One and Only

Chapter 30

Charlotte

My head hurts when I try to open my eyes. I instantly shut them when I see how bright the room is . I open my eyes again when it dawns on me .

I'm in a hospital room

I glance around and pinch myself and it's true . I'm indeed in a hospital room. I have no recollection of how I got here. I don't remember anything at all after I puked . I look around the room again and squint at the door when I see two officers standing on either side of the door.

The door opens and a nurse hurries inside. She hasn't noticed that I'm awake . She mumbles something under her breathe and gives a shriek when she turns and sees me staring at her.

" Oh , you are awake" she says

I try to nod but it seems too difficult. Noticing , she says " you'll be fine in a few days. You were really starved , you'll be fit and healthy in just a few days. "

She calls  the doctor and after he is done checking , the officers arrive. I tell them everything . My voice is  hoarse and I keep drinking water to soothe my throat. The doctor tells the officer to question me later but I want it done now itself.  They assure me that there will be no harm and the kidnapper was killed. His nephew has been arrested. I didn't feel sad or anything after hearing that.

I had thought Xavier as my friend and even though he himself was getting manipulated , there is no excuse for what he allowed his uncle to do to me. I do feel grateful to know that he confessed and gave the location. And I'll always be grateful to him for that.

It also turns out that I've been unconscious for more than a week. After everyone leaves, the door opens again and Liam steps in.

" Hi " he says sheepishly. I give him a small smile.

" I..I just wanted to say how sorry I am for everything. When I saw them pushing you head in the water , I realized that we once had done the same things. And I agree that we are not better than them. We did awfull things to you and nothing I say is ever going to be enough "

I nod

" I don't think I can ever truly forgive you for that. No matter how hard I try , it's always going to be etched in my mind. But that doesn't mean that I won't try. You were there with me , you tried to find me and I'll always be grateful for that. The fact that no one would find me and no one would care if anything happened to me was more depressing than facing that man. But when you came , I just felt that someone was there thinking about me and trying to help me escape. We can put everything behind and try to be friends. " I say

He nods, " I .. I'm really sorry Charlotte , I really am " I nod and give him a smile.

...
1 month later

The first thing I do when I'm released is search for apartments. I didn't need this big of a house so I found some smaller apartments . I packed all my things and give away as much as I could. Liam and his mom helped me with everything. They even helped me move my things in the apartment.

We sit on the sofa of my new apartment and devour the pizza. We all are extremely exhausted from all the moving and carrying we did. I watch with a smile as his mom accidentally smears some sauce on her face.

Liam and I do get along quite well . Even though it was extremely awkward in the beginning , we started to get comfortable pretty quickly. I did have some problems in the beginning. I didn't let anyone touch me or even come near me which I still don't. I had screamed when Liams arm had accidentally brushed against mine .

So I go see a therapist every week. It has helped immensely but the thought of anyone touching me still frightens me especially at night. I have made sure the security is tight in my house. There's a baseball bat right beside my bed .

Even though this is not the way I want to live my life , I am accepting it. I don't want to rush myself into anything . I'm taking my steps slowly. And it's working out fine.

The news about my abduction got around really quickly, people wanted to take my interviews and I did give some . I wanted every girl to know that even after going through something like this , you can come out stronger. Liam was questioned too and was named quite a hero when he told them that he was caught whilst he was looking for me. I wasn't sure if I was enjoying all the attention but Liam was definitely enjoying it. He always checks his hair in the reflection before stepping out of the house. I can't say the same. I haven't really gone out that much because of all the tidying I had to do.

I'm still getting used to everything. It's only been a month and I know things will take a turn for the best and I'm ready for whatever life wants to throw at me.

The end