Heartache Hotline (Connected #1) | ✔

EPILOGUE: Five Years Later

| Izzy at the top! Our 12 year old is now 17 :') |

Five Years Later...

Vision dark, I giggle as my feet tumble forward. "Where are you taking me, Ollie?"

"You'll see," his voice comes from my right as he keeps his arm around me, enveloping me in the heat his body produces. "Well, when I let you see that is," he mumbles lowly in my ear, smirk evident in the way his voice rumbles and taunts, causing a shiver to travel down my spine. Five years of a relationship and my body still reacts to him like it did the first time we kissed. 

Five years. Wow, I think to myself as we continue walking. It's gone by so fast. Even though that's true, at the same time, so much has happened and changed in this half of a decade that's passed by us. Turns out that Ollie's mum had the mortgage completely paid off after all for the house, leaving it to him in her will. He didn't touch the place for two years, the pain and grief too overwhelming for him to do anything with it. During those two years, Ollie and I moved into my apartment together, visiting Izzy as much as we could while she was living with her uncle. 

That bastard.

Shaking my head, I think back to the last time we visited there. We had come by to surprise Izzy and take her out to dinner for her birthday. However, when we knocked there was no answer. We had tried the door, just in case, and were both worried to find it unlocked. It wasn't too long before we found Tate's hand gripping fourteen-year-old Izzy's throat, holding her against the kitchen wall, as the other hand was under her over-sized top. It only took a moment of horror before Ollie was on his uncle, hooking him left and right.  

Izzy had slumped down the wall in tears, holding her neck and curling into a ball. It was the most heartbreaking sight, to see such a strong girl traumatised and violated by someone she was supposed to trust. I had found myself going straight to Izzy, giving her as much comfort as I could while I watched Ollie leap off an unconscious Tate to the call the Police. 

After that whole incident, Ollie was determined to protect his sister so we moved into his family house, leaving our old life behind an hour away. I didn't have any qualms about moving, I was finished with University and could do my school counseling job anywhere. Once we had moved and settled in, we got granted legal guardianship of Izzy. 

Soon after moving and taking in Ollie's sister, we started noticing her flinching behaviour and screaming nightmares. Discussing it with both Ollie and Izzy first, we all decided it was best if she started going to therapy. Predictably, she was diagnosed with PTSD and GAD. Though there were plenty of ups and downs, Ollie and I supported her through everything and she's come a long way, now only taking Lexapro for her anxiety with her nightmares completely gone.  

We've been a family for the past three years and I wouldn't have it any other way. Izzy has become a sister to me and I'll be the first to admit that I'm not looking forward to when she leaves for University in just over a year. 

Ollie stops walking, tightening his hold on my shoulders for me to stop too. "This is kind of kinky, blindfolding me on our fifth anniversary," I tease, leaning to my right to try kiss his cheek. I end up getting his ear but oh well, at least it's still his face. 

There's the sound of keys and then a door unlocking before he's moving me inside a slightly musty building. My brows furrow as I pout. "Where are we?"

Ollie's lips press to the corner of my jutted lip, muttering, "So impatient, Mace." Then all of a sudden my vision floods with light and I find myself squinting. Not surprising when I've been blindfolded for an hour.