The Right One

Thirty one

Hope's mouth filled with a bitter taste as she watched the demeanor of the previously impassive man in front of her crumble completely. His mask of indifference was gone and Hope began to sense what could only be described as genuine fear, but what really got to her was the fact that while he was obviously not afraid for himself, the woman that had been dragged out of there was a different case. To think he was capable of caring about anyone so much, yet he tormented her so mercilessly for years . . .

She chose not to dwell on it for long because this was it. The moment of truth. It was almost impossible to believe that the day she'd waited and hoped desperately for the past couple of years had finally come. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. On the one hand, she was glad she was finally getting closure, but on the other hand, it shook her so hard and she wanted nothing more than to run far away from it. If felt like her whole life had been leading to that one moment and once it was over, what next? Would she be capable of handling the truth? Did she even want to know the truth?

She was jerked out of her turbulent thoughts by the impatient voice of the policeman snapping at her kidnapper, "You're wasting precious time, young man!"

"My sister!" he snapped back, his voice steel, sending an unwanted shiver down Hope's spine. Raymond who was standing behind her immediately took an even more protective stand and a grateful smile crept up on her lips. She couldn't be more grateful for him.

The man exhaled, and it seemed to take all his willpower to keep his anger in. Yet, his voice grated when he spoke, "My sister suffered a really bad head injury some years back, and never fully recovered from it."

The policeman didn't as much as blink as his impatience tripled. "Is that what we asked you?!"

"I don't care what you do to me, but I'll kill you if you treat her horribly," he threatened.

"You have quite the nerve to be making demands and making threats after all you've done," the policeman spat.

The man --Philip-- finally turned his gaze on Hope and she almost cowered at the look of pure, unadulterated hate that was directed at her. What could she ever have done to deserve that look?

"My sister's mentally ill . . . " he repeated, his cold gaze not straying a bit from Hope, communicating that every word out of his mouth was meant for her and her alone. " . . . and it's all their fault."

Their? Who was their?

She couldn't voice the questions as it seemed something hard had lodged itself in her throat, leaving it parched and dry.

"W-What . . . " She felt more than saw Raymond's arms wrap around her and she exhaled, tapping the strength she needed from him. "How's that possible? I've never met your sister before today."

He didn't bother answering her as he continued, although his hard gaze never strayed from hers. "Some twenty seven years ago, my mum was in love with this man who meant the world to her. She loved him so much that there was absolutely nothing he could do wrong in her eyes which of course, made her blind to who he really was."

Hope inhaled, having no idea where this was headed, but she knew better than to interrupt him.

"My mother had a rough childhood growing up, you see. Her parents were dirt poor and she never had the chance to go to school. It didn't help that she lost them early and had no one but herself to depend on. That was of course, until she met my father. Imagine a nineteen year old who has never had one good thing going on in her life somehow catching the attention of a well educated, responsible and loving man who was willing to take care of her and send her back to school. That would be a dream come true for such a vulnerable girl, wouldn't it?"