LXXIV. farewells

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"Mr. Stroud!" Melinda called over the loudspeaker. "There's a present for you at the front desk from one Virginie Methót!" There was a pause and then she buzzed again. "When is that angel coming back here, by the way? I miss her. I'm tired of looking at your ugly face."

Alex groaned and rolled his eyes before buzzing back. "Send it right up. And Virginie will be back soon, she had a bad injury so she needed some time off to recuperate. She'll be in the office with you making fun of me before you know it."

"She better," Melinda joked.

Alex walked to the front desk, whistling and wondering what Virginie had sent to him. He had actually been thinking about dropping by to see her after he was done with work to see how she was doing and when she would be coming back.

He was surprised to see Hyeon-Ju standing with a plate of Prime Ribeye with a crown on top with a note attached. "Good afternoon, Alex-sshi! It is good to see you."

He grinned as he took the plate from her hands. "너를 만나서 반가워." (It is good to see you as well.) He thought he had stumbled on a couple of words but Hyeon-Ju looked impressed.

"I see that your lovely companion taught you some Korean," she noted. "Very nice. I cannot wait to see you learn more."

"고맙습니다," he mumbled. (Thank you.) He reached into his pocket, trying to change the subject. "How much do I owe you?"

Hyeon-Ju laughed. "Do you not know what a gift is, Alex-sshi? Virginie already gave me more than enough money to pay for the meal, my time, a tip, and this delivery. Do not give me anything more. I will not take it." She turned around and waved goodbye. "Have a good day! Tell Virginie I said hi when you see her."

Alex nodded numbly as he made his way back into the office. The delicious smell of the Prime Rib was wafting through his nostrils, along with the aroma of rosemary, thyme, garlic, onions, and other various seasonings.

"So? What did she get you?" Melinda asked, peering over the desk. "Is that your favorite dish from Gaonnuri? Ugh, it smells so good."

"She also left me a note," Alex added, showing her the envelope with his name on it in script.

Melinda grabbed it and ripped it open. Her smile vanished as she got deeper into reading it.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Alex questioned, trying to grab the paper from her.

"She's leaving," Melinda murmured. "For good."

"You're lying! Let me see that!" Alex snatched the paper out of her hands and began reading Virginie's otherworldly calligraphy.

Dear my treasured Princess,

I hope you like my presents. That crown is going to look perfect on you. The emeralds are going to sparkle along with your eyes.

I know you're about to tear up that Prime Rib like there's no tomorrow but I do have some stipulations for this gift. Make sure not to get any on your desk. I won't be there to tell you to chew with your mouth closed so I know shit is about to be flying all over the place. You eat like a pig.

On a serious note, I hope that these gifts can make up for my final transgression towards you. I am leaving New York. For good this time. And no, you can't stop me. I've already made up my mind. It's something that needs to be done. Something that I should've done a long time ago but I was being selfish. Well, not anymore. I need to let you go.

I want you to know that I was never faking it with you. I didn't need to. From the moment I tackled you in the middle of The Drip, I knew you were going to be different, as corny as that sounds. I was right. You were always the perfect gentleman and knew how to make me smile. I am going to miss that more than you know.

I want you to find a nice, normal girl who will make you happy. I want you to get married, have kids, and keep winning cases.

Who knows? If fate is kind to my selfish ass, we might meet again.

Farewell,

Virginie

Alex said nothing as he left the plate of food on Melinda's desk and went into his office to grab his phone and wallet.

"Where are you going?" Melinda shouted after him.

"To stop her, duh," Alex responded.

"That's my boy," Melinda cheered.

Alex could briefly hear the news as he sprinted out of the door. "Breaking News: The elusive ex-police commissioner of the Baltimore Police Department, David Hunter, mysteriously reappeared and turned himself in earlier today. Sources say that the charges against him include: possession of child pornography, attempted rape, aggravated sexual assault..."

Virginie had to concentrate to stop herself from crying while she was putting on her makeup. She was usually elated to end a mission. She couldn't wait to go back to headquarters and get her new one. In the background, she could hear Corey and Colette arguing about how to make her stay but they must've known that nothing they could say could change her mind. She was going and that was that.

She longingly stared at her crystal blue eyes and long, dark hair in the mirror, wondering what people saw in them. She saw nothing but despair and helplessness.

"Virginie!" Colette called. "Alex is here to see you!"

"Don't let him―" She couldn't even finish her sentence before Alex burst into the door, panting like a dog after a long run.

It was wrong of her but she was glad that she got to see him one last time before she left. She tried to collect as many details about him as she could fit into her memory. He was wearing her favorite cologne and that black button-up fit him perfectly. He was wearing his hair down for some reason but she loved it like that. His dark yet angelic curls framed his face so well. She wished that he didn't look so sad.

She put her head in her hands. She should've known that letter would just energize him but she couldn't leave without saying goodbye. "What are you doing here? Didn't you get my gift?"

"That's precisely why I'm here, doofus." He shouted. "Did you really think that you could send me something like that and I wouldn't come to stop you?"

Virginie rolled her eyes before looking up at him. "Yes. How foolish of me to think that you would want to listen to someone for once."

"Why are you leaving?" he asked, leaning against the doorway, blocking her exit.

"The mission is over," she replied. "I thought you knew how this worked."

"If it's because the mission is over, why didn't you go back right after we raided Robert's house? Why continue to stay in New York? I know the Collective has plenty of medical attention that they can give you."

"I wanted to recover here first," Virginie fibbed.

"Bullshit. You aren't weak. The first time we met, you ran away from me with a bullet embedded in your shoulder and you want to convince me that you were too weak for travel? Don't make me laugh, Virginie. I know you better than that. Try again."

"I need to start my next mission."

"Liar! I want the damn truth! I've earned that!" His voice began to tremble. "You told me that you would never leave me. I know you said that you weren't faking it with me but were you lying when you said that?"

"That was when my presence was beneficial towards your wellbeing. That is no longer the case." Virginie groaned and began busying herself in packing a bag. "Can you please go? You're making this harder than it has to be."

"Not until you explain yourself." His tone softened. "Your presence is always beneficial to me."

"Fine!" Virginie shouted, throwing her hands up in the air. "You want to know why I have to leave? Because all I do is put you in danger. David, I mean Boss, told me that if I continue to stay in New York that he was going to kill you, Jabari, Ethan, Corey, and Colette so I have to go, don't you understand? Do you know how much more I would hate myself if I found out you died because of me? You already got tortured and almost shot because of Boss's stupid crush on me. I'm not letting anything else happen to you. I can't allow my feelings to continue to put you in danger anymore."

Alex laughed as Virginie frowned, on the verge of tears. She was making the hardest decision of her life and he wanted to laugh at her.

"I don't understand what's so funny. He threatened all of you and―" She was cut off as Alex wrapped his arms around her. She could feel his heartbeat thudding against her skin, sending her nerves into a frenzy. Goosebumps suddenly appeared all over her skin like popcorn bursting in oil.

"You're free, Virginie. We're both free." He released her and looked at her with happy yet tear-filled eyes. "He's going to jail. He turned himself in."

Virginie shook her head. "What? I don't understand. I just talked to him this morning and he sounded confident that he was going to pick me up."

"I think it was my brother," Alex mused, almost to himself. "That brilliant bastard figured out a way to send him to jail."

"How do you know?" Virginie choked out, not even understanding if this was real or if this was a dream.

"It's all over the news. He's probably going to jail for a long time. I didn't hear all of the details but it was a lot of felonies."

"Holy shit," Virginie breathed, landing on her bed in awe. But she quickly shook her head. This didn't mean that this could end like a fairytale. Because it wasn't. "That doesn't mean that I can stay."

Alex's expression contorted into one of confusion. "What's stopping you from wanting to stay in New York? From wanting to stay with me?"

She pointed to him with a firm finger. "That. That is exactly why I can't stay. I'm no good for you, Alex. You need someone that can take care of you and love you the way you deserve. I'm not healthy. I'm fucked up. My mind is fucked up. My body has been used by men all over the globe. I have nightmares all the time. I have breakdowns. I hate myself. I―"

"Shut the hell up." Alex took a deep breath. "Do you know how many girls that I've dated that were 'healthy' and 'could take care of me'? Tons and tons. They were all boring. None of them could beat me in a fight or teach me how to make authentic bolognese or give me lessons on how to speak Korean. None of them would be willing to get tortured or shot for me." Alex tilted her head up so she could look at him. His eyes were earnest and sincere even though Virginie couldn't believe what she was hearing wasn't something of her wildest dreams. "You don't need to be fixed. If you want to go to therapy, that's fine. I'll come with you. I'll pay for it. I don't mind sitting with you during your breakdowns or leaving you alone until you're ready to talk it out. I'll hold you during your nightmares and talk you back into reality. I would love to do that for you. You're perfect. You're the most awe-inspiring, mesmerizing, enchanting, bewitching, gorgeous, brilliant, cunning woman I have ever met and if I would have to spend the rest of my life not listening to you berate me and call me princess every day I would rather die."

The room was silent and the silence was deafening and heavy as the truth weighed on Virginie's shoulders like a ton of bricks. She could barely comprehend the words that were coming out of his mouth. It was like a scene from one of those movies that her clients used to put on but it was real. "What are you saying, Alex? What are you trying to say?"

"You have consumed my heart and soul. My feelings for you have taken over my life. I can't find any other girl attractive anymore because I know you are the most alluring woman I will ever see. I love you so much that it makes me sick." Alex slapped himself on the head. "Damn it! I'm so sorry, I know those words are a trigger for you. I'm so stupid! I'm so sorry, please forgive me."

"Say it again," Virginie whispered, standing up so that their faces were barely centimeters apart. She had never felt those words not bring her dread. She wanted to see if it was a one-time thing or maybe she was finally moving past the girl in the bathtub.

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Say what again?"

"Those words. You can say them again."

Alex grinned and got so warm, Virginie almost pulled away. "I love you."

"Again."

"Je t'aime."

"Again."

"Ti amo."

"Again."

"Te quiero."

"Again."

"사랑해."

"Again."

Alex chuckled. "I'm running out of languages here."

Virginie stared at him, wordless at his spontaneous declaration.

"You don't have to say it back if you don't want to! I know those words are hard for you to hear and honestly, it's amazing you could hear me say them that many times. Even if you never say it to me, I understand."

She now had hope that one day she would.

A/N: If you made it this far, thank you so much. I honestly didn't post this to get any reads. It was only so that my friends could read my novel easier and some of y'all decided to hop on the ride! I hope the ending was worth the wait. If not, there's a completely alternate ending in the works. Let me know your thoughts. I also have a chapter where the tension finally reaches and a fever pitch and Alex gets some well-needed relief if you catch my drift. If you're interested, leave a comment, and I'll post it.

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