When Nathaniel parked in the visitor's section of the apartment parking lot we glanced at each other with uncertainty. Nathaniel's eyes dropped to the envelopes resting on my lap and I sighed, releasing my double-handed hold on his hand so I could pick them up.

"Should we go inside?" I asked with a forced smile. 

Nathaniel nodded silently, grabbing his backpack filled with basic necessities. He followed me up to the second landing and was silent as I unlocked the door and gestured for him to follow me. Nathaniel closed the door gently behind him and I squeaked when he suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me back against him before burying his head into the crook of my neck. I swallowed hard, ignoring the ticklish sensation of his bangs brushing against my extremely sensitive collar bone.

With my unoccupied hand, I slowly rested it on his arms wrapped around my stomach and turned my head to the side to lean against the side of his face gently. I waited for nearly a minute for Nathaniel to say something, but when he didn't show any sign of moving or saying anything I let out a small sigh.

"Are you angry with me, Nathaniel?" I whispered softly into his ear. Nathaniel's arms tightened around me and he finally lifted his head, frowning at me as he met my eyes.

"Why would I be angry with you?" he asked in utter confusion and I rubbed my thumb against his bare wrist.

"I broke my promise. I told your mom..." I admitted softly. 

It was true that I felt guilty for breaking my promise to Nathaniel, but I was confident that if I went back in time I would do the exact same thing. Nathaniel blinked slowly down at me and I was surprised when he let out a small smile.

"I'm not angry at you, Opal. You did it because you didn't want me to get hurt. I know what my dad was doing was wrong... and even though it hurts, I know that Mom deserved to know the truth." Nathaniel's words were laced with pain and frustration, but I was surprised when he bent down and pressed his lips to my temple. "Thanks for doing what I couldn't, Opal."

Tears began to gather in the back of my eyes but I closed them and breathed through my nose for several moments until I had calmed down. After I was sure my emotions were contained, I slowly patted Nathaniel's arm and he followed my silent prompting and released his hold on me. I smiled gently up at him and gestured towards the kitchen as I removed my shoes.

"I'll fix you something to drink. Are you hungry? I normally start making dinner around now so that it's ready when Auntie comes..." 

My words trailed off abruptly when I felt Nathaniel's hand gently clasp over my hand that was holding the disownment notices. I slowly looked behind me to see Nathaniel looking at me with a serious expression.

"Opal, why did you show up when you did?" Nathaniel asked quietly, glancing down at the envelopes in my hand. "Does it have something to do with those?"

I glanced down at the innocuous white envelopes that contained words that had ripped my heart into pieces. Biting my inner lip, I looked up at Nathaniel and slowly nodded.

"Yes... I wasn't sure how to react and the only thing I could think was that you would know what to do," I muttered, feeling incredibly selfish suddenly. "But you just went through something really traumatic, we can talk about these later," I said, trying to inject levity into my voice so he would know it wasn't a big deal.

Nathaniel's hands tightened on my wrist when I went to walk away though, and I felt the envelopes slip from my hand.

"Nathaniel, really..." I started to say but Nathaniel reached out and rested a finger against my lips, effectively cutting me off.

"Honestly, Opal, it would be good to distract myself. And I'm really happy that your first thought was to come to me with something important to you." 

I blinked up silently at him. His hand slowly moved from my lips to cup my cheek where he gently rubbed his thumb under my eye, which was feeling tight and sore from his dad's punch.

I sucked in a shaky breath and slowly nodded my consent. Nathaniel removed his hand from my cheek and reached into the top envelope. His eyes widened when he saw the title and then they darted to me, shock evident in his expression. I rubbed my lips together awkwardly and wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ward off the icy feeling of the utter rejection of my existence that those papers contained.

Nathaniel's eyes hardened as his gaze returned to the papers in his hands. He read through the first document and shoved it back into the envelope before pulling out the second set. He let out a grunt of complete disgust as he saw the matching title but he didn't bother reading the second one, he just riffled through it before returning it to the envelope and tossing both of them unceremoniously to the coffee table.

"Ummm," I breathed out, not even sure how to explain. Before I could formulate what I wanted to say, Nathaniel closed the distance between us and wrapped me into a warm hug so fierce that his arms were trembling as he held me.

"Those monsters actually think they have the right to do something like this to you after all of the abuse they put you through? What kind of people are their attorneys that would send something so malicious to a kid?" Nathaniel breathed out, his voice deep with bitterness and anger.

"...Technically I'm an adult now," I breathed out, surprised that all of my sadness from before was beginning to melt away in the embrace of Nathaniel's acceptance.

"Just because you're 18 doesn't mean they can throw you away and pretend they haven't hurt you!" Nathaniel growled fiercely, pulling back and placing his hands on my shoulders. His gold eyes met mine and my breath caught at the deep emotions that were apparent in them. "This was cruel and unnecessary for them to do to you, Opal. But at least you know that those monsters will never hurt you again. And I promise this changes nothing about the way I feel about you."

I met Nathaniel's serious expression and was surprised when I felt more thoughtful than anything. Reaching up, I gently pulled Nathaniel's hands down from my shoulders and linked my fingers through his, holding his hands in the space between us.

"I know... that you and Auntie both hate my parents," I said slowly, trying my best to put into words how I was feeling. "And I completely understand. I feel the same way about your dad, after all. He hurt the person I love, so it's difficult for me to feel anything but relief that his abuse has come to your mother's attention."

Nathaniel flinched slightly but gripped my hands tightly in silent support.

"But even though they treated me poorly and hated me for being born... I always hoped that I could apologize to them properly one day..." I trailed off as Nathaniel's lips twisted down into a heavy frown.

"You don't owe them an apology, Opal," he said frostily and I smiled sadly up at him.

"From your perspective no... but that's what I wanted," I said gently. I could see Nathaniel's anger fizzle into a mild frustration and he let out a sigh while squeezing my hands.

"I don't agree... but I get where you're coming from," Nathaniel said reluctantly. "It's the same thing as my need to prove to Dad that I can do whatever he expects of me. It probably doesn't make logical sense to you... but it's something I've always wanted to accomplish."

I nodded slowly, surprised at how relieved I felt to know that Nathaniel understood where I was coming from. It made me sad that we shared such similar situations, but it was liberating in a way to be able to confide in someone like this.

"Right... but now... I can't. They obviously want nothing to do with me anymore. My emotions and thoughts were just completely jumbled up and the only thing I knew was that I wanted to talk to you about it... I'm sorry that I came without warning you, Nathaniel. And I am sorry if I interfered too much," I said, feeling contrite.

Nathaniel pulled on my hands, prompting me to step forward and he let go of my hands in order to gather me in the warmest hug I'd ever experienced. I melted against his chest, wrapping my hands around his back as I surrendered all of the confusion and pain I had been feeling and just basked in the security that I could only ever find in Nathaniel's arms.

"You don't need to apologize," Nathaniel breathed out next to my ear, causing me to shiver slightly. "I'm sorry your parents rejected you like this. But I think it would be best for you to just leave them in the past and focus on your future."

I knew that he was right, and I committed to myself that I would do my best to do just as Nathaniel suggested. Letting out a small sigh, I squeezed Nathaniel's back and rubbed my head against his neck, reminding myself that for once the happy things in my life outweighed the sad. Nathaniel's neck moved as he swallowed hard and I pulled back to look at him but squeaked when he held me tighter against him, cutting off my view of his face.

"Don't look at me for a second," he instructed awkwardly. 

I could almost feel heat rising up his neck. My lips quirked into a smile and I relaxed once more against him as I realized that I had somehow made him blush and he was trying to hide it.

"I love you, Nathaniel," I said against his neck.

To my surprise, Nathaniel let out a groan. I yelped slightly as Nathaniel's hands gripped my waist and I found myself suddenly getting spun around so that my back was against the wall. I looked up at him in surprise as he moved his hands from my hips to rest against the wall and he let his head hang down between us.

"Everything okay?" I asked, thoroughly confused. 

Nathaniel let out a throaty chuckle and when he looked up at me there was a look of desire so strong in his eyes that I was momentarily stunned.

"I know it's way too soon to talk about stuff like this... But I honestly don't want you to leave my side. Ever. You're so cute, Opal."

Now it was my turn to blush. I could feel my cheeks heating up several degrees and I looked down at my feet to try and calm myself down a bit. Nathaniel leaned down closer to me and I looked up to see that there was an almost teasing glint in his gold eyes.

"That okay with you?" Nathaniel asked quietly, his voice trembling slightly. I met his gaze and couldn't keep a smile from my lips.

"Of course I'll stay with you, Nathaniel. But... we're probably a little young to be talking about marriage," I said, feeling my cheeks heat up once again. My eyes darted around as I held up my hand and touched my fingers. "I mean, we still need to go to college, weddings are expensive so we would need jobs to save up for that, and I feel like we need to be a little more mentally mature before..."

My words were suddenly cut off by Nathaniel's warm lips. On instinct my body tensed against the wall I was leaning against, but I relaxed within the next breath. My eyes slowly shut and my thoughts quieted as I focused completely on the feel of Nathaniel's confident kisses. I sucked in a surprised breath through my nose when Nathaniel stepped forward, closing the distance between us and gingerly pressed himself against me.

The kiss lasted much longer than usual. I was shocked when Nathaniel nudged my lips apart slightly and I felt the tip of his tongue dart across my bottom lip. Just as I was trying to process this new sensation though, Nathaniel finally pulled away from me. We both took a few seconds to breathe. I blinked up at him slowly, pulling myself out of the strange fog that always came over me when Nathaniel and I were kissing and the only thing I could think of was him.

He smiled down at me with so much affection I felt my heart flip at the sight. Nathaniel let out a small chuckle before reaching out and brushing my bangs out of my eyes.

"I love how serious you are about this," Nathaniel said with a grin and this time even my ears heated up.

"It's a big decision," I muttered and Nathaniel nodded.

"I know. And we can work towards it together. But we can just enjoy dating for now," Nathaniel said with a grin. "It'll be fun to be college students together."

"You really are going to come to Anteros Academy with me?" I asked, feeling a bubble of pure elation going through me at the thought. Nathaniel grinned and nodded at me.

"I want to major in criminal justice.It seems like most police stations won't hire you until you're at least in your 20's, so I'll be right there next to you until then."

I could hardly contain my excitement. I jumped up, wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. Nathaniel laughed and returned my hug, pecking the tip of my ear affectionately and causing me to giggle.

By the time Auntie came home, I had dinner ready for us. Understandably she was confused to see Nathaniel there, but both of us had to hold her back when we explained what happened and how Nathaniel's dad had been abusing him. Once we finally got her to stop threatening to call the police (even though I thought it was a good idea, personally) she immediately agreed to let him stay until things were sorted out with Malcolm. Although she made sure to lay some ground rules about being alone in the apartment together.

I had not particularly planned to tell Auntie about the disownment notices that I received, but when Shin Woo came by later that evening to visit he noticed them discarded on the coffee table and asked about them. That set off Auntie for the second time that evening and I had been shocked and incredibly concerned when she dissolved into tears. Luckily Shin Woo helped to calm the storm of emotions that Auntie was going through, and I couldn't help but be grateful to both him and Nathaniel.

To lift everyone's spirits, Shin Woo suggested that we all go out for a double date the next day. It was nearly midnight before Shin Woo left, and to my surprise,  Auntie suggested that I sleep with her in her room and Nathaniel could sleep in my bed. He immediately said he was fine on the couch, but Auntie insisted and it wasn't long before I was dressed in my favorite gold sweatpants and T-shirt from my pajama party and curled up next to Auntie in her large bed.

"This was not exactly how I envisioned this day would go," Auntie said with a sigh as she sprawled out on her side of the bed. An awkward giggle bubbled up my throat and I nodded.

"That's an understatement," I retorted quietly, thinking back on everything that had changed in just an afternoon. "Do you think Nathaniel's dad will agree to counseling?"

"He'd better," Auntie growled, sounding nearly feral. "If he doesn't then I'm going to call up every local news station and tell them exactly what the mayor has been doing to his son all these years."

"June works for one of the local stations," I whispered, my heart plummeting in my chest at the thought of her being presented with the story of her abusive husband.

Auntie let out a sigh before reaching out and gathering me into her arms.

"That poor woman. I know what it feels like to find out about abuse after the fact... she must be so guilt-ridden," Auntie said, her voice sounding pinched. I looked up and even in the dark, I could see that she was close to tears.

"There is no reason for you to feel guilty, Auntie," I whispered softly, rubbing her arm soothingly.

"I just can't believe your parents have the audacity to disown you after everything that they have done to hurt you!" Auntie seethed through her teeth.

The switch of topic didn't surprise me. I was sure both Nathaniel's and my situations were tumbling through her mind like two brightly colored shirts in a dryer set on high. I wished that she wouldn't worry herself about it, but it was also a sign of her love for me that she was worried.

"It made me sad," I admitted slowly, thinking of the overwhelming emotions that had gripped me when I read the notices. "But Nathaniel said I should focus on my own future. So that's what I'm going to try to do."

Auntie was silent for a moment, but her arms circled me tighter and she kissed the top of my head lovingly.

"That's good advice," she said, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. "We should both do that. And don't you ever think that I will turn my back on you. You're mine for life, Opal. I love you so much."

As if a switch had been flipped, tears began to stream from my eyes in unending rivulets. Auntie and I held each other tight, and all of the evil and hurtful things that my parents had done seemed to slowly begin to melt away. As I drifted off to sleep, I pictured my parents in my mind's eye with their eyes filled with disappointment, and I slowly bowed to them.

Please be happy, Mother and Father. Please forget about me. And I will also forget about you. Because for the first time in my life, I am surrounded by people I love who love me back. And I am going to do everything I can to make sure they keep their smiles with me beside them.

The images of my parents faded away, and I felt my lips turn up into a small smile as I slipped away into a peaceful sleep. 

A/N After re-reading this ending I honestly am not sure which one I prefer. I feel like this ending really brings closure to Opal, but the alternate ending has her father pay for his misdeeds... So I like them both for different reasons. :P I'd love to hear what you think if any of you have read the alternate ending! Just the epilogue left and this will be wrapped up.