Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty Two
Tokyo
Days Later….
I look down at Kai, who is dead asleep by the foot of the bed.
My eyes still feel heavy from crying. It’s been a couple of days since the rave and since the doctor told us the news.
While I can still walk, due to the nature of the injury, I will have to learn how to walk and do pretty much everything all over again.
At first, I was angry and devastated as Kai held me.
I didn’t know how I could possibly manage to continue living if I couldn’t do what I love the most, and that’s when it hit me.
The moment that something inside me shifted, realizing that I have everything I love wrapped around me.
Kai.
The tears stopped then, replaced by sheer determination to make all his efforts worth it.
Be the very person he deserves. For the first time, I didn’t want to run or escape.
I wanted to fight to deserve his love. Or his forgiveness.
Be everything but what my mother raised me to be.
For the first time in forever, I wanted to live a life worth fighting for.
My gaze falls to the door, my fingers twirling a loose blue curl on Kai’s head as my mind drifts to my last conversation with Xena.
“Hey,” she says softly as she steps inside the room, dressed in grey sweats and a grey crewneck courtesy of the hospital.
“Hey,” I reply, my eyes already brimming with tears as I take in her appearance, all bruised and battered.
Plump lips split open, right eye blackened, and her nose was under bandages.
I swallow hard, bracing myself for her to rip into me, but she just lunges forward and hugs me.
A shaky breath escapes me, and tears slide down my warm cheeks.
“Thank you for saving him. For helping me,” she sobs, and that makes me weep in her arms. My own wrapping around her, and from the corner of my eye, I can see Kai’s shadow hanging around the outside, granting us this moment and giving us privacy.
“You are free now.” She sits up, cupping my wet cheek in her palms. “We are free now. I hope you can find peace and happiness.”
I didn’t deserve her either, but I didn’t tell her that. “You too.”
She smiles softly, tears sliding down her face. “We are alive because of you,”
“We were there because of me.”
The truth hangs over us, but Xena doesn’t seem to hold any resentment, and her hand falls from my face and down to my legs. “I can’t use them right now.”
“But you will, you’ll learn to live without letting the past haunt you.”
Soft lips press against the palm of my hand, pulling me out of my head and into my love. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, did you sleep okay?”
I shrug. “Could have been better.”
Kai’s lips curl into a smirk before he plants another kiss on the palm of my hand. “It will be once we get you home.”
“I don’t want to go back to Cin City.”
My reply doesn’t take him by surprise, if anything; it seems like he was expecting that. “I figured, Roman is letting us stay with him at the cabin till you get better.” I begin to shake my head, hesitating, that dies the moment I hear a knock at the door.
“Just in time,” Kai lets go of my hand and sits up. “Come in.”
With that, Roman and Xena come into view, both dressed in regular clothing, and it pains me when I see the limp of Roman’s leg. “Did Kai tell you the news?” Roman asks as he moves closer, taking in the tension in my body. “I owe you.”
“We all need a fresh start,” Xena adds, hugging Roman’s trim waist. “I think this will be good for you while you heal, because you will. And then I can kick your ass,” she finishes with a painful tone and a wink of her eye.
A sob rips through me, and I can’t find the words to express what I feel, so I cry instead. I cry until there’s no more tears left, and I’m alone with Kai in the sterile cold room…
Days have turned into weeks... I’ve gotten stronger thanks to physical therapy.
We made our move to Cedarvale permanently, and as the first snowflakes lands on the windowpane, I smile.
Shuddering from the warmth that spills from the small fireplace, Kai hands me a cup of hot tea before he sits beside me and drapes an arm over the top of the couch.
I can walk now, but still need some assistance and need to take breaks, and it’s all thanks to Kai and the help along the way.
Sometimes I feel like I didn’t deserve the happiness I have now, but I also didn’t deserve all the trauma.
I learned through therapy that while I made terrible choices, I was also a victim.
And learning that helps me accept my duality.
After all, I’m only human, and part of the experience is learning and growing, always evolving.
I gently blow the steam that rises from the cup as Kai turns on the television and puts on the news.
“The members of the elite underground society named Order of Divine Masculine have been prosecuted. Today, the families of the victims celebrate with each life sentence,” the news anchor says into the microphone.
“That’s great news, Patty,” the news reporter back in the station says as she places the notecards down beside her.
“Thank you for reporting live.” With that, the double panels leave the screen, shifting fully to the station.
“It’s been months now since the exposure of the Wicked Raves and the arrests made during the fire, but now, the families can close that chapter and know that justice was served.
” With that, Kai shuts off the television with a long sigh before he turns to me and places a soft kiss on the bridge of my nose.
“It’s over.”
“It’s over.” I echo.
The words feel like weights being lifted from our hearts, and we both sit in a comfortable silence until my phone pings, breaking the peaceful moment. I smile when I see the name on the screen—Xena.