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Quinn
"Hey look at me," I said to Ace as he still couldn't get down from the car. I held his chin and turned him to face me.
"You can do this alright! I'm here with you Ace, we'll face it together that's our promise right?" I whispered and he still had the nervous look on his face. He shook his head and I shook my too.
'No, no mister don't give me that bullshit. We didn't come all the way here just for you to back off now, this is the second time you're doing this come on," I half yelled and half pleaded.
Let me explain.
You see we came to this same spot last week and just like now Ace backed off saying he couldn't face them so soon. I understood him and didn't force him, because it was honestly a tough decision. I took him back home and we resulted to cuddling up in bed until he felt safe. He promised we would go the next week and get answers and I believe him, told him it was okay. He had prepared himself, to face them boldly. He also got better at work this past week, we met with different shareholders and workers, getting them to trust him. His grandfather was still unconscious and the investigation was still ongoing.
The best thing was that we were engaged. I hadn't told anyone yet apart from Xenia who immediately planned for us to meet and almost cried when she saw my ring. I hadn't been to my parent's house since so, they didn't know of the news but I planned to tell them soon. Because I knew once my mum hears, the media hears.
"Quinn, I'm just..... what do I say? Do I get mad? Do I say I've missed them? I don't know."
"You'll figure that out once we got in. And maybe my mum might be there again like Mr. Kim said. We'll both have to deal with them and demand explanations. We can do this Ace." I squeezed his hands and he nodded as his hair bounced with his movement.
"Yes yes... okay." He took a deep breath. "I'm ready."
"Good," I smiled then placed a soft kiss on his lips.
We both got out of the parking lot of the Johns Hopkins psychiatric hospital at the same time and looked up at the sky rise building. We walked to the door and went in as the busy aura of the inside clouded us. I held his large hands in mine, assuring him that I'm there as we walked up to the receptionist.
"Hello, welcome to Johns Hopkins psychiatric hospital. How can I help you?" She asked with a sweet smile plastered on her face.
"Hey, I'm Quinn Manchester and this is Ace Winston and we're here to.... Visit a patient."
"Okay," she said and typed something into the computer in front of her, she took a pen from the top pocket of her uniform. She handed us the pen with a bunch of forms on a clipboard. "Please fill this and what's the patient's name?"
I collected the items from her. "Mr. Winston?"
She raised an eyebrow at the tone of my words but didn't say anything and typed away on her computer. She paused and looked at us from beneath her lashes. "I'm sorry we don't have a Mr. Winston on our patient list. Are you sure you're in the right place?"
"Oh shit," I cursed under my breath and plastered on a fake smile. "Oh, what about Mr. Logan?" I asked trying his first name.
She typed again and tilted her head in apology as she looked up. "I'm sorry. There's no Mr Logan."
Frustrated, I ran my hands through my hair. I racked my brain for what must have been the name they used for him.
"Vlad," Ace's hoarse voice suddenly came through and we both turned to him. "Please try Vlad."
I looked at him confused but she typed it in and her face lit up this time, in confirmation. "Oh we have a Vlad here in our VIP room," she finally said and I let out a sigh of relief. "Please fill out that form and I'll let you know if Vlad is taking visitors."
I nodded with an appreciative smile as Ace and I went to sit to fill out the form.
"What was that?" I asked as I wrote our information down and he shut his eyes.
"Vlad.... That was his code name. That's what I called him when I was scared, whenever he and my mum had a fight. I'll be so scared and to calm me down.... He says I'm Vlad, not Dad who was downstairs in a fight and it somehow worked. I felt more safe with Vlad," he paused. "I didn't know he still remembered that."
"That's good," I whispered.
Once I was done with the form, the receptionist informed us that Vlad was accepting visitors and we could go up.
It felt like a lucid dream, being in that elevator that took us to his room. Ace was finally going to see his mum and dad. I felt the tear watering my eyes and I quickly turned away to wipe it off.
The ride was silent apart from the sound of Ace's feet hitting the ground at regular intervals. We both took in a deep breath as the elevator opened.
"It's at the end of the hall," I said to him as we walked out, hand in hand. He remained quiet as we got to the door. The low voices of people could be heard and the reality of the amount of hidden truths we were about to face began to sink in me.
I turned Ace to face me and saw his bloodshot eyes. I caressed his stubble, feeling the slight roughness before pressing my lips on his. I felt the tear from his eyes drop to my cheeks. Trying to control my emotions, I pulled him in for a hug with my hands around his neck.
"So many things are going to change Quinn," he mumbled as he buried his face in my neck and I hummed in response.
"No matter what happens, we'll always still be Ace and Quinn. I'll always be here for you."
"I know."
After composing ourselves, he knocked lightly on the door and a woman's voice invited us in. My breath hitched in my throat and our intertwined hands suddenly felt sweaty. I could hear my heartbeat in my eardrums and felt the sweat escaping through the pores on my forehead. My mouth went dry as he turned the handle on the door and the brightness of the room engulfed us.
One step.
Two steps.
Three steps..... And we were finally in the sacred room. Facing our worst nightmares.
I couldn't believe my eyes. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen stood before us had a pool of tears swimming in her deep blue eyes just like Ace's. Her dark hair was perfectly straighter as it stopped just above her shoulder. I could see her body shaking slightly as she tried to fight her tears and mask the sad look on her face as her gaze was fixed on the man beside me.
The room was huge, the sun was seeping through the white curtains and there was a flower vase sitting on the side table next to a weak-looking man who stared at us like he couldn't believe his eyes. There was a machine beside him that made a beeping noise every second. But was caught my attention the most was my mother who sat beside the man and poured him a cup of water as he started coughing.
So Mr. Kim was right. She was involved with everything.
"I- Ace-" The woman in front of us began but ceased due to her tears. Ace was silent the whole time. She tried to move closer to him but he moved back, with our hands still intertwined.
"Start talking." His voice was harsh and stern, I had never heard him talk in that tone before. I had never seen that side of him. His face was emotionless. Bare of an expression. Even I would be shivering if I was a stranger.
"Okay. I will, I will.... But first, how are you?" She asked as she nervously played with her hands and looked at him with so much sadness in her eyes only to receive silence from him. I felt his grip tightening on mine. I could feel her pain but she tried to relieve the tension by focusing on me.
"And Quinn, it's so good to finally meet you," she said to me and I forced a smile. She was about to come closer to me when Ace pulled me behind him.
"Don't you dare? Don't you dare, touch her," The same strange voice said and I almost shivered at the harshness he was displaying but I knew it wasn't his fault, it must be so hard to take in everything he was going through.
"Ace, please," she mumbled unable to look him in his eyes. I heard her sniff back her tears and I could hear her voice trembling as she spoke. "Okay I'll talk, I'll tell you everything, and after that. You can decide if you want to hate us or not."
"No, I've already decided. I hate you and him. I've never hated anyone as much as I do right now. You selfish.... You-" his voice hitched in his throat, "how dare you! How can- oh my God. Do you understand what you've done to me?" He yelled and I could feel his anger and sadness. I could see how much he was trying to keep his emotions in check, his little head shakes and chest rising from his heavy breathing.
"I've lived without any love, no parent for most of my life, and what!? They're alive? They've been together this whole time? You know it would have been better if you died with him! It's so much worse that you're alive. You left me! You abandoned me! I had to come and check it myself you know. Check if I really got abandoned, knowing deep inside that I wish you were both dead. At least then I could have forgiven you for leaving me."
His mother was an absolute mess, a crying mess. She couldn't control herself again as she fell to the floor still in tears. Her loud sobs were all that could be heard in the room. That's when my mum came over to help her up. Ace didn't move an inch.
"Ace," she began as my mum helped her to a seat. "I know you hate us, I know and I don't blame you. I just.... Just please would you listen to me? I'll tell your everything this time I promise."
"Ace," I placed my hand on his shoulder from behind him and he took a sharp intake of breath. "Please let's hear her out."
He turned to me and my heart broke at the sight of his reddened nose and eyes. "Please?" I pleaded again placing my hand on his chest this time and he shut his eyes before nodding.
I lead him to seat opposite them and placed his hand on my thigh, giving him a light squeeze.
"We'll listen."
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Wow wow wow
We've gotten so many new reads and they've motivated me so much! Thank you all so much for the votes and comments they make my day!
So what do we think of this new chapter???
Do you think Ace should hear his mother out?
So much drama loading!!!!
Shit is honestly just getting realllll!🤍