The Ghost of Him

Epilogue (Pt. 3)

*Gerard's POV*

After I had reluctantly given Evangeline back to Melanie, I surprisingly got the most heartwarming hug I'd ever received in my life. That is, until my hair ended up too close to Evangeline's fist and I was just about scalped by a seventh month old, but it was completely worth it. And not only did I get a hug and a loving hair pull, but I got a kiss on the cheek as well.

Watching them walk out of the room and knowing that I would never see them again was the worst feeling I had ever felt. It was worse than the initial fear that I had after I had killed that kid from school. Worse than any of the guilt that I had ever felt within the past five years, and worse than the feeling of being used by a guy ten times your size in a small jail cell.

I moved the chairs back to where they previously were and then stepped into the hallway and was led back to my cell by Dwight; he was the only guard that at least pretended to give a shit about me.

When I got into my cell, I pushed past my "roommate" -- who growled in disagreement -- and slumped onto my bed, rolling around to face the wall and closing my eyes tightly so that I could try to shut off the rest of the world.
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"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Evangeliiiine, happy birthday to you!!"

I leaned over her highchair and assisted her in blowing out the giant number one candle on top of the flowery pink cake, listening to the small group of people clap around us.

I looked up at my mom's smiling face and felt a twinge of pride; I'd never seen her look so proud of me before. It was almost as great as the feeling of being a dad.

I felt arms around my waist and turned around to look at Melanie, who brushed my hair out of my face and smiled warmly at me.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Confused, I opened my mouth to ask her why she was thanking me, but then she disappeared and my surroundings faded into a completely new scene. I was outside on an old dirt road with only a couple of houses around and I had somehow been positioned into holding onto the back of a tiny bicycle.