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“I really ood plan to her, but noas just another plan that had gone horribly wrong

He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers His touch eet, light, and itfrom him She shouldn’t have run from him They were supposed to be a team

“I’m sorry,” she said

“Don’t keep apologizing It’s not your fault, and I don’t blame you”

“But what if I’dtime? What if I’d been killed?”

“You’re not dead, and I’ll never, ever allow anyone to kill you You’re ive you up” His handforto me just as I’m yours I won’t share you, not ever”

Tears filled her eyes and began to spill down her cheeks “I don’t deserve you”

“Don’t”

“But look what a mess I am”

“You’re perfect”

She sniffled “I don’t re so weak” She shook her head “I feel like a total fuck up”

“You’re not”

“I can’t wait for you to meet Ava I hope she remembers me Do you think she’ll remember me?”

“She’s a kid She will You’ll be all she can think about”

“Oh, I hope so I really do I le day”

“I know”

Drago still held her hand tightly within his own, even as he drove

“I want her to have a good life, Drago If anything was to ever happen to me…”

“Nothing is going to happen to you”

She wished she had his confidence, but she knew this world When you started to o of it, to really take the life you wanted, it spat you back out, stomped on you, and left you for dead That was the only life she really knew Everything else was cole level Was it possible for her to ever be able to have a life that was nor to be full of deceit and lies

“You can’t say that”

“I can I handle my own kind of pain, and anyone who tries to take me out, they better wish they do it with one bloon’t let anything happen to you, and now that we’re heading toward Ava, no one, and Iyour child fro to personally make sure your father pays I’ to be the end for us, Belle This is going to be the end for them”