The words fall from my lips and the hurt from all those years comes back. It’s something I’ll never forget, the day he touched me for the first time, the day he beat me until I was black and blue, and even knocked my tooth out for screaming too loudly.
My body starts trembling with rage that I finally have an outlet for. By now, we’ve grabbed the attention of a couple of people, but no one dares to approach and try to put an end to it. After all, I’m holding a gun pressed to his forehead, and why would anyone potentially get themselves hurt to save a pig like Paul?
“You don’t get to beg me,” I scream, tears streaming down my cheeks. “You don’t get to ask for anything, Paul. You’re about to fucking die, here, in front of everyone. It’s the cheapest priceyou can pay for everything that you’ve done to me. Tonight, I’m sending you right to Hell. You can wait for me there, and I promise you, one day, I’ll come for you again. Again and again, in every single lifetime, I’ll be the ghost that lingers above you, and every time you think you have escaped, I’ll be there to kill you. You ruined my childhood, you ruined my entire life. This is just a small portion of what you truly deserve, you fucking bastard.”
Through my tears, I glance up. Every single fucking billboard has small butterflies. My heart skips a beat, and when my phone rings, I know the time has come. Slowly, I drag my eyes back to Paul, glaring at him. My grip on his jaw tightens, and I lean in, whispering in his ear.
“Rot in hell, bastard.”
I pull back enough to look at him. His eyes hold fear like I’ve never seen before, and a grin spreads all across my face. My body shudders with excitement, I don’t allow him to utter a single word.
I simply pull the trigger.
I watch as the life drains out of his body, his eyes roll to the back of his head. The blood splatters all over my face and palm, and I blink as a couple of drops land on my face, dripping into my eyes.
My breathing is heavy and I can’t help but stare at Paul. His face still holds that immense amount of fear, and it’s forever etched into his expression. The last thing he saw before he died was me.
It was fucking me.
My hand drops from his jaw, and his body slumps to the ground, the sound of it echoing and ringing in my ears. I lower the gun, keeping it close to my side as I tower over his dead body, letting all my anger die with him.
The years of pent up rage slowly start leaving my body, and when I close my eyes, I can visualize the weight being lifted off my shoulders. All the years I spent hating myself, all the time I wished I could disappear — it’s time I finally put it all behind me.
A sense of pure happiness overwhelms me, and I can’t help but cry out. I try to take a deep breath, but the motion itself is shaky, my hands trembling. Everyone’s eyes are on me, and within the next two minutes, everything will finally come to the place I need it to.
As of right now they’re all gone, every single person who hurt me, is gone.
The next moment, the chatter of people and the accusatory fingers, all the cameras pointing at me starts to feel overwhelming. The judgement is evident in their eyes, though some definitely have a curious look on their faces, as if this is the new, juicy gossip for them to spread around.
Just as the panic starts to rise, every single light in this street suddenly shuts off.
It’s pitch black, and the chaos that ensues is immediate. Screams, and people trying to scramble around, to leave or use their phones to shine some lighting onto the street is all I can hear.
That is, until I feel his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me back, his scent engulfing my senses.
“I’m so proud of you, Butterfly.”
THIRTY
The moment my arms wrap around Blair, it’s like everything falls into place.
She melts into my touch, and I bury my face in the crook of her neck. Her hands are holding my forearms tightly, as if she’s scared I’m going to let go. But I won’t. I’ll never let go. I’ll always hold her close to me, and she’ll always be right where she belongs — next to me.
My emotions are running high. Her scent, the feeling of her hair all over my face, fuck, just having her back in my arms is making it difficult to think straight. My entire body is yearning for this closeness, and I’ll be damned if I ever let her leave me again.
I know we need to run from here while we have the time, yet my feet don’t move. Neither do Blair’s and it’s clear to me justhow much we both needed this. I inhale deeply, her sweet scent, and it feels like every wound that I had, is magically healed. She’s the medicine to every illness I might have, the cure for my sanity.
The sound of police sirens echoes in my ears, and I lift my head up, resting my chin on Blair’s shoulder. Her eyes are glued to the scene developing in front of her, because as soon as the lights are back on, in the spot where Blair stood a minute ago is a very confused looking Amy. The blood Blair provided from Simmons is now splattered all over Amy’s face, almost in the exact same spots as the one on Blair’s face. After all, I had Amy pull the trigger from close range and have it drop all over her, just so all of this could be recreated.
Amy is turning around, looking left and right, with a gun in her hand. When she realizes that there are no bullets, she starts panicking. Her eyes are wide, and she’s trying to find an exit, but before she gets the chance to, Agent Arnault appears.
Blair breathes out in relief, and the words that leave her lips are a soft whisper.
“We can go home now.”
Without missing a beat, I scoop her up in my arms, holding her tightly. Her body pressed against me. She wraps her arms around my neck and buries her in my chest. Her breathing is heavy, and I don’t speak, I don’t have to.
Instead, I let her process all of this on her own. What she just did is not only admirable, and insanely brave, but it’s also mentally exhausting. It will take her a while to come to terms with the fact that it’s all over now, and that she can finally be happy. The loud panic behind us fades into the background, and when I kiss the top of her head, the weight of it all rolls off myshoulders. No words need to be spoken right now. I just enjoy her presence, enjoy the fact that after tonight, I can give her the world and everything she deserves.
