“I never figured out their motive behind the kidnapping ten years ago,” Finnick said with a frown. “They could have taken their leave after getting the money, but they chose to commit arson instead. What makes them think setting me on fire and letting the whole world know of the kidnapping would do them any good?”
He paused and looked at the ceiling. “I’ve been doing my own investigations over the years, and I can confirm that Mark was the mastermind behind all this. Those burglars were after my life rather than my money, and the ransom was just another one of Mark’s smoke screens. What he didn’t expect was to hear of my escape from the inferno.”
He clenched his fists in anger. Memories of his escape had plagued his mind for years, and he was determined to take revenge.
Vivian sighed as she racked her brains to think of a suitable response.
Even though it had been a decade since the fire, Finnick was still having trouble moving on from it. That in itself was an indication of just how severe the trauma was.
She pried open his fists and held on to his clammy hands in the hopes of helping him calm down.
Noticing her concern, Finnick took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. “Don’t worry, it’s all in the past. They won’t be able to hurt me now.”
Vivian grimaced. How could they?
How could you, Mark? You may not be on good terms with Finnick, but how dare you hurt him?
“So why did Mark…” she began, only to cut herself off as the answer to her question popped into her head. It’s for the money, of course. Why else would he do such a thing?
Finnick’s grandfather, Samuel doted on him, and Vivian could tell that he had intended for Finnick to be the heir to the Norton family’s assets. As for Mark, jealousy had gotten the better of him, and getting rid of Finnick was the sure-fire way to secure himself the position as head of the Norton family.
“Did you fake your disability to defend yourself against Mark?” Vivian asked.
“Yeah. I was too young and weak to do anything against him back then, so I had no choice but to resort to that,” Finnick answered. “Faking a disability made him drop lower his guard against me, and I used the disability as an excuse to go to A Nation and gather my forces. That’s the only way for me to find out about the truth and make him pay for it. Now that I’m strong enough to go against him, I figured that it’s time to reveal the truth. I won’t let him hurt me or my loved ones ever again.”
Vivian listened as he talked about his lonely struggles over the years, which was something that he never discussed openly, even when she asked about it.
He’s finally opening up to me, isn’t he?
After a while, both of them fell asleep, exhausted from their conversation.
Even though the hospital bed was way too small for both of them, they still managed to sleep through the night without incident.
The next day, Finnick left for work early in the morning while Vivian decided to give Rachel a call, since she did not get the chance to do so earlier.
She must be worried sick about me!
Rachel’s anxious voice came through the moment she picked up. “Are you alright, Vivian? Are you hurt? Why didn’t you call earlier? I was so worried for you!”
