To the Ends of the Earth

Epilogue: Spread Your Wings

"Does it make me a bad person?" I asked Dr. Crain as I stared at her through my computer screen. "Maybe there is something wrong with me."

Dr. Crain watched me closely. "I'm not sure about that, Lottie. It's understandable that you can't sympathize with someone who has hurt you in such a profound way."

"I don't know," I huffed. "It's just that...when I heard the news, the only thing I could think of was that she got her just deserts. I didn't feel an ounce of pity for her."

"I think you're being too tough on yourself. You do not need to force yourself to have a certain reaction because you think it's the proper response. It's alright to want to move on from your past and not want to feel sympathy for Virginia."

I bit my lip and nodded, contemplating Dr. Crain's words.

Earlier in the day, I received a phone call from Camilla. She was following up with me regarding Virginia's criminal trial in Greece. While Virginia was awaiting her trial, she was involved in an altercation inside the jail in Athens. She had been stabbed numerous times in the back and had been hospitalized for her injuries. According to Camilla, Virginia would survive the attack but would not be unscathed. Things were not looking good for her recovery, and it was very unlikely she would ever walk again. It seemed that when Virginia would be extradited back to the United States, she'd be serving her sentence in a wheelchair.

I wanted to feel sorry for her, but I just couldn't. After everything she had done, I couldn't find it in myself to care.

As I finished up my appointment with Dr. Crain, I realized that it was okay to feel indifferent toward Virginia's misfortune. After all, Virginia was in my past; and if her own family didn't care about her circumstances, why should I? Virginia's parents had abandoned their daughter to avoid the taint her actions had brought to their family. They had completely disowned her and were living in London for the past six months. It seemed Virginia would be stuck recovering on her own.

Disconnecting the video call with Dr. Crain, I huffed out a breath of relief and put Virginia out of my mind. I had more important things to think about. I needed to finish packing for my book tour and then I had to start getting ready for my lunch date with my family.

Sunday lunch had become a little tradition for my family. When I officially moved to LA, my father had invited Alex, Athena, Liam and me out to lunch as a way to reconnect. After seeing his sincerity in wanting to spend time with us, we continued to meet with him every Sunday. Even though my mother hadn't stopped trying to contact me, we never invited her to our lunches. I didn't know if I could ever forgive her, but I was not going to allow her to pressure me into a decision. Only when I felt her remorse was genuine, would I be willing to make peace with her.

I was zipping up my carry-on bag when Liam walked into my bedroom. "Are you all set?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Mhmm," I nodded. "I just finished. What about you?"

"I finished a few hours ago, but I wanted to give you some space while you had your session with Dr. Crain."

When I had told Liam about my publisher asking me to do a little book tour, he'd immediately volunteered to tag along. "I don't care if it's only six weeks, Lottie. I don't want to be separated from you for that long. Plus, if I have my phone and laptop, I can work from anywhere," he'd insisted. So, we had agreed to do the tour together and I was excited to travel the country with my boyfriend.

"Thank you, I needed time to process everything, but I'm okay now. I'm looking forward to this trip."

Liam leaned in and kissed my neck. "Me too," he murmured. "I'm so proud of you, butterfly. Thank you for letting me join you."

"Of course, Liam. The truth is I wouldn't want to be away from you for that long either. I'm thrilled you're coming with me. I'm so lucky to have you."

"There isn't anywhere you could go that I would not follow. Feel free to spread your wings my little butterfly and always remember that I will be right beside you. Even if you fly to the ends of the Earth, I'll be with you."

Smiling, I turned to face him. "I love you, Liam," I whispered as I leaned in and kissed him breathless.