Chapter 586: Nine Square Meter Room

Since Katherine woke up over an hour ago, she held herself well despite being reminded of Chris's death. She didn't want to dwell on the fact that Chris died four days ago while saving her. It wasn't because she disregarded what happened, but the thought of it was just too painful—she didn't think she deserved to mourn.

It was like having a crack in a dam within her. A crack that she tried to ignore even though the water was already spraying out of it.

However, hearing Damien's news regarding Gus just made that crack grow bigger. Until she could no longer hold it in. How did this keep happening to her? People always died trying to save her. She was then reminded of the time when Parker tortured her, and he let her listen to a recording that happened during the night when their house was invaded, and her parents were killed.

The sheer memory of that painful night caused an old scar in her heart to bleed once more.

Damien cradled her in his arms, letting her release everything that's making her sad. It broke his heart that holding her was the only thing he could do for her. "Let it all out, Katherine. I'm right here."

An image of Gus from when they were still in Shadow flashed in her muddled thoughts. There was a time when she hung out with him and Styles after a mission, and that was the most carefree memory of him that she could remember. Gus was supposed to leave this life and start a new one in a place where no one knew him. How could he be gone before that could happen?

And Chris… He was supposed to be with his sister now that he found her. He had just been reunited with Emma. And now he was gone? Life was so unfair to him. Katherine could never forget what Chris did to her memories and how betrayed she felt when she knew that Chris lied to her. However, despite the disappointment and hurt, she couldn't deny that Chris was a huge part of her life. She practically grew up knowing him and having feelings for the man she looked up to.

Burying her face in Damien's chest, her shoulders shook as she cried. "How am I going to face Emma? What do I tell her? Because of me…Chris, her brother, he's gone."

Damien's heart sank, hearing that she was blaming herself for what happened. He understood that she would think that way, but that wasn't fair. He placed a hand on her cheek and gently lifted her face so he could look at her straight in the eyes. "It's not your fault. We all went there knowing it was dangerous. We all knew the risks that we put in our lives. We knew what we were getting into. You can't blame yourself."

"He literally threw himself in front of a bullet for me, Damien. He died because of me!" Her lips trembled as tears continued to flow down her face.

He wiped her cheeks with his thumb and fingers, never taking his gaze off her even for a second. His eyes were also becoming misty, feeling saddened that she was feeling this way.

Pressing his forehead to hers, he kissed the tip of her nose before pulling back slightly to look at her again. "I would never forgive him for what he did to you. And I know that you had a history together that I still can't wrap my head around. Regardless of what happened in the past, I know he loved you. For some twisted reason, I know that—else, he wouldn't have done what he did at the cost of his life."

Then Damien closed his eyes for a brief second, opened them again, and then he added, "I would do just the same for you, Katherine. I wouldn't think twice. That's how much I love you. It's a choice made without the need to think about it. So please...stop blaming yourself."

The thought of Damien in Chris's stead hurt so much that she felt like her heart was being squeezed into a pulp. She would never be able to live through the pain if that would ever happen. But what he said gave her a bit of comfort that she tried not to think it was her fault. It was hard, though. Losses are hard.

That night, she asked Damien to stay in bed with her. It was meant for a single person, but she didn't want to deal with it alone. So he laid with her, holding her until she fell asleep.

…

Tuesday—December 18

Although Katherine could walk on her own, albeit slowly, Damien insisted that she use a wheelchair. He wheeled her out of her room, and they followed an NIA security who led them towards where they held Parker. They passed by several closed doors with no labels on them except numbers and letters and turned a few corners until they reached an elevator.

She felt uneasy. Apart from the bruises on her body, she was silently suffering some internal tremors because of the drug that Amelia injected into her that day. She expected it but still hated that she had to suck it up. It felt like there were vibrations in her bones, most likely happening around the area at the bottom of her spine. There were also some in her hands. They didn't shake physically, but she could feel that they were vibrating internally.

The high technology elevator car with a touch panel brought them further underground. The ride lasted for about fifteen seconds, and she could only guess that they were several levels down the ground.

They entered a heavily secured area and reached a room where Director Hughes was waiting.

"I'm glad to see you awake, Ms. Young. How are you feeling?" asked Director Hughes, initiating handshakes to them.

"I'm feeling better, thank you." Katherine smiled. "Damien told me what happened. I really appreciate everything that you did, Director."

"Just doing what's best for our country." She smiled back. "I was told you wanted to see Parker?"

Katherine nodded. "I just want to see for myself that he's really locked up."

"I understand the need, and I'd be glad to help if that will make you feel at ease." Director Hughes turned around. "Follow me."

Damien wheeled Katherine around and walked a few steps behind Hughes. They stopped when she did. There was a small window the size of a notebook on a door that showed the inside of a room where Parker was. With Damien's help, Katherine stood up and took a peek.

Parker was inside a nine square meter room with white walls that only had a bed and a chair. He was sitting on the chair, reading a book with his legs crossed, dressed in a white shirt and pants. This was the simplest look she had ever seen him in.

Something flickered on the wall next to where Katherine stood, and when she turned, the wall became see-through.

Director Hughes pressed something on the panel on the wall and told them, "It's a one-way mirror just like that door window. He doesn't know that we're watching him right now. The room is bullet and sound proofed. No one can open the door without this key that only I and a trusted personnel have access to." She showed a silver card in her hand. "You can rest assured that the place he'll be transferred to will be similar to this. And no visitations."

Katherine stared at Parker. The older man was casually reading 'The Great Gatsby'. Seeing him trapped in a room with nothing but himself, she finally released a breath that she didn't know she was holding.

It wasn't how she envisioned Parker would end up. She imagined that after Shadow's downfall, Parker would at least be dead. But she thought that was an easy way out of life. With all of the things he had done, he should spend the rest of his life locked in a cell with no human interaction.