FORTY-TWO (finale)

FORTY-TWO (finale)

It was a month and a few weeks after the whole kidnapping, getting beat up by my ex-boyfriend who was still devoted to my Mother. Who blamed me for ruining his relationship with her.

Not much could be said when Father found out the exact reason after he left my hospital bedside. He left to go find his wife and see whether she had anything to do with this directly.

It pained me to even think my own Mother might have had a play in orchestrating this. Even for her, it was beyond anything I could comprehend. I haven't seen her even though I was back home. And Father never said anything about her.

Lucian and his men took care of Brandon. That's all I knew. That's all I wanted to know. I didn't want to stand trial if it would come to that, and I hoped it didn't. Whatever the hell would happen to Brandon, I just hoped he could never inflict such harm to anyone as he had done to me. And with Lucian and his men in this mix, I knew that wouldn't happen.

I let out a sigh and glanced at the bags that were all packed around me. I knew I was sticking to my word. I just knew deep down in my gut whatever the hell was going on, nothing could fix it unless I just got the hell away. I didn't want it to be fixed to be frank, but I just wanted to go away and maybe pretend that with time everything would heal.

Versa and Nolan had visited me plenty after the awkward time at the hospital the first day. They apologised, explained how they shouldn't have expected me to be jolly the instant I saw them. But it felt wrong because to me, they were nothing but loving. It was I who just couldn't see anything, feel anything.

Palmer on the other hand, daily cupcakes were coming from her. And it was all filled with love and care that whenever I took one in my mouth, I would burst into tears. She would come everyday, sit with me and help me heal. She would do what I expected any Mother would do.

Link.

I never saw him again after that first day.

It was like my kind forced itself to erase everything to do with Link everyday but all the memories kept coming back. All my thoughts swirled around him and everything he brought with himself.

It's been more than a month and the silence from Link was what I've been hoping for, for the past year. Now that I had it, it felt weird. I was still jacked, I was fuming and I still wanted to shout at him. Just corner him and let everything out.

I pulled my feet slowly across my room towards the last bag that was still open. It wasn't exactly filled to the top but it was getting there. I was taking my stuff even though I didn't want to. But I had to be realistic and know that I couldn't just get up leave without any stuff to get me by until I found a stable job.

A knock came on my door and I turned my head to see my Father slowly opening the door.

We stared at each other for a long time before any of us said anything. We didn't speak much after we both broke down on each other in the hospital. He came to me everyday though, checked to see if I was okay and brought me anything I needed. But he did it all without saying much.

"Could you come down to my office please?" He asked me carefully, his eyes giving me a once-over. I still had a bandage wrapped at my middle torso but nothing hurt anymore. I also still had scratches visible on my forehead and my whole arm but it was all obscured with the long-sleeved top I was wearing.

"Sure," I nodded at him.

I walked away from the bag and slowly followed him downstairs and into his office.

Once we were inside, he closed the door behind him. I didn't know why he would do that since we were the only ones home-

"Your Mother is in the living room."

I sucked in a breath. My Father caught my reaction immediately.

"Don't worry, she won't come near you." He told me. When he saw that didn't do it for me he added, "you have my word."

I nodded at him again. I hoped to God she wouldn't barge in here and try to do something.

"I have something to give to you," he started to say, walking towards his desk.

"I know you're packing and I don't know where you going. But please," he lifted up a piece of paper and handed it to me. "Take this and take care of yourself."

I looked and saw it was a cheque. A five figure cheque, closing to six.

"No," I gasped out.

"No." I repeated again to make myself sound more firm. "I don't need-"

"I don't care whether you need it or not. Take it." He seemed to think that was the finality of it but I opened my mouth to argue again.

"Please Orianna," his voice dropped to a new low. "I know what your Mother has been doing for months but I didn't say anything for the sake of keeping whatever we had left as a family. I was never the dad you wanted to be and I have no excuse for it. All I want for you is to be happy and I want you to do it in a way that's best for you. I see it's going away and I want to ensure that nothing can stop you by giving you something to keep you going until you can pick yourself up. For now, let me be the dad I never was and hold you up."

I swallowed something thick in my throat and silently tucked the cheque closer to my chest. "I'm sorry," I started to say for some unknown reason when my Father cut me off.

"You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Mother-" Again, I didn't know what I wanted to say about her.

"She's waiting to get her piece of my hard-earned money but she isn't getting anything of it. I'll give her something I should have given her a long time ago." I didn't want to know how he was going to do that so I kept silent yet again.

"Finish packing, I'll make sure she won't come near you."

"Thank you Dad." I said in a small voice. It didn't go past both of us that I called my Father 'Dad' since I stopped doing that years ago. Around the time I slowly started losing my dad and had a stranger in replace. Something flashed in his eyes before he nodded in acknowledged. It also didn't go past us both that I was saying thank you for more than one thing.

I didn't stay after that. Turned on my heel and scurried out the room.

****

I was all packed and ready to go. I drove to Palmers tagged I left my house and thankfully, everyone was there.

Thomas, Nolan, Ryan, Versa and Palmer. Thomas seemed far away and one punch on his arm snapped him right out the thoughts I knew he had brewing. His twin beat me up. Not for one second did I blame him or see Brandon in him. They were too different people and my love for Thomas outweighed the hate I had for Brandon. He was a good friend, who we even bonded I didn't know, but we did and it was good.

I had one more stop to go.

I pulled my car into parking near the spot I was meant to be. I got out the car and hurried along the path until I came to the spot near the end of the bushes and to the river. I couldn't even remember the amount of times I had come to this park but the last one would forever be marked on this spot.

"Where we shared our first kiss?"

I flicked around so quickly which I instantly regretted as a dull pain came to my sides. Not good. So not good when I was going to be driving.

I saw Link coming towards me, appearing from behind one tree. Behind him was another entry way obscured by a lot of trees and bushes but I still knew it was there.

"You don't have to scare me like that."

He held my eyes for a few seconds. "Sorry," he said eventually.

I let out a sigh and crossed my hands across my chest. I wanted to get this over with and get going on the road. I had a good drive between here and my destination so the sooner I started, the better.

"I'm guessing you're going to Manchester?" He asked me.

I shook my head. I recalled the last time we were here that I told him I was thinking of applying to university in that city. How that plan washed right down the drain, he didn't know. Link knew I was leaving considering Palmer was his aunt and he spent a lot of time with her.

But I haven't seen him since that time in the hospital.

"Actually no," I told him which I regretted instantly. Should I tell him where I was heading? Maybe he'd follow me and fuck me over again for some bullshit lie.

"I'm heading to Brighton."

His eyebrows shot up. "What happened to Manchester?"

"Not going to university anymore."

"Then what are you going to do?"

I shrugged. I didn't know what the hell I was going to do. "I'm just going."

It was quiet. Link was staring at me as though he was trying to figure out what I was going to do next. But I wasn't here to tell him what I had planned.

"You lied to me." I stated.

He didn't flinch. Nothing. Just stared at me as he replied. "Yeah."

In a small voice I managed to utter the one word I needed to say to him all this time. "Why?"

He continued to stare at me, as though he couldn't make out if I really wanted to know what he had to say. He was trying to see past me but I stood firm in my place. I was going to know why. All these times, why did he do that to me?

I knew before he spoke what he was going to do. It was written all over him. My heart jumped inside me as what I knew would happen started to happen. He wasn't going to answer me. Instead he moved, by not much but I saw him regardless. Before I knew it, he was standing right in front of me, his body brushing mine.

He lifted his hand to the side of my face and caught the strand of hair that was resting on my face. He pushed it back, tugging it behind my ear.

I lost all sense of circulating air through my lungs.

He slowly dipped his head and I inwardly shivered. I didn't know how I was still standing since I couldn't feel my feet anymore. When his cold lips brushed against mine, that's when I buckled.

My fingers grasped the front of his jacket, in hopes of holding myself up. I hated him. I hated for what he had done. For being the catalyst to every event that happened to me and ruined all I've ever known. For making me a coward and running away from everything. All blame fell on him and I relished in all of that by roughly pulling him further into me and pressing my own lips onto his. Harder. More hungry.

It was vicious how something as intimidate became so ugly. Both of us taking what we wanted from the other. I wanted to suck everything out from him since I knew from this day on I couldn't ever break the connection I had with him.

Soon enough, all my senses went crazy as I registered every single touch, every single breath we shared. It was more intense than anything. I was so pulled into the kiss, my hands running madly through hair then grasping anything I could. I was far too gone, swimming in whatever I got from this kiss that I didn't know he was gone until I felt the cold wind attack me.

I opened my eyes since they somehow closed during the kiss. I was breathing heavily and Link was gone. Disappeared. Just like that.

I closed my eyes again, trying to contain whatever I had through collected breaths. When I had enough returned to me that I could walk to my car, I started to make my way back.

When I got inside, I leaned back into my seat.

I knew I wouldn't get the answer from him. Not directly at least. I wasn't going to give what he wanted from me now. I wasn't going to give him something to keep coming back to him. Because I already knew nothing could break the connection we would have for life.

I lifted up my hand and placed it delicately on my stomach.

"We're going to be okay," I whispered to the only joy that has come from all this nightmare.

////

And that, my friends, is Link Dane done. I would be all cheesy and give a long message about the journey etc. But let's not. Just want to say, I'm forever grateful for everyone who stayed with me till the end, and especially grateful to the ones that were here since the start. I appreciate all of you Link Dane 2 will be started soon so you can check that out when I post it in a few!

> I would love to hear what you thought of Link Dane overall! COMMENT below your all time favourite part as a goodbye to Link Dane 1 <3

Love you and thank you so much! Byee xx