𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘴 ☼ 𝘳𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘯

𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘳〔 𝘱𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 〕

𝘈𝘥𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘥𝘦'𝘴 𝘗𝘖𝘝

I'm abruptly snapped out of my dazed daydream as the metal bars clang and I look up from my seat on the concrete floor to see Shoupe slide the cell door open, looking at Rafe with a glare.

"Looks like your old man took the rap" The Sheriff declares as the boy stands up and looks back at me.

I pull myself to my feet and tiredly trudge over to the pair, letting Rafe grab my hand as we exit the cell. We are escorted from the police station and left outside my ourselves.

The sun beams down on my face and I take a deep breath, allowing my eye to flutter closed. I savour the mere moment of serenity before I feel a tug on my arm and the weight of the world comes crashing down on my shoulders again.

"We should go back to my house. I need to ask Rose what's going on" Rafe tells me and I nod simply, making him frown "What's wrong?"

"I'm exhausted" I breathe out.

"You can nap when we get there" He assures me.

"No, I don't mean-" I cut myself off, weighing out the pros and cons of explaining my feelings right now and deciding that there are more cons "It doesn't matter. Let's just go"

"Are you sure?" Rafe asks me, catching up with me as I start walking in the direction of the Cameron residence.

"I'm sure" I answer firmly.

☼ ☼ ☼

"A great man once said that if you're born poor, that's not your fault, but if you die poor, well, that's on you" Ward's voice fills my ears as I lean back against a wooden pillar while the Cameron family watch the video he left for them "I think, in the end, it was my fear of going back, of losing everything I have that made me lose sight of everything I am...everything I wanted to be"

"I killed Big John Routledge. I murdered Sheriff Peterkin. I shot Gavin Barnstead" Ward admits with a guilt stricken expression and Rafe shakes his head with tears in his eyes.

I push myself off the pillar and reach out, grabbing onto the boy's hand. He pulls me closer until my back hits his chest and he wraps his arms around me tightly, laying his chin on my shoulder.

"I know there's nothing I can do to ease the pain I've caused" Ward states "Many will say I took the easy way out. But I leave this world with the terrible pain of knowing that I leave behind my family, shattered by grief, broken by my sins"

"I don't expect you to forgive me for leaving you this way. I just pray you understand that...I can't go on ruining your lives anymore. This had to end" He declares.

"To all of you, I leave my estate, uh, to be divided equally, and I leave a love deeper than I could ever express" He explains with a sigh "Take care of each other"

The video ends and Rafe almost immediately lets go of me, grabbing his glass of whiskey off the table and walking away. Wheezie gets up from her seat, sniffling sadly and exits the room without a word. Sarah then angrily slams the laptop closed and I glance at Rose who just stares at the table with a dazed look, clouded with sadness.