Chapter 13:
I can feel myself shaking and I contemplate actually bolting for the door. But it's too late. I look up and see him, my potential rapist, Stephen Morton.

I don't break eye contact with him as he sits down. He sits forward and opens his mouth then closes it. "I was surprised that you wanted to see me." I just continue to stare at him with a blank expression on my face. He looks uncomfortable and I enjoy making him squirm in his seat. "Ana I-" That's where I have to stop him.

"-No. Stop. You think that because I come and visit you you have a right to use my name? How dare you even speak to me like I'm some girl you used to know once. Like I'm
Not the fifteen year old girl you nearly raped. I came for answers and I swear to god I will get them even if I have to smack your head against the table to get them." He looks shocked at my outburst. I would never have thought I could be so brave as to actually say that to him. I'm surprised I even got this far to be honest. That I can even look him
In the eye.

"Ok. What answers do you want from me?"

"Why did you do it?" His eyes widen and his eyebrows raise.

"What?"

"You heard me. Why? Why did you do it? Why is it that day after day for months you touched me in a way that no step father should ever touch a little girl. Why is it that you knocked me unconscious twice, that you beat my mom up, that you nearly robbed that one shred of innocence that I had left? Why? What possible fucking explanation do you have for doing this to my family?" I start to raise my voice and the officer tells me to keep it down. "Sorry." I turn back to him. "Do you know what you've done? Do you know why I'm here, in Georgia? Because my mom is in the hospital. Not the first time, but the third time this year. You think you're fucked up in the head? My mom hasn't spoken to anyone but me in the past three days. She took an overdose, do you know what she took? Antidepressants, because you put her on them. You fucked us up that bad that my mom was in a coma. A coma. And all for what? Twenty years plus in jail and then no career or wife when you get out? A sad and lonely life all because of something you did. Why?" He continues to look at me and I see tears in his eyes. "Go on, tell me." He wipes his face.

"Oh look, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I don't - I don't know what I was thinking. I'm sorry I ever laid a finger on you. But you seem to have grown into a strong woman-"

"-Don't give me that bullshit." He nods.

"You're right, you're right. I - I don't know. Truthfully, it was the fact that you couldn't do anything about it. The fact that no matter how hard you tried you couldn't get away from it. I could do it whenever I wanted and for how long I wanted and you could do fuck all." My eyes widen with each word he says and he slowly rises out of his chair and leans towards me. "And if I'm honest Anastasia, if I could do it all again I would. And better. Especially now, look at you. You're a gorgeous little thing. You think I'm sorry? I'm far from it baby. Is that the answer you wanted?" I push my chair away from the desk loudly and stand up, then run out the door and out the station into the rain. I welcome it as I sob, clutching my heart as it feels like it's about to come out my chest. I never thought he could still terrify me after all these years. That he could still make me shiver and feel sick with just a couple of words. I turn and throw up into the bushes beside me, until there's nothing left and I'm just violently retching. I feel hands on me and I turn to punch whoever it was but he grabs my wrist and I soon see that it's Christian. I try to speak but a sob escapes and he pulls me into his arms. I'm so out of it that I don't even realise him lifting me into his car and driving us to an unknown destination.

"Where are we going?" He strokes my head and pulls me closer.

"Back to the hospital." He sounds angry with me. Oh no. Then I notice that he isn't driving.

"Who's driving?" I sit up and see a man with a buzz cut driving the car. He looks through the rear view mirror and nods at me. I give him a small smile back, confused.

"That's Taylor, my head of security." I nod and sit back in the leather seat. There's a silence before he pipes up again. "That was really fucking stupid what you did Anastasia." Oh Jesus, here we go.

"Christian please, not now."

"Don't not now me. Do you know how much danger you put yourself in?" I shake my head at him.

"I had to get answers ok? I needed to. Turns out he's just as much of a vile pig as I thought he was."

"Well it was really fucking dangerous and quite frankly the most idiotic thing I think I've ever seen someone do." He says, raising his voice. I scoff.

"Last time I checked, you weren't my fucking father Christian." He scoffs then opens his mouth to say something but doesn't. "No, say it." He looks at me.

"Maybe you have all these problems because you don't know how to take care of yourself Ana. Obviously you don't." I shake my head and turn to face him.

"You have no right, no right to tell me I can't take care of myself. You weren't there Christian! You've only just turned up! And you think that you can just tell me what I'm doing wrong in my life? Well you can't. I'm an adult and I can do what I want, and that includes going to see Stephen fucking Morton." I sit back in my chair and blow out a breath. He places his hand on mine and sighs.

"Ana I-" I tear my hand away from his.

"Why are you even here Christian? How did you find me? How did you know where I was and what I was doing?" He just backs away and looks down. "You know, you can't do that. Follow people then proceed to them what they're doing wrong. You shouldn't have come-"

"-Well maybe I shouldn't have but I had your best interests at heart." I scoff. "No, Ana. Listen to me. I've never felt this way about anyone before, I am a fucked up person with a shitty past and I didn't want to drag you into that but we're in too deep for you not to understand that. I feel this innate need to protect you and I can't do that if you're swanning off to meet with the one that broke you!" He sits back and runs his hands through his hair.

"You're not my protector Christian. You're just my boyfriend who thinks he knows what's best for me-"

"-I know better than you do." We're both raising our voices and it's like a shouting competition.

"Of course you do! Yeah, Mr I-Fuck-My-Students. Really fucking responsible." We sit in silence and before he can say anything else I start up again. "You know, first my best friend assaults me, then my mom is in a coma and when I go and speak to the one that caused me all these problems my boyfriend calls me stupid. You're supposed to be supportive not fighting with me when I can't even think straight. I don't know what to do anymore I just - I just-" I feel dizzy before I slump down in the chair and everything goes black.

A/N - Hi guys! Thank you for all your feedback! Please keep it coming!

Sophie x