𝐄𝐗𝐏𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐄 ━━ 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘩

⠀⠀𝟰𝟭. ❛ THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE ❜

     No matter how much she strived to be the person her conscience wanted her to be, the memories would keep taunting her with her mistakes. Each time the regret reemerged, she would analyze it again, hoping that this time her mind would be satisfied with her self-professed remorse, but it never was. Like an unforgiving ghost, it would be back tomorrow to haunt her all over again.

     Piper Lita was no longer Piper Lita.

     Expedite was no longer Expedite.

     She wasn't the hero the city deserved and wasn't sure if she would ever be good enough to be. Her perspective and morality were damaged and compromised. It had been for months. Her job wasn't as fun or fulfilling anymore. The redhead dreaded having to put on that purple suit. It only reminded her of what she'd become recently.

     Aureolin did so much damage to her soul. She turned her into an emotional, roller-coaster mess, and Piper hadn't even had a chance to heal before Savitar entered the picture.

     Athena destroyed her life, but Savitar turned her into shattered shards of glass.

     The blue and silver speedster was obsessed with messing with her mind—her memories. That was how he kept winning. All he had to do was use his telepathy to project illusions and recall past events. It was as simple as that.

     Sitting up, she wiped away her tears, sniffling. Piper grabbed the keys from her purse and started up the car, buckling. She backed out of her parking space and turned right, heading down North Main Street.

     Get yourself together, Piper. You're meeting Miles and Damon soon. They can't see how much of a mess you are right now.

     The car stopped as she pressed down on the brake, glancing at the red light before flickering her eyes over to the photos that'd spilled from her purse.

     Carlos Aether, one of her team members, had taken pictures of Savitar last week during an explosion downtown. After finally developing the photos, he gave them to Piper immediately, knowing she'd want to look at what he'd captured on screen before anyone else did.

     The sound of the car behind her honking snapped her out of her thoughts, causing her to let off the brake, resuming driving towards the exit she needed to get on to get home.

     At the last red light before the exit, she glanced back to the photos, her eyes landing on the one that was close to the passenger car door. Quickly reaching over, she snatched it as the light turned green. Placing it in her lap, she turned right, merging onto the highway.

     Picking the photograph up, she held it out to the side to see it while she drove. Glancing over, she narrowed her chocolate-brown eyes as a glimpse of gold caught her attention.

     In the photo, Savitar had his back facing the camera. A sliver on his suit was split apart on the right arm, showing the tiniest bit of skin. Piper could see a glimpse of the arm that belonged to the man beneath the armor. Around the wrist was a gold bracelet.

     Wait, just a frickity fra—

     Barry had given her a gold bracelet last month randomly. It had come in a set of two. There, in the photo, was the matching gold bracelet to the one she wore.

     The purple speedster gasped, her left hand losing its grip on the steering wheel as she drove down the highway.

     It all made sense.

     The arguments. The screaming and fighting. The way that he treated her. It all made sense.

     He was Savitar.