FROM THE AUTHOR: This chapter ends the long journey of Henry Heller.
After reading the comments not written by trolls, who by the way seem to mostly infect the LW category, I feel that I need to explain a key point in the series.
The criticisms were that I was rehashing conversations between Henry and Darcy. The rehash occurred over ten years after the events of Chapter One. In the heated first chapter, a hysterical Darcy was trying to explain her side of the adultery to an angry, humiliated Henry who turned a deaf ear to everything she had to say to him.
Over ten years later, they are in their mid-30s. Henry and Darcy are now scarred veterans of life. Henry is more patient and is now willing to listen to Darcy. So in reality, the characters would have talked about the events of long ago, except this time in greater detail and with compassion and understanding. This is based on my own experiences at high school reunions and gatherings with old army buddies.
Although I am a BTB fan, this story ends with compassion, understanding, forgiveness, redemption, faith, and hope.
There is a recon. So if you don't like that, don't read.
There is limited sex in this one.
All characters are of the appropriate adult age in terms of anything sexual.
Trolls and Haters need not bother to comment. SERIOUSLY!
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THE STORY CONCLUDES....
There was silence in the car as I drove us to the mansion. I led Darcy by the hand to the ornate front door. She turned in the doorway towards me.
"Henry, please not tonight. Maybe we should wait until later," she pleaded.
"The night isn't over yet, Darcy. I need answers from you tonight about us," I said with determination in my tone of voice. I locked the door and led her to the loveseat. She tried to pull away.
"Henry, please no! I'm tired, and I want to go home. Maybe we can talk next week," she pleaded.
"SIT!" I barked.
She was startled by my yell. After a deep breath which she slowly let out, she sat down, pulled her heels off, and folded her legs under her which females seem to be able to do always. I handed her a water bottle.
"Let me say this first. You were and still are a wonderful man. Everything that happened to us was my fault. Oh what a fall it was for me! I was locked up for obstruction of justice because of the Gen1 scandal. Plus you divorced me. It was in prison that I was able to reflect back on how my great life had now turned to dust. I let my pride, lack of courage, and poor choices get the most of me. Chad did his part to ruin me, but most of the disaster was on my poor choices. I killed me!"
I let her quietly sob for a few minutes. Then, I asked a question that kept lingering in my brain.
"Did you ever give me sloppy seconds?" I numbly said.
"NO! Chad tried to make me, but I refused. He pressed me, and I slapped him. I told him I would rather be outed than do that to you. He backed off. When I got to M.I.T. years later, well, you know what happened then."
"So was he better than me...in bed?" I said with fear.
Darcy let a short sarcastic laugh and said, "He had trouble getting started and couldn't last more than five minutes. He needed to degrade and abuse me with his perverted bondage crap just so he could get hard. He had a life-size poster of me in my cheerleader uniform, minus my bloomers, doing side splits. The poster had dried cum on it. He was pathetic, but in order to get through it I convinced myself that I was into that BDSM stuff and that he was a great lover and not a little wiener."
I laughed, and Darcy looked at me angrily. Then she caught on, and she laughed also. It was welcome break of 20 seconds.
"So what about Gen1? I never did know exactly what happened there," I asked quietly even though I was afraid there would be more bad news.
"Chad had been tracking you electronically. He knew you were coming up to Cambridge, but he didn't know about the legal nuclear bombs you were about to drop on him and me. I guess talking to your dad and GloSec face-to-face was a great idea. You confirmed everything about me, and unknowingly I was on my way to being a divorcee and a guest at Club Fed Penitentiary," she said bitterly.
"And the obstruction charge?"
"Chad was working on a cancer vaccine, but he was secretive since he did the formula work himself. I was in charge of arranging for test subjects and monitoring the results. Then two people died. The FDA visited us. I lied to them per Chad's instructions. He said I was just as guilty as he was since I was part of the project, and if he went to jail, I would too. Then over the next month, two things happened. First, the stress and fear got to him. He really began to savagely use me. He tortured me while I was in horrible bondage. I never knew that someone could be so sadistic. Second, nine more subjects died. We panicked, and he told me that we would start destroying records the next day. However, Chad and I were arrested that night. Well, you know the rest," she said. I noticed that her voice had gone from low to a sobbing whisper.
"Those people...those poor people...I am so sorry for them and for us and the children we never had. I should have just killed myself over ten years ago. I never got anything right in my life. Heck, I couldn't even get myself murdered in prison. After I picked a fight with the toughest bitches in the yard, I ended up in hospital and from there to solitary. What a 100% loser!" she muttered in resignation.
'That's not true. You were the best and hottest cheerleader I have ever met. Remember that you were cheer captain when your squad took state."
She chuckled and punched me in the chest.
"Okay, that makes me a 95% loser!" We both laughed.
"I wished we had a time machine," I sighed.
"So do I, my love."
We just sat there, both of us silenced and overwhelmed by the revelations. Eventually, she fell asleep. I sat there angry, frustrated, and depressed by what happened to us. I was a failure too. Back then, I was an obtuse, narcissistic jock who didn't know that my greatest treasure had been stolen from me. I failed to protect Darcy, and when she was emotionally and mentally ill, I turned away from her.
Well, the time had come to right all wrongs.
I carried her to my bedroom and laid her down. I slowly undressed her. She looked up at me with a strange combination of uncertainty and hope. She shook her head.
"Henry, what are you doing?"
"I am correcting a mistake from years ago. I threw you away in a moment of extreme anger. I failed as a husband, and you failed as a wife. This time we are going to get it right. Remember the vows: in good times and bad, for better and for worse, till death do us part," I said as I quickly removed my clothes.
"Henry, we are not ready for this! It's best if I go home now before it's too late," she said unconvincingly as she moved her body so I could remove her bra and panties. I left her black thigh-hi stockings on.