Sorry to break your hearts again 🥺💔 it's the way it's gotta go
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I did my best to feign interest the rest of lunch. Elouise didn't pick up on my less than enthusiastic attitude and I didn't really care. 

I'd gained a confession and that was all I needed to get her put away for good.

After all she'd told me about stealing from the less fortunate and how I needed to trim my hips, I realized just how brainwashed I'd been all these years. 

I was shocked at the fact that I hadn't developed an eating disorder from everything they'd put me through.

I'd been raised to believe I was nothing.

That I was too fat to fit into a size two. 

That I wasn't good enough to make it into an Ivy League school. 

That I wasn't good enough to please one person in my life. 

After Elouise had driven me back to the apartment, I spent what felt like ages curling up into a ball and sobbing. All of it was too much for me.

Hero tried to console me though it seemed to be useless. Like me, he was unable to really grasp what I was going through. He couldn't figure out the right words. 

All he could do was listen and do his best to support me.

I was glad that for once he wasn't storming out. We were making progress. 

When the time came, Hero drove me to the sherriff's station to hand in the wire and its evidence. The atmosphere in the cold room was astounding, with the cops seeming to drag out their understanding of the confession. 

When they finally announced that I had allowed them to crack the case, everyone gasped and screamed.

Emma embraced me in her arms looking like she were about to break down into several cries. 

Hero stood to the side, seeming overwhelmed by this news.

The man who I'd just been introduced to, however, seemed conflicted, tearing up himself.

He had choppy brown hair and a lanky but built frame. He resisted, eyeing me warily. When I slowly approached, seeing myself in my father for the first time, he was overwhelmed with stale tears.

I immediately crushed myself into his tight hold. When I pulled away, I eyed both my parents. 

"We can finally be a proper family."

I now noticed the cops looking right at us awkwardly. 

"What's the next step?" I urged.

The two cops leaned forward, looking stern.

"We go through protocol," one answered, "this will now guarantee us a warrant. We'll search their premises. There's no doubt in my mind that the evidence will be... overwhelming." 

I left my father's arms, my jaw dropping. 

"How long will they be behind bars?" 

The second cop glanced at his partner. 

"It's hard to say as of now, though I don't think we can release that information. You'll have to wait to see it on the BOLO."

Emma grabbed ahold of my shoulders tenderly. 

"Thank you officers. We can't thank you enough for all you've done." 

As I turned to see Hero's reaction to all this, his face was like stone. He seemed... mutual about it all.

This hadn't reminded of his past had it?

As soon as we made outside of the station, my parents spent several minutes sobbing and blubbering over how grateful they were of Hero. 

"My dear boy," my father cried, "I can't thank you enough for protecting our daughter. We spent so long not knowing..." 

Emma eyed him earnestly. "Oh, Archie..." 

Hero cleared his throat uncomfortably. 

"It's really nothing." 

Archie then rested both of his hands on Hero's broad shoulders looking into his eyes. 

"I mean it. When I say I appreciate you, it's not on a whim. I'm saying that you are now part of this family." 

After a moment of silence, Emma beckoned Archie towards her. 

"Come on, sweetie. We don't want to scare him away- Kristina, dear... I can't wait to see you again." 

As soon as they both departed, the air felt strange. Suffocating somehow.

After Hero and I had taken a moment to collect ourselves before entering his Ford Capri, he exploded, nearly making my heart beat out of my chest. 

"Why did you make me do that, Kristina? WHY?" 

I gasped, taken aback by the sudden question.

"What do you mean?" 

He glowered. "My life was perfectly simple months ago! You know that? I had a place to stay and friends that didn't question me-"

Oh, so he was opening up with this kind of statement.

I scoffed. "Friends? The same friends that were willing to drug you? Friends that don't care about your future?" 

Hero slammed his fists against the windshield. 

"Don't come at me with your religious crap! You look down on us because of what we consider normal. Drinking and partying isn't a sin, Kristina! They all accepted me for who I was!" 

I turned sour at this.

"And who are you, Hero? A guy that fucks random girls every other night? A guy that takes illegal videos of girls during sex? A guy that allows his grandmother to molest him? What life is that?" 

His eyes narrowed. 

"How dare you use all that against me. I don't do well with confrontation. I've risked everything in my life to make sure you were safe. Tonight, every shitty thing in my past, came to light. You've reunited with your parents. You're all just so focused on your own happiness. I don't get any of that." 

I clenched my teeth. 

"This isn't my fault if that's what you're insinuating. You choose to let Diedre do this to you. You surround yourself with bad people-" 

"What about you?" Hero snapped. "We could argue you are a bad person."

I backed up against my chair at this. What? How could he say that? 

"H-hero-" 

He snorted. 

"You probably knew all about that laundered money. You grew up loyal to those assholes. You walk around with your chin in the air and you're constantly trying to tell me what I should do to fit your agenda." 

I faced forward, crossing my arms. 

"The truth hurts doesn't it?" Hero challenged. 

"No," I sobbed. "What you say to me hurts. I just don't want us to fight like this! Where we're always saying things to hurt each other." 

"Well you made me angry." Hero hissed. "You brought up what I can't control." 

I laughed sarcastically. 

"I suppose when we get to the apartment you'll storm off like you always do? That doesn't help anything you know." 

He faced me, pulling tightly at his hair. 

"I'm doing what I can to make things better. I don't want to fight. It seems no matter what I do, you want to push single fucking button to upset me. Sometimes I just don't want to be near you." 

I bit on my lip allowing his words to sink in. I'd said something hurtful. I would admit that but what he'd said was worse. 

"I didn't force you to come here today." I murmured. 

As he set the car to drive, Hero breathed. 

"I didn't have much of a choice. I love you too much."

Thank you all for reading. 😭❤

These two give me sm anxiety 👌😂

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