Magic words

"Make it simple. But significant" - Don Draper

| Ardian |

"What?" I asked shocked
"Did you have sex with Ivelle? Or did she... assault you? You can tell me, whichever way it happened, we just want t-"
"No" I shut down
"No, I haven't. Never" I denied

"Right. Okay, I'm sorry" he said
"Has she said something?" I asked
"What would she say?" He asked confused
"Well where's this all coming from? Sleeping with her?" I asked angrily

I had no right to be angry
But the panic of anyone finding out. It overruled everything else.
"You think she's told us that?" He gaged
"Has she?" I asked

"No. No she just... hinted at it" he said
"Well stop her. Because we... I haven't done anything like that" I snapped, leaving
I had to appear angry, offended
When really I was breaking down inside
She can't tell them.

She'll ruin me.
She'll ruin everything.

I got my things back, seeing several texts from Enora, asking if I was free to see her and Daisy.
Asking if she can explain.

| Ivelle |

"You had a baby" she said bluntly
"You're subtle" I commented
"You had a baby" she said again
"Yes" I chuckled

"And you all think it's Ardian's" I laughed
"Is it?" She asked
I flicked my eyes over her
"Don said you had a son" she relayed
"Yes" I answered

"Is he alive?" She asked
"Why does everyone keep asking that?" I muttered annoyed
"You hand yourself in with no baby in sight. You are now recorded at 32 murders that we know of. Is it so hard to jump to the idea that you might have done something to your son?" She asked

"When I get out of these..." I rattled my cuffs against the table
"I'll kill you for insinuating such a thing" I said truthfully
"Threatening me won't do you well" she said

"And pissing me off won't do you well" I said back.
"If it is Ardian's... if you're all so worried. Why don't you tell him? Ask him if he could be" I asked

She said nothing
"You're keeping it from him. It's all you people ever do. Lie, lie, lie! Ardian is a master at it" I laughed
"You need Ardian in the dark just as much as we do" she said

"Why's that?" I asked
She stubbed her cigarette out on the white table
"Because if this mystery son is Ardian's, protocol would separate the two of you permanently" she said

And in fairness to her, I didn't want that to happen.
Ever
I need him in my life.

| Ardian |

"I'm sorry about last time. I didn't mean to upset you" Enora tried
"I get it. You moved on, I... I'm not angry at you for moving on, I guess I'm just angry I wasn't there for her" I explained

She ducked her head
"I heard about your mother, I'm so sorry" she said
I shrugged
"She died peacefully... more than my dad ever got" I said sadly

"I'm sorry" she said again, placing her hand on my arm
I looked at her, at Daisy asleep in the pushchair beside her

The family I could have had if everything went right
"You uh... you're not sleeping are you?" She asked, looking at my red eyes
"No" I admitted
But you don't know why.

You don't know what she's doing to me.
Messing with my mind!

"I didn't sleep for months after... everything. I grew paranoid. Daisy didn't leave my side. Her cot was right up against the bed. She... she was always in my arms" she explained
"What changed?" I asked

"I told myself that you were right. That despite her... controlling and manipulating ways. You do understand her. And I trust you, I know you wouldn't lead me into false security" she said, looking beside to me.

"Never" I promised
"Maybe we would have made it without her" she laughed sadly, looking down
"No. We never would have made it" I admitted, gaining her eyes

"I would have messed it up somehow. It's what I do" I said
"You can't talk yourself out of that habit?" She lightly teased

"No. Afraid not" I sighed
"You weren't all bad Ardian. We used to be happy" she assured, squeezing my arm
I stared into those innocent eyes
Innocent. Uncomplicated

"On movie nights. Date nights, karaoke on New Years" I remembered
She smiled wider
"Yeah, and every thing in between" she said lowly

Before she slowly leaned in. And she kissed me...
A familiar and... comforting feel
Caught up in a moment
But I was so surprised, I barely kissed her back
Before she pulled away.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"
"No it's fine" I assured her
She shook her head, standing up
"No, I shouldn't have, I don't know what I was thinking-"
"Enora" I stopped her

She took a breath, pulling her arm out of my gentle grip
"No. We shoul- I shouldn't have done that. I have Patrick" she mumbled guiltily
"Yeah... yeah I'm sorry too" I apologised.

I'm sorry I didn't kiss you back
Sorry I'm still lying to you
Sorry that I feel guilty and ashamed

•

Session four.
Halfway, to freedom
To 'moving on'

I sat down, waiting for her to speak.
"Good morning Ardian" she smiled
"You're in a good mood today" I said
"You're back, that's always good" she said
I hadn't seen her for three days.

"Let talk then, missing victim number four. Murder victim number thirteen. What happened?" I asked
She said nothing.

"Freddie O'Hallaran's sister. Missing in 2017 on a holiday you attended with his family
It was assumed she went over the mountain edge. Lost on a hike. But as you became apparent in the cases. Seems like there's more to it, doesn't it?" I said

"Ooh, you're all detective on me today" she grinned
"What happened Ivelle?" I asked
"I suppose it's better than you wallowing, stinking of booze" she said

"Ivelle focus" I said
"I missed that too" she said
Don't ask
Don't ask
"What?" I asked

"That confidence. Bossing me around, grounding me. It's what attracted me to you" she tilted her head
Not in that way that calls me stupid.
In... a playful way
"Freddie's sister" I said

It's why she ended up killing Freddie, she had told Dione Lowell
That she killed his sister and he found out
He found out about a lot of her murders

She sighed dramatically
"In Shady woods north of the cabins. I'm sorry but I don't quite have an exact estimate" she said bored
"She's..."
"Buried. Deep" she said

"How did she die?" I asked, giving her an out
Rather than how did you kill her?
This way, it's easier for her to separate herself from the crime.

"She was hit" she muttered
"Hit?" I echoed, writing it all down
"With an axe" she added, making me stop

I looked up
"An axe?" I asked surprised
She nodded

"She didn't like me. She knew I was... off. That's what she said. That there was something about me... that was wrong" she explained

Her chains dragged across the floor and the table as she leant forward, closer to the partition
"You know she had to die, don't you?" She said

Yes
Because in Ivelle's world, people can't deny her
They can't reject her
She doesn't take rejection well.

"So that's the most accurate place you can give me?" I asked

"Don't leave so early" she said sadly, glancing at the mirrored window
"They can't hear us can they? You can talk to me a little longer" she suggested

"I can't" I said.
And yet I didn't close the notepad
I didn't put the pen down
I remained sat as if I was still listening to her to take notes

I played into her hands time and time again.
And in the past year I still couldn't figure out why.
Why I was so... drawn to her

"I handed myself back in so I could see you Ardian. No crime, no kidnapping. Just... talking to you" she said
"I thought you hated me" I let out

"You hurt me. I really thought we had something" she said
"Did you?" I asked
Her emotions are hard for her to decipher

"Yes. That night we fu-"
"Don't talk about that" I said
"Why not?" She asked
"Because I'm beginning to get questions about it. Meaning you've told someone something" I accused

She blinked
Once. Twice
"Have you?" I demanded
"No. I wouldn't. You're so determined to paint me as the bad guy in your head and you know I'm not" she snapped

"I wouldn't hurt you like that. Even when you deserve it after hurting me" she said angrily
"I'm... sorry" I forced out. To calm her down.

"No. You're not. You only care about yourself" she muttered
"Just go" she said
"Go?" I questioned

"Yeah. Each time I see you, you're more and more... fake. Pretending to be the respectable doctor I met that first time. And you're not! You're not respectable and you're not ethical and you're not fucking moral Ardian. You like me. You fucked me! You can't keep lying to yourself all of your life. You'll explode" she burst out with.

I stood
And I understood
"I'll see you tomorrow" I said
"Tomorrow?" She asked
I nodded
"Sooner it's over. Sooner you don't have to see me" I said

She scoffed
"You're such a victim. You really should look into your own mindset before you criticise everyone else's" she said after me.

| Deimos |

"Please... s-stop" he choked out, lying on the floor
"I'm not hearing the magic words" I said, halting momentarily
"I'll do it..." he said, spitting blood onto the floor

He was in a very bad condition
But I left his face unmarked
That's all he'll need
"Great. You hear that?" I asked his wife.

She was out cold. Unconscious and bleeding
"Oh she's tired" I frowned, showing him her bloody face
"Should have caved sooner, look at that pretty face now" I taunted, dropping her face and her head hit the floor again

"I'll call you tomorrow" I said, leaving the house

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