It was around midnight when my guard announced a visitor. "At this hour? Who is it?" I asked nonchalantly.

I wasn't in the mood for any guests, more so at that hour and I wasn't expecting anyone. Nobody knows I'm even here except Callum and this visit isn't pleasant to me. I hope it's not my father, I have refused to see him since the day I woke up and he was the last person I want to talk peacefully to. I want to see him in jail where he belongs for torturing the love of my life.

"It's a woman, she wouldn't speak to anyone until you agreed to see her, that's what she said."

"Where did you leave her?" I articulated.

"I let her in the mansion." He responded a bit hesitantly.

"Why would you do that without telling me? She could be anyone. We've talked countless times about not allowing anybody in here who I haven't authorized. I don't want to be disturbed with anything or anyone no matter how argent. What am I paying you for?"

"I'm sorry sir but the woman arrived with Sander, Miss Inez's personal bodyguard and the woman's name is April Laurent. She insisted that you are very close friends and you wouldn't approve of her being locked out."

April?

I was at loss for words. I hadn't forgotten about her , she did cross my mind acouple times but I'd believed she moved on with her life and stumbled upon an opportunity. I never thought she returned to Inez.

"Bring her here." I authoried.

I was in the pool area, drowning in my own thoughts for the last three hours. Failing to sleep after everything I and Elisabeth talked about. I'm heartbroken. Never have I ever been this at loss and shuttered inside out. I can't believe this is happening. Yet again, Elisabeth chooses Enos and even though the reasons aren't love, I'm completely defeated. I would give up everything for her, my life, all I've known, I'd disown my own family to attain her the justice she deserved, I'd fight against the world for her. But I can't fight her to keep her. I've never prepared for that battle. She is all I need. I can't loss her but I'm losing her and I can't bare witness.

She is still here and that hurts even more. How do I let her go again? I don't know how to do that. Apparently Enos is Malibu as well. Apparently they talked. And may be they'll leave together and I'll for sure die inside without her.

"Why so deep in thoughts James?" April's voice chased me out of my head.

I turned to look at her from the balcony. I didn't have words to say.

"I can't believe you're awake." She said while running towards me. She stopped just a few inches away from me. Her tired eyes were glossy with tears. Something about her was different. Infact, she looked so different. Her skin was extremely pale. Her eyes had dark circles and her body was smaller. Her orange hair was longer now, all the way to her waist. Her clothes looked old. She looked like she was living in the streets.

"What happened to you?" I asked her.

A single tears came falling from her eyes, "I- I never made it out of that bad p-place I was in. I got lost."

That's when I remembered, she was already getting deep with the drugs by the time we left New York and coming to Georgia. There was nobody to guide her out of that place. "I'm sorry." I said to her. "I truly am."

"Don't be sorry. I'm still trying. This is me trying."

"What about Inez? Didn't she do anything?" I asked her.

"How do you know I was with Inez?"

"I'm just figuring, since you arrived here with her own private body guard. Do you need some water? Anything? Food?"

"No, I'm just glad that you are alright again." She said in a pitiful tone. "I was worried that I'd never get to see you this way again."

April had this sadness in her eyes.

I know she has been alone that's why she turned out this way. You can tell the emptiness in her eyes and the longing. Life hasn't been kind to her.

"Come here." I opened my arms for her.

She looked up at me with doubt and confusion and may be disbelief but I assured her with a nod. I know how it feels like to be completely alone. Sometimes all we need is a hug and a bump on the shoulder for trying so hard to stay survive.

April has always carried this brave front on her face. But deep down she was just a young girl, she didn't really have the right people to guide her to a better path and that's why she just left home to come with me like a stranger isn't danger. Anyone could easy take advantage of her if they showed her Abit of attention and that worried me because then after these past two years, how many people have actually succeeded to take advantage of her?

I know it's not the same as it was.

And just from how she looked so helpless, hopeless, tired, shaky hands already because of some hours of drug withdrawal. Whatever she has been going through has led her to this state. And if there people out there who have made it worse for her, I'll find that out.

April walked to me and allowed herself to settle in my embrace. She began to cry. It was small sniffs at first and then she started breaking down. It made me sad to see her that way .

"Did anyone hurt you?" I asked her slowly.

"S-sometimes." She stammered.

"Who?"

She was trembling and I knew it wasn't from the cold. "Don't be afriad to tell me, whoever it is, won't be able to hurt you again."

April was quiet for a bit until she finally spoke out again. "They .... It's they, more than one."

Something about how she said it made my jaw clench. "What happened?"

"I'm scared." She cried, and held onto my shirt. "They said if I told anyone they'd hunt me down and do much worse."

Fuck!

She was terrified and I feared for the worst.

"What did they do April?"

"I didn't have any money, it my fault." She cried uncontrollably now. "I allowed it. I was desperate, first, he said he'd take care of me and then he changed. He started to be violent and he wouldn't stop intoxicating the both of us. I- th-ought he loved me, he always said he did. But he changed, brought his friends and I_ I wasn't that strong. I was a coward."

Christ....

I hugged her tighter.

If I was there none of that would've happened. "Did Inez know about it?"

"Inez didn't believe me. She said I was pretending so that I'd get money from her but I wasn't. I never told anyone else after that. I was scared nobody would believe me."

I couldn't believe Inez would let something like that go. How much of a monster was she?

"I'm sorry this happened to you."

I took April back inside the house and calmed her down Abit. That's until when she started crying again. "What's wrong?"

"There's something I'm hiding from you." She sounded conflicted as we sat across from each other in my living room couch.

She looked at me with guilt and I was confused. "I agreed to do something bad, please forgive me."

"What did you agree to do?"

April somehow managed to cry more even after breaking down so many times before. I felt sorry for her.

"I wasn't thinking straight, I was already a bit drunk from c-coke, and just got into the fastest plane here. Don't hate me please?" She was shaking again and I worried.

"You can tell me? Don't hide anything April."

She came to sit close to me. "Promise me you won't hate me for this."

What was she afraid of?

I nodded.

April reached for the pocket of her old hoodie and took out a syringe.

"Is that a drug?" I asked her.

"No," She assured. "Inez gave it to me. She s-said it can do things. She was angry. She told me she'd pay me money that I can use for therapy and that she'd also help me get a better place. She said I could get the help I needed. All I had to do was inject Betty and all my problems would be over."

"What?" I stood up quickly with a rapidly beating heart and April wouldn't stop crying.

"I was scared and I was desperate and I wasn't thinking straight. I agreed to it because she said it would only get Betty in a coma and not actually kill her."

My head began to ache and my pulse drumming in rage. Inez is a fucking monster.

She wants to hurt Elisabeth after everything Betty has already been through hell because of my family and for what? And then she manipulates a helpless girl into her deadly schemes because she knew April was fighting for her life.

I was already infuriated when I found out that Inez knew that Betty was locked up and didn't do anything, but then I find this out. Inez is actually capable of such evil upon an innocent person.

What if April didn't tell me?

I was so close to losing her forever.

Elisabeth was about to lose her life because of my family. They want to completely ruin her. They want to end her. But why? Those bloody bastards, why?

They will pay for this. I'll make sure Inez rots in prison for this. How could she? I've always known she was heartless but not capable of such a thing. She'll suffer dearly for this, I'll guarantee it.

_______________