“I know you are going to be furious with me, and I understand that, but I had to do something. I couldn’t let you live in constant fear. And if you wouldn’t let me protect you, then I had to do something to take away the threat. He had started searching more extensively about not just you but your family and bought a fake passport, so time was running out. I can’t lose you. So, yell and scream at me all you want, throw something if you have to. Do whatever you need to do, to let out your emotions, but please, don’t leave. I’m begging you to let me tell you everything.” His arms tighten around me like he is holding on to me just in case I run, and as angry as I feel right now, I can’t hurt him again, not after what he has just done for me and my family.

“Oh, I want to scream, loud and like a crazy woman, but that will come later. But right now, I have so many questions I actually don’t know where to start. For the first time in my life, I’m struggling for words.”

Forrest starts laughing a little until I can tell it hurts him.

“Your ribs?” I ask, worrying what injuries he has.

“Yeah, they are bruised, but I also have some stitches from a small laceration on my side from his knife.” I can see he is bracing for what is coming.

“Knife? What the fuck, Forrest, he had a knife?! You could have been killed.” Tears spring to my eyes as he reaches up and takes my face between his hands.

“But I wasn’t. I’m here, I’m fine, it’s over. I need you to know I wasn’t letting you walk away from me without a fight. I told you I’d let you go, but it was only temporary. Because I knew what I had to do. I fought for you, Harper. I will always fight for you, do you hear me?”

Tears are now streaming down my face, and I can’t stop them. “Why?” is all I can say, and really, it is one word that covers so many questions, but the main one that is bursting from me now is, “I’m not worth fighting for.”