Animal ||Edward Nygma|| [3]

Chapter Fourteen || Side effects

"Have you ever seen the hell in someone's eyes and loved it anyway?"

- Maram Rimawi

Charlotte and Ed walked inside Arkham Asylum escorted by two guards, who led them to the visiting room. They couldn't visit at the same time, so Charlotte decided she would go first. She walked the rest of the way, staring at the floor and trying her best not to look around her. The blonde had only gone there to visit Oswald, but she feared he hated her.

The guard told her to wait in a room surrounded by metal fences. It had a single table in the middle and two chairs across from each other. Charlotte couldn't sit still so she stood on her feet until a guard brought Oswald.

She could barely recognize him. His hair was all disheveled and there was a gash on his cheek that went from his nose all the way up to his temple. Charlotte acted by her protective instinct and hurried to her friend.

"Oswald, what happened?" She asked as she touched the bruised skin under the cut.

However, Oswald grabbed her arm and pulled it away from his face with a bitter expression. "What are you doing here? Traitor".

Charlotte was waiting for that reaction, but it still hurt. "I came to make sure you were okay".

Oswald snorted. "I really thought you were different. But guess I shouldn't be surprised. Even Zsasz stabbed me in the back. It's because of him and Sofia that I'm here".

The blonde wasn't surprised to hear Sofia was responsible for Oswald being sent to Arkham. She was angry, yes, but not surprised. Zsasz's involvement she wasn't expecting, though. "Zsasz? What happened?"

"Why do you want to know, huh?" Oswald spat at her. "Want to tell me I told you so? Because I didn't listen to you about Sofia?"

"No, I swear that's not why I'm here," Charlotte hurried to tell him.

"Sofia and Jim planned to destroy me ever since she arrived in Gotham," Oswald explained and she could hear the venom in his tone when he spoke their names. "Falcone was murdered and Zsasz blamed me for it, so he turned to Sofia. He accused me of killing Martin when he knew he was alive".

Charlotte knew she shouldn't be surprised since Zsasz had already worked for Carmine Falcone. Apparently, his loyalty had always stayed by the Falcones' side and Oswald was just a way for him to keep working.

The blonde sighed. "I'm gonna get you out, I promise".

"I don't believe you," Oswald shook his head at her. "You're just saying that, so you can go back to that rabbit hole in the Narrows and gloat about how I'm rotting away in this place and being beaten by lunatics".

"That's not it, Oswald," she told him honestly.

However, Oswald continued not to believe her even if he desperately wanted to. Charlotte understood his distrust because his survival depended on him being cautious of his relationship with others. "You said you would always stand by my side as long as I wanted you too. You lied to me then, so why should I believe you now?"