After a few hours of rest, someone softly knocks on the door.

Today I'm going to be released and I will have to go home with my mom.

"Yeah," I barely find the force within me to talk.

Derek peeks through the door. "Can I enter?"

"Sure," I respond, still a bit tired.

"I know you are feeling horrible," he says, reading my mind. At least he didn't ask me how I am like everyone else. I'm tired of that question.

"Perceptive," I joke.

He smiles.

It's still weird since this is our first talk in three months, especially now that he knows the truth. I hid it from him for years, I didn't accept his love because of this and he finally knows why. How will this affect us? Will this change anything?

"I'm not here to pester you with questions but you need to file a report for what happened. We saw the house. There was blood everywhere..." he admits.

Ugh.

"Please... Derek. Let's not talk about what happened, for now," I say and he nods defeated.

"It hurts me that I could never help you and left you alone... I don't even know how to live with the guilt," he admits as he looks down, seemingly nowhere.

"Then be here for me now. I'm still the same person you knew," I say.

"Veronica, you weren't doing good before either. You need help. You've been ruining yourself since it happened. Tell me who is it, we will report him together and you will get the help you deserve."

I shake my head. "No, Derek. You don't want to report him." I know him too damn well. "You want to kill him."

He chuckles at how well I know him. "You're right about that. I would torture him every day."

I just want to ask the question I'm dying to ask because I won't sleep at night. He said he wants to avenge me, but does he want revenge because he sees me as tainted and broken, something to fix?

"Tell me the truth. Do you think less of me now?" I ask.

He furrows his eyebrows, annoyed that I could even dare to ask him that.

"You want to know what I really think?" he asks after a few seconds and I nod.

"I think you've been through hell and back and I can't believe you still find the force to keep going, to pretend you are okay and this never happened to you, even when you believe that you deserved it. I've never met someone stronger than you, fuck, even I am not that strong. I crumbled when I lost you. You didn't see the way I was in prison. You are just as amazing as you were when I met you."

My mouth drops to the floor. "Oh."

My therapist asked me a few days ago if someone ever complimented me on something other than looks. I guess this is it...

He chuckles. "Left you speechless."

"Are you going to leave me again?" I ask. His speech is useless if he leaves me.

"No. I'm here to stay," he replies.

"Are you only doing this because you feel sorry for me? And guilty?" I ask frantically.

At least now he is being honest and open with me, so I can ask him everything I want to. There is nothing to hide anymore.

"I'm doing this because I committed the biggest mistake when I left you."

I bite the inside of my cheek to force myself to not cry but it doesn't help much. I burst out crying and Derek immediately lays near me and wraps his arms around me.

I'm crying because of everything, for him, for what happened to me, my future, how I just don't want to fight anymore...

"What if I don't want to be strong anymore?" I ask through tears and he caresses my arm.

"Then we will fight for you. Let other people help you, Ronnie."

"Are-" I try to speak but I sniffle and he shushes me.

My face is on his chest and he continues to hold me tightly. I close my eyes as a few tears fall on his sweater and I don't want anything else now. Just this.

~

My mom will come soon to pick me up and I am finishing packing up the things she gave me the past week. Clothes and hygiene products.

Derek didn't stay much with me after I cried in his arms, I probably scared him off.

I laugh at my thought, knowing damn well I kicked him out because my mom was coming soon.

He was actually pretty understanding, mostly scared of my mom. He told me my mom didn't randomly accept him but she just couldn't think straight after she heard about the accident and saw the house. She knew Derek would make me feel better but she still doesn't accept him.

I pack the clothes in the baggage my mom gave me when I hear the door open.

"Just two more minutes, mom, I'll finish packing," I say as I calmly put the shampoo inside.

"I'm not your mom," a deep male voice says.

"Cyprian," I mutter through my teeth as I stand up slowly. "You aren't welcome here."

"Your mom let me enter," he replies.

I chuckle bitterly. Oh, so it's my mom now that wants me to reunite with him after years of lies and going behind my back.

"My mother doesn't decide for me. And neither will you," I spit as I zip the baggage. "You knew I didn't want you here, you said you would respect my wish."

"But I caused this, it's all my fault. I had to come-"

"No. You didn't have to do anything but leave," I say authoritatively.

"I know my approach was wrong. Forgive me, Amelia," he says softly.

"Stop saying that fucking name, it's not my name!"

They abandoned me, no matter the reason. My life went on and I now have my parents.

They don't matter to me. I don't want a brother. I don't want another father or mother, I'm happy with what I already have and I don't want other problems and I don't want to be confused. My name will always be Veronica Reeves.

"I know what our parents did is shitty. How can they abandon us when we were just born, and them being deported doesn't excuse it. They never looked for us. My mom said they never contacted her again even though our biological mother trusted my mom with our lives and there was no risk for her to be caught once they left America. It was a choice. That's what is a choice. Not me losing you."

I nod bitterly. "And this is my choice. Please, respect it."

I really want to talk to Josephine, my therapist, about this. I want to hear her opinion. Why am I so stubborn to hear about my biological parents and to have a twin brother? Why does it hurt so much to accept the truth?

I guess I'm getting better since I actually want to go to therapy again. Or maybe she is just too good and I see her more as a friend than a therapist.

He leaves quietly without saying anything else.

I should have told him I at least forgive him, maybe it would have made him feel better about my decision. I'm sure Nicole didn't forgive him either, I mean, this dude used her and he knew how much her past relationship hurt her.

I might forgive him but I will never consider him family. I already have one family. As broken as we are, she is my mom, and I will never forget my dad. He is my real dad to me and the only person I want to see again.

"I heard everything," my mom says and I shrug.

"You should give him a chance," she suggests and I turn around surprised. I didn't expect this from her.

"You should have said this four years ago," I reply bitterly.

I can't believe my dad knew too and never said anything.

She sighs, staying completely silent for a few moments, thinking of what is the right thing to say.

"Children don't deserve to pay for the mistakes of their parents. You are making Cyprian pay for the pain your biological parents caused you. You know your father would have loved and accepted him. Why can't you?"

"Because I feel like I'm losing my father by accepting that I have a biological family that is well and alive and wants to reunite!" I yell.

When I look at Cyprian now, I only think of my father and how much I miss my old life, my old, real family. I will never have this again. How dare I find another family when my parents gave up everything for me?

"It's your choice after all but I don't want you to make a quick decision that you will regret," she says as she closes the discussion. "Did you finish packing?"

I nod.

"We need to sign a few things before leaving," she says as I grab my baggage.

When I step into the hallway, I notice Irène, Shanice, Derek and Dominic.

Nicole must be at home.

"No visits. We are going directly home," my mom says and I roll my eyes.

I really want to go back to campus once the spring break is over...

They all look just as tired as me. My wounds are starting to scar and I look more human but still depressed.

Irène pulls me in for a hug and the rest of them join us into a big, warm hug.

"We will visit you often, I will even bring you notes from other people in your class," Shanice says and I laugh. How much things changed between us... it's surprising. I like this side of her.

"I just want to be back on campus," I admit as I see my mom talking to the doctor.

"You can't, you need someone with you 24/7," Derek says worried.

"I don't think going back to the house where I was almost r- whatever again would help me," I retort and he shuts up.

"You are right. It's a horrible idea. You can live with me, if you want," Dominic says. "We will go to college together and I'm almost always home, and if I'm not I'll call Derek or Nicole."

"If you can convince my mom..." I mumble.

"Impossible," Derek chuckles, my mom must have scared him pretty good.

We haven't moved out of that house yet and it will take some time. My best solution is to cry to my mom that I'm scared of that house. It would be the truth, anyway. Plus she has to work... and I can't be that far from college and I don't want to take a semester off. I already started studying for finals.

My mom now trusts Dominic, even though she used to think bad of him but he is Nicole's cousin which helps a lot, plus she knows his parents now.

Maybe this could work...