Hazel had been trying not to think of the Bay Area Blade, the book, and anything to do with it, so of course, it was all she could think about. She turned on the TV to watch a documentary not long after learning of the book and realized it was still flipped to the cable setting instead of the Roku one.
She heard the name 'Charles Thornton' and was desperately hunting for the remote to switch it when she heard something even more shocking. He had died in a prison fight.
Her knees gave out and she fell to the ground, staring at the TV uncomprehendingly. Dead. The monster who haunted her nightmares had truly died so easily? How could that have happened?!
As shocked as Hazel was, she was relieved too. That was what made the tears begin to pour, though she was still too shocked to sob. They ran silently down her cheeks.
Will found her like that, coming to investigate since he heard the TV. He immediately panicked when he saw the state she was in. "Hazel! What's wrong?!"
"He's dead," she managed to get out.
He sighed and wrapped his arms around her. She was too out of it to even question how he knew exactly who she was talking about, when she hadn't mentioned a name. 'He' wasn't specific at all.
"I heard. He finally got what was coming to him. You don't need to worry about him ever again. John Abramson either. You won't even have to testify against him. I managed to track down Thornton's son and found out he was already planning to sue for libel and emotional distress. He has a good lawyer. The remaining copies of the book will be destroyed, so you'll never have to see them again."
Hazel somehow snapped out of her shock by hearing something even more shocking. Will did say he would take care of everything, but she had no idea that monster had a son!
"He has a son?"
Will let out a heavy sigh. "Tragically. The poor sucker has lived under that monster's shadow ever since he was a kid, when all he wants is a normal life. I mentioned being married to the sole survivor and he told me how sorry he has always felt toward you. He wanted to apologize to you, but never knew how. He was glad to hear you're doing well these days."
That was the most shocking thing of all. That anyone related to the man who murdered her parents had ever given her any thought, let alone that he had felt sorry for her and wanted to apologize.
Why would he apologize when he hadn't done anything to her? She knew that wasn't how guilt worked though. Goodness knows, she had dealt with plenty of it about not being able to save her parents, despite knowing she couldn't have done anything. She had been nothing but a helpless child.
"That's nice of him," Hazel said blankly, still trying to formulate her thoughts.
"…are you really okay? You seem super out of it."
Was she? An excellent question. She needed to try to put what she was thinking into words so her husband would stop worrying about her.
"That isn't the word I'd use. I can't believe a serial killer would die so easily. Or that his son ever thought of me at all. It's a lot to process. I think I just need time."
"He thought about you a lot. Guilt is an extremely powerful thing," Will replied, sounding oddly grim. "But you don't have to worry about him, whatever anyone may say. He would never hurt you."
Hazel was even more confused now. Why would someone she had never met, who said he felt sorry for her, want to hurt her?
"Why would I think he would hurt me?"
"You didn't read the book, did you? Good. You shouldn't. It will only upset you. I only read the part about him to see if it would help me find him more easily. People are stupid and think what they want, regardless of the truth, twisting the facts however they feel like."
There was a definite edge in Will's voice. Hazel knew he hated people, but this seemed more personal than it should.
"People are stupid. But why would you ever think I would read it? I'm not that masochistic!" she protested.
He let out a heavy sigh before holding her tightly. "I'm just worried about you, Hazel. But this will be behind us soon. Maybe stay away from the TV and off social media until it is for the sake of your own sanity. I certainly intend to."
There Will went, being far too upset for Hazel again. Her head was still muddled, so she couldn't fully make sense of what he was saying. She simply accepted his love, needing it desperately.
She wasn't able to think more clearly until the next day when he was working in his office. She wanted to know exactly why he thought she would be worried about Thornton's son. And why Will seemed so convinced about what the other man felt. How much had the two of them even talked?
Hazel refused to touch that book or support its sales in any way. She decided to look him up online instead. William Charles "Billy" Thornton had his own Wikipedia page because of the book. No wonder he wanted to sue!
It was strange that Billy Thornton had the same nickname as Will did as a child, but she already knew 'William' was one of the most common names in the country. He had probably met countless Williams in his life.
There was a picture attached to the page, the way there was whenever one was available. The caption beneath it indicated that it had been taken this year, so this was how he currently looked. He had a large nose and straight light brown hair, but his eyes were the same sort of hazel as Will's that changed color depending on the light or what he was wearing.
They were the same age too. Billy Thornton had been seven when his father killed Hazel's parents.