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"Please don't wake up, please don't wake up...."
Staring over at him, defeated, Kelsey could feel her heart continue to break as she prayed that he wouldn't open his eyes in fear of what would happen to him.
She knew this was a life or death situation, it always was, but for the very first time, she was afraid of the outcome.
After everything that has happened in their lives, everything they had been through, she couldn't understand why it had to come to this.
Groaning, Justin felt a pounding headache, blinking to adjust to the dim lighting surrounding him. It took a moment to realize where he was before he shot upright in his seat, taking a look around the room until his eyes met Kelsey's.
Sucking in a sharp breath, he looked over her making sure there was no damage left on her body before swallowing hard. The guilt rose and he wanted it to consume him. He wished he could take her away and hide her from the world.
She didn't deserve this, she didn't deserve any of this.
He had left her to be safe, to ensure his enemies wouldn't come after her, and there was one underneath his nose the entire time.
He was so focused on Landon, yet Tanner was his biggest threat.
Son of a bitch.
"Did--" clearing his throat, Justin licked his lips, preparing for the answer. "Did he hurt you?"
Shaking her head, Kelsey let out a deep breath, "he didn't lay a finger on me."
"Good," he nodded, "good."
There was a ring of silence before they chose to speak at the same time.
"Justin--"
"Kelsey--"
"You first," Justin mumbled.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
"Don't -- what? You didn't do anything."
"Yes, I did. You warned me from the beginning. You told me I shouldn't trust him, you said he was bad news. The signs were all there and I didn't -- I didn't take them."
"Kelsey,"
"No," she pushed, exchanging a look that told him she wasn't going to back down from this. "I made a mistake. I -- I got with him. If I would've just listened to you from the beginning then maybe we would've been okay. I would've been safe."
"No, no you wouldn't have. This," he chuckled wryly, looking around all over the room before finding her eyes once more. "This is what you would've had to deal with all the time. This right here would be an everyday occurrence. They would find a way to take you from me and I would have to fight like hell to save you. That isn't a life you want."
"Part of this is my fault," she confessed. "You can blame yourself all you want, but I chose to stay with you. That was my decision, no one else's and if I could do it all over again, I would."
He stared at her long and hard, his chest constricting at the words spoken. "You don't mean that," he whispered.
Parting her lips, she immediately pressed them together.
