FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HEART.

END

FIVE YEARS LATER IN THE CITY OF CYPRUS

A knock on the castle doors of the Levesique mansion caused Annabelle to look up from the book in her hands. She adjusted her reading glasses and rose from the library couch. "Hold on. I'm coming down."

She walked down the stairs looking at the twin oak doors with curiosity. No visitors were expected anymore.

Her parents were in France and for all she knew, no one knew where she had disappeared to. Not even Kim who still tries to reach her everyday but she refuses to answer the calls.

She straightened her dress and removed her glasses before moving her short blonde hair behind her ears. She might not know who it was but she knew the guards won't let the person through without clearance. And if he had gotten through she had a licensed pistol in the drawer upstairs.

She opened the door and looked up at the man who towered over her. His build was muscular and his face was covered with a trimmed beard, his long hair was packed up into a ponytail that reached his neck and on the base of his upper lip was a small scar.

But Anna could still look at those eyes and know who it was immediately.

"I don't know what you're doing here, and I don't care what you're doing here, but I do care that you are on my property. So leave, Roland."

Mike stared down at the princess in silence at first. She hadn't changed much, her hair shorter, and she looked a lot more like her mother apart from the issue of her looking bitter.

She moved to close the door but Mike stuck a foot in so the door couldn't close. "We need to talk, Anna."

Anna scoffed. "Suddenly, after five years you think it's possible to ju-."

"Lewis Devin, the person who raped you, did not die." He cut in and Anna was silent. "He didn't die when he got shot, he was moved to Germany where he began to live again. But two years after your exit from Manchester he came looking for you. Wills and I took him out and now he's in prison."

There was an awkward silence between them for a while then Anna opened the door slightly just enough to see his face. "Why did you do that?"

"I became a detective back at Manchester, the same with Wills. It's my job. I still run the Saturn Rooms but I focus more on my cases. Kim says hi."

She shook her head. "That's not the answer, Mike. You could have called me. Texted me or something, but you decided to come here and tell me. Why?"

Mike looked away from her. "The same girl who told me to tell you hi also told me I should do this myself. Although, I already decided to come."

The last time they spoke was the night at Parken House. Not a word to each other for five years. But suddenly, Mike being here seemed to bring Anna that warmth she's been lacking for all that long.

She opened the doors fully, "Do you want to come in? There's so-."

He rose his finger up to stop her and she did. "Anna, I didn't come here for all of that. I understand that we can talk, try and sort things through and maybe forgive one another, but I will never forgive myself for my actions. For making you cry. I can't move on from what we had, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to try and get what we had back."

He turned away and began to walk towards the mustang that was parked on the marble road in front of the house.

"I am sorry. But what you said was right, players never change. I wasn't a player, I was just somebody trying to understand my place in this world, and I dragged you into my problems. So I won't again. Goodbye."

He got into the car and as he closed the door Anna felt like a piece of her heart had gone with him, she stood there and watched him roll off the slowly like the tear that rolled down her face. She felt like she too won't be able to move on as well.

The man in the shotgun seat smiled at Mike who's grip on the steering wheel was strong enough to pull it off.

"Did you get it all out, Roland?"

Mike turned to Vonn who still had his eyes on the novel in his palm. "I guess it was necessary. Although I don't know why you tagged along."

Gerald chuckled. "We are somewhat the same, aren't we? So why would I leave you to face a task I can learn from myself. And you have a tear on your cheek."

Mike allowed it to roll off his chin. "The last I'll let loose on this journey. Now, where are we going to go next?"

Vonn shrugged. "Sidney maybe?"

Mike smirked. "You're fucking mental, lad. But what the heck. Let's head back to Manchester, we'll eat at the hotel then go. But you'll do the talking."

He drove forward away from the mansion with no thought of coming back...

I love you, Deer, don't you ever forget that.

                                THE END.