I stood still in the middle of the living room, looking at the bloody frame on the ground, unable to make a move or speak a word as panic was taking over me. I felt my lungs inflating in my chest, as it started to become difficult for me to breathe properly after Hayden's hypothesis. My brother put both of his hands on my shoulders, but I couldn't take my eyes off of the ground. I could barely feel his touch, as if fear anesthetized my whole body and mind. I knew I had to react, do something – anything – but my body wasn't reacting, and my head shut down completely.
"You need to keep breathing," Hayden encouraged me, as he inhaled and exhaled in sync with me. "I—I don't know what to do either, so I need you right now. I—I need you to be okay, Hale," he begged, as he cupped my face in his hands.
Finally, I found the strength to look at him and instantly my eyes filled with tears as I reconnected with reality. My whole body started shaking as I realized I must had been the reason behind all of this. If Jack was actually here and took Latoya away, it was because he understood he had been played when he saw the picture of Michael and I. Latoya lied to him and kept in touch with her brother, and she lied about me not being related to the Jacksons at all.
"We need to go," I suddenly said in a stern yet trembling voice. As I was barefooted, I put some sneakers on in a swift motion, and grabbed Hayden's car keys from the table. "Move!"
"W—wait, where are we even going?"
"I know where Jack is staying, let's go!" I insisted again, as my brother didn't move an inch. "If you're not coming, then I'll go by myself, I don't fucking care," I let him know in a stern tone.
"Hayley, stop! You can't go there by yourself, and you certainly can't go there with alcohol in your blood!" Hayden yelled back, as he came from behind me. "Stop!" he demanded again, as he put his hands on the sides of my arms, which made me stop what I was doing. "Do you hear me? We can't go there, we don't know what happened! I was just assuming here!"
"No matter what happened, I need to find Latoya and this is the only place where I can find her," I told him, tears streaming down my face. "Now whether you're coming, or not, I'm going, no matter what you say," I harshly said, yanking his hands off of me.
"I'm not letting you go there alone," he argued following close behind me. "If you want to go there, then we'll go there. I'm with you," my brother told me, and I just gave him a small nod before I jogged out of the loft, Hayden following close behind me.
***
As soon as we set foot in the hotel, we ran to the elevator in the lobby, drawing attention on us as it was four in the morning. To be honest, we couldn't care less, we were just focused on getting to Latoya as soon as possible. We didn't know anything for sure at that instant, but all we wanted was to find Latoya, and hopefully have her back safe and sound.
When we reached the floor, we started running down the hall again, as my head was pounding at that point. As I was driven by the adrenaline and fear inside of me, I just ignored the uncomfortable sensation, and kept on running until I reached the door. I put my ear on the cool surface, but I couldn't hear anything, as it was too thick to even ear noises coming from the inside. Further down the hall, a cleaning cart was left there, on which was an all-access bunch of keys that I stole without thinking about it twice.
As the door opened, Jack's loud voice came to our ears, and immediate anger took over me at that very sound. I ran further in the suite, leaving Hayden behind, only to find Jack kicking Latoya on the ground.
"Let go of her!" I yelled, as I jumped on his back without thinking, and put my arms tightly around his neck to strangle him. "You fucking piece of trash!"
"Fucking... bitch, let me go!" he cursed me out, losing his balance a bit, as he punched me in the face with his elbow several times until I fell on the ground because of the violent punches he gave me. "You fucking cunt! You're one of them!" he yelled, as he was about to kick me in the ribs.
However, Haze arrived out of nowhere, and punched him right in the face with force. Soon, they were both fighting across the room, as I was crawling to Latoya's side. Her whole face and hair were soaked in blood, and tears gathered in my eyes again at that horrifying sight.
"Toya," I whispered, touching her face with my fingertips. "We're here, we're going to get you to the hospital, o—okay?"
"T—the drugs," she whimpered in a barely audible voice. "On the t—table."
"He took drugs?" I asked in a whisper, as my breathing was shallow at that point. Latoya simply nodded, as her eyes closed. "N—no, you need to stay awake, you can't—"
"Ugh!" I heard my brother wince in pain, and I looked over my shoulder at him. He was holding his belly in his hands. Soon enough I noticed he had blood coming out of a deep cut Jack made him with a piece of glass.
"Haze!" I yelled, terrified, as I stood up from the ground again to get to him.
"Yeah come back here you fucking slut," Jack smiled, as he was coming in my direction with a sharp piece of glass in his hands.
As I was frozen in fear, I stayed there without moving, watching Jack coming to me to hurt me. However, once again, Hayden jumped in front of me and punched him harder in the face.
"Go get security," he panted in a voice full of pain. "Now! Move!"
I left my trance in a panic, and left the room. I called out for security in the hallway, without thinking about the other clients of the hotel. I didn't care who I woke up, I needed someone to get us all out of here, as far away from this man as possible.
Visibly, someone from the adjacent rooms called security before I managed to run down the hall to get them, because a crew made of three men came running in my direction.
"Ma'am, you're injured," one of the man pointed to my right cheek, and as I brought my hand to it, I realized it was bleeding. "What's going on?"
"P—Please come with me, it's my friend's husband, he's trying to kill her!" I told them, as I was ready to go back again.
"You need medical attention, ma'am," the same man told me, and I just shook my head, and jogged back to the suite.
"We've got a situation here, call 911," another security member, dressed in all black, spoke in his walkie talkie.
When we arrived to the door, I quickly barged in with the hotel's security crew close on my heels. When they saw Hayden and Jack fighting together, they separated them and tackled them on the ground with force.
"N—no! He didn't do anything!" I tried to pull the man off of my brother. "He was just protecting her!"
"We need an ambulance asap," the third officer spoke in his device, as he was checking on Latoya who was still laying on the floor.
"Ugh, let go of me!" Hayden yelled in pain, as he struggled. "This creep is the real danger, he's the one who beat his wife!"
"L—let him go," Latoya's weak voice demanded, as I helped her up with the help of the tall man, which caused her to wince loudly. "B-but take this man away from me," she said with tears streaming down her face, looking down at Jack, as she was holding onto me.
"We'll take care of him," the head of security reassured as he put his hand over her shoulder. "Can you walk? An ambulance should be downstairs in a few for you both."
Latoya nodded her head as she put her arm around my waist as I supported her.
"M—My brother, he needs medical attention as well," I told him, pointing at Hayden's bloody face and stomach. "Can you ask the police to meet us at the hospital?"
He simply nodded, and motioned to his colleague to let Hayden go. As soon as he was free, he ran towards me and gave me a tight hug. He looked at my face, and grimaced at the sight of my bloody nose and cheek which was nothing compared to the bloody cut he had on his upper stomach.
When he turned his attention to Latoya, it's like I saw his heart break in his eyes. He hated to see her in such a bad state, he hated what Jack did to her too. The tall man dressed in black, whose name I learned was Derek, went back to the lobby as he let the rest of the crew deal with Jack.
I was quite concerned about Latoya, as she stayed quiet during the entire ride in the ambulance. Her body was shaking because of the shock she had experienced, and it was getting difficult for her to calm down because of the horrible events playing on repeat in the back of her mind.
Latoya was broken, physically and mentally. She needed assistance for sure, and now she decided to speak up against Jack, I was ready to give her all that. A new life was waiting for her, that was for sure. Of course, she'd need time to get back on her feet after the hell she'd been through, but I trusted her with that.
When we reached the ER, I made sure to go straight to a trauma room with both Hayden and Latoya, so that nobody would recognize her and cause unnecessary commotion. I closed the door behind me, and went through the ER, looking for a trust-worthy coworker of mine to help me with the treatment of my brother and my friend. Of course, people there were looking at me weirdly, as if they saw a ghost. Probably because, first of all, I was supposed to be on sick leave, and also because I looked like I had been beaten up pretty badly.
"Dr. Thames?" Annie's voice was heard from behind me, and I turned around. She was just the person I was looking for. "Oh my god! W—What happened to you?" she asked, quite horrified as she took a close look at my bruised face.
"I'm okay," I reassured with a slight smile. "I need some help, are you busy? Can you come with me?"
"S—sure, I'll patch you up," she nodded, as worry appeared on her face.
I guided her through the almost empty ER, to the room where Hayden and Latoya were. When I opened the door, my brother was lying on the gurney, as Latoya was holding his hand.
"What happened?" I asked right away, jogging by his side. "Haze, are you alright?"
"Y—Yeah, I was just feeling dizzy for a second," he tried to reassure, but he was getting paler and paler at each passing second. "I'm fine, Hale."
"N—No you're not," I disagreed, as I put my hair in a high bun. "Annie, please find me a suture kit, and prepare the patient."
"C—Can I have the details?" she asked in an unsure voice, as she rummaged through the shelves to find my kit.
"Hayden Thames, 35 years old. He was in a fight and the other guy planted a piece of glass in the upper part of his stomach."
"T—Thames? Is he your cousin?"
"He's my brother," I explained, as I was putting surgical gloves on. The look on Annie's face read nothing but worry and confusion at that point. "I'll explain later, please take care of the patient, Annie."
"S—Sure," she nodded, and went back to doing her job. "And what happened to the lady?"
"Abusive husband. She needs X-rays. I suspect a few broken ribs and a concussion. Make sure to take her there as soon as you can, and give me the results right away," I instructed, as I exhaled loudly. "Now I need to take care of my brother. Don't let anybody come in there, and don't tell anybody I'm here. Especially not Baker, alright?"
"Noted," she nodded her head, as she helped Latoya in the wheeling chair. "I'll be back soon with the results."
"Wait!" I asked her, as she was about to open the door. I knelt next to Latoya, and took her hands in mine. "You'll be fine from now on, okay? I'm right here, and I'll take care of you."
"Thank you," she cried some more, as she squeezed my hands. "Take care of your brother, I'll be alright."
I nodded, and squeezed her hands back, giving her a slight smile. With that, they both left the room, leaving me alone with my injured brother. He had lost quite some blood at that point, for his once white shirt was almost entirely red. The adrenaline kept the pain away for a while, but at that moment, I knew it was all kicking in.
"Are you ready?" I asked him, and he just nodded his head weakly.
"I trust you with my life," he smiled slightly, sweat all over his face at that point. "Go ahead, fix me, little sister."
I nodded, and started to work my magic on my brother. Normally, doctors aren't allowed to take care of their relatives for obvious reasons: the mixed emotions that could get in the way of the surgery's success, the fear of losing their loved ones by making a mistake... But right now, I didn't have another choice. I needed Hayden to be okay, and I had the abilities to cure him, so I was going to use it.
When I discovered Haze's injury, I was quite surprised by its depth. I didn't know it would be so deep, but I needed to keep my cool. After years of going to the OR with Carl, I gained new medical skills, and I couldn't be more grateful. After all these years, it was time for these extra hours to pay, and allow me to save my brother's life.
"H—how do you manage to stay this c—calm?" Haze asked, as he grimaced from the pain, even though he was anesthetized.
"I switched to doctor mode," I smiled, focused on taking the pieces of glass out of the wound. "Seeing Carl do his magic in the OR for years helped, after all."
"You'd have been a great surgeon, Hale," my brother told me, as he looked up to me.
"Thanks," I smiled slightly.
It took me around an hour to take care of Haze's cut. There weren't any complications, but I had to be extra careful when closing up. After I put it in stitches, I took care of his face, where I had to put his brow bone in stitches as well. He was in a pretty bad shape, but he kept on reassuring me that he had been through way worse growing up.
As I predicted, Latoya had a couple of broken ribs on her left side, and a severe concussion which explained the memory losses, the confusion and the mood swings. When she returned from radiology, I made sure to find a room for both her and Hayden, because I wanted to keep them both under observation for the rest of the night.
When the policemen noticed Latoya's mental state, they made sure to be quick to take our deposition. A part of me was scared that she would just back off and tell them that Jack didn't do anything, but she didn't, and I was relieved at the minute she told them everything: from the moment he started beating her, to his abuse of cocaine and other drugs, and to the way he brainwashed her and made her believe things that were never true. When she was asked if she wanted to press charges, she answered naturally that she wanted to make him pay for the hell he had put her through all these years, and a wave of pride invaded me.
I couldn't rest until Hayden and Latoya were asleep. In the meantime, I made sure to keep an eye on them, and tell Grams that she'd need to keep Andy for the day, no questions asked. If would eventually tell them what happened during the early morning, but it was unnecessary to worry her on the phone.
Annie made sure to fix my cheek before she went back to work, but the punches I received from Jack echoed through my head when the adrenaline stopped working on me. I felt physically sick when I realized that this was what Latoya had to go through on a daily, and tears gathered in my eyes again at that thought alone. I stood up from my chair, and made my way to her bed where she was finally asleep after I gave her something for her to rest. I sniffled back my tears, and looked down at her.
"You're free now," I whispered in a barely audible voice, as I took her hand in mine. "I-I... ugh, shit," I muttered as the pain in my head intensified suddenly.
I knew this feeling all too well by now, but I doubted I'd get used to it someday.
This time, I had the feeling I was reliving the same scenario than the last time. Everything I was seeing was going incredibly fast and backwards. It didn't quite surprise me, because that meant one thing: I managed to change Michael's future by improving his big sister's.
Every voices, every images of Latoya i saw in the past seemed to self destruct in my head. It's like I could see their materialistic destruction. Latoya's voice seemed far away, and became barely audible until I couldn't hear it at all. The images of her speaking against Michael seemed to be replaced by happy times with her brother and Hayden, and if that tremendous pain I was experiencing allowed me to, I would have smiled at these particular flashes.
Latoya had her sincere smile back on as Michael and Hayden were having a water gun fight on the grounds of Neverland. Chaos seemed to be far gone, and replaced by pure bliss.
As I tired to open my eyes for a second, the pain prevented me from doing so. Instead, my legs gave up on me, and I fell down on the ground in a split second, without being able to fight it.
***
"Hale! Come on, wake up," a voice I recognized as my brother's called, as I was slowly coming back to my senses with my eyes still closed.
"Are you sure you don't need me to call a doctor? S-She's been out of it for quite a while now," Latoya's weak voice asked, worried.
"N—no, she's gonna wake up," Haze answered, as he held my head on his lap. "Hale, please. This can't be happening again," he begged, as his voice broke a little. This sound alone made me open my eyes slowly, and the first thing I saw was Haze bruises face hovering me. "Hale! Oh God, you're back!"
"I—I'm fine," I answered in a whisper, as I finally opened my eyes fully. "You should go back to bed."
"Oh my God, H—Hale," my brother cried softly, as he held me in his arms tightly. "I thought you were never going to wake up. W—What happened? Are you alright? Are you in pain?"
"I—I'm fine," I answered, as I sat up slowly. "Haze, you should be resting. Really, I'm fine. You know it happens," I told him, and he visibly caught the hint that I fainted because of some new visions. "I just need some sleep, that's all. It's past six in the morning, and I haven't slept yet."
"Take a cab, and go home, darling," Latoya chimed in, thick worry in her voice. "We're okay now. Thanks to you," she said, putting a slight smile on her bruised face.
"I'm not leaving you both," I refused, shaking my head from side to side, as I stood up slowly.
"You don't have a choice," my brother sternly said, as he stood up from the ground with a wince of pain. I helped him up, and I supported him to his bed, careful not to hurt him in any way. "You're going home, and that's final. We're in a hospital, we're surrounded by doctors. We're going to be fine."
I put the covers back on Hayden's body, and I didn't speak another word. A part of me knew he was right. After all, I was on sick leave because I needed to rest, and I didn't want to take the risk to meet Dr. Baker there. But another part of me wanted to stay with them, and make sure they'd be okay.
I looked over my shoulder at Latoya, and she nodded her head, assuring me it was okay for me to leave. I finally gave up and listened to them, ss it was the most reasonable thing to do. I laid a kiss on my brother's head, and did the same with Latoya before I left the hospital. On my way out, I ran into Annie, and told her to keep an eye on them until I come back later during the day, and she assured me she would, which took a weight off of my shoulders.
As I hopped in the cab, the only address that came to my mind was Neverland's. I didn't want to come back to the loft and find the same broken frame with Latoya's blood on it. I wanted to be in Michael's arms, and tell him everything.
The taxi dropped me off a mile away from the ranch, as I didn't want to take any risks that would blow our cover. The sun was already out as I arrived in front of Neverland's gates, since it was close to eight in the morning.
I was exhausted. Emotionally and physically drained from the roller coaster of emotions I had just experienced: from the happy moments throughout the wedding to the horrifying situation at the hotel.
"Ms. Thames? I didn't know Mr. Jackson was expecting you," Matthew, one of Michael's bodyguard, spoke into the intercom.
"He isn't expecting me. I—I just needed to see him," I answered, not knowing what to answer. "Can you open the door for me?"
"Sure thing, ma'am. I'm coming to get you."
"Thanks," I softy said, as the gates opened for me.
I came in, and painfully squinted my eyes as the sun was blinded me a bit. In the distance, I noticed Matthew's golf cart approaching me. All around me, the chirping of the numerous birds in the trees reassured me somehow, and eased my nervous demeanor.
"I hope the boss won't mind me opening the gates for y—oh my god, Hayley! What happened to you?" Matt asked, as I sat in the little car next to him.
"I—I fell down the stairs and hit my face pretty badly," I lied openly. Michael's employees didn't have to know about their boss' personal life, so I couldn't tell him the truth. "I went to the hospital, I'm fine now."
"Are you in pain?" he asked emphatically, as he drove us to the main house.
"I've been through worse, don't worry about it," I smiled reassuringly. "Do you know if Michael is up?"
"I don't think he is yet, but the dancers from the tour just got here. They're in the dance studio," he explained, and a wave of guilt invaded me, for I totally forgot about Michael's rehearsals. "Don't worry, they're pretty busy already. They won't even notice Mr. Jackson is late," he reassured, as he stopped the car in front of the house. "There you go. I hope you'll get well soon, Ms. Thames."
"Thanks, Matt. I'll see you around," I forced a smile, and didn't waste a minute to come inside the house to Michael's bedroom.
I was glad I didn't see any other members of Michael's staff on my way there, because I would have been obligated to lie to them again about my visible injuries. When I arrived in Michael's room, the first floor was empty, meaning he was probably upstairs. The bed was messy, and whistles were heard from the bathroom, so I followed them, knowing they would take me to Michael. I knocked on the bathroom's door, which made the whistles stop, and came in without waiting for an answer from my boyfriend. When I came in, confusion took place on his angel face, quickly followed by horror.
"Oh my God, Hayley!" he exclaimed, as he let his concealer fall in the sink to run to me. "What's going on? What the hell happened to you?" he asked, as he cupped my face in his hands. "Oh my god, who did this to you? Are you—"
"I'm fine," I cut him off, taking his hand in mine. "I'm okay. I'm going to explain everything to you, but you need to breathe first."
"How am I supposed to do that when you're in that state?" he asked, his voice cracking as he observed my face attentively. "A—Are you injured somewhere else?"
"N—No, just the face," I told him, and I squeezed his hand a little. "Really, I'm okay," I sincerely told him, as I looked deep into his worried eyes. "Come with me," I softly asked him, as I guided him to his king sized bed.
We both sat on it, facing each other, and I could see my silence was a torture for Michael. He pulled me against his bare chest, and secured his reassuring arms around me. He laid a soft kiss on top of my head, and tightened his hold around me, which instantly made me feel safe. When I was ready to speak up, I sighed heavily and reluctantly pulled away from my boyfriend's embrace.
"Before you can say anything, know that everything was handled, and that we're safe now," I stated in a reassuring tone, and Michael frowned.
"We? Who's we?" he asked, confused and anxious.
"Me, Hayden, and... Latoya," I let him know, and the mention of his sister caused his eyes to widen.
"Hayley, what happened?" he asked as he stood up, worry taking over him at that point. "Who did this to you?"
"It was Jack," I told him, looking down at my lap for a second, and I felt Michael tense up when his name escaped my lips. "When I came home, the door of the loft was open. Haze was with me, a-and he told me to stay outside while he checked the place. No one was there, all we found was a broken frame... With blood on it," I explained, and Michael's eyes filled with tears as he clenched his jaw.
"Did he hurt her?" he asked in a deep, angered voice. I just nodded, not knowing what to say to him at that moment. "Where is she?"
"She's at the hospital with Hayden, I left them there once I was done healing them, they're safe," I reassured him, as he crossed his arms on his chest with the same expression on his face. "W—we went straight to their hotel when we saw what happened at the loft. When we came in and when I saw what he was doing to Latoya, I completely lost it a—and I jumped on his back to stop him but he was stronger than me, which explains... this," I narrated, motioning to my injuries. "A—and after Haze tackled him on the ground and they fought, and he cut him with a piece of glass, t-there was so much blood everywhere, I—"
"H—Hale please, calm down, it's over," Michael tried to reassure me as he sat back down next to me. "Why didn't you call the police right away? Or even me?"
"Because I didn't think, Michael. Latoya was in danger, and my only concern was to save her," I told him, shaking my head as tears were streaming down my face. "I didn't call you because the last thing I wanted was for you to get hurt. Hayden was with me, Latoya will be fine eventually, and that's all that matters."
"Why did Jack come to your place in the first place? I thought he didn't know where you live? A—And what did he do to Latoya?" Michael asked, as he stood up again, as he started pacing in front of me. "I don't get it, Hale. I don't get how this happened."
"I'll tell you, but please, sit down," I asked him gently, as I extended my hand in his direction.
"I don't want to sit down, damnit!" he suddenly exclaimed. His angry tone took me aback, and I put my hand back on lap. "I need answers, Hayley!"
"You raising your voice is not going to help me," I sternly told him, as I rubbed my right temple. "If you could just lower your tone, that would be great."
"I feel like there's something you're not telling me," he spoke in a calmer tone, as he looked down at me. "What is it?"
I sighed heavily, and looked from my lap to my boyfriend's face. "When Jack came at the loft earlier this morning, he claimed he missed his wife and that he wanted her to come back. But Latoya refused to come back to the hotel with him, and he started to force her. But then...," I trailed off, gulping hard. "H—he saw the picture I have in the living room. The one Grams took of you and I. That's the frame he hit her with," I explained, and looked down again.
"So he understood Latoya lied to him, and that she somehow kept in touch with me while he forbade her to," he said, processing that new piece of information. "Janet was right when she said she was frightened of him, and I didn't do anything to stop this," he blamed himself, sitting down next to me again.
"There was nothing you could have done. Jack brainwashed her so much she barely could think by herself," I tried to reassure him. "She wasn't alone in this. I was there for her, I tried to help her see things differently."
"You risked your life for her, while it was my responsibility – my family's responsibility, and we didn't move a finger to help her," he told me, as a tear escaped his left eye.
"You couldn't have done anything. Jack kept her away from all of you, and she started to believe that none of you actually cared for her," I explained, as Michael wiped his tears with the back of his hand. "It was a long road until she started to believe this was all a lie."
Michael stayed mute for some long seconds, as the only sound that could be heard in the room was his sniffles. Slowly, I scooted closer to him, and put my head on his bare shoulder in a comforting manner. I hated to see him this way, for the sight of him crying broke my heart each time I witnessed it. At the contact of his skin against mine, it's like all of his emotions were transferred to me in a split second, and mixed with mine. His anger, his sadness... But above all, the strongest feeling was guilt. Michael's guilt.
"You shouldn't be nice to me," he spoke in a low voice, looking down at his lap. "I was an ass to you while you went through hell. I shouldn't have yelled, I'm sorry."
"I know you are," I told him, taking his hand in mine and rested them on my thigh. "You were just worried about your sister and dealing with many emotions."
"Don't try to find me excuses. Just accept my apology, please," he practically begged, as he finally looked up to me.
"I accept your apology," I told him, slightly smiling. I couldn't help but let out a little wince of pain, as my cheek ached a little.
"I'm going to stay with you. I'll just tell the crew that—"
"No way in hell," I cut him off, as I stood up from the bed. "You're going there, Michael. They came all the way here to work on the tour's dance routines with you. I'm probably going to sleep all day long, I'll be fine. Really."
"But I don't feel like working right now," he sighed heavily, as he brushed his hands over his face. "I want to stay here and take care of you. And I want to go see Latoya and Hayden at the hospital."
"Latoya will stay there with you until she gets back on her feet. As soon as she is discharged from the hospital, I'm taking her here," I assured him, as I took my shoes off, and tried to unzip my dress at the back.
"Let me help you with that," Michael kindly offered, as he gently undressed me, sliding my bridesmaid dress all the way to the floor. He disappeared for a few seconds in the bathroom, and came back with one of his shirts in his hands. "Let's put this on you," he instructed, as he helped me put his red CTE button down.
"Thanks," I softly told him, looking at his beautiful features while he was buttoning his shirt on me.
"This is the least I can do for you after you saved my sister's life and took care of her for months," he answered, an obvious lump in his throat.
"Michael, hon—"
"You saved her life," he cut me off, as he put his hands on each side of my face, careful not to hurt me in the process. "You'd do anything for your loved ones, even if it means putting your own life at risk. It's not the first time it happens, and it both impresses and scares me," he admitted, looking deep into me eyes. "It scares me because I love you. I wouldn't survive if anything happened to you."
"Nothing is going to happen to me," I reassured him, wrapping my hands on both of his wrists. "I'm alive and well, and I did what I had to do."
Little did Michael know, by saving his sister from her evil husband, I saved him from something that would have changed him forever too.