𝟔𝟖

a/n: Lottie's outfit for the chapter is above plus a beige cardigan!

☆═━ 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐈𝐗𝐓𝐘 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓━═☆

Charlotte crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at Stefan as she took in a deep breath. She walked away from Klaus' deal, it was the right decision. It was for the better but Stefan chose not to walk away from it and in doing so, he messed up.

Compelling Jeremy to forget everything that happened the night before, confirming the cure as a secret between him, Charlotte, Klaus, and Lina. The vampires that were present at the dinner, excluding Rebekah Mikaelson who was currently lying in a box.

"So...not only did you take Klaus' deal...which is just mad," Charlotte took in a deep breath, "You compelled Jeremy. You compelled his memory of yesterday away—"

"I had to, Charlotte, for his own good—"

She cut him off, rising to her feet, "No, don't give me that crap, you know very well that you did it because Klaus insisted it had to be done," Charlotte exhaled sharply, "You did it, despite knowing what it's like to have someone mess with your head."

Stefan shook his head, reminding her, "Charlotte, you wanted the cure and this is the only way we can get it. If it takes siding with Klaus then fine. We will have the cure at the end of it."

"It didn't just take siding with Klaus," Charlotte pursed her lips together, adding, "It takes lying to our friends, tricking them...making shady deals...manipulating people?"

"Rebekah is fine."

"Rebekah trusted you! She told you the location of the sword because she trusted you enough to speak about her feelings and you just didn't care!"

"Look...what exactly is this about? Jeremy? Rebekah? Us? I don't understand."

She rubbed her hands together, answering, "It is about trust. You can't ask me to trust you then go off and do stuff like that...How does that work, huh?"

"I am trying so hard to trust you because I believe that somehow this can work but it shouldn't be this hard to trust you," She fiddled with the ends of her sleeves, "Because if it is then it's not right from the start—"

Stefan cut her off, "No, look, I am not trying to blow this. We just need the cure—"

"Who's we? Elena? She wouldn't risk her brother's life in order to get the cure," Charlotte scoffed out, folding her arms over her chest, "Or do you mean me...I wouldn't go to the lengths you went to for the cure...Somethings are just not worth it."

"But this is! You hate this life!"

"I would hate losing myself more!" Charlotte retorted, shaking her head, "I am not Elena, Stefan...I didn't become a vampire a few weeks ago. I have learned to live with it...I don't need the cure if these are the lengths I need to go to."

She still wanted a family, she still wanted to be human...to be normal. She would always want it back. Charlotte will always miss being the vulnerable mortal girl she was but letting go of where she was now was harder than Stefan made it sound.

Charlotte rubbed the back of her neck, claiming, "I want to be a human again. I don't like this but unlike many vampires, I guess that I am just not...willing to tell those lies or keep those secrets."

"I get it—"

She interjected, shaking her head, "No, Stefan, you don't get it. No one does," Charlotte sucked in a deep breath, continuing, "You think it's about being human and getting my life back but it's not. It's about being Charlotte Bernard, the same girl with the morals my father raised me to have."

"Whether I am human or a vampire or the most ruthless of monsters...I am still Charlotte, my morals, my choices...those are what makes me. Those are the things I will never take for granted, no matter what."

Charlotte Bernard and Stefan Salvatore were not the same. They shared a few traits, they both cared but they weren't the same. They weren't driven by the same needs. Charlotte held a version of herself so high and couldn't step out of the line she drew because she wouldn't accept that the person she is protecting, is simply gone.

Or at least that was what Stefan thought she was doing.

Stefan always wanted to help those he loved. He was driven by the sense of helping those in need and somehow to him, both Charlotte and Elena were struggling with vampirism. So was he, so do all of the vampires in the world but he saw them struggling...not every vampire in the world.

"Somewhere in the world, there's a cure for vampires. If I can get it, you can be human again. I can give you back your life...you lost it all because of me," Stefan started, looking into her doe brown eyes. He would get lost in those same eyes if he stared for too long, but it was the best place to get lost in.

"So, that's what I need to do. No matter what Klaus asks, no matter what lies I have to tell or secrets I have to keep, I'll do it. No matter what it takes."

She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, "If you have everything decided then what does it matter telling me now..."

"Because I don't want to lie to you...If I have to lie, it's not gonna be to you."

"But it's gonna be to your brother, friends...everyone?"

"But not you. I want to be honest with you," He sighed, reaching out to take her hands into his, "You are always honest with me and I am showing you that I respect that."

Charlotte stared back at him, running her tongue over her bottom lip, "Fine but you can't compel Jeremy ever again...or Serena or any of our...compellable friends, okay?"

"Okay, understood. We are good, right?"

She raised an eyebrow but didn't answer, worrying him a little before her phone buzzed in her back pocket. Charlotte checked it, reading, "Klaus says...We have a problem?"

The two of them exchanged a look and a few minutes later, Stefan was on the phone with Klaus, "How the hell did Connor escape?"

"I'd blame my numbing incompetence, but pointing fingers isn't going to help me, you're going to help me."

Charlotte huffed out, rubbing her forehead anxiously, "Well, he could be anywhere now."

"Think about it, love," Klaus had a bit of teasing tone in his voice as he addressed the Bernard girl, "He took the hybrid's head which means he wants werewolf toxin."

She furrowed her eyebrows together, realizing, "Which means he plans to stay in Mystic Falls to kill vampires..."

"Which is a pity, as I'm half the world away digging up a dead hunter, you'll have no access to my blood and therefore, the antidote," The Original hybrid replied, confirming her conclusion, "Nevertheless, his tattoo is our only map to the cure, so your task is quite simple; find him, catch him, and above all, keep him alive. He's no good to us dead."

"Damon's been looking everywhere for him, if they cross paths....," Stefan claimed, trailing off.

"You'll need to keep Damon in check."

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders, saying, "That would be much easier if we could just tell him the truth."

"You trust Damon with the cure? I imagine he prefers Elena the way she is."

Stefan chuckled humorlessly, shaking her head, "Nice try, Klaus. But I trust Damon a hell of a lot more than I trust you."

"And I trust no one. Which is why my sister is lying daggered in a box—"

"And Lina is walking around all well?" Charlotte interjected, a scoff escaping her lips.

"Exceptions can be made from my side only," He retorted, explaining, "The more who find out about the cure, the more who will go after it. Nations have gone to war over less. You mark my words, tell one soul and I will throw the hunter's sword in the Mediterranean and we can end this quest right now."

"Am I understood?"

She pursed her lips together, replying, "Yeah, we get it," Charlotte sighed before hanging up.

✵ ✵ ✵

"Elena has been calling me all day," Charlotte said, putting her phone on vibration, "You need to come up with something logical to say so I don't have to avoid everyone all day."

"There's nothing logical about any of this."

She sighed, running a hand over her face, "Okay...so we find the hunter and then what? Make him kill more vampires...It's not like he is on our side."

"We will think of that when we get to it but now—"

"We need a plan, Stefan. A full plan, we can't just...go with the flow, not this time," Charlotte pointed out before her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She pulled it out, murmuring underneath her breath, "Ugh...not again, Elena."

She paused, reading the message as Stefan checked his phone as well.

Hunter at Mystic Grill with hostages. They all die at sundown.

✵ ✵ ✵

"So, we each take a different entrance; hit them at the same time."

Charlotte and Stefan walked into the Lockwood mansion just as Damon said so. Elena turned to her friend, "Charlotte...I have been calling you all day."

"I know, sorry..."

"Where the hell have you two been?" Damon furrowed his eyebrows together, turning to them.

"Coming up with a plan," Stefan answered for them both.

Damon nodded, stating, "Yeah, we have a plan. The plan is I'm gonna rip Connor's heart out and I'm going to feed it to him."

"That's not a plan," Charlotte rolled her eyes, folding her arms over her chest, "We need to be smart about this."

The youngest Salvatore agreed, adding, "Connor has Jeremy and who knows how many other hostages."

His brother replied casually, "Hence, the open-heart surgery."

Elena sighed, agreeing, "Damon's right. Connor's strong, but he's not going to be able to take all of us."

"I called in the hybrids to help too," Tyler stated.

Caroline walked into the room, informing them, "My mom put squad cars blocking the streets. They're saying it's a faulty gas main. We're good to go."

"Good, great. No cops, no witnesses, no reason to wait around."

Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, biting her bottom lip in anticipation before exchanging a look with Stefan. The plan for the day was already going South.

Stefan seemed to take her message before claiming, "All right, hold on, you're not all going," He addressed Caroline and Elena.

Tyler shook his head, "He shot me like nine times. If we're killing him, I want in."

Elena sucked in a deep breath, standing her ground, "He's got Jeremy. I'm going."

"Can we all just calm down for a few minutes and use our brains?" Charlotte cut in, raising an eyebrow and that seemed to shut them up, "Connor's had werewolf venom before, he is known for setting up traps...If we walk in like some super squad then we are setting ourselves up for death."

"You all got that?" She sighed, asking, and before anyone can ask or respond to her, Charlotte finished, "Great. Hold your horses for now."

Elena appeared to be rethinking the plan as Damon huffed out in anger, "Fine."

"Fine, if you two want to take some time to do recon, you get one hour. But we're gonna need some extra help. So, where the hell's the Wicked Witch of the West?"

Caroline pursed her lips together, "She can't do magic."

"Really?" Damon raised an eyebrow, "Well, call her, tell her Jeremy's life is in danger; maybe that will bring her out of retirement."

Damon was about to walk about before exchanging a look with his brother and Charlotte, the two who walked in and were suddenly in charge before asking, "Did you two..."

"Damon, for God's sake—"

"I am just asking!"

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte was walking around the Town Square, a few meters in front of the Mystic Grill with Stefan a few blocks back, speaking with Klaus. She sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear to listen in and try to make out the number of hostages.

She remembered what Damon told her about blocking out unnecessary outside noises and closed her eyes, listening in.

"What do you want from us, huh? There's literally nothing interesting about us or this place...I mean for the love of God—"

Her heart sunk in her stomach, blinking back. Serena. Serena with her reckless comebacks and inability to not say what's on her mind was in there with a mad vampire hunter who trusted no one but himself.

Charlotte continued listening in, taking deep breaths.

She could hear the ragged breaths as a masculine voice spoke up soothingly, "Calm down, we will be okay."

Matt.

A response came just as quick, "How can you know that?"

April Young.

Charlotte sighed, listening to Jeremy reply casually, "We have a history with these situations."

He was right and she hated that he was right. Jeremy was sixteen years old, his normal should be playing video games with his friends until dawn, staying up for studies when he has a final test, rushing late to school, and living his teenage years to the fullest. Not this...This shouldn't be normal.

She met up with Stefan to speak with Damon and Elena who were up in Alaric's apartment, "What did you find out?"

Charlotte answered, inhaling sharply, "I can only make out the voices."

Damon questioned, "How many hostages?"

"Four," Charlotte answered before revealing, "He has Serena, too...Matt and April Young, as well."

"What in the actual hell is Serena doing there?!"

She scoffed out, answering, "I don't know, Damon...why do people go to their places of work, huh?"

Elena exhaled, stating, "We have to get them out of there."

"I just need a little more time."

"Well, the clock's ticking."

Charlotte pursed her lips together, replying, "Save us your colored commentary, it does no one any good and not as amusing as you think."

Stefan hung up just as Charlotte asked, "So...where is Lina in all of this?"

"Klaus said she left last night."

"With him? To Italy, I mean...?"

"No, she just left."

Stefan furrowed his eyebrows, taking in her question before walking off the Town Square. He deciphered her question the wrong way. The Bernard vampire wanted to know whether Lina was coming back like Klaus surely will or she finally just...left.

She didn't know how to word out her thoughts and they were already in the most complicated of situations.

✵ ✵ ✵

"Well, we'll get him out of this and we'll compel him down to the Bahamas. Maybe he'll find an island girl."

Charlotte swung the door to Alaric's apartment open, commenting, "No more compulsion, yeah? An island girl, really? Not his type."

Damon chuckled, realizing she was way too invested in their conversation on her way upstairs.

"Did you find the tunnel map?"

The raven-haired Salvatore answered, "Got it. It was in his weapons drawer with seven stakes, some weird MacGyver crossbow, and the last remaining vervain in Mystic Falls, so how about we get this party started?"

"Not yet," Charlotte shook her head.

Stefan turned to his brother, revealing, "Klaus is sending one of his men. He'll take the front, we can take the tunnels."

"Since when did we team up with Klaus and the Lollipop Guild?"

"Well, I already told you, Connor has werewolf venom," Stefan shrugged his shoulders as Charlotte mentally facepalmed herself, "We need someone to draw his fire, the hybrids are immune to it so they're our best bets."

"Well, how are you sure that he even has werewolf venom? Why is Klaus involved, Stefan?" Damon questioned his brother before turning to the petite brunette shifting her weight from one foot to another, "Charlotte?"

"It's nothing, Damon...You don't have to worry all that much, really."

Stefan turned around as Damon approached Charlotte, knowing Stefan wouldn't be the one to speak up first, "Start telling the truth. Why is Klaus involved? Did he compel you?"

"I am on vervain and even if he compelled me, I wouldn't be able to tell you," Charlotte rolled her eyes, replying, "Can't you just...trust us on this? This is the best way to get everyone out."

"You guys...We're wasting time."

Damon shook his head before scoffing out, "You know what, Elena's right. Screw your plan. I'll kill Connor myself."

They started walking towards the door, "Damon, wait," Charlotte called out just as Stefan rushed at Damon and stabbed him in the back with the vervain dart.

"Stefan!"

Damon started to fade away as Stefan slowly lowered him to the ground. Elena remained in shock, looking at Charlotte for confirmation if that was actually happening. Stefan laid Damon on the couch. He took his brother's phone from inside Damon's jacket pocket.

"Why are you doing this?" Elena turned to him at last.

"Damon had the right idea with the tunnels," He opened up the picture of the map on Damon's phone, "But, I'm not gonna go in there if I can't count on him to do it my way."

Elena raised her eyebrows, "If you can't count on him? You just vervained him!"

Charlotte sighed, cutting in, "Elena, I don't hate this any less than you but Damon doesn't care, okay? He will get Jeremy and Serena out...then what? Then he will go for Connor, anybody else will be collateral damage if we don't do something about it."

"Then I'm coming with you two."

Charlotte exchanged a look with Stefan, realizing she has to be the one doing this, "You can't come with us."

"You need my help—"

"We will handle it, with Klaus' hybrid...everything will be fine. Just trust me on this."

Elena raised her eyebrows, looking at her best friend as though she was mad, "You want me to sit back while my brother is in danger?"

"No, I want you to trust that I will do the right thing and Jeremy will be fine. I promise you that—"

"No," Elena shook her head, "No, I am coming."

"What if Connor attacks and you have to defend yourself? And what if you kill him? The guilt will wreck you," Stefan stepped in after Charlotte's method didn't have the best result.

"You don't think that I...," She stammered out, shaking her head at herself, "I—I'm afraid of that? Of course, I am. Stefan, I'm barely holding it together. If Jeremy gets hurt..."

"No," Charlotte interjected, "Don't think like that. We will get him out. He will be safe."

"Elena, for once...Please just listen to me on this, we know what we're doing."

✵ ✵ ✵

Stefan had the idea to the Mystic Grill's phone as he and Charlotte walked through the woods with a pickax and a shovel in Stefan's hands as Charlotte held the phone on speaker. They were nearing the stairs that descend into the old Lockwood Celler.

Connor answered, "We're closed."

Stefan replied, "I want you to free the hostages."

"I'll free them as soon as you give me what I want. You and everyone like you dead."

"What? So your hunter's mark can grow?" The Salvatore asked him, there was stunned silence on the other end as Stefan took the liberty of continuing, "Yeah, I know all about that. What it means, what you are."

Stefan threw down the tools near the steps of the old Lockwood Cellar, taking the phone from Charlotte's hand, "Listen, if you free the hostages then you and I can have a little chat. I'll even tell you about the Brotherhood of the Five."

The only thing they had against Connor was the help from Klaus' hybrid and the element of surprise. Charlotte chose to make sure that if Connor knew anyone was coming for the hostages, he wouldn't know the number of vampires coming.

Connor scoffed out, "That's a weak move. You must be desperate."

"Think about it, Connor. Klaus saved your life. He needs you alive," Stefan was persuasive as he dragged it out, finishing, "Aren't you the least bit curious why?"

There was a distinct noise of something slamming down before the call was put to an end.

A while later, they were walked through the tunnels with a shovel in Stefan's hand and Charlotte's flashlight on, just in case. It had gone too quiet before Charlotte spoke up.

"Good call back there...you know, not trying to play the tough guy and say that I can't come like you always do."

"It wouldn't have worked," Stefan said, shaking his head, "I have learned from my mistakes."

"Good, very good," She had the hint of a smile on her lips before hearing a bit of noise ahead, "What was that?"

"They know about the tunnels, too...Think they are trying to get out?"

"Most likely," Charlotte nodded, leading the way ahead to where the noise came from. Matt was breaking through the wall between the Mystic Grill's backroom and the tunnel with a hammer.

They came in just as Connor sets off a bomb that was presumably for Dean, the hybrid Klaus sent as a distraction. April started backing up and ran into Charlotte as she got out of the tunnels. The brunette quickly but gently covered her mouth before she could scream or make any noise that would draw in Connor's attention.

Stefan handed Damon's phone with the map on it to Matt, "Follow this map, get out of here, take her to Caroline so she can..."

Charlotte looked at April, slowly taking her hand off of her mouth, "You are okay, just stay calm."

She nodded, taking in deep breaths as Matt lead her through the tunnels, stopping to tell them, "That guy is armed. If you go out there, he's gonna kill them."

"No one's killing anyone," The Salvatore shook his head, reassuring Matt, "Go."

April and Matt went out through the panel in the wall as Stefan and Charlotte walked out of the backroom.

"I tried to kick you in your balls, you didn't have to tie me up," Charlotte resisted the urge to laugh out, hearing her niece complain while rolling her eyes, "I thought we were growing close here, forming a connection...you know?"

Stefan took the lead, slowly and quietly coming out of the back as Jeremy walked over to Connor, who took off his jacket and saw that the tattoo was growing. The hunter saw Stefan and grabbed Jeremy, holding him in a chokehold as he pointed a gun towards Stefan.

Stefan vamp-sped across the Grill behind the bar and Connor shot the gun at him multiple times but missed. Charlotte ducked down, knowing he has yet to see her and just silently praying that Stefan would play this smart for as long as he possibly could.

"You take one more step and she is dead!" Connor yelled out as Charlotte's eyes widened, hearing the ticking bomb. She took notice of Serena's chair being placed on a mat with a switch that activated another bomb.

Serena seemed to be trying to keep her cool but it was notably hard as she was practically sitting over a ticking bomb, "Oh, God...This is going to be disgusting."

Only Serena Lilith Bernard would be sitting over a chair, minutes away from possible death and thinking about the clean-up after her body explodes. Only her.

✵ ✵ ✵

Connor had Jeremy at the other end of the gun and Serena squeezing her eyes shut and controlling her breaths, "Connor, we can end this right now! Just put down the gun and come with me!"

"Sure. Come out, I'll hand the gun over."

"Think about this. No one has to die," Stefan bargained, yelling out desperately, "I'll tell you everything you need to know!"

He shouted for what could be the hundredth time, "I don't make deals with vampires!"

"Listen to me, if you die right now, then your whole life, all that killing; it'll all be for nothing," Stefan debated, sighing, "I can give you the truth. Just put down the gun and let them go!"

Charlotte heard the front door swing open as Elena begged out, "Please...Don't hurt them."

"You come any closer, they are both dead!"

Serena squeezed her eyes shut, attempting to hold herself in place, "Elena, get out of here!"

Charlotte heard Connor pushing Stefan to come out as the only way to save either of them and counted to ten, taking a deep breath. Connor knew she was a vampire, or at least guessed so. She exchanged a look with Stefan across the other end of the bar and almost instantly he knew what she was thinking and shook his head right away.

Charlotte yelled out, "No, wait!"

She was still hiding down but it alerted Connor that Stefan wasn't the only one hiding behind the bar, "You want a vampire, okay? You got me. Just let them go."

"Get out and make me let them go!"

She sucked in a deep breath standing up and raising her hands in surrender just as Connor pointed the gun at her instead. Elena rushed at him but he shot the gun and it went through a bottle of wine, shattering it just as Jeremy quickly ducked behind a bar and away from the vampire hunter.

Elena grabbed Connor by the throat and started choking him. Serena's breaths were getting ragged and Stefan noticed that the bomb is about to go off and rushed towards the human Bernard, grabbing her with the chair—not enough time to untie her. The quick action set the bomb off.

In Elena's moment of panic for Serena's sake, Connor managed to rip her hand off his throat and tossed her to the side. He rolled on top of her and grabbed her by the hair. He went in to stake her, but Elena grabbed his wrist and fought back. Charlotte knocked Connor off of Elena.

Stefan kneeled next to Connor, grabbed him, and rushed off. He was quickly followed by Charlotte as Elena breathed heavily and got up. She looked around the Grill but didn't see Connor nor Stefan neither Charlotte anywhere.

Jeremy got out from behind the bar as Serena breathed out from where she laid back on her chair, "A little help?"

✵ ✵ ✵

Stefan was leading Connor through the tunnel system. He had Connor's arm twisted by his back and pushed him forward as Charlotte checked behind them to see if they were followed but looking ahead of her, she found Damon. A very pissed-off Damon Salvatore.

"Good work, brother, Char..."

Stefan sighed, "It's over, Damon. We have him."

"Not after what I just went through. I had to punch through a boiler room basement into a septic tank to get into this stupid tunnel," Damon spat out, seemingly fuming with anger before he finished, "But it'll be worth it."

"We are taking him out of here, Damon..."

"That's the thing, you're not. I don't know what you're up to or what Klaus has over you, but even if I have to go through either of you, I'm gonna kill him—"

Damon had Stefan backed into a corner and Charlotte shook her head, "You can't take on both of us."

"Charlotte, don't do you dare take another step—"

She moved closer to Connor, "I am sorry but you are just gonna have to trust us on this," Charlotte didn't leave him room to reply before speeding off with Connor, deeper into the tunnels. She knew Stefan can hold off Damon until she got him away.

Charlotte just stopped vamp-speeding, referring to quick strides and she could see Connor's arm shift before holding it behind his back, "Don't even think about it."

She didn't have the map. Charlotte had to rely on her poor memory to get her out of the tunnels, looking for another turn. She sighed, taking a turn before Elena rushed past her and onto Connor, knocking him onto the floor.

Charlotte stood back as Elena bit into his neck before rushing to push her off of him, "Elena, stop! We got him! They are all okay!"

She held Elena back as the hunter raised a hand to his bleeding throat. The doppelganger thrashed in her arms, trying to get to him, "Let go of me!"

Charlotte looked into Elena's eyes that weren't focused on anything but the blood on Connor's throat, dripping onto his shirt. She was downright murderous. Elena pushed Charlotte off of her violently, going for Connor but Charlotte pulled him off of the floor faster, pinning him against a wall.

At that moment, Charlotte was sure that there was nothing she could do to stop Elena, it took the Gilbert's nails digging into her arm and trying to push her away from Connor to be sure of that. Elena was going to kill Connor and there was nothing Charlotte could do to stop it. She tried to temporarily kill her or knock her out but Elena was on high alert and focused on one thing: ripping Connor's head off.

Charlotte snapped his neck and stepped back as his lifeless body fell to the ground. Seeing his corpse laying there seemed to flip a switch in Elena as she furrowed her eyebrows and looked from a breathless Charlotte to Connor's dead body.

"This is going to be a hell of a week...," The brunette sighed, already imagining Klaus' reaction to that mess.

✵ ✵ ✵

Charlotte never had to bury a body. Let alone the body of someone she killed. She wouldn't dare to look at the corpse twice but it wasn't like she could just leave Connor's rotting corpse in the tunnels. Elena and Damon had already gone home as Stefan stood by her side, she was digging the dirt up with a shovel near the steps descending into the cellar.

"You killed him..."

"I had to," Charlotte replied, exhaling sharply, "You didn't see her face. Elena was going to do it. She wasn't just mad, Stefan...She was murderous and she was going to do it. I could see it."

Stefan shrugged, "You couldn't have just stopped her?"

Charlotte let out an exasperated sigh and turned to Stefan. She shoved her arm in front of his face showing the stains of blood on her cardigan and the small holes, "She dug her nails into my arm, Stefan...My arm, okay? Pushed me off into a wall...She was going to kill Connor, no matter what happens...like she was compelled or something because as soon as I did it, she stepped back and the guilt took over."

"Compelled...How?"

"I don't have all the answers in the world but I know what I saw."

✵ ✵ ✵