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Luke

She’s so beautiful So innocent Oh, her body has been used in the worst way, but still she’s innocent Innocent in my eyes, and I don’t want to taint her with the darkness that will always be with me Not until I’ve redeemed myself And for the first time, I believe that I ood in me She sees what I can be

And I want to believe her I so want to believe her

I walk around her and regard the scars on her beautiful back I have a few scars myself One from a bullet, two from knives None like this I was never tortured Never abused in the h I did dole out my share of abuse, I never left a mark Does that rees of evil? Am I any different than those men on that treacherous island?

I sigh Does it even ht I loved, but to friends, family Toin me no matter what

I trail er over one of Katelyn’s scars “Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore”

“I hate whoever did this to you I wish I could kill them with my bare hands”

“It doesn’t matter anymore”

“That man from the restaurant Did he do this to you?”

She shakes her head

“Who did, then? Who?”

“I couldn’t tell you They didn’t use their real names Most of them are in prison now I’m not sure how Pollack isn’t”

“He probably turned state’s evidence” The thought makes me nauseous I called Tony DeCarlo a canary when I saw him today

The biggest canary is the one I see when I look in the

But here stands Katelyn, knowing nothing about e her Do what I ith her All because she loves me

If only I orthy…

I may never be, but I have to try

I meant to leave I meant to leave, to try to fix myself, and then come back to her

But I know the truth

And that truth is, once I go back, I et out of this alive

Perhaps I will be worthy of her in the end, but it may be on my deathbed

I am only a man I’m not made of steel Before me stands the woainst one of her scars, and then I rain kisses across each one of them “I love you, Katelyn I love you Scars and all”

She turns then, to face aze “And I love you too, Luke Scars and all”