Chapter Ninety-Seven: More Than Love

“I’m listening.”

He still held my arm, refusing to let me go. I didn’t struggle anymore, this time, I paid attention and listened.

“I have a lot of things to say to you,” he paused, and I watched his chest rise and fall dramatically as he took a deep breath, “but I’ll start with an apology for earlier. I didn’t mean anything I said to you.”

My heartbeat raced.

Was he trying to say his feelings are true?

“You’re right about me being a coward because I was afraid— I still am.”

He pulled me closer to him, and I felt my breath hitch.

“For the first time in my life, I’ve felt genuine fear. I’m afraid of the husband I’ll be, and I’m afraid of the lover I’ll be, because deep down, there’s a sinister part of me, and it has frozen the warmth in my heart. I’m afraid of hurting you.”

My chest began to feel tight and my eardrums started to drum.

He continued, “I’m not a good man, yet, you gave your heart to me, and all I did was shatter it. I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I’m ready to fix