"You're awake," he said quietly.
I wanted to say something sharp. Something to hurt him the way I'd been hurt. But my throat closed around the words. All that came out was a whisper.
"You found me."
His jaw clenched. "I should've found you sooner."
There was something raw in his voice that made my chest ache. Guilt
He reached for my hand, hesitated halfway, then let his fingers wrap around mine gently like he was afraid I'd break if he touched me too hard.
I stared at the way our hands looked together. His rough, mine bruised.
"I killed them," he said suddenly.
My breath caught. "What?"
"The ones who took you." His eyes were unreadable. "They won't touch you again. I made sure of that."
Something in the way he said it made my stomach twist. He wasn't asking for forgiveness. He . He was just telling me. Like he wanted me to know exactly what kind of man he was and what kind of man he became for me.
"You didn't have to….."
He cut me off. "Yes, I did."
