CHAPTER 7: RELEASE
1625 Words
CHAPTER SEVEN
Realease
LISA'S POV
I stopped believing in miracles a long time ago. Life had taught me that good things usually came with a price.
Every time I thought I had finally found peace, something happened and reminded me that I was never truly safe.
But that morning, as I sat alone in the interrogation room, exhausted and afraid, something happened that made me question everything I thought I knew.
The door opened and my heart immediately jumped. For a second, I thought another officer had come to ask me more questions.
Or to accuse me of another crime. Another reminder that my life was falling apart.
I looked up slowly, already preparing myself for more bad news.
But the officer standing at the door didn't look like I expected him to.
He wasn’t carrying a file this time or looking at me like I was guilty.
“Miss Corris?” he called.
I sat up straighter. “Yes?” I answered.
He stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “I have an update for you,” he said
I felt shivers down my spine. My first thought was my mother.
“What happened?” I asked quickly. “Is my mother okay?”
I looked closely at the officer's face, like there were words written there.
“She is still receiving medical care” he said
I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Thank God” I exhaled.
“And you will be released today,” he said, beaming with smiles. I guess he was happy on my behalf.
I didn’t understand his words. I didn't know what to say. This was more than good news to me.
“You mean I'll be released today?” I asked in disbelief.
The officer nodded in agreement.
I stared at him. My mind struggled to process what I was hearing.
Uncontrollable tears rolled down my eyes. After everything? I had been so scared.
I spent the entire night wondering if I would ever leave this place…
I was finally going home after everything.
I covered my mouth with my hand, trying to control my emotions.
“How?” I whispered.
The officer looked down at his notes.
“Mr. Charles Manson contacted the station. He arranged for the charges to be reviewed and cleared,” he said.
Charles? His name alone brought back the memory of him sitting across from me.
The way he spoke that day and promised to help me.
He believed me when everyone else doubted me.
This was the same man I thought would destroy me, he had become the person saving me.
I felt a huge relief. I was grateful that Charles came into the picture.
“I don't understand,” I whispered. I didn't know when these words fell from my lips.
“Understand what?” the officer asked.
“Why would he do this?” I muttered.
The officer shrugged. “That’s something you’ll have to ask him yourself.”
I looked down at my hands and for the first time since this nightmare began, I felt like I could breathe.
Maybe I had been wrong about Charles all the while.
Maybe I had judged him too quickly because of his reputation.
Maybe behind that rude and fierce look was someone who actually cared and saw me as a person instead of a criminal.
“I’m grateful,” I whispered.
The officer nodded. “You’ll be leaving soon.”
After he left, I remained sitting there quietly. I don't know why my heart was racing, I'm sure it wasn't because I was afraid. Maybe because there was hope this time.
And hope was something I had almost forgotten how to feel.
---
A few minutes later, the door opened again and this time, I already knew it was Charles.
He walked into the room with the same calm confidence he always carried.
But today, something about seeing him felt different.
Maybe because I no longer saw him as someone I needed to fear but because he was the first person who had offered me a way out when my world collapsed.
His eyes met mine. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
I stood up slowly and smiled. “I'm better because of you. Thank you,” I gasped.
“You don’t need to thank me,” he muttered.
“I was alone, and everyone was against me but you helped me,” I admitted.
Charles looked away briefly. “It was the right thing to do,” he said.
His answers were so simple and this surprised me. He didn’t act like he wanted praise.
He didn’t behave like someone who wanted to be worshipped. He just did what he believed was necessary.
And somehow, that made me respect him more.
The officer returned with my things. My bag, phone, and the few belongings they had taken from me.
When I held my phone again, my fingers trembled. There were so many missed calls and messages.
But the only person I wanted to call was my mother. I needed to hear her voice.
Charles noticed my expression. “We’re going to see her,” he said.
I looked at him immediately. “You’re taking me to her?”
“Yes,” he muttered.
My eyes burned again. “Thank you.”
This time, he didn’t tell me not to thank him. He simply nodded.
---
Charles’s car was unlike anything I had ever been inside. Everything looked expensive and clean. Such a perfect life.
I sat quietly beside him, holding my bag close while watching the city outside.
People moved around like the world was normal, but my world had changed completely overnight.
I was lost in my thoughts. My mind was too overwhelmed to say anything.
For the first time since everything started, I wasn’t wondering if I would spend the night in a police cell.
I wasn’t wondering if my mother would receive help or wondering if my entire life was about to disappear.
Charles had changed everything and I still couldn’t believe it.
The same man I had been afraid of when I first saw him at the gala was now the reason I was free.
The reason my mother was receiving treatment. I looked at him quietly.
His hands remained steady on the steering wheel, his eyes focused on the road.
He looked so calm.
“You’re quiet,” Charles said.
I looked at him. “I’m thinking,” I said.
“About?” he asked.
I looked back out the window. “About how strange life is,”
He glanced at me briefly. “What do you mean?”
“Yesterday, I thought my life was over, I thought I had lost everything. And now the person I thought would be my worst enemy is the one helping me,” I muttered.
The car became quiet. It was at this time I realized I had messed up. s**t! I shouldn't have said that. He doesn't know me.
Charles didn’t answer immediately.
I looked at him but he looked calm. I'm sure he didn't suspect a thing.
“I’m not your enemy, Lisa,” he muttered.
“I know, that came out the wrong way. I meant, a stranger,” I lied, trying to cover it up.
When the car stopped in front of the hospital, my heart immediately started beating faster because my mother was here
She was somewhere inside. After hours of fear, I was finally going to see her.
Charles noticed the change in my expression. “You’re nervous,” he said.
“I don’t know what I’m going to see,” I breathed.
“She is stable,” assured.
I turned toward him quickly. “You know?”
“Yes. I spoke with the doctors,” he said.
A small breath escaped my lips.
“Thank you for telling me.”
We walked into the hospital together.
The smell of medicine filled the air, and the sound of footsteps and voices surrounded us.
But all I could think about was my mother.
The woman who had sacrificed everything for me.
The woman who had hidden her pain just to make sure I was okay.
When we reached her room, I stopped outside the door.
My fingers trembled as I reached for the handle. I suddenly felt scared. What if she looked worse? What if she was still unconscious?
What if she blamed herself for everything?
I had so many questions with no answer.
Charles noticed I wasn’t moving.
“Lisa,” he called. His voice was gentle. “She needs you,” he whispered.
I nodded slowly and opened the door.
I rushed into the hospital room, my heart beating painfully against my chest.
But the moment I saw my mother awake, slowly eating the food beside her bed, a wave of relief washed over me.
“Mom,” I whispered.
Her weak smile almost broke me. “Lisa, you look like you haven’t slept,” she said.
I laughed softly through my tears and held her hand.“I was so scared,” I cried.
She squeezed my fingers gently.“I’m okay, sweetheart.”
I turned to Charles, unable to hide my gratitude. “You saved her. You saved us.”
He looked away briefly, but his voice remained calm. “I only did what was necessary,” he said.
But to me, he had done much more.
The man I thought would hurt me had become the person standing beside me when I needed someone most.
As we left the hospital room, Charles stopped and looked at me.
“Lisa, whatever happens next, I’ve got your back.”
- Writer
