Never Let Go

Chapter 22

This is the last chapter, maybe there will be an epilogue. I've had fun writing this book but I have more ideas to move onto. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoy this final chapter. :)

~Chapter 22~

"Addison," my dad's voice broke through the fog. I had fallen asleep on the couch. My parents had forced me to get my schoolwork and go home to rest and eat. I had collapsed onto the couch by the time I got home, too exhausted to make it to my bed. I still needed to shower and eat something, but at least my eyes weren't drooping anymore.

"Morning," I mumbled, as I sat up and stretched my arms. "Where's mom?"

He sighed. "She's up stairs but she'll be down soon. We need to talk about what happened." I felt myself stiffen as anxiety washed over me. This was not a conversation I had been looking forward to.

Wes had been arrested. He hadn't fought the charges or denied it, simply pled guilty. There had always been a part of him that felt was scared of himself. I saw it in his eyes when he gripped me and hit me. I knew that was why he let me go. I think part of him was relieved to lose his control, to not have that uncontrollable rage dictate him anymore. I would never accept what he did to me as right, but I understood what he did to me and that is was wrong. I was finally getting to the point where I accepted that it wasn't my fault, that I was the victim.

"I know," I murmured, meeting his eyes. They seared me and it surprised me to see that the only emotion he bared was guilt. He felt guilty about what happen. He didn't hate me, and he wasn't ashamed to call me his daughter. He felt guilty for something that was out of his control.

My mom's slow, careful footsteps echoed down the stairs. When she reached us in the living room she sat in the chair across from me, and my father sat in the identical one next to her. They watched me cautious, weary of what was to come next.

My mom was the first to speak. "Why didn't you tell us, Addison?" It broke my heart to register the pain in her voice.

I didn't hold back as I began to explain my side of the story. I was moving on from all of it, and I was ready to put it out in the open. "I was ashamed of myself. I blamed myself for everything that happened, for being so naive. Even though Wes was the one to inflict everything, I thought it was my fault for letting him. I couldn't believe I'd been stupid enough to think I really loved him or that he loved me. I was so caught up in a fantasy that I ignored all the warning signs and turned the other cheek. I was so, so stupid for ignoring it all, but I'm realizing that it wasn't my fault. He should've never done what he did to me, and no matter what I can't blame myself for his wrong actions." I was surprised to find that I hadn't broken down as I recollected last summer. For the first time, it didn't feel as if it tore through my heart or that I was broken. I felt whole, like myself. I knew I was finally down the road to recovery.

"But you understand that we're always here for you, don't you?" My mom pushed. "You can tell us anything, and this is one of those things you needed to tell us. I feel terrible that this all happened to you right under our noses. We are supposed to protect and take care of you. How can we do that when we don't realize when you're going through something traumatic or falling apart? I feel like we failed you." She sniffed.

I rushed over to her and wrapped my arms around her shaking form. "Mom, there wasn't anything you could've done. I chose to keep it bottle up, and I shouldn't have done that. You haven't failed me. I got through this, didn't I? It took a lot and a lot of help and grief, but I got there. I'm past all of it, and he's in prison now. He's going to be there a long time, so I don't have to be afraid anymore."

"You don't have to be afraid no matter what because you have us. I would never let anything happen to you, Addison. We could've dealt with this a long time ago if you'd been open about it. You need to stop hiding be honest about what's bothering you. If you keep withdrawing yourself from everyone who tries to help you you'll never find peace." My dad said; his face solemn.