chapter 39

Valen I can't sleep; all night I toss and turn, knowing they're both over there—so close, yet out of reach. It gives me a little comfort knowing Tatum is there with them, yet everything in my screams I should be the one protecting them, how I have failed. No wonder she hates me. I would hate me too if our roles were reversed. Now a few past incidents make sense; why I could never hold a relationship to save my life, why I had trouble with my sex life, the sudden bouts of depression seeping into me. Now it makes me wonder if I knew all along on a subconscious level, and it was my body trying to stop me from making the idiotic decisions I sometimes did. She felt it, felt it all, and didn't say anything. When she kissed Marcus, the pain that she caused was brief yet painful all the same. How did she endure years of my infidelity? I may not have known about her, but she certainly knew of me, which makes me groan at how stupid I've been. The countless brothels, the women, and she endured th