Adrian was in the other hospital to have his gun wound checked on his shoulder. He had his own room because he was heading to prison, and his one hand was being cuffed on the railing of his bed.

While his wound was being treated by the doctors, he squirmed in pain and cussed everyone. The failure of his revenge plan hit him so hard that it nearly cost him his life.

Once it was done, his wife and son went inside the room. "Gage, Marie," the man gasped, thinking that they still cared for him. "I'm so glad that you guys are here."

Regardless, his family's expression said otherwise as they exchanged glances and then looked at him again. "We just want to see you," Gage said. "How are you feeling, Dad? What did the doctor say?"

"The doctor managed to take the bullet out. He said it's not that bad. I'll live."

"That's great, Dad," the young man replied coldly.

"Please, help me," the father begged them.

"We're not here to help you, Adrian," Marie clarified in a stern tone.

"What?" Adrian choked and could tell that his wife was serious. "What do you mean you're not going to help me?"

"Why? Do you expect us to do that?"

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

"You know what? I don't know how I feel about you," Gage voiced what was on his mind. "I want to feel bad for you, but it doesn't feel right. I want to hate you, but I'm not sure if I want to do that because you're... my Dad."

Adrian began to tear up, yet teardrops were not making it better for him since his wife just gazed at him with resentment while her child opened up to his evil father. "Then don't," he sobbed. "Don't hate me, son. I'm sorry."

"Sorry, for what exactly?" Marie interrogated. "For stealing me from Leon? For putting him in jail for the crimes he did not do? Attempting to kill him and his daughter?"

"Lying to us? To make us think that Mr. Magnum was the bad guy? Shooting Oddey?" Gage added. "Kidnapping her from the hospital room to get back at Mr. Magnum? And after that, you were going to shoot her again RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!? AFTER I BEGGED YOU NOT TO?!"

The man became speechless and just put his head down. "So tell us, tell us what's there to be sorry for Adrian?" his wife asked. "And you have the nerve to ask for help from us. Perhaps I didn't love Leon, but I regret that I loved you. That I vowed to spend the rest of my life with someone so evil."

"I wish you're not my Dad had I known about you before," Gage exasperated bluntly. "That's all I have to say. Maybe someday, I will forgive you, but I will forget that you were ever my father."

"Gage, no..." Adrian gasped in horror.

"This will be the last time you'll see us, Adrian," Marie added. "Expect to see divorce papers soon enough. Let's go, Gage."

"Goodbye, Dad," Gage bid one last farewell to his father, then quickly went out the door along with his mother.

"No! Gage! Marie!" Adrian cried to his family as they left him with no hesitation while he tried to reach them, but there was no use since he could not move his one arm, and the other was cuffed to the railing. "Come back! Gage! Marie!"

As time passed, it was like spring, the skies turned blue, the sun came to shine, and the flowers bloomed from the darkness that befell on them.

A darkness that Adrian put upon Leon years ago, when his life turned for the worse because of him. However, in the end, the table was turned for him to pay the price of his selfishness.

The evil man stood on the defendant's stand wearing an orange jumpsuit, and the jury listened to Leon's testimony and Oddey's since she was well enough to do it. Moreover, it was his nemesis' turn to gloat, watching him at the lowest he had ever been and never could return from that.

The verdict was finally released: Adrian Munro was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

You could hear people aghast in the courtroom that the judge had to hit his gavel on the block to silence them. It was a verdict that his victim had prayed for for almost twenty years.

The Magnums and Munros witnessed the man being escorted out, not without Leon looking at him straight in the eyes while two officers brought the criminal out to bring him to city jail, where he was supposed to be.

But Adrian had one last word to say to his enemy. He made his way to get to him while the officers chased and held him back. "I hope you're proud of yourself, Hal," he snarled. "You made my family hate me."

"I'm not you, Adrian," Leon retorted. "I will never be proud of someone else's misfortunes. Although, fine, I have to admit that seeing your like this is pretty satisfying."

"That's enough. Come on." The officer pulled him away and then dragged him out of the courtroom. Adrian's family watched him and just didn't seem to care as to what would happen to him in the slammer.

Oddey went to her father and embraced him. "Are you okay, Dad?" she asked.

Leon smiled and put his arm around his concerned daughter. "Yes, mochipie, I am. Don't worry about me," he assured her. "It's over now."

The moment when Adrian was found guilty, it was like the darkness weighing on Leon's shoulder lifted. It felt as if the world changed for the better when evil was unmasked in front of the people they fooled and never to return in the future.

----

"A grave? O, no. A lantern, slaughtered youth, for here lies Juliet, and her beauty makes this vault a feasting presence full of light," Gage recited part of the last scene. "My love, my wife, death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty."

Some minutes later, the actress playing Juliet, Courtney, pretended to wake up and saw Romeo lying dead. "What's here? A cup closed in my true love's hand? Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end. O churl, drunk all and left no friendly drop to help me after. I will kiss thy lips," she said her line then gave a peck on the lips. "Thy lips are warm."

It was the night of the play, and Gage performed his heart out, not for the sake of acting. He glanced over to the audience, but his real-life Juliet was nowhere to be seen, but it was not because she did not want to watch.

Oddey still had to recover from the injury that nearly killed her. However, she was able to watch with the help two of her friends and Zoom meeting apps.

Felix and Rita were at the front row, using Felix's phone to record the play.

Anyway, the Juliet watched her Gage being Romeo, wearing a medieval nobleman costume from her confinement room. They had not seen each other for almost a month after Adrian was imprisoned. Also, she was proud of herself as an artist to see the set she designed and worked for.

Until the curtain calls and all the casts and Madame Vestia took a final bow. There were petals with different shades of pink and red raining on the thespians that wowed their audience. The crowd began clapping so loud that it echoed across the auditorium, then stood up from their seats.

"We'd also like to dedicate this play to our set designer, Odette Empirio," Madame Vestia announced. "She put her heart and soul into making this play come alive with her vision and creativity. I speak for all of us here to thank you."

Everyone, including Gage, gave her an applause, which made Oddey feel a bit shy at first, but also flattered that she was given such honor by her favorite professor.

After giving one last bow to the audience, the thespians changed into their normal clothes, and then the Romeo happened to bump into his leading lady, Courtney, after getting out of the changing room. Apparently, they hadn't talk to each other ever since they heated conversation.

Instead, the young man just walked out from there without saying any word to her. Even though, it was hard to lose a friend whom you have known your whole life, but it felt right, if it meant it was worth the lose after the selfish things they did for themselves.

Another week passed, and it was the day before his flight to Spain. Gage was packing his clothes in his luggage while video-calling his mother, who was checking on him. "Remember to bring lots of jackets, and don't forget your passports and plane ticket," Marie reminded.

"I know, mom," Gage sighed.

"And bring plently of underwear."

Felix cringed since he was in the room studying. "MOM!" Gage whined. "TMI, and Felix is here."

"What? It's not like he has a mother, too," Marie defended. "Anyway, are you excited for tomorrrow?"

"Yeah, except that I had to wake up at 12 a.m to get to our 4 a.m flight."

"Well, you better turn on your alarm." Then a doorbell could be heard through the audio, and Marie began fixing her hair a bit. "Oh! I have to go. Text me when you land in Spain and don't forget to buy me a souvenir when you get back, okay?"

"Okay, mom, have fun with Officer Diaz." Gage ended the call, and finished up packing. He grabbed his bag to get a document, but then out came the Love Knot. It got his attention, so he picked it up.

He looked at it for a bit, and had a plan in mind.

----

A final bow, but a beginning to a new opening of their lives with no hate, no revenge, and no lies. There was no reason to fight, and there was no more reason to hide from any evil that disturbed that peace.

The forbidden love was forbidden no more. No more walls to separate their love for each other from the war that they were going through because of their family.

They were free to love one another like any other happy couple out there without the secret that was on their way. Just the two of them, and nothing could break their red string apart, especially not their parents.

However, the strings was still retying itself from the damage from the war by giving it time and distance.

The next morning, Oddey woke up in the hospital. She sat up and was about to reach her phone, until she saw the Love Knot next to it. She was surprised too see it again as she took it.

After that, she grabbed her phone to check her notifications, and noticed that her Romeo left her a text, and began reading it.

"I'm flying to Spain now. I hope you don't mind me giving back the Love Knot to you because I believe that it is meant for you.

Parting is such sweet sorrow."

Tears rolled down her cheek, yet she was smiling. Oddey placed her phone on her chest as she lied back on the bed.