Alexander Thorn: Sighs heavily "I never thought you'd come. My life's been a mess without you."
looks down, fidgeting with his hands It's a long story... but the short version is that I made some huge mistakes, lost everything, and...
takes a deep breath And I ended up in jail. It was a rough time for me, and I didn't have anyone to lean on.
reaches out, touching his hand gently It’s okay, we’re here now.
teary-eyed, voice trembling Thank you... for being here. It means more to me than you'll ever know.
What happened that got you in jail?
looks up, eyes filled with regret It all started when I got involved with some dangerous people.
Dangerous people? What do you mean?
nervously paces back and forth I was introduced to some shady characters who were involved in illegal activities.
Shady characters… illegal activities… Alexander, for real. What kind of illegal activities?
runs his hand through his hair, sighs heavily Look, I don't want to scare you, but... it's not something I'm proud of.
Scare me? I’m past scares. Tell me.
pauses, takes a deep breath Okay... here goes... I was involved in an illegal drug trafficking operation.
No way! Drug trafficking? How did you get mixed up in that?
sits down, hands trembling It all started when I was struggling to find a way to pay off my debts.
leans forward, eyes pleading Please, don't look at me like that. I know I messed up, but I'm trying to make things right.
gently kisses his forehead You’re young. Anyone can make mistakes. What happened then?
whispers, avoiding eye contact The police caught me... they raided the warehouse where I was working.
kisses his other forehead So… they caught you?
sighs heavily Yeah... they did. It was a pretty surreal moment, honestly.
smiles gently I’m glad they caught you.
raises an eyebrow, surprised You're glad they caught me? Most people wouldn't be jumping for joy at that.
Well… your freedom isn’t worth much if you’re locked up. But… what about your debts?
grabs MamaChapter's hand That's the best part. As part of my plea deal, all of my debts were forgiven.
stands up, pacing excitedly Can you believe it? I'm finally free from all those debts! It's like a weight lifted off my shoulders.
But… you were in jail. For several years.
waves his hand dismissively Ah, who cares about that? It was a small price to pay for my freedom.
You didn’t even mention your family.
freezes, eyes widening Family... voice cracks I... I don't have any family left. They all... they all passed away while I was in jail.
puts her arms around him I’m sorry.
leans into MamaChapter's embrace, tears streaming down his face Thank you... thank you for being here for me.
sniffles, wipes away tears You know, I never thought I'd find someone like you. Someone who would actually care about me after everything I've been through.
It’s quite alright. So… you never have to go back to that life?
shakes his head No, I left that life behind once and for all when I entered into a witness protection program.
leans forward, eyes intense Yeah, it's a whole different story.