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I nod, the memory of that night flashing back to me, and he leans his forehead against mine.

“We did that together, London. We killed him together, and now we can heal together, too.”

The sob I’ve been holding back escapes me. I want to punch him, slap him, then kiss him for the rest of my life. “Where were you, Micah? I needed you, and you didn’t come back.”

He narrows his brows, so much emotion radiating from him. “I realized I needed to heal myself before I could help you. I’m sorry, London. It was a selfish thing to do, but I knew I would only end up hurting you even more. I was fucked up, and what I did to you was fucking wrong. I know that. I shouldn’t have tied you up. I knew that then, too… I just didn’t care. I wanted you so badly, and I was so terrified of losing you. And I was losing you; you were going to leave me.”

“Micah… I—”

He gently presses his forehead against mine. “Shh, baby, please let me finish. I need to explain why I chose to stay on the island. You were better off without me, and I knew you were safe with the others. Giving you the space you wanted was the best decision for you, and I needed to heal. But please know, London, that all I want is to spend the rest of my life with you. There is no one else for me. I just hope it’s not too late and you haven’t moved on from me.”

I can’t help but bite my bottom lip as I gaze up at him, his face filled with anguish as he envisions a future without me. “There is no one else, Micah. How could I possibly be with anyone else?”

He grabs me by the hips and lifts me onto the low counter. I wrap my legs around him and let him continue.

He drops to his knees so he’s at eye level with me. “I want you to experience me at my best for once. When I met you, too many fucked-up things had happened to me. You’re the right person for me, baby; I just met you at the wrong time. You’ve seen the worst parts of me, London. I wouldn’t blame you if you ran in the other direction.”

And I still love him, despite those parts.

“And now?” I ask him. “How are you now?”

He smiles that new smile. “I’m better now. I’ve dealt with Maison, and I’ve dealt with Olivia. But I’m not ready for our story to be over, baby. The time I spent with you in that cabin was the happiest I’ve ever been. I know that’s fucked up because I was hurting and controlling you, but I would have been happy never leaving that place. I wish I was still there.”

I blow out a breath. “Then why are you back? Why not stay out there if it made you so happy?”

He licks his lips. “The only thing missing was you.”

I lean my head forward. “Micah, I’m not healed. I’m a mess. I can’t be around people. I can barely hold a conversation without feeling like I’m going to crumble. And I still hear laughter when I shouldn’t.”

“It’s okay,” he says, his lips gently touching my forehead. “We can work through it. Trust me, it can’t be as bad as what I went through on the island the last few months. I hit rock bottom, London.”

I look into his eyes—those dark eyes which seem so full of life now—full of hope.

“Are you healed, then? I can’t imagine being all alone like that.” How dark that must have been for him. I nearly lost my mind being alone for two days. Then again, I was tied up.

“As much as I can be, I think,” he says. “I had to make some tough choices. Like if I wanted to continue living.” He chuckles, a gleam twinkling in his eyes. “But I wasn’t alone. Definitely not alone… although sometimes I wish I was. Maison was with me the whole time, baby. He got me through it.”

I smile because I know exactly what he’s talking about.

Tears form in his eyes. An emotion, I realize, I barely ever get out of him. My heart hurts for all he’s been through, for everything he’s lost.

He swallows hard. “I ran through every memory I had of him. I heard his voice clear as day every day I was there. I’m not perfect, London. I’m still me; I’m still an asshole. I can’t promise I’ll never hurt you again, but I’m way more confident I won’t destroy you anymore.”

I remember what the few days of solitude did to me, the laughter I heard, my hallucinations of Maison that ended up saving my life.

I slip my arms around him and lean my head into him fully. His heart is beating out of control. “What if we don’t work in the real world? I don’t even know how to function anymore, Micah. It’s so hard.”

He tilts his head, moving his hands to my hips. “We’ll do it together. And we will always have this place to come back to. It’s remote, so no one will be here but us. It’s not the wilderness, but we can try to replicate the months when it was just you and me. The rest of the time, we can spend at my mansion.”

His mansion…

“What about your parents?”

He shrugs. “I’ll do my best to help them, but they made their bed. I’m not sure they can avoid prison time for what they did.”

He leans in and kisses me, his hard body pressing against mine. He pulls my straps down one at a time, and I let him, but the nervous feeling returns, my heart racing. My breath hitches, causing him to pull back.

I hate feeling this way when he touches me. I hate that Nigel won in destroying us.