Chapter 481

• I curl into myself tighter, as I did when I was a child, covering my face with my arms and instinctively defending my body. The pain of him being near me is more excruciating than anything I’ve ever endured. I hear him moving closer. The bed dips as he slides on, keeping his distance. He sighs heavily. I can feel every ounce of strong energy radiating from him, despairing and remorseful, surging with as much heartache as I am.
• “I love you, baby … I can fix this. I want to fix this. I want you so badly that this … What I’ve done … It’s killing me. It’s ripping me apart that I’ve hurt and lost you.” His voice aches and trembles, and the urge to turn and wrap myself into his safe arms overwhelms me, but I know I won’t find the relief I desperately desire. His touch will only cause more devastation to my heart.
• Marissa, with her nasty snarl and wicked eyes, is running through my head, smirking at me, cackling at me. I can almost sense her satisfaction coursing through me. She’s won. She’s taken him from me in the worst way.