Chapter 34- I've Got You

"Are you sure about this?" Tristan asked, gently rubbing my back.

With a deep breath, I nodded. My dad did something terrible, and I knew that.

I was upset with him and he still needed to pay dearly for his crimes, despite how much I love him. He was my best friend. He taught me so much in life, and I couldn’t think that he would betray every good moral that he had ever taught me like this.

But deep down, I knew that if this was the only way to close the case fully before his trial date, then I had to do it. He'd be upset with me, but he was the only one who brought this upon himself.

"Yes. I'm sure" I decided, taking the phone from him with shaky hands.

He rubbed my back with a gentle smile as I dialed the number. Sean stood at the door, watching me intently as I listened to the phone ring.

It was his idea after all to call my dad from the station, saying that I got arrested again for Sheldon's murder, after 'new evidence' came up. He was sure that it would make something change in my dad, and he'd confess everything just to get me 'freed'.

I guess it wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot. All I could think about were all the people who wanted peace about Sheldon’s murder. I hated that my dad was the cause of their grief. I hated that I was the cause of their grief.

"Hello?" His voice boomed through the line, causing my heart to beat faster. It has been so long since I've spoken to him. I almost kinda missed him.

"Dad? I um..I need you to come get me. I'm at the station" I spoke in what sounded like a scared voice.

"The station? What are you doing at the station?"

"I got arrested again. They found new evidence on Sheldon's murder" I squeezed my eyes shut as I spoke. I hated lying. I never practiced it, but I needed to do this.

"What!" He bellowed, causing me to pull back the phone from my ear.

"Yea I um..I had his key at my house. Tristan found it and brought it in this morning when he was at my house" That much wasn’t a lie.

I knew I thought I threw that key away, but all along it had been at my house. I actually found it a few days ago and gave it to Tristan, just in case it could help somehow. Turns out, it did.

"But that doesn’t make any sense!"

"I know dad. They know I'm not the one who killed him, but they have reason to believe that I was behind it. There was no forced entry that night at Sheldon's house. They believed I hired someone to do the deed. I can still be persecuted for this unless proven otherwise" I explained.

My heart actually welled up in grief of it all. I could've sworn that it wouldn't have been so hard, given that I was still very much upset with him. But he's my dad after all. How could I not be sad that he was going away for a long time? The contradicting fight in my mind has been going on for days. I guess that's the difference between moral and instinct.

"I'm on my way. Stay put okay baby girl? And it's uh-it was really nice to hear your voice. Even if it's in these circumstances" And just like that, my tears flowed.

I hated how much of a cry baby I've become over the weeks. But I had to admit to myself--It was nice hearing his voice too. Deep down, I missed him. I missed what we used to be.

Tristan pulled me to his chest as I placed the phone back into its holder. He kissed my forehead softly, whispering something in my hair that I couldn’t hear.

"Thank you Cianna." This came from Sean as he rested his hand on my shoulder. "I know this is hard for you. I really appreciate your help"

I sniffled, quickly wiping my eyes as I slightly turned towards him. "I just hope it works" I mumbled, just wanting this all to be over with.

"When we're done here, I'll take you out for dinner okay?" Tristan whispered in my ear as he gently rubbed my shoulders. I actually smiled at the idea. A night out was exactly what I needed.

"That sounds nice." I admitted. "Thank you" I reached up and quickly pecked his lips. More than anything I wanted more than just a peck, but I knew he was at his workplace. He wasn’t always the most professional person, but I tried not to distract him too much.

It felt like hours since we were waiting, yet it was only twenty minutes. Just like the first time I got arrested, my dad stormed inside with the loudest voice as he cursed at people to 'let his daughter go'.

"This is ridiculous. My daughter didn’t do anything" He spoke as he stepped inside the small interrogation room.

I had one handcuffed to the table. I told them to do it so that it could seem more convincing. I met his eyes at the door, and they softened as they landed on me.

I could see just how much my dad loved me. I was literally everything to him. In his own twisted way, he was willing to give up his freedom just to avenge me. As much as I still do not support nor try to understand his actions, I had to acknowledge one thing--He loved me.

"Hey sweetheart. I'll get you out of here" He spoke over Sean's shoulder as he blocked him from entering the room.

"Mr. Leir. Please calm down" Sean spoke, sounding like his stern uninterested self. My dad was out on bail, but this type of behaviour in a police station could land him right back in jail until his trial.

"Calm down? Let my daughter go! She did nothing"

"How are you so sure, Mr. Leir?" Sean taunted, knowing exactly what he was doing.

"Because I did it!" And there it was.

Sean's theory was right all along.

He didn’t even hesitate to take the blame. He just wanted to see me free. My heart actually welled at the thought. My dad was no longer a 'good man' in my eyes. But he sure as hell was a good father. Not because of what he did to Sheldon and Mia, but simply because of what he'd give up for my sake.

If only it were something different, I would've loved and praised him even more. I couldn’t support what he did to those people, not in a million years. But I could appreciate his love for me. That kind of love was indeed rare.

Tristan, who was just staring at the cuffs on my hands, quickly freed me once my dad confessed. Sean had a ghost smirk on his lips as my dad continued to speak.

"My daughter was nowhere near that man's house that day. I was the one who went there."

*Flashback in third person pov*

"Dad?" Cianna called as she pushed her dad's door open.

Being at home by herself was too overbearing, and she hated how much this breakup affected her.

Cianna had always been sensitive about cheating. After her mom cheated on her dad all those years ago, she hated the act. She wasn’t sad because she broke up with Sheldon. She cared for him, but she never really believed that she was in love with him. They had a way of comforting each other. They were more in a companionship rather than a relationship. Still, the act was completely heart wrenching to her.

She would've felt much better if the man had broken up with her to be with that blonde she saw him with. Maybe then she would understand that he respected her enough to be honest with her. Instead, he went behind her back and cheated. It hurt her, and she wouldn’t deny it.

"Cianna? Is that you sweetheart?" Her dad called as he appeared from his kitchen. Cianna smiled at him as she hung her coat at the door.

He closed the distance between them and hugged her tightly. Renold knew what his daughter had been through, since he was the first person she called. But this was the first she visited him since her break-up two days ago.

"I wanted to stop by," She spoke, sitting on the couch with him. "I haven’t been taking this whole break-up thing well." She admitted.

In fact, every time she thought of what happened to her, she could only think of her dad. He knew what she was going through, so who else to talk to?

"I know" He mumbled, pulling her to his chest. That was enough to break her. Her dad was the only person who had ever seen her vulnerable. To the world, Cianna Leir was always a badass with an attitude. But inside, she was really a softie.

Her shoulders shook as she cried for the first time since her breakup. As much as she was hurt, she refused to cry over him. But maybe, just maybe, crying was what she needed.

"How could he do that to me dad? He knew how sensitive I was about that sort of thing" She cried on his shoulder. He rubbed her back, not really sure how to really comfort her. His heart broke as he watched his angel break in front of him.

"Why dad? Why?"

That question.

That very question.

He remembered how she had asked that exact question years ago when her mom cheated on him, filed for a divorce, and tried to take everything from him to be with her new husband. He hated that he didn’t have the answer then, and he didn’t now.

The hurt in her voice was enough to remind him, and all he could feel was anger. It took years for him to get over what her mom did to him, but this infuriated him even more. Back then, Cianna wasn’t the one feeling it all. Her mom hurt her, but it wasn’t directly. This man however, hurt her and he hated it.

He hated that Sheldon did that to his baby girl.

For the next hour, all she did was cry on him until it completely drained her. He heard when her sniffles transformed in soft long breaths, indicating that she was now asleep. Still, that didn’t calm him.

He paced his living room for two whole hours, with each minute becoming hotter than the next every time he would gaze at her and see how pained she looked. That Sheldon thought he could hurt her and get away with it? Well he couldn't.

The next thing he knew, he was in his kitchen, grabbing a knife from his knife holder, and shrugging a coat over his shoulders. He also placed a hat on his head, and with one look to his still sleeping daughter, he was out the door with one mission in mind.

*End of Flashback. Return to Cianna's point of view*

"I hated him for what he did to her. If you would've seen her that night, you would understand" My dad spoke after he relieved that night so clearly.

I remembered it too. If I had known my breakdown would've angered him so much to the point where he went and murdered Sheldon, I would've never gone to my dad's house that night.

"That gave you no right to take a man's life" Sean spoke.

"I know. I know that now. But I was so angry that I-" He buried his head in his hands, and I felt myself inching closer to him. "I knew that building quite well, because I lived there in my young days. Sheldon's door wasn’t locked when I arrived, and I was wearing my gardening gloves when I entered his apartment... I killed him. I killed Sheldon" As he spoke those words, he looked me right in the eyes.

"I didn’t admit it because I thought I was off the hook when nobody suspected me. But I knew that after that woman, you guys would've connected the dots soon enough. I didn’t want to own up to it because I saw how upset Cianna was about how I killed that woman. I thought she'd hate me if she knew I did this. I can't live with my only daughter hating me"

My heart broke as a tear rolled down his cheek.

"But if this means that you will let her go, I would take the risk" He paused as he looked at Sean. "Let my daughter go. She didn’t kill anyone, neither did she know what I did. I'll have to forever live with what I did, but I want her to know that it was only because I love her. Even if no one sees it, I would do anything for her." He paused as he met my eyes again.

"Cianna, sweetheart, I'm so, so sorry. Instead of making you happier, I hurt you with my actions and I regret that everyday. If I knew that.."

"If you knew that I wouldn’t be okay with you being a murderer, you wouldn’t have done it? Come on dad. How could you?"

He hung his head. "I thought I was doing it for you. I'm sorry baby"

I let my eyes flutter closed. I didn’t want to hate him, and I couldn’t. I just needed more time to adjust. That's all.

"I will testify at my trial. I will deal with the consequences. And maybe I don’t deserve peace, but it would surely give me peace if I know you forgive me. Forgive me Cianna."

I didn’t move. I couldn’t.

It was out there. My dad was indeed Sheldon's murderer. After all these months, the truth was finally out.

"I forgive you dad" I simply stated. I wasn’t doing it for him, but myself. I needed to accept the truth and move on. And in order for me to move on, I had to forgive my dad.

"I forgive you" I repeated as I opened my eyes. The look on his face was as if he had won the lottery as Detective Sean pulled him away.

With a deep breath, I relaxed in Tristan's arms as he pulled me close to him.

It was over. It was all over. All I needed to do was live through this upcoming trial, and then I can finally move forward with my life.

"I've got you Cianna," Tristan mumbled as he placed a kiss on my forehead. "I've got you."