Welcome Home

Shawn watched as Serenity's—or rather Calista's—face stiffened after hearing his words. It was clear that she was speechless, not knowing what to say.

"It's okay if you can't forgive me," Shawn continued nonetheless. "But I want you to know that I have never known peace since that fateful day. It haunts my dreams, Calista. You haunt my dreams. And I'm afraid my psyche will continue to torment me if it's not assured that I've been forgiven."

He sounded a bit selfish right now, but he spoke nothing but the truth.

He'd met therapists, counselors, heck, he even turned to a priest even though he was anything but a believer.

Yet, none of them had been able to rid his mind of the guilt that was slowly driving him to the edge. "That was under your control," they'd all said.

To him, the only way he could rid himself of this guilt was seeking Calista's forgiveness. Knowing who she was now, he found it hard to call her 'Serenity.'

"It's 'Serenity' to you," Serenity rebuked with a voice that lac