“I don’t want you here,” she hissed. It was too much. If she was going to figure out a way to get out of the mess of emotions she was mired in, she needed to focus on one thing at a time. Since the trafficking ring was still operational, dealing with that mess was more important than her boyfriend from when she was a teenager abandoning her.
Micah winced at her words, but he nodded, and his tone was soft as he spoke. “I know you don’t want me here, but that’s not enough to make me leave. I almost lost you. They took you, operated on you, and I failed you all over again. I will not fail youagain. Will not lose you. My own stupidity cost me more than a decade with you, and I understand I might never get you back, that you might never be mine again. But understand one thing, Teresa, I will always be yours. Always. Nothing can change that. So I am not leaving your side, no matter what you say, or what you want, until I know that you are safe.”
May2nd
11:00 A.M.
Shock was paintedover every one of Teresa’s features as she stared back at him.
Obviously, his impassioned speech had been the last thing she expected to hear, but hopefully it had gone a distance toward convincing her that he was serious about making up for his past mistakes.
Even if she didn't want him in her life going forward—something Micah could absolutely understand and would not blame her for at all—he could still do this for her. He could make sure she was safe, make sure she was taking care of herself, eating and sleeping, taking her painkillers, and not overdoing things.
If someone wasn't there to watch over her, he knew she would push too hard and make herself sick. And in addition to her physical health, the last thing she needed was to be alone with her thoughts.
Knowing what he’d done to her, the pain he’d caused, had him feeling like he needed to claw his way out of his own skin. The guilt and regret were so strong that it was impossible tothink of anything else. He had to do something, and this was the only tangible thing.
Did it make anything better?
Not at all.
Not even a teeny tiny little bit.
But it was at least something.
Better than doing nothing.
When Teresa had been raped, he hadn't been there to take care of her, to tend to any wounds she had, to hold her while she cried, to keep watch over her while she slept in an attempt to keep the nightmares at bay.
Literally nothing was going to keep him from being by her side now.
She’d suffered a violation of a completely different type. Someone had once again taken something from her that she hadn't willingly given, and he knew what the cut on her finger meant because she’d told them.
At least he’d saved her from something.
Well, not really him, it was more Prey than anything he’d done. While he had gotten himself out of the bed, he knew he might not have gotten to Teresa in time to save her finger. The doctor had been quite literally starting to slice through her skin when he’d been stopped.
Another failure.
There had been too many for him to make up for, even if he lived a thousand lifetimes.
But he could and he would do this.
Nothing was going to stop him, not even Teresa herself.
If she tried to block him out of her life, he would do whatever he could from a distance. He’d cook for her, clean for her, do her laundry, hire a nurse to tend to her wounds when she was released from the hospital, and sit outside her door with his weapon in his hand so nobody would get to her.
“Y-you're serious,” she stammered, clearly thrown off-guard.
Micah had to remind himself that while he had spent the last decade sulking over the girl he’d loved cheating on him, harboring bad feelings over something that he now knew had never existed, she had been dealing with a very accurate grudge. She thought he’d abandoned her because he didn't want to deal with helping her through her trauma, and while that wasn't quite true, he had abandoned her all the same.
She had every right to hate him, which was why he knew there was every chance she would do whatever she could to forcibly remove him from her life. He had no doubt that Prey would back her up, and Eagle Oswald had enough clout to crush Micah’s career if he wanted to, probably to have him locked up for some sort of stalking charge.
Still, he hoped that wouldn't happen. Prayed that Teresa could at least accept this from him as a very meagre step toward making things up to her. If nothing else, he hoped Eagle might understand messing up with the woman you loved, since rumor had it that once upon a time the man had messed up pretty majorly with his now wife and mother of his children, Olivia.
“Dead serious,” he agreed. “I failed you in the most horrific way, and I want to make it up to you however I can.” Lifting his hands and dragging them through his hair, his fingers tangled in the short locks, and he tugged hard enough to make his scalp sting, a mere drop in the bucket compared to the pain he’d inflicted on Teresa. “What I did to you, you must hate me. I hate myself.”
“I don’t … I didn't …” She trailed off, not finishing either sentence. Maybe there wasn't hatred in the pair of eyes that looked back at him, but there wasn't forgiveness either. “I did hate you, for a long time after. I even hated you that night when we bumped into each other at Prey.”
