Atlas timed everything just right. He made a list of everything he needed to stock up on just after he'd showered and put his clothes in the machine. The second Thea's message came in that she was getting ready to leave, he ordered the food and headed to get the groceries. When he got back, the food arrived with Thea not too far behind.

"How was your day?" Thea asked as she went to wash her hands in the kitchen sink,

"Productive." Atlas answered from behind the kitchen island, "Yours?"

"Oh, we're not talking about my day," Thea wiped her hands and went around to join him,

"That bad?"

"I've had better." She sat down and got comfortable on the chair as best as she could. "Thanks for dinner."

"My door is always open."

They both started eating and just as they took the first bite, Thea froze and said a quick prayer in her head before chewing.

"What's that about?" Atlas smiled as he watched her,

"Just learning to say the grace before eating," She said with her mouthful,

"The grace." Atlas said like it was a weird concept, "Hmm. Killian, I assume."

"If I'm being honest, it's God." Thea said, "Killian is just the person He's using,"

Atlas watched her like she was talking nonsense,
"I respect whatever decision you make as long as it's yours."

Thea smiled and nodded, not wanting to talk with food in her mouth,
"If you got to know Killian, you'd know he would never force his religion on me, or any other thing for that matter."

"Thank you for telling me that." Atlas did appreciate it, "Speaking of, why aren't you with him tonight? Not that I'm complaining."

"He's working late tonight. Something about not wanting to leave them in a bind."

"It's sweet that he volunteers."

"You know he tells me that the time he puts in is nothing compared to what he gets back from working there." Thea smiled, "Surrounded by people who've lived their lives and have more wisdom on their fingertips than I have in my entire body."

Atlas smiled,
"I think Killian has this life thing figured out,"

Thea snapped out of whatever haze she was in and smiled at him. It made Atlas happy to see her happy. He didn't want to ruin her night before he also needed to know.

"Hey," He began, "Have you changed your mind about pressing charges?"

Thea didn't need to ask because she knew exactly what he was talking about.
"I mean, it can't hurt to have something down on file. If he's done this before or does it again, then it can build a case on him."

Atlas nodded,
"Only if you're sure."

"I just don't want to be the one who ruins someone's life. But at the same time, I don't want to be the one who lets someone, that could ruin someone else's life, go scot-free."

Atlas frowned,
"That is...Thea, stop thinking about what's best for everyone and think about what it is you want to do."

"Is it really that simple?"

"Life is not as complicated as a lot of people make it to be."

He kept his gaze on her, watching the thoughts play in her head,
"Whatever you decide, I'll handle it. You don't have to worry about a thing."

Thea watched him for a moment longer,
"He did something else, didn't he?"

Atlas didn't say anything, rather, he took a deep breath.
"Nothing as horrible. Yet."

Thea frowned,
"I'm sorry."

"You didn't do anything."

"No. But if someone hurt you, I'd be so mad and I'd want to hurt them back."

Atlas smiled. He was starting to see a fierce side to her since she started training with Makenna. He wouldn't lie and say it didn't give him a bit of peace.

"I can only imagine how badly you wanted to hurt him that night."

"Mac did most of the work." Atlas said, "I think I stopped seeing red when she was seeing red."

Thea hid her smile.

"If I had been the one in her place, I wouldn't have cared about the consequences that came afterwards. But watching her, I didn't want her to bear those same consequences." Atlas sighed, "To get her under control, I had to get myself under control."

"You may have looked calm and collected to everyone, but I could tell."

"No one messes with my sister and gets away with it."

"Same goes for you. Now that I'm learning some moves, I'll bulldoze anyone that hurts you."

Atlas hid his smile,
"I'll be cheering you from the sidelines."

Thea smiled and let go of the breath she was holding
"I know in my heart that he will get what's coming for him. So, I'll just press charges to put your mind at ease. But don't take matters into your own hands."

Atlas felt the hope rise in his chest but deflate as she finished what she was saying. He had started to mentally plan out everything. He knew exactly where it would hurt Victor the most.

"What exactly were you planning?" Thea resumed eating,

"Oh, nothing." Atlas thought for a second, "He just has this scholarship he's holding on to rather tightly."

"Atlas. Xander. Zervas." Thea gaped at him, "You are not going to be the reason someone loses their scholarship."

"Well, you've made sure of that." Atlas got back to eating, "And you're sticking to your word. No last-minute cop-out."

"I promise if you promise that you wouldn't do...that."

"Cross my heart."

"Deal."

Thea's phone dinged in her bag but she ignored it. She was spending time with her brother and she wanted to relax and have her dinner. Whatever notification it was could wait, if it was urgent, she'd be getting a call and not whatever that was.

"One day, you're going to say 'cross my heart' and you'll mean it."

"I meant it."

Thea smiled,
"I mean really mean it."

Atlas smiled when he realized what she was talking about.
"You're going to make me say the grace too?"

"You just watch and see how God works on your heart."

"I'm waiting."

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I really want to thank every single one of you for following me on this journey. 🙏 If clean romance wasn't your cup of tea and you gave this story a shot, I'm super grateful. I cannot emphasize how much I love writing for you and sharing stories that could make you understand the kind of broken world we live in. I don't know a lot about it, but I've tried to make sense of the little I know and this series captures that.

There are certain scenes that I had to write to depict just how broken Makenna is and most times, those scenes didn't sit well with me. 😢 But I know what the future holds for her and that all her struggles will make her stronger - this has allowed me to understand that it's the same way with me and my creator. God knows the future He had planned for me and He knows the struggles I face will equip me with all that I need to know to live the life He has in store for me. I hope that makes sense.

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I want to thank everyone who has been supporting me on my socials, it means a lot. Content creation is a full-time job and so is writing. But through the strength God has given me, I've been able to juggle a 9-6 (Monday to Friday), create content for you guys on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, and then work on my book during the weekend. I am immensely grateful for your support.💖

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