a sheet as she watched Atlantis, but she tried to remain calm as she coldly replied, "I always wanted to do what's best for you, nothing else. And this is how you pay me back?"
Atlantis couldn't believe her ears. Her fists clenched tight, her teeth gritted and she could feel the blood running faster through her veins. In a blink of an eye, she reached the cell and before Hank or Matthew could stop her, she started to kick the bars screaming, "DAMN YOU! HOW COULD YOU? I TRUSTED YOU!"
"What the heck is going on here?" Hank interfered, taking Atlantis' hands of the cell bars.
Matthew caught her, encircling his hands around her waist as Atlantis screamed at Heart, "HOW COULD YOU TAKE ME AWAY FROM MY FAMILY?
All the color disappeared from Heart's cheeks and she held on the iron bars, stammering, "What…how….how..."
She glared icily at Matthew, "How does she know that?"
Hank looked stunned with what he'd just heard and looked at Matthew, too.
"Atlantis," Matthew's voice reached through the anger at Atlantis' consciousness, and she flinched at hearing her name. As her eyes met Matthew's he simply said, "Let's go."
Atlantis didn't protest. Her head fell onto his chest and loud sobs erupted from her. Pulling her closer, Matthew held her tighter, and he and Hank shared a nod that meant that they would talk later.
As they started to walk away Heart mumbled again, "How does she know?"
Matthew could feel Atlantis shivering in his arms and he just ran his palm over her upper arm, not letting her face Heart again. Never again, he promised to himself. As long as he was around, he would never allow Heart to come close to Atlantis. Never again.
"How does she know?" Heart screamed after them, completely losing her self-control.
Yet Hank only slammed the door of the jail shut behind Atlantis and Matthew, yelling "Shut up!"
As Heart gasped, Hank came closer toward the cell adding, "I suggest you sit down and be quiet before you say something you will regret even more."
"You fool!" yelled Atlantis' husband, causing Hank to kick at the bars, growling, "That means both of you! Shut up!"
When the prisoners fell silent, Hank sat down on the chair, put his legs up on the table crossing them. He played with the jail keys, mumbling, "Some birds you are…"
The road back toward the clinic was the longest way Atlantis ever took. Just the warmth of Matthew's hands around her waist reminded her that she still existed, otherwise she felt as if everything inside her had died.
Her whole life turned out to be a lie… Memories stumbled across each other inside her head, and it hurt so much. Hiding her face in Matthew's shoulder, Atlantis rubbed her hurting forehead, unaware of the tears that never stopped falling down her cheeks.
The shock was so intense; she couldn't believe that she actually had a Mum and a Dad who cared for her. Atlantis felt bitterness tightening her throat as she realized how many years had passed since that article that Dr. Mike had showed her was published…Could they still be alive?
They - her real parents. Tears crushed her once again as the realization of what Heart had taken from her set in.
"I'm here, Atlantis," Matthew's soft voice reached her, causing her to quietly sob and hold on his hand tightly.
They had reached the meadow in the meantime. Matthew felt Atlantis slowing down until they stopped behind the church. He looked down at her; her face was wet from the tears, and she stared at the forest in front of them. He traced his fingers down her cheeks, brushing away the wetness, gentle as a breeze. Atlantis swallowed hard. Still staring at the woods, she murmured, "I wish I would just disappear."
"I know," Matthew whispered in her hair, his hands encircling her waist as he stood behind her.
Atlantis took in a shivering breath, her palms resting on Matthew's hands as she shook her head, "What have I done to deserve this?"
Matthew softly kissed her hair before he silently replied, "There's no answer to such questions. I had to learn that myself." Atlantis slowly turned in his arms and looked in his eyes, swallowing once again when the man she loved added, "So I stopped asking myself why Ethan left and why my Ma died."
Atlantis gently caressed Matthew's cheek, getting lost in his sapphire blue eyes. "Does the pain ever go away?"she whispered.
Matthew inhaled a deep breath. "No. Never. You just learn to live with it, I guess."
Atlantis shook her head, "How can I, Matthew? How can I live with the knowledge that my whole life was one huge lie?"
Tears glistened in her eyes again and she closed them, trying to stop the sobs. Matthew leaned down and hugging her more tightly, he gently kissed her eyelids, "Cry it all out, honey. It is still way too soon for you. Just let it all out."
As sobs erupted from Atlantis' throat and she hid her face in Matthew's chest, he rocked her slowly in his embrace. "I'm here, Atlantis. I'm here."