None of this would have happened.
The rage isn’t loud. It doesn’t explode.
It sinks deep. Heavy. Permanent.
I lean closer, careful not to jostle her, my voice low and steady.
“Abigail,” I say quietly. “Nothing about you was ever wrong. Not your softness. Not your innocence. Not the way you loved.”
Her lip trembles.
“And nothing you were,” I continue, “gave anyone the right to hurt you.”
She finally looks at me then, eyes glassy, searching.
I meet her gaze and hold it.
And I make myself a silent promise I will carry for the rest of my life.
I will never let her believe she has to break herself to be chosen again.
Not by me.
Not by anyone.
“I’m so fucking sorry, baby,” I say, not caring that my voice breaks. “None of this would’ve happened if I’d just admitted how much I love you. I was stupid. I thought I was doing what was best for you, but all I did was make us both miserable.”
I swallow hard.
“I’ve always chosen you, Abigail. I just didn’t realize that pushing you away would also push you away from your family. That ends now. I’m done doing that. You’re mine, sweet girl, and I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to be worthy of you.”
She looks at me then.
For a split second, hope flickers in her eyes.
And then it dies.
“I’ve dreamed of this moment,” she whispers. “I’ve prayed for the day you finally realized we were meant to be together.”
I nod, my chest tight.
“But it’s too late now.”
The words are quiet. Final.
She turns away from me and looks out the window.
And for the first time, I understand something that terrifies me more than losing her ever did. Something I think she learned by me not admitting I loved her back.
Love doesn’t always get to be enough.
Chapter Six
Abby
“Everything is superficial,” Patch says to my brother. “The cuts are surface-level scratches. They’ll heal quickly and won’t leave scars. My guess? Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing. Likely someone into blood play.”
“I talked to the bartender from last night,” Bubby adds. “He said he cut her off, gave her a glass of water, and was about to call her a ride when she disappeared.”
