033.

N O T I C E : This book includes detailed themes surrounding violence, sex, suicide, abuse, sexual harassment, alcohol, drugs, blood, death, and other very sensitive topics—all are graphically depicted in this story.

Proceed with notice.

OVER 7688 WORDS!!

this chapter explains a lot.

so please read, and enjoy.

.
.

SEVENTEEN YEARS AGO
2002

Erin Wolfhard bit his nails nervously as he waited in the waiting room of the hospital, angry that the doctors insisted that he wait out there.

All Erin could see before he was ushered out of her hospital room, was her heart monitors and vitals flattening quickly, hearing the rapid alerting beeps of the machines.
The doctors seemed to panic before they rushed to her side, leaving Erin confused as they slammed the hospital door in his face.

This delivery was supposed to be easy, it was supposed to go smoothly. 

He paced next to the chairs, running a hand through his black curls. She'll be okay, she'll be okay.

He was so nervous, he was so anxious. He had gotten mixed up in a lot of trouble with the police, went to jail for a year or two, and had made deals with people in darker places, but even throughout all that, she still loved him.

He couldn't lose her. If he did, he was sure he'd absolutely lose his mind without her.

He was always hanging on by a thread when it came to his temper and mental health, and this would be a shove in the wrong direction if something went wrong.

Then, he felt a buzz in his pocket, making his mmm stop in his paces as he reached to check the caller id. He flipped it open, and pressed answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey, where are you? We got to get the money to that bails-bond guy asap. He's not happy."

Erin exhaled stressfully at the reminder. "Yeah, I'm a bit busy right now, Alex. We can't get him the money tomorrow or the end of the week?"

"If we could, I wouldn't be calling you right now."

Erin cursed to himself. He was right.

Erin and Alex had been friends for a while, and had gotten mixed up with the police multiple times, for multiple different reasons.
But that was before either of them met their girlfriends, to which they stopped getting mixed up in the police for a while.

But they didn't mean that their debt to people went away. They usually skipped out on their bond, finding someway to avoid paying it.

But this time, they chose the wrong people to cross.

The debt that they owed this very particular set of bailsbondsmen, whom they paid a lot of money to bail them out of jail this recent time. They were the wrong people to ask to bail them out, and the wrong people to cross.

"Okay, fine. I-I can't do anything about it today, I'm at the hospital."

"For what? For Mae?"

"Yeah, she's-.."

"I'll meet you there."

Alex ended the call, leaving Erin irritated at his friend's haste. He needed a day to himself, with Mae, and he needed to focus on her well-being.

"Mr. Wolfhard?" A nurse called into the waiting room, prompting Erin to look up from the floor.

He immediately rushed to respond, his face worried. "How did it go?"

The nurse inhaled, putting her hands in the pockets of her white coat. "The baby was delivered safely, and is healthy-.."

"How is she?" He quickly asked, shoving his hands in his pockets nervously, "Is Mae okay?"

The nurse seemed a bit taken aback that Erin didn't ask about the delivery of his child, but instead only asked about his girlfriend.

The nurse looked down, her face sorrowful before she looked back up at the worried man.

She seemed like she was new to this, and wasn't sure how to deliver the news.

"There were..unforeseen complications of her delivery." The nurse began, her voice carried a heavy toll.
"Although it's rare to lose more than a certain amount of blood after delivery, Mae suffered from extensive postpartum hemorrhage."

Erin stared at her intently, the medical terms were too complicated for him to understand what the nurse was trying to tell him.

The nurse sighed, her eyes still grew sad.

"Your partner, Mae, lost a lot of blood during her delivery." She exhaled, "She died from the blood loss."

Erin's face dropped, his eyes completely void of any sense of grounding or life anymore. She died.. he had lost the only person he cared about.

"We did everything we could, but she lost too much blood, too fast. We gave her as many transfusions as we could, but it was her request that we focus on safely delivering the baby first."

Erin clenched his eyes shut, trying to prevent his emotions from releasing. He felt like he had taken a blow to the stomach, like the air had been knocked out of him.

"But your son was delivered safely, and is healthy. Just as a precaution, we placed him in the NICU. Would you like to-.."

"Take me to her." Erin interrupted. He needed to be sure, he needed to see her himself. "Please."

The nurse hesitated and opened her mouth to say something before she nodded once, turning to lead him to Mae's hospital room.

She opened the door to allow him to see his girlfriend in her hospital bed upon changed sheets, laying still and motionless. She looked as if she could be sleeping.

He rushed to Mae's side, grasping her limp hand in his to hold tightly.

"We're terribly sorry for your loss." The nurse added, standing to the side as Erin shuttered with tears that threatened to rattle his body.

"Mae.." He whispered shakily, reaching to brush a strand of her hair from her face. "No.."

He had lost her. He lost the only person he ever cared about, and the only person who ever loved him entirely.

He must have been there for a good few minutes before he realized that the doctors had filed in the room to take care of the body.

He didn't want to leave her, he didn't want to confront the life he was going to have to live without her.

"Sir, we must let them take care of her." The nurse held Erin's shoulder, gently pulling him away from his lover's side.
He stumbled back, his body stiff and his eyes watery as he helplessly watched the doctors tend to Mae's body.

"Mr. Wolfhard." Another doctor spoke up, emerging from the organized bustle of doctors around Mae's hospital bed. "You are biological father of the child, correct?"

Erin clenched his jaw, his eyes still watery as he blinked to try to clear the pained tears.
He hesitated, for a moment, debating whether or not he should completely refuse any responsibility of their child.

"Yes." He struggled to let out the words.

The doctor nodded, looking down at his clip board. "Would you like to see your son?"

Erin paused. His son.

Erin would rather he didn't see his son at all.

He would rather he not even be associated with the thing that killed the only person he ever loved. The only person that ever made him happy.

But he didn't get much of a choice since the doctor began leading him to the NICU area of the hospital floor, leading him to look in through the window to gaze at the children in little glass cubicles.

Erin's eyes found the one cubicle that was labeled with the only name Mae ever spoke about naming their son: Finn.

The doctor led Erin inside the room, and led him straight for Finn's little cubicle, seeing the wires and IVs stuck to him.

"Here he is. Finn Wolfhard."

Erin clenched his jaw as he looked at the baby below him hesitantly, as if he weren't sure if he could look his child in the eyes after what happened to Mae. Not after it was Finn's fault that Erin lost Mae.

"What's wrong with him?" Erin gritted judgmentally, staring at the wires that stuck to the small baby.

The doctor nodded, checking his file to be sure.

"Finn was born a bit underweight, and because of the complications of his birth, we placed him here just in case we see any disruptions in his health or vitals."

Erin stared at the baby below him, the bluish glow coming from his cubicle illuminated his son's features.

He had his mother's eyes and facial features but with Erin's hair. He looked too similar to his lover, and it angered him that Finn got to live instead of Mae.

"I'll give you a moment." The doctor excused himself as he exited the room, "Just see the front desk about birth certificates and..Ms. Mae's certificate as well."
The doctor concluded hesitantly before leaving Erin to stare at the baby below him.

Erin stared down at Finn, his glare was intense as he felt this rise of anger bubble inside him.

Why did this child have to live, and Mae had to die? It was because of Finn that Mae died.

Erin blamed his son for killing Mae. If he hadn't been born, she wouldn't have suffered from that blood loss. If Finn wasn't here, maybe Mae would have lived.

It was all Finn's fault that Erin lost the woman he loved. He lost the only important person in his life.

And he hated his own son for that.

This would be the start of Erin's hatred for his son, Finn.

This was the start of the fire that would then burn Erin's anger when Finn got older, leading him to use his own son as an outlet to get his anger out on.

Grief racked his body as he shuttered, his eyes glossy as he stared down at his son who's life replaced Mae's.

"You did this.." Erin muttered under his breath with venom lacing his voice. "You killed Mae, she died because of you." He spoke through gritted teeth.

His fists clenched at his sides, a single tear skipping over his cheek.

He didn't know where to go from here.

He didn't want Finn, he wanted Mae.

He wasn't ever ready to be a father, and he never wanted to be one.

Mae's pregnancy was an accident on their part, and he thought maybe if he had Mae at his side, he could pull through and maybe then he would be ready for his child.

But he realized that he never would be. And definitely not now.

He silently contemplated how he should move forward with this, debating whether or not.

Maybe he would just leave the hospital; leave Finn there. They wouldn't be able to do anything because they wouldn't know he left; it happens all the time in hospitals.

He knew he didn't want anything to do with his child, he wasn't ready to be a father.

Currently, he was mixed up with the police with deals he's made with people he shouldn't have. He owes a lot of money to those people, and he can't go back to jail like he had been just a year or two prior.

So yeah, he wasn't ready to be a father.

But still, the hospital might be able to track him down in search of a guardian for his newborn son. Abandoning Finn might not be a fool-proof option for Erin's escape.

He was so desperate to avoid the newfound responsibility, that he was willing to abandon his child - or worse.

Erin's mind couldn't help itself as he thought of all the ways he could be rid of his son, a dark and twisted thought entered his mind.

He hated this little child.

He took Mae's life, and he'll never forgive this child for that. He took away the only person he ever cared about.

And before he could stop himself, his mind seemed to drift off as his hands mindlessly slipped from his sides to then slide into the small cubicle.

His hands then found themselves sliding over the infant's face down to hover over Finn's mouth.

It would be so easy..

He began to apply pressure to the baby's mouth, effectively blocking Finn's small and already weak airways.

He would have gotten farther with his mindless and desperate deed if it had not been for the rough shove of his shoulder.

"What the fuck are you doing?"

Erin stumbled back to look up and see Alex, standing there in his muscle t-shirt and jeans.

He looked like a mess of a man that tried to wipe the white powder from his nose before he left to pull himself together before he showed himself in public.

"Erin?" Alex asked insistently, waiting for a response. "Were you not just trying to fucking suffocate your own kid? As if you need another reason to go back to jail."

Alex spoke in a hushed whisper through gritted teeth, grabbing Erin by the shoulder who looked to be zoning out. He seemed broken and soulless now, just completely numb.

Alex noticed this, and tugged him by his shoulder. "Come on."

He guided Erin by his firm grip on his shoulder, leading him outside of the NICU to then bring him in a part of the waiting room that was pretty empty.

"Okay, what the hell, man?" Alex began, his eyes stern and his voice gritted.

Erin shook his head, his eyes glossy as he bit back the tears. "I don't want him. He fucking killed Mae.."

Alex was taken aback, hearing that his friend's girlfriend, whom was the only one left making him sane, was now gone.
The only reason Alex was a bit tethered was because of Marie, but they were having a rough patch since she got pregnant two months ago.

Alex loved Marie, yes. But not to the extent to which he wanted to have kids with her.

They loved the reckless abandonment of responsibilities that came with each other's personalities, but now that Marie wanted to settle down, Alex didn't like it.

He didn't want a child either, but he was willing to at least give it a try.

That choice would lead to the worst in the end, because he wasn't ready to be a good father.

"Okay, but killing that baby isn't gonna bring Mae back. The most it's gonna do is send you back to prison, and neither of us need that right now." Alex bit back, seeing that his words were not getting through to Erin.

"You need to keep Finn, because if not, you'll go back to jail for a long ass time."

Erin an Alex went way back, all the way to their high school years. Even then, they got in trouble a lot with the occasional dealing of drugs or the occasional night in the county jail.

But as they got older, the worse their antics became.

Now, they were sent to jail for dabbling in illegal drugs, and got in serious trouble with these bailsbondmen, who threatened that if Alex and Erin didn't give them their money for bailing them out big time, then they would 'take it out of them their selves', which was practically code for, 'we're going to kill you.'

This was the very beginning of Alex and Erin's alcoholic and drug addiction, which would soon progress later in their lives.

Which was the only reason why Erin and Alex were so worried about getting the money, cause they only cared about themselves getting killed.

They were running from the police, their bails-bondmen, and their responsibilities.

"I don't fucking care. I don't want him," Erin spat through gritted teeth and glossy eyes.

"I'm done, I don't fucking care about the bail bondsmen coming for me. Let them, let them fucking kill me." Erin shoved Alex away, trying to control his emotions.

Alex sighed, trying to figure out a way to get his friend back on board. He tried to think of ways that would help him understand their money problem.

If Erin wouldn't respond to the humane side of this issue, Alex would have to appeal to the materialistic side. The money side of the problem.

"You know how Mae would always talk about a better life for Finn? Like, sending him to college and shit?" Alex asked, trying to earn a reaction from Erin, who simply glared at the mention of Mae's name.

Alex ignored Erin's glares, "Well, that has to be a shit ton of money right? We could use that money to pay off the bailsbond guys, and then we're off the hook. Maybe even stow away a little extra for ourselves, I don't know."

Erin began to see the point of Alex's pitch, his interest peaked at the mention of finally be free of the debt they owed.

"But the only way we can get Finn's college fund money, is if you keep him," Alex nudged Erin's shoulder.

"You don't have to like the kid, but as long as he's alive, so is that fund. I don't care what you do with the rest of the money, and I don't care what you do with Finn for that matter, just as long as he's alive and around for that fund to stay open."

Erin looked hesitant at first, as if he knew he wanted the money, but didn't want to tamper with something Mae left behind.

But his addictions were far too intense to resist, and he was in far too much trouble with debt to decline.

"We'll be able to pay the guys back, and then we're home free." Alex explained, "And then you can use the rest of the money for whatever you like."

This would be the lifeline of Erin's money usage for the upcoming seventeen years of Finn's life filled with abusive anger.

Finn would never find out that he ever had a college fund, because Erin used all of the money put aside.

"Fuck.." Erin curses, running his hands through his longer hair as he internally battled himself.

He desperately needed that money, but he would have to raise Finn on his own. He wasn't ready for that, but then again, he wasn't ready to go to jail again.

He came to a standstill, to which he ultimately chose, "Fine." He flailed, his hands coming to land at his sides.

Alex breathed with relief, fist-bumping the air as he knew that this money would save their asses.

"But please don't fucking tell anyone about today."

Alex tensed a bit, chuckling at the sudden seriousness of Erin's pleading voice. "About what?"

"Please. Please don't tell anyone about what you saw me do in the NICU. Please." Erin practically begged, as if he felt guilty for what he tried to do.

He felt guilty for not feeling bad enough.

"Please!" Erin blurted, not hearing a response from Alex. "Don't tell the police, don't tell Marie, don't tell anyone shit, alright? I can't go back to jail, I just can't."

Alex stared at the vulnerable state that his friend was in, knowing he was desperate to stay out of jail. He could use this to his advantage.

"Alright, alright. I won't tell anyone." Alex places his hand firmly on Erin's shoulder to reassure him.

"But you'll owe me one day." He chuckles. "A 'no questions asked' favor in return."

This was what Alex was good at.

He was good at taking advantage of people's vulnerability, and he was good at acting nice enough to where he could manipulate people.

Which was why Erin agreed through teary eyes.

This would be one of the last times they see each other for the next seventeen years.

SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER
present time, 2020

"That's all of it then?"

Alex looked into the brown paper bag that he had just received, making sure all that he paid for was accounted for.

He lifted up one of the small baggies of white powder from paper bag, looking up at the hooded man underneath the yellow streetlight.

"Yeah." The man stated simply. "You got my cash?"

Alex hesitated, knowing he might not have enough cash on him. "Uh, yeah. One second."

He held his paper bag in one hand while he reached his other into his ripped jean pocket, blindly searching for his scraps of cash he's accumulated from pickpocketing and selling drugs he buys for twice the price.

He pulled out a small wad of crumpled bills, shakily bringing it up to his dealer. "That should be all of it."

Alex stood tensely as the hooded dealer stood in front of him, counting up the bills in his hand. He hoped it was enough, he was running dangerously low on money.

The dealer looked up. "Enjoy."

The man turned around to walk away in the opposite direction, leaving Alex to walk in the opposite way as well.

He breathed a sigh of relief, walking the streets of downtown LA to get his dosage of coke was risky as it is, but to be low on money when buying it was even worse. Police sirens echoed faintly in the background, his steps shadowing as he passed under yellow streetlights.

He made his way to the entrance of his cheap apartment building, entering the doors as his feet steps over the ugly spotted carpet that was the lobby. He passed the receptionist, who looked like she didn't want anything to do with anyone, and made his way to the stairway to go up to his floor.

He walked down the hallway of his apartment, reaching his door to shove it open as he frantically shrugged off his coat, wanting to get his dose as soon as he could.

Within seconds, he was already in the small living room area, kneeling down at his coffee table to reach into the bag with shaky hands, preparing his dosage to finally roll and sniff.

He inhaled his drug, breathing heavily as he sighed with ecstasy, leaning his head back to fall against the couch, basking in the effects of the drug.

Alex looked up at the ceiling, now realizing that he just used most of his money on this last dosage. Shit.

"Alex?" A female voice called from the apartment front door, keys jingling. "Baby, where are you?"

Alex didn't respond, simply waiting for his fiancée to find him herself. He wanted to cherish this last dosage before he knew he wouldn't be able to get another one for a while, at least.

"There you are." The voice was closer, entering their small living room that was messy and littered with empty beer bottles and cigarette ashtrays.

Alex could see his fiancée's silhouette out of the corner of his eye, watching her ringed hand reach to grab a half-drunken beer bottle to take a swig.

"You got another dosage?" She asked nonchalantly, tilting her head back to finish off the beer bottle. "Blow all our cash on more shit to snort?"

She was still dressed in her bar clothes with her name tag on her chest that read Melissa on the plastic; she worked in a small bar as a barista. She didn't get paid very much.

Alex eyed her hand that was around the beer bottle, watching as the engagement ring he had given her was still there.
It was nothing special, just a ring he had gotten from a pawn shop for $50, but he told Melissa that it was a family heirloom.

He's a good liar.

"Don't even fucking start." He exhaled, irritated with Melissa's judgement.
Who was she to talk? She smoked like a chimney and snorted with him more than a few times.

But she was right about him spending the money.

They were screwed.

He got up from his slumped position against the couch, standing up to walk around and head into the kitchen for another beer. "I'm not in the mood tonight."

Melissa rolled her eyes, dropping the beer bottle to grab a cigarette from her pocket, lighting it to inhale and exhale the smoke as it blew around her dirty blonde hair.

"Well, what the hell are we gonna do? We blew through our checks like fucking addicts, and now we don't have enough for rent this month!" Melissa always pinned the blame.

Alex didn't care if she knew he had addictions. She knew she had some too.

"And also, should I remind you, we're supposed to get married this year, so are we just gonna blow that off too?" She retorted, flicking her cigarette to the carpeted floor.

"Jesus Christ, do you ever stop complaining?" He yelled back, walking over to step closer to her, his face just inches away from hers.

Alex laid awake in his bed that night, looking up at the ceiling while Melissa slept soundly and shirtless facing away from him.

Usually, he wouldn't let the fact that he was broke and addicted get to his head, but after hearing Melissa talk about it like she did, he realized something.

He was fucking broke. He had no money.

Sure, he had some money, but any money he doesn't use on his drugs or beer, he spends on spoiling himself and his fiancée, with stupid expensive clothes or accessories like sunglasses.

He had nice things that he still hasn't paid off yet. He has a nice car, he has an 'ok' apartment, he has nice accessories, he has nice clothes.

But what he doesn't have, is what he needs. Money and his drugs.

He was an addict, he was an alcoholic, he blows all his money on coke and beer.

He's fallen so deep into these addictions, that he's lost all his money, to the point where he can barely afford this apartment. When he has to pay rent next month, he's gonna be screwed.

He can barely afford to live in this apartment complex, let alone marry Melissa, the woman he's been seeing since even before he split up with Marie.

He needed money. He was desperate for it, he was numb, and he was addicted.

He started coming up with ideas, trying to figure out how he could come up with the money. He didn't have many options at all.

He was buried in debt, his addict of a fiancée had no more money than he did.

He even had no instant family members that would even consider helping him with money because of his lies he's told them about using the money to 'get clean.'

He ran out of options. But one faint one ringed in the back of his mind like a bell.

It was risky, but he was desperate and broke.

His ex-wife Marie seemed like the only option here. He hadn't seen or talked to her in years,

He needed money, and he knew there was no way that she'd ever give him any money or even let her anywhere close to her home. He didn't know where she lived either, so he'd have to do some digging.

He started his plan right away.

Alex ended up joining a dating website under a false name of James, in hopes of seeing or finding Marie on any of the websites he joined.

If he knew her at all, she would be pretty simple to spot since she was new to online dating.

To his luck, he finds her fairly easily. This is when he set his plan into action.

He sparked a conversation with Marie under his false name of James, and false profile photo.

Over the course of the next week, he launched many questions her way, asking casually about how she was doing, and if she enjoyed the area she lived in, and what her past was like.

She had told him that she lived in a house she had always wanted to buy before she had her daughter. 'It's about thirty minutes away from downtown Westchester.' She had said.

Alex would ask Marie how she liked living there, and she responded saying that she loves it because it's the first house she ever bought herself, and she's wanted it since before she was married.

And without knowing, that was what revealed to Alex where she lived.

At first, he just had a hunch of where she lived.
It was interesting to him, because he knew that there was always this one house Marie would talk about wanting ever since they first got together, and it fit her exact description.

So, he decided to leave LA for a while to go down to Santa Anna, explaining to his girlfriend that he had some things to attend to. She didn't mind, figuring it was illegal stuff, and she wasn't far off.

Once he arrived, to confirm his theories of where he believed Marie lived, he decided to drive out one night to check the house that Marie had talked about ever since they first got together.

He pulled into the neighborhood, remembering the house Marie always wanted, and pulled up to the curb, turning his headlights to the lowest setting to just sit and watch to see if anyone came out or drove in.

As he waited, he spoke to Marie on the website through his phone, while she was on her laptop.

After a while, she noticed an unusual car sitting at the curb of her house suspiciously, and decided to text Y/N to return home in fear of her safety.

Not less than fifteen minutes later, Alex saw a car turn into the street, making him turn his headlights down low to prevent anyone from seeing inside his car.

The car that Alex identified as an Chevy Impala, pulled up into the driveway.
Alex watched curiously as a teenage girl stepped out of the passenger seat, smiling to the teenage curly haired boy that dropped her off. He looked oddly familiar to Alex, like he had seen him before.

He watched as the car pulled away just to park next door, seeming as the driver was the girl's neighbor.
And right when Alex was having doubts of this being the house Marie lived in, the teenage girl turned and noticed Alex's white car parked at her curb.

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously as she stared into the car from afar, as if trying to see who sat inside the car under the blanket of night. Alex stared back from the dark with the same colored eyes as the girl that she inherited from him.

It was here that he realized that the girl staring back at him with the same glare, was Y/N, his daughter he hadn't seen in years.

He watched as Y/N turned hesitantly to enter her house, closing the door behind her with a lock.

Alex's suspicions were correct. This was the house Marie and Y/N lived in.

That was the easy part, because Alex had almost like a cheat-sheet on Marie.

Marie was so easily persuaded and affected by Alex ('James') through the computer because Alex already knew everything there was to know about her.

He knew everything she ever loved, everything she ever found romantic. He knew exactly how to weave his way into her heart once again, because he's done it once before.

He knew what made her tick, he knew what made her swoon, he knew what she loved.

He cheated. He had a cheat-book on Marie, because he's already done this.
It was easy to manipulate her into being completely obsessive over him—it was easy to make her desperate to be loved again.

That's what he was good at doing: manipulation people into doing what he wanted. He could speak a few words to plant the seeds in their minds, flash his charming smile, and request something of them to which they would almost always agree.

And that's how he got Marie to fall for him again.

That's how he turned Marie into the obsessive, hopeless and desperate romantic he made her into before she died.

Alex knew that Marie would soon wonder when they would be meeting in person, and this was when he decided he would organize a date.

He needed someone from town to help him out, and although he knew someone, they fell out of contact because their lives went in separate directions, Alex was desperate.

So, he called Erin, and cashed in that 'no questions asked' favor. Erin was skeptical at first, but knew Alex held important information to his past, and well, he did owe him. For a lot of things, actually.

So, Erin agreed.

Alex asked Erin to come help him out with getting a hotel room, and Erin knew that he would be gone for at least a week to sort out whatever Alex had planned.

So, he told Finn that he would be on a business trip just to get him off his back.

When Erin arrived at the Holiday Inn, he purchased room 201, under the false name of Alex's alias: James.

It was here that Alex explained to Erin what the plan was, and what measures they needed to be prepared to take.

Alex insisted that they use one of Erin's guns, preferably, one that he hasn't used yet.
To prevent possible traces from the bullet. If it had not been used yet, they shouldn't be able to trace the bullet as quickly, right?

He assured Erin that it was simply for intimidation.

Alex would arrange the date with Marie online first, but it will be Erin that will go to meet up with her at the restaurant because Marie doesn't know him, and he will play the role of 'James'.

Erin, (James), will offer to take her to the hotel for a couple private martinis.

Alex will already be in hotel room preparing to confront Marie.

And that's exactly what they did. The plan worked.

Once Erin arrived with Marie to his hotel with in the Holiday Inn, room 201, Alex was there. He flashed his gun, demanding money.

Marie was terrified. She was frozen, and she surprised but not surprised of her ex's intentions.

But she was heartbroken to see that the past few months had been a lie. She had been so desperate to be loved, that she grew blind to manipulation that Alex had on her.

If only she had listened to her daughter, things would be a lot different.

Alex demanded the money again, but Marie continually refused. She was terrified, and threatens to go to the police.

Alex grew so frustrated, so impatient from his withdrawal.

He had planned this all for months and for it to go this way that it was, angered him. "Just give us the fucking money Marie!"

"No, I told you to stay the hell away from us!" Marie fired back, standing in the small hotel room between Alex, and Erin who stood by the door.

"You're not getting anything else from me, you asshole!"

Alex lifted the gun again, leveling it with her forehead. "Stop making this so fucking difficult!"

Marie shook her head in disbelief, her eyes teary as she was obviously shaken up as she was staring down the barrel of a gun.

"You promised this wouldn't happen.." She scoffed. "You promised you wouldn't be like him, and look at what's happening!"

Alex furrowed his eyebrows, squinting, "What?"

"You promised you wouldn't become him!" Marie yelled, frazzled and frantic.

"You promised you wouldn't become your father, and look at you now!"

"Shut up!" Alex yelled, trying to drown out her true statements. She was right, but his withdrawal from his drug clouded his mind, as usual.

He wasn't stable. He would set off at any second.

"You're turning into him!" Marie explained, exasperatedly, "You don't have to, you can stop this right now, Alexander."

Alex wavered at her words, the way she said his full name triggered a nostalgic wave inside him.

For a moment, he was taken back to the days when they were just carefree teenagers running wild together and getting in trouble like any other kid. Before she got pregnant, and everything fell apart.

He blocked it out. He blocked out anything that wasn't related to his withdrawal symptoms.

He needed money, he wasn't here to reconcile with his ex.

"Shut the hell up!" Alex repeated, his shaky hand trying to steady itself. "You bitch, don't ever talk about that asshole!"

"Well, why not?" Marie dared, seeing that she wasn't getting through to him. "I don't see much difference! Like drug-addict-father, like abusive son!"

"The same abusive son that abused his wife and daughter!" Marie shouted, obviously still very shaken up from when they were together.

"You better stay the hell away from us.. you stay away from Y/N.."

Alex hated his father with a burning passion, and Marie knew that. She tried to get to him through that, but she was only making things worse.

"Just give me the fucking money!"

"Fuck you!" She screamed as loud as she could.

And it was here that a shot rang out, piercing their ears as a body slumped to the ground with a thud.

The woman laid still on the floor, her eyes staring blankly into oblivion as crimson red trickled from the wound in her abdomen.

The dark liquid seeped through her already red skin tight dress, making the room suddenly very still.

Alexander's hand was still midair in the position he shot it in, his hand shaking as his eyes grew wide. Erin's jaw was wide open, his own eyes wide with fear.

"What the fuck?!" He whisper-shouted, staring at Alex across Marie's body. "What the fuck?!"

For a moment, Alex felt bad. Sure, he and his ex despised each other. Sure, they left off on bad terms. Sure, they were toxic for each other.

But somewhere deep down inside, they always had a soft spot for the other. He's the father of her child, and she's the mother.

She sure as hell didn't deserve to die.

But that's what addiction does to you. It consumes every fiber of your being until that's all you want, and all you think you need.

And nothing will ever stop them from getting it. Not even a person's life.

Alex shook his head, clearing away his thoughts. "We gotta get out of here quick."

His face was stern as he leaned down to Marie's body, hands shaking as he reached to release her small clutch that was in her hand. He opened it, revealing her small wallet as well as phone and car keys.

He ignored her keys, and grabbed her phone, practically tossing it over to Erin. "Clear her call history."

Erin barely caught it without dropping it, shaking his head at how nonchalant Alex was acting.
Even now, even after all the trouble he's gotten in with the police and all the fights he's gotten in, he still got shaken with dead bodies.

Erin successfully entered her phone, clearing her history before wiping his fingerprints off as Alex immediately grabbed Marie's wallet, dropping the clutch from his hands.

He opened it, revealing a couple credit cards as well as a good chunk of cash inside. It had to be at least eighty bucks. That should be enough for now.

Erin handed the phone back to Alex, letting him make sure nothing could be traced back to them. But it was then that he saw Marie's phone lock screen.

It was a photo of Marie and Y/N smiling, standing in front of their then new house when the bought it a few years back.
Y/N had grown so much since last Alex saw her, and he felt a bit guilty that her mother would not be returning to her tonight.

It was here that he sparked an idea.

Since Marie died of unexpected events, so to say, legal guardianship has to fall to immediate family members. He would be her immediate.

Alex could get complete guardianship of Y/N because she's a minor. Which means he could have free-reign access to her banking information, as well as 'deal' with Marie's credit cards.

Whenever a parent of a minor dies, the child gets social security checks with large quantities of money to help them with financials and bills. Alex could use Y/N's social security. He could really use the money.

This would have to do.

This wasn't what Alex had planned, but the more he thought about it, the more it worked out.

Alex and Erin left the Holiday Inn that night in a rush, and laid low for the next couple days to be sure the police didn't trace anything back to them.

They were relieved to see that the police have yet to figure it out, and deemed it clear for them to be seen by the public again.

Not a day later, Alex received a call to guardian ship for Y/N.

He accepted without a second thought. He told Erin he could return home because they were in the clear, and so he returned home to Finn.

He returned home as a nervous, anxious man on the run. And to get his anxiety and nervousness out, he took it out on Finn whenever he asked questions about his whereabouts.

Alex used the extra money he found in Marie's purse to purchase himself a nice shirt and jeans, to make it seem like he was fit to be a father again.

He wasn't.

And it was then that he was sent an address to meet the CPS workers to pick up Y/N, and so he went.

Things were working out.

He decided to live in Marie's house, because they've already did an investigation at her house. They wouldn't suspect the murderer to live there, would they?

If the police couldn't figure it out, who could? Certainly not his daughter. Certainly not the CPS workers. Certainly not her lover, whom he didn't even know lived next door, and was Erin's son.

Certainly not two teenagers who were planning on running away together while Alex sat at a bar with Erin, contemplating how to deal with their kids knowing the truth.

"So that's the plan?" Erin mumbled, tilting the glass to take another swig of the shot.

"We just..hope she don't blab? Your kid and mine have been messin' around together for a while, so she's probably already told Finn."

Alex shrugged, nodding. "Guess so. What do you want me to do, shoot my own kid?"

"No, we don't need that extra blood on our hands." Erin shook his head, shifting in his barstool. "All I'm just saying, we need to deal with them. Maybe split em' up, make sure they don't get any ideas. Maybe we skip town."

Alex hissed at the sting of alcohol as he drank and sat the glass down to then lift his cigarette to his lips.

"If they blab, if they wanna make that mistake, then we leave em'. We skip town. I already got Y/N's social security information, so the money will keep coming in. She just won't know I'm taking it."

Erin was fidgety, he looked like a wreck. They had blood on their hands, and Alex was acting so casual about it?

"Sure." Erin spoke, just to get Alex off his back.

He knew they would be caught soon.

He knew the police would figure it out, because when the police examine the body, they're gonna find the bullet.

That can be traced to Erin's gun, under his registered name.

They were fucked.

And Erin knew it. He was terrified, but it was here, that he knew what he had to do.

He had a plan, and it was definitely different than what Alex wanted to do.

Erin was done. He was done with this shitty life of his. He was done with it all.

He lost Mae, the only person he had ever cared about.

And as badly as Erin treats Finn, he couldn't ever bare to kill the kid. For the sole reason that he's too much like Mae.

So, yes. Erin's plan was different than what Alex wanted to do and leave their kids to fend for themselves.

He had another idea, and he couldn't care less about what Alex did after that.

"It's almost four in the mornin', let's get going."

They left a tip, and left the bar.

That would be the last time Erin had a drink with Alex, and that would be the last time either of them saw each other.

Alex had a plan. Erin had a plan of his own.

And the two lovers, Finn and Y/N, had a plan of their own.

Only one of those three plans would end up working in the end, but maybe if all three were successful, then perhaps Finn and Y/N's future would look quite different than it turned out to be.

.

Author's Note :

UH GUYS.. this was the last chapter before the LAST CLIMAX CHAPTER. OMG WOW.

so we got a little bit of a backstory going on. so yeah, hope that cleared some things up about finn and y/n's past :)

only two more parts left of this book, you guys 😪 next chapter will be the climax, then the one after that, will be the epilogue.

WHAT ARE THE PLANS THO OMG??

okay, thoughts?? predictions??

LETS GOOOO THE CLIMAX IS HAPPENING NEXT CHAPTER! WE ALMOST WRAPPED UP HERE!

i'll probably be updating in the next couple days anyways cause i'm just so excited for the ending!

ANY THEORIES?? LMK!!

if y'all wanna see sneak peeks of the next chapter.. I'll be posting it on my Instagram!

GO FOLLOW MY WATTPAD INSTAGRAM <3

i wanna talk with you guys easier,
so go ahead & dm me if you
just want to talk, or have any
questions about my books, or anything!

GO CHECK IT OUT!! xoxo

i'll be posting some sneak peeks & everything for next chapter ;)

  but what did you think?? let me know!!

the crazy shit is here..

thanks for reading,
let me know what
you think about this story.. <3

stay tuned.. ;))

PUBLISHED
November 11, 2020
at 2:37 P.M.

7643 words.