You are my precious obsession

Chapter 19

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"You'll be staying here." I pointed at my office's couch, she raised an eyebrow at me, puzzled. But I knew what I was doing. I'm not letting her get into danger again. "Until I take care of him, you'll be here."

"No. I'm not staying until you tell me what the hell is happening." She folded her arms stubbornly. I heaved a heavy sigh, now was not the time to answer her questions.

"You're staying and that's final." I narrowed my eyes and tried to sound authoritative. "I'll answer your questions after this is over. Okay?"

"No!" She threw her hands in the air, frowning. "You're not my dad, Henry. Answer my question or I'm leaving right now." She eyed the office exit and then me.

"Don't you dare, Hannah." I warned, knowing she's not going to listen.

"Watch me." She furiously flipped her hair back, striding off to the exit. I stopped her anxiously, cause I knew she was stubborn enough to actually leave if I let her. 

"Why are you like this..." I muttered under my breath as she waited for me to talk.

"He almost killed you, Henry." Her voice trembled, her gaze on my bandaged arm. "Tell me what's going on! Who the hell is he? Some kind of a sick murderer?"

Shit. She guessed it right. She's too kind for her own good though. If I said everything about the case, then she's going to blame herself for everything like a damn idiot. "I don't know." I lied.

She glared at me. "You didn't react when he took his mask off." She pointed out, gosh, she's sharp. "You knew it was him before I did, Henry. Now tell me the damn truth." She demanded.

I opened my mouth and closed it, not having any statement to argue with. "Sorry Hannah, I can't say anything. Can you please just stay here until I can prove he's guilty?" I asked politely.

"I'm sorry too. I need answers, Henry." She stayed stubborn, folding her arms. "What is he guilty for?"

I sighed helplessly, she wasn't going to let this off the hook until I spill everything. She's too adamant. Might as well, tell the truth and get this over with. "He's a serial killer, Hannah." I said, mentally preparing myself to see her break down.

She blinked, raising an eyebrow. "W-What?"

"You heard me." I stared blankly into her now terrified eyes.

"H-How many people d-did he-?" Her voice trailed off, her hand pressed tightly against her mouth. Her brows arched, and her face paled.

"Twenty seven." I shot back instantly.

She fell silent. Her jaw dropped, with that panic stricken expression etched on her face. This was exactly why I didn't wanted her to know. "W-Why? Why in the world did he-" she mumbled.

"For you." I crossed my arms.

She tensed, stiffening up. Her hands clutching her side of the shirt tightly. "What?" She whispered in a breath. "Me?"

"He's crazy, Hannah." I dropped my gaze below, her face was too painful to watch. "If someone showed interest in you, he killed them off."

Another moment of silence. I continued, told her almost everything about the case, I didn't want to do this to her. I didn't want her to feel guilty for something she didn't do. But, she was too stubborn to listen to me. So, I told her everything.

When I was done, what I feared happened. Her shoulders squared up, her arms hugging herself as if for reassurance, and her lips quivered. "P-People died because of me?"