After All This Time

Chapter 4. The Box

Dear Gerard

I'm sorry if this letter has come at a bad time. I needed to explain many things to you, and found it would be easier if I wrote most of it in a letter. I hope you take the time to read this, and understand nothing was done to hurt anyone. I thought what I did was for the best.

The night of the accident that supposedly killed me. I was very near death when cops swarmed in and paramedics started to attend to me. I don't remember much just waking up in the hospital with federal agents outside of my room. It wasn't long before it was explained to me that my life was in danger. See all those years ago in foster care I hadn't known my foster parents were in sex trafficking. Apparently they had sold me for a very hefty price, but I was wanted once I turned eighteen. They never thought family would come looking for someone as old as I was. When they went to jail they had their nephew James watch me. The people they sold me to wanted what they paid for or their money back. Seeing as they spent the money they needed me, they had James try to find a way to get me away from you all. But like his uncle control, and a temper got the better of him. But all that aside the people who wanted me were very bad people with connections. I still to be honest don't understand it all. I was given the choice to join witness protection, and know my family was safe. No harm would come to those around me was what I was told. Or stay with my family, and having the chance one of you could be hurt or killed in the attempt of the people coming for me. I would always have eyes on me, but they had said they couldn't guarantee anyone's safety but my own. No matter how this ended I was always going to be safe because I was needed as a witness. I chose your lives meant to much to me for anything to possibly happen to any of you.

Please do not stop reading after you read this.

There was also something more important then anything in the world that I could not lose if anything bad was to happen. Something that trumped the love I have for all of you combined. I was pregnant with your child, and in the end I felt his safety came first. Going into witness protection meant he would be safe. So I chose what I thought was best at the time.

I never knew I would be in witness protection as long as I was. As the years went on, the men and women were slowly arrested. All while constantly having to move. As time went on I thought there would be no end, and I would always live in hiding. But finally after years of living in fear, the head of the sex trafficking ring was arrested. But it was still years after until the trials were over. By then it had been 14 years since you all thought I was dead. I had slowly kept up on all of your lives over the years, and seeing you all doing so well. I thought it best to keep it that way. I didn't think by showing up, and disrupting your lives was the best choice. So I chose to settle down with our son so he could finally have a life out of hiding. A life where he could finally make friends. Well my oh so wonderful luck would have it that our son would become friends with your daughter, and I would be her teacher. By the way she is a wonderful child, and I a talented artist.

I do not regret the choice I made all those years ago to go into witness protection. What I do regret is you all morning my death that did not happen. I regret you not getting to watch your son grow up into the wonderful thoughtful young man he is today. I regret not finding you all the second we were free. I hope you can forgive the choices I may have made in error or quick judgment. I hope any anger you may hold against me doesn't project on to our son. After all these years he would love nothing more then to know you, and have you be a part of his life. He always knew about his family, I just never told him who you were, and that you guys were famous.

In the box you will find dated letters I have wrote over the years wishing for you to be able to read them some day. There are also pictures dated I took over the years and a flash drive I did the best at saving videos I thought would be important to you. I always hoped some day I'd be able to give them to you. In a buddle there are letters, and drawings Arthur over the years also wrote you. I never lied about our life to him, and always told him how much you would have loved him.