As if a sudden light lightening my dark insides, the pain in my chest disappeared. Replaced a feeling of desperation to hear those words again.

I turned around, cupping her cheeks. “You-you won’t leave me? You don’t hate me?”

She shook her head. Her beautiful eyes watched me with the same love and adoration they had for years. Not a trace of hate was there as I expected.

“Never. I can never hate you. Even if you were wrong, I couldn’t hate you. I’d always love you.”

I frowned in confusion. “I know I can’t let you go, but aren’t you disgusted with me? I…” I gritted my teeth. “I’m a murderer. A monster, Emerald. You don’t need to lie to me not to upset me. I can understand if you think you need time—”

“You’re not a monster.” She cut me off, her voice was firm. “Neither are you a murderer.”

I shook my head. “Maybe you didn’t hear what I said. I killed him, Emerald. His blood was on my hands.”

“It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t kill him. It was an accident,” she said softly.

Taking my hands, she made me sit on the couch and placed herself on my lap. My arms pulled her closer against me instinctively.

“I can understand your dilemma, Ace. No matter how he was, he was your father. And because of that incident, you feel guilty for his death. But it’s not your fault, baby. It wasn’t your fault he died. It was an unfortunate accident. You were just trying to help your mother.”

I stared at her, utterly appalled. I just told this woman my darkest past, my crime, the deed I have been blaming myself for years, and she wasn’t still repulsed by me. Instead, she was looking into my eyes, cupping my cheeks and telling me I wasn’t at fault.

I gulped the thickness of my throat, clutching her tightly. “You really don’t hate me? You—you aren’t disgusted by me?”

She placed a delicate kiss on my forehead before peering into my soul. “Why would I if it wasn’t your fault? I can never hate you for the crime you never did. I can never feel disgusted by a man who had enough courage to stand before a gun for his mother. And you were only seventeen then. I don’t think anyone at that age has the amount of bravery you showed that night. If you hadn’t done that, you would have lost your mother to that monster. But you stopped it from happening. You saved her.”