Page 90 of Fragile hearts

What the fuck? The cops didn’t tell me this. I haven’t seen Kane in a while, but I didn’t suspect that he was dead.

“I have always wondered who my biological parents were, but I never thought my father was the man of my nightmares. He killed his own son, and tried to kill his daughter. Who does that? We didn’t do anything. We were just a bunch of innocent kids.” She sniffles. My shirt is soaked in her tears. “He was a monster, baby. It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known.”

“I just wanted a family, a mom who would do my hair, a father who would play soccer with me, and a brother who would be my best friend for life. But what did I get: a serial killer father who murdered three people, including my mother and brother, and tried to kill me.” Her voice breaks on the last word. “I just want to belong somewhere. I want to have people I can call my own, that I can go shopping with or call in the middle of the night when something is bothering me. I want to—” Her words break off in a heartbreaking sob.

She’s breaking my heart. I want to give her anything she wants. She wants to go to Paris. We’ll go to Paris.

She wants a big house? I’ll work until my dying day to give her one. But the thing she already has is a family. She has Asher, and my mother, who can’t stop talking about her. My father, who is happy he has a daughter in the house. She has Connor, who appreciates everything she does. And Colton, who calls her his best friend. Killian, who acts like a big brother. But she also has me. I’ll do anything for her. She’s the love of my life. We may not have known each other for very long. But deep down I know that she’s the woman I’m going to marry.

“You have a family, baby. You have me, and my parents who adore you. I swear every time I see my mom, she asks me when you’re coming over. And my dad wants you to teach him the gun skill you just did. Did you know he threatened me? He said that I should treat you like a queen so he won’t lose his daughter. Connor texts me almost every day because Colton wants to hang out with his Ms Sunshine. Killian smirks at me every time he sees my face light up with a smile and says he has never seen me so happy before. So yes, you do have a family. They may not be biological, but they’re yours.”

“You mean that?” Her voice is so small, so full of hope. Fuck she’s breaking my heart. I want to put all her hurt in a box and throw it in the ocean so only the happiness stays behind.

“Yes, They’re yours just like they’re mine. I would happily share them with you, baby.”

Her bright, teary eyes meet mine, then she whispers, “You’re the best thing that ever happened to me,” she says.

Fuck, this woman is going to be the death of me. “I can’t imagine my life without you, baby. I promise I will cherish you for the rest of my life.”

Chapter Thirty

Alexis

My father is a murderer. My biological father is a murderer. I can’t call him my father. I never knew him. He is more of a sperm donor. But still we share the same DNA. For twenty-three years, I have wondered who my biological father was, and now I know, but I wish I didn’t. He killed my brother because he didn’t want kids. He wanted my mother all to himself. But in the end he killed her too. Three people are dead because my biological father didn’t use a condom. How fucked up is that? I can understand that someone doesn’t want kids. But then you should do something to prevent it, and not kill an innocent boy because you lied to your wife.

Caleb, AKA Mr. Monroe, was arrested and taken to the hospital. He’s looking at three counts of murder and attempted murder. He’ll spent the rest of his life rotting in prison.

They had found Kane’s body in his backyard with his throat slit. My mother’s body was harder to find. But it turns out that she was buried in the woods a few miles from her house. She was wrapped in a shower curtain. They say she had been there for nearly fifteen years, which fits the timeline. I don’t know what to do with the fact that she tried to find Micah and me. I had always told myself that she abandoned us on the street because she didn’t want us, but now I know that isn’t the truth.

“You okay, baby?” I look up from the picture of Micah and me that I’m holding in my lap. Carson is drying his hair, another towel wrapped around his waist. A few water drops roll down his bare chest.

We’re sleeping in his house tonight. The cops had released my place, but I’m too wired to sleep there.

“Yeah, just thinking.”

Carson hums, kissing my hair, dropping the towel on the floor, bending over to grab a pair of boxers. Carson hasn’t let me out of his sight in the past few hours. He’s always touching and watching me as if I’m going to disappear. I didn’t mean to scare him. I was so busy calling the cops and trying not to freak out that I forgot to text him. He thought I was dead.

I could see it on his face when he was lying on the floor next to the bloodstain.

I had never seen him look so scared before. He looked as if his world was collapsing and there was nothing he could do to stop it. I have been reassuring him ever since we reunited, but I can see it in his eyes. He’s afraid that if he leaves me, I’m going to disappear. It makes me wonder if he’ll be able to sleep at night. I don’t want what happened today to torment him. “Are you okay?”

“Me? I’m not the one who almost died today.”

“I didn’t almost die. I had it handled.”

“He pointed a gun at you.”

“Yeah, and it wasn’t the first time. How do you think I learned how to disarm someone? Definitely not in school.”

“Jesus, did you have any normal foster parents? Or were they all abusive shits?”

I shrug “I had a foster mother once. She was nice. She used to braid my hair.”

“Oh thank god, one normal person.”

“But she died.”

“She died?”