“I thought something was off in the car—I wanted to believe that maybe you still needed some time to breathe… maybe coming to my home would help you realize that you are not stuck inside that wretched house any longer.” All anger and desperation fell from Xaden’s face until there was nothing but pain, and I felt my heart clench. “But none of this means anything if you can’t trust me.”
I began to panic. Please don’t give up on me, I wanted to plead.
“Xaden, that’s not what I meant!” I gasped, lunging for his hand, falling to my knees in front of him.
He didn’t respond to my touch. He just knelt there, still like a statue.
“I do,” I said fervently with a quivering breath as tears began to pool. “I trust you more than anyone else in my life—more than you can ever begin to comprehend.”
H
