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Chapter 60, Chasing a Ghost (Ep. 3: The Turnbow Trap)
Gwen knew pain like the palm of her hand.
It lived within her, as if it were the organs keeping her alive. She had been marked since birth and it was a fate that had been dictated by the man she held with such devotion. To have learned that her father had unwillingly placed a target on her back was the cruelest of revelations. She didn't hold an ounce of resentment toward him, because how could he have known a disturbed classmate would carry his disdain for countless years?
But there was something relieving about this.
She now understood why everything was placed upon her; why she was attacked, tormented, cursed, and chosen. Revenge was a dish best served cold, and Henry believed in it as if it were his religion. He placed debts on her shoulders and expected her to welcome them with open arms, but Gwen wouldn't. Gwen would never.
Even if her memories weren't fully back, she found enough strength to resist a little longer. Knowing she did one good thing while being in Henry's mind offered a sense of alleviation she believed could never be obtained, and it was all due to Max. For she now knew that she wasn't the monster, and she helped save one person.
And for now, it was enough.
Now that she was back at the Squawk's headquarters, Gwen confided about the most recent revelations. She refrained from mentioning about her encounter with her mother – who turned out to not actually be her. Instead, she focused on the details that truly mattered and could serve as more than just half-written truths.
"Henry told me that my dad told his mom about his powers. She was already suspicious of him, so that became the last straw," Gwen explained. "It was why he was taken to Dr. Brenner and why he became 001. Everything... it all started with my dad."
Nancy sighed, her gaze softening in a way that expressed sympathy. "You were just used for revenge then."
She nodded.
"But why is he only targeting you?" Mike asked. "If this really were just for revenge, why didn't he go after Dustin?"
"And why does he continue going after you?" Will added.
"And why did he choose to tell you now?" Lucas chimed in.
More questions kept getting thrown, but no answers could be given. Everything was still so surreal that the concept of Henry's reasoning was still a mystery. Revelations were only told when something definite was set to come, so this was the first sign that Henry believed he was capable of winning.
"I don't know," Gwen said. "I just... I wish I knew why he told me all of this, but I'm just in the dark."
"Regardless of his motives, the good thing is that you're still here," Steve spoke with an undeniable relief, as if having been handed a second opportunity. "You're safe and he won't hurt you again."
