Chapter Sixty-Four-1

Chapter Sixty-Four: Maggie We drove mindlessly through LA with having no particular destination in mind, passing street after street as we let the silence consume us. He didn't have to say it, but I could feel it, I could feel his anxiety seeping right out of his body and into the atmosphere, I could feel his sanity hanging on by a thread, knowing fully well that no matter how long he'll drive around in circles trying to get away from the situation, is that we can't run away forever. We can't keep running back in circles like how we once did, we can't ignore what was hurled right into our lives just when we thought we had finally done it. Achieved a peaceful life. I remember thinking to myself back then that as long as we were both side by side with each other, chaos was always straight ahead, but I thought it was because we supply our own torment. But as soon as we've progressed past the need to wear ourselves out, is when life decided to throw a massive curveball at us and think hey, did you think this was the end of it? My life isn't simple, I'm always paranoid for a reason and it's mainly because I know what it feels like to be constantly pulled out of every moment's worth of happiness, and feeling like the happiness life gives to you is limited. Like I'm never supposed to be happy, in the first place. I can never be settled and live a peaceful life without having to always look over my shoulder, trying to see if something is lurking in the shadows, ready to pull me back into the darkened depths of the hell I was brought into since the day I was fucking born. That's why dreams of going to places like New York and meeting a nice guy I genuinely like aren't just easy to wish for, thinking I could achieve them in the future, it was never easy for me to just hope. Because this is reality, and no matter how many times you think you can just get the guy, move on, and live happily ever after, one way or another something or someone is gonna deter that. We humans were never meant to be at peace with our lives, we're always running away from something one way or another. I felt the world around me spin in an infinite rotation, my head pounding like crazy as I cupped my head in between my hands, closing my eyes as I groaned "Fuck, I hate this. I hate this so much." "Maggie, are you-" "Can we please stop somewhere? My head is hurting and with the car moving I feel like I'm about to pass out." I said gruffly as Evan nodded "Sure, sure, hold on." With that, he took a couple of quick turns before he stopped his car at a nearby park that was mostly empty with at least one man walking his dog and a woman jogging. I unlocked my seatbelt and turned to Evan only to see that his eyes were already on me "Can we please take a walk?" His gaze softened at my request "Of course, anything you want." We got out of the vehicle and made our way into the park, feeling the freezing temperature of the night bite into my skin as I wrapped my arms around my body. But it didn't take long for Evan to notice my state as he grabbed onto my elbow, halting me in my steps as he turned me around and started removing his jacket. I watched him as he took off each sleeve and pulled them from the inside out before gently placing his suit jacket on top of my shoulders, his hands lingering there for a moment as he slowly lowered his palms down my arms and squeezed them. Smiling down at me as I bit my lower lip at the sight. His boyish grin, his eyes that hold so much warmth and reassurance, his strong but comforting presence that makes me feel like he could shield me away from all the madness in the world. Him. The boy that my father resents so much for no reason at all and thinks isn't good enough for me when he is, he's grown and evolved and became more than just a person I grew fond of throughout our engagement. He became someone whose arms alone already felt like home. "Maggie..." He cupped my cheeks in his hands, coaxing me to look at him as I feel the tears cascade down my face "Maggie baby, hey no, come here." he pulled me against his chest as he ran his fingers down my hair, all the while as I sobbed and clutched the fabric of his shirt into my hands. "It's okay, don't cry, I'm here, it's okay," he whispered as I tried to stop, but I couldn't, I just fucking couldn't when he's over here holding me and I'm right here holding him back, feeling like he's about to slip away from my fingers anytime soon, so I latch on in more ways than one. "Don't cry, fuck, I can't stand it when you're like this." he said, his voice shaking as he held me tighter "I can't stand seeing you fall apart in front of me and how I can't do anything about it." I shook my head, stifling my cries as I willed myself to speak "You're already doing so much, don't say you're not because you are. Just you being here is enough." "But still, I hate seeing you in pain. I hate seeing you get hurt because of that man, I know how you feel about him and I know he's your father and all, but my God, I just wanna punch him." "No one's stopping you." He laughed despite his devastated state, looking down at me as I remained engulfed in his strong arms "You're not even gonna stop me from wanting to beat up your dad?" "He fucking deserves it," I said, sniffling "He deserves a quick punch or two for coming back here thinking I want anything to do with him, especially with what he said about you." "It doesn't matter what he said about me, what matters is what he's doing to you. I don't care if your dad hates me, or if your mother is wary of me and your friends are suspicious of me still, what matters is what you think and what happens to you," he said firmly as I gulped at his sudden declaration. Leaning his forehead against mine, we just stood there in the middle of the park, the pitch-black darkness of the sky embracing us as we only had the stars navigate us through the night. With the bits and bits of snow falling down on us as I snuggled deeper into his embrace, letting out a shaky breath and seeing the foggy mist of the cold slip past my lips. "I hate this," I muttered "I hate what's happening because I can't decide what to feel. I'm angry and I'm hurt but at the same time I'm terrified of what's going to happen to the both of us, what's going to happen to our engagement, to mom, to Tiffany and Mason..." "Nothing's going to happen, trust me." he proclaimed, though the reluctance in his words was evident. "You don't know that," I croaked out "You don't know what my father is capable of and how truly twisted he is, he holds so much power and as much as I wanna fight him I know what he can do, Evan. He's not just someone you can mess with and easily run away from." It's true, I don't know how my father managed to find out about the engagement and how he'll find a way to stop it, but what I do know is that he can. He can do anything because he spent the entirety of his adolescence and adulthood constantly trying to assert his power and just making sure he had a tight rein on everyone around him. He's not just someone you can mess with without having to expect any consequences in return.