Convergent

The Aftermath

~ Tris ~

      Tobias finishes and his lips press hard against one another, as if engaged in a wrestling match. His eyes have yet to meet mine and plant themselves on the broken table in front of us. I hadn't noticed while he was talking, but now i see that the entire time he was talking, I was biting my nails. Half have been chewed off. That's not the issue at hand here, however. I'm at a loss of words, no idea what to even say. I'm sorry? Like he wants to hear that, he despises pity. Are you okay now? Really, that's the best I could do? Have you seen her since? Terrible! Without my consent, tears start streaming down my face and I have no idea how to handle it. 

      How could someone be so cold - hearted as to hold a person captive and commit such a disgusting act on them against their will? How could they neglect to feed that very same person? Keep them chained? And carve an insulting word on them simply because you're upset? What was the point?! Why?! What was her childhood like?! Was she abused or something?! A spoiled brat used to getting her way?! She did say she owned the hotel. 

      I gulp with great difficulty, as my throat muscles aren't in the mood to cooperate. 

      "What happened after?" I croak, quickly wiping my tears away. 

      He grunts. "I didn't hear from her again for a year. About seven months after, I joined the police force and had heard of no crimes similar to this one. So, I thought she basically came up from the sewers and once satisfied, crawled back down. Fourteen months after, she left Jason on my doorstep in the snow in a cheap imitation of a basket. It came with a note saying he was mine, and the rest is history," Tobias explains. "Well," he grimaces. "Almost." My eyes widen. He gulps and it's apparent his throat muscles aren't in the mood to cooperate either. "A few years later, by the time Jason was three, they found her. She had been dealing illegal narcotics. See, she hired a task force to make them and another to scout potential buyers. Then they would inevitably purchase the drug and she only became richer. She was discovered by chance when a police officer and his mentor came across them. When we heard the news, we as in my pack, we were all huddled in the living room about to watch the football game then the news came on. Police were discombobulated as to how this all could have occurred right under their noses. The hotel was never booked, yet the manager was perpetually endowed. More and more people were found in possession of drugs but no dealer had been identified. They pondered how they failed to understand something was off at the very least. Anyways, Christina urged me to come out against her, stating she could potentially do what she did to me to more men, had she not already. So I came out, told them about how she had abused Jason, my -" he gulps. "encounter with her." He gulps. "One of her associates testified as a witness too not only her drug scheme, but her abuse of Jason as well in order to lessen his sentence. All that added on even more time. I can imagine she was not pleased by that." His mouth tugs at the corners, as if he's biting back the smallest smile. 

      "Charlotte knew things would not be good for her, so she attempted to have sex with the 92 year old judge. The saving grace? He was gay. And so, she got sent to prison for 21 years and I haven't heard from her since." 

      "I hope Charlotte rots there for all eternity," I spit out, as if her name alone is acid. Tobias nods a bit, eyes still trained on the table. 

      "I'll buy you a new one," he decides.

      The next morning, Jason seems chipper, like he's forgotten all the events that transpired yesterday. I swallow. Isn't that a bit similar to how after raping Tobias, that evil witch would feel happy too? My teeth grit together. No! Jason is nothing like that demon! He is sweet and kind and honest and good - natured. All the things Charlotte would need a dictionary for.