(I know this sounds like it could be the end, but it isn't. I still have some more chapters, maybe about ten and then it will be done.)
Conrad
I join Maya at the table, placing everything down.
“Conrad, please tell me what is going on.” She sighs.
I got some good news last night before I left. I didn’t want to tell her over the phone.
“They caught him, angel. They finally caught Callum.” I say.
Her eyes widen, “What? For real? When? How?” she rambles.
I reach for her hand, “Two nights ago. He and two other guys got caught after trying to rob a gas station with guns. He is being held in custody.”
I see the tears welling up in her eyes, rolling down her cheeks. “I am free of him? We are free of him. They aren’t going to let him out on bail, are they?”
I shake my head. “No. He won’t be getting released on bail. He will be remanded until the court date next month. He is being classed as a danger to society. They refuse to let him out because they know he is a flight risk.”
She completely breaks down. “He is finally gone.”
I squeeze her hand, “Yes, but the only thing is, we will have to appear in court. We need to give our statements. My lawyer told me with all the charges against him, the attempted manslaughter, stalking, harassment, blackmail, stalking and the attempted armed robbery last night, he is probably looking at at least thirty years, possibly more. With all the evidence they have from us and CCTV footage from the armed robbery, he has no chance of getting away with it. No, there isn’t video evidence of him trying to kill me with his car, but with everything else there is against him, he is still looking at a long sentence.”
I don’t know what her thoughts are on facing him in court. My lawyer told me that if it is too much, she can give a statement through video instead.
“I can’t believe they finally caught him,” She whimpers.
“Yes, he will not be bothering us ever again. Do you think you can face him in court?” I ask.
She nods. “Yes. I will. He needs to know I am no longer scared of him, and he has no control over me. I want to. I want to look him in the eye when I tell the court about how much of a horrible human being he is.” She states firmly.
“Good, I was hoping you would say that. I will be right there for you when you are done. We will make sure he gets everything he deserves.”
I watch her entire body relax and let out a puff of air. It is like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders.
“Yes. I am not afraid of him anymore. I will do what I need to make sure he can’t hurt anyone else ever again.”
I lean over and kiss her softly. “You are stronger than you think, sweetheart. I am so proud of you—not only for wanting to face him but for everything. You have come such a long way, and no matter what you have been through, you still remain pure and the most incredible person I have ever met.”
She smiles softly. “My strength came from you, Conrad.”
I stroke the hair away from her face, “No, it didn’t. You have always had it, angel. Even before you met me. Don’t give me any credit for it.”
She closes her eyes and moves into my touch, “Thank you.”
“Your biggest demon is gone and will be for a long time. You don’t need to worry about anything or be on edge. You can live the happy life you deserve, Maya. I can’t wait to be the one to live it with you.”
“We can go home.” She says brightly.
“Yes, we can. You tell me when, and we can go.”
“Once I am done with the B&B, we can go home. I still can’t believe this. I was beginning to think they weren’t ever going to catch him. Now, we can focus on our life and future. We can finally start to plan our wedding and build our life together.” She gushes and climbs into my lap.
I smile, placing my hands on her hips, “Yes, we can. You are free, sweetheart. We can finally do all the things we have spoken about.”
She smiles widely and presses her lips to mine in a sweet, passionate kiss.
“I can’t wait, my love.” She says after parting from my lips.
I hug her tightly and stroke her hair, “I love you so much. I have been so proud to call someone mine.”
She nuzzles her face in my neck, “I love you too. Thank you for loving, sticking by, and showing me I am worth love. You changed my entire world, Conrad, and I don’t even want to think about where I would be if I hadn’t met you or if you had given up trying to find me.”
“I truly believe you, and I have always been written in the cards. I wish we could have met earlier than we did, and you wouldn’t have to have gone through all the pain.” I sigh, wishing I met her before she met that bastard.
“The main thing is that, no matter what we had been through or how long it took, we found our way to one another,” she says softly, kissing my neck.
“Yes, and I don’t plan on ever letting you go again. I will take care and protect you for the rest of my life, Maya.”
She snuggles in tighter to my chest, “I know you will, my love.”
No one and I mean NO ONE, will ever get to cause her any pain ever again, not while I am around. She has been through enough. She has had her share of the pain, of all the bad, she won’t be suffering from anymore.
“Now, let’s eat, sweetheart,” I say.
Maya steals one last kiss before she takes her seat across from me, tucking into her breakfast and coffee.
“We should celebrate tonight. We can go for dinner and order a bottle of champagne.” She suggests.
I smile, “It sounds perfect, beautiful. We have a lot to celebrate.”
I watch her as she eats for a moment. She can’t stop smiling. I am sure she hasn’t felt peace like she probably is now, knowing he can no longer get to her or me. It is her time to be happy without stressing or worrying about Callum’s next move. It is great, but it would have been better if they had caught him months ago. The main thing is that he has been caught and will spend the next thirty or more years behind bars where he belongs. I hope the bastard rots and dies in there. It is what he deserves, after all.
I pull my gaze from her and get to my breakfast. Maya will need to leave soon for work, and I want to walk her there. I have some work to deal with today, too, but I will be done by the time she returns home. I am looking forward to celebrating with my beautiful fiancée tonight.