Bound by Justice

-CHAPTER 22-

VALERIA

Hearing his words, my heart stops beating for one millisecond then restarts again. Is this what people feel when they say that their heart skips a beat? It's strange but I don't hate it. It's amazing how much his words can affect me but I'm scared of trusting them too much.

When I look up into his eyes again, that thought flies out the window, and I remind myself that the man in front of me has never hurt me. He never laid a hand on me, he never did anything to make me feel uncomfortable, and he certainly never took advantage of my trust. And even when he yelled at me, it was for my own good, never to vent his anger or take out his frustrations on me.

"How about we reintroduce ourselves to each other? Let's start better this time," he suggests, and I can see in his eyes that he really wants to know me. Not the person pretending to be strong every day, not the person who acts as if everything is fine when it's truly not, and certainly not the person who blocks her past just for a delusion of peace.

Although I don't think I should let him in, I decide to follow my heart for the first time in a long time, "Sure, I would love that."

He extends his hand with a friendly smile on his handsome face, "Good evening, my name is Xaiden Esteban Kane and I would like for you not to call me 'Mr. Xaiden'. I want you to know me just as Xaiden."

I gladly shake his hand, "My name is Valeria Kira Summer and I want you to know me as 'Valeria', not 'Miss Valeria'. It's nice to meet you."

As we shake hands, I feel a shift in us. As if some kind of barrier has been broken down and I like it. There's no formality anymore and we're both trying to truly know each other.

He leans against the wall beside and the silence between us is comforting. No question asked, just two people sharing a silent moment of peace. I sigh in my heart as I realize that this is true peace. It doesn't feel like a raging tornado, and it doesn't feel like there's some kind of chaos in my mind. It's just serene like sitting in front of a lake watching the summer sunset or like listening to the waves of the ocean crashing against the shore or like stargazing under a starry night. It's just calm. The kind of calmness that I need in my hurricane of a life.

"Are you ready to go back inside?" He asks, breaking the silence.

Smiling, I answer, "Yes."

When we enter the hall, the room is quiet. Alexa is on the stage, ready to make a speech to commemorate her husband one last time before he's left behind as history. She has changed into a sophisticated black shoulder off dress with black roses ornamented at the bottom. Her hair is pulled up in a ponytail and she has black heels at her feet.

She takes the mic and look at the crowd in front of her, "Good evening to you all. I'd like to say thank you for coming to my late husband funeral despite his short comings. He's made many mistakes and I'm certain that you all carry a small hate for him in your heart, but I don't blame you." She breathes in and out, "I want to commemorate him tonight one last time before I let him go. He doesn't deserve our forgiveness but he deserves to be given respect as any other person so please let go of your hate just for tonight. I want to remember him as the man I fell in love with instead of the monster he grew to be. I want us to acknowledge the good things he did, whether with a good or bad intention, I still want to acknowledge that he did some good to all of us. He helped people grow their businesses, built help centers all across the state so we should at least thank him for that."

Some of the guests nods as her words register in their mind. Today is not the day to spread hate on someone who died in such a horrible way. He deserves a small respect for some of the good actions he did before leaving this earth forever.