(Cylan's

POV)

The cool night air hit my face as I stepped out of the chaos and into the parking lot. Ambulances lined the street with their lights flashing in chaotic rhythm. I spotted her immediately-Emily. She was leaning against a stretcher as a paramedic wrapped her arm in a bandage.

"Emily!" I called out.noveldrama

She turned, and when she saw me, her face lit up. "Cylan."

I ran to her and threw my arms around her. She winced slightly, but her laugh was soft and warm. "You did it," she whispered. "You saved me."

"We saved you," I corrected and pulled back just enough to look into her eyes. She looked so exhausted. "I couldn't have done it without everyone's help. But... I couldn't have left you there either."

Her lips brushed against mine in a soft, fleeting kiss that felt like the first breath after drowning. "Thank you," she whispered.

The victory felt bittersweet as I watched the remaining patients filter out of the center. The fight wasn't over-not for me.

Ellen's bruised and battered face flashed in my mind. Her fiancé's cruel words echoed in my ears. No, my fight was far from over.

"Cylan!"

I turned to see my parents stepping out of a black car, their faces as stern and stony as ever. My mother's lips were pursed as her eyes scanned me with disapproval. My father's jaw was tight and his hands were clasped behind his back.

I squared my shoulders, standing taller than I felt.

"Cylan," my mother began sharply. "This... display. This behavior. Do you have any idea how much shame you've brought to this family?"

"Shame?" I repeated as my voice shook with anger. "You're talking about shame? Do you even know what I've been through? What I've survived?"

"Don't exaggerate," my father snapped. "You wouldn't have needed to survive anything if you'd just done as you were told."

"Done as I was told?" I laughed bitterly. "You mean marry some stranger and live a lie for the rest of my life? Be the perfect daughter you always wanted but never cared to understand?"

My mother's face turned red. "You're being dramatic, Cylan. This isn't about understanding. This is about family. Duty. Responsibility."

"No," I said as my voice steadied now. "This is about control. You wanted to control me, to mold me into something I'm not. But I'm done. I'm done letting you dictate my life. My love. My future."

They stared at me, stunned into silence.

"I'm staying with Ellen," I continued without missing a syllable. "I'm going to fight for her. And for Emily. And for everyone else who's been hurt by people like you-people who think they have the right to tell others how to live their lives." My father opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. "You can disown me if you want. But I won't be a gnome in your lawn anymore."

For the first time, I felt free.

I turned to leave but I just couldn't resist the urge to add, "Oh, and Mr. and Mrs. Brown, I like girls, I like eating pussy and I'm fucking queer and proud. Fucking deal with it!"

...

(Few days later)

(Dennis's POV)

I sat in the cold courtroom while the weight of a thousand sins pressed against my chest. The murmurs of the crowd felt like the echoes of my past; one was about betrayal, another about deceit. Travis sat a few rows behind me, his face blank, his jaw tight. He couldn't even look at me. Angel... my daughter... she was nowhere to be seen.

The prosecutor's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "Dennis Accutane. You stand accused of aiding and abetting the operation of an illegal medical facility, conspiracy to traffic human organs, and gross negligence resulting in countless lives lost. How do you plead?"

"Guilty," I whispered, barely audible.

"Speak up," the judge demanded as her eyes pierced through me.

"Guilty," I repeated, louder this time. The words tasted like ash.

The evidence against me was insurmountable. The basement of our home the one I had forbidden Hendrix and Angel from entering was filled with incriminating files. Contracts, patient logs, and photographs. My attempts to destroy it all before my arrest had been futile.

Travis's lawyer argued his case well, painting him as a man who had been coerced and manipulated by me and the system. The judge seemed to be convinced as her expression softened slightly whilst she considered his pleas. But I had no such defense.

When it was my turn to speak, I turned to the crowd, searching for Angel's face. When I found her, my heart shattered. She looked at me with an expression I didn't want to understand anger, hurt, and something I feared might be pity. "Angel..." My voice cracked as tears blurred my vision. "I'm sorry. For everything. I thought I was protecting you, protecting Hendrix. But I see now... I see how wrong I was. Please... forgive me." She didn't answer. She just turned her face away.

Later, during recess, I caught a moment with her in the hallway. She stood rigid with crossed arms and her eyes fixed on the floor.

"Angel, please. Just... listen to me."

She finally looked up, and her gaze was colder than I'd ever seen. "You betrayed us. You betrayed me. You sent me and Hendrix to that hellhole knowing exactly what it was. How could you?"

"I thought I was saving us," I whispered as tears spilled over. "I thought... if I just kept her happy-Dr. Aurora- I could keep you safe."

"Safe?" Angel's voice cracked as she stepped closer. "You think that was safe? Do you have any idea what we went through? What Hendrix went through? And for what? To save your own skin?"

I reached for her, but she stepped back, shaking her head. "I don't want your apologies, Mom. I want you to live with what you've done."

As she walked away, I felt my heart shatter into pieces.

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