A heavy emotional silence followed.

“I don’t know how to reach you Sin.” My shoulders slumped, defeated.

“I’m right here Taylor,” he said, his voice strained.

“Why won’t you touch me?” I asked, outright. Emotion burned in my chest, making me feel raw inside.

“You nearly miscarried Taylor. You’re supposed to be taking it easy not getting all worked up about nothing.”

Nothing. He thought it was nothing. While I had spent hours awake trying to figure out how to fix things so we could go back to the ways things were before Mack had showed up.

“It’s not…nothing.” Tears gathered and I hated the outward show of weakness but I was fighting for the man I loved.

He pressed his lips together.

This time there was not stopping the tears. I brushed them away, there was no suppressing the fear that somehow Mack had broken us so bad there was no fixing it.

Before he would have gathered me close and soothed any fears, but this time he stood unmoving, watchful.

“I love you,” I whispered to him. It was a desperate plea for him to open up to me.

Silence.

It was a gut punch, leaving me spiraling. Fearful.

“I-I don’t…” Words failed me.

He was Sin. My Sin. The bad boy I had fallen for so deeply. He had been my lover and protector. But this man in front of me wasn’t the same person.

Defeated and lost I wiped my tears as his dark stare fixed on me.

“I can’t live like this,” I said, trying to gather what little strength I had.

His jaw twitched as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

I waited hoping to get some of reaction from him, but there was none. There was nothing left to say. I left the study, not even bothering to close the door as I headed to the bedroom.

Overwhelmed, I sat down on the bed to gather my thoughts and figure out what I was going to do next.

I went to my wardrobe and opened it to step back. Grabbing a duffel bag I began to randomly shove things into it. My chest heaved with each painful breath.

There was a part of me that hoped he would come to his senses and stop me but he didn’t. My hands shook as I scanned the room trying to think but too emotional.

This wasn’t what was supposed to happen. We had survived Mack to only fall apart in his wake.

My chest hurt and I took a deep breath, dropping the duffel bag on the bed.

I paced trying deal with all the emotions building up inside.

This couldn’t be happening. I felt so unreal. He was turning his back on our future. Never if anyone had told me this was where we would end up after surviving what we had endured I would have not believed it, not for a second.

But here I was.

A sob tore from me as I put my hand to my mouth. I swallowed hard.

This could not be happening. It just couldn’t.

I knew deep in my heart that Sin was the only man for me. There would be no other.

The baby moved in my stomach.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, trying to reign my emotions for fear how it would impact on the tiny life inside of me. “I don’t know what else to do.”

Packing up and leaving was the logical thing to do. Why stay where I didn’t feel wanted?

But some things were worth fighting for. Sin was worth it.

I marched back to the study and stormed inside.

Sin stood by the window and turned when I entered.

“You’re shutting me out and I won’t let you. Do you hear me?” I moved to face him. “I won’t let you give up on us.”

His features were stone like. Emotionless. But I had enough emotion for the both of us.

“I know what happened with Mack has knocked you. And I get that you have to work through it. But I won’t let you break us in the process.”

“You can’t fix what’s broken.”

My mouth fell open and I didn’t know how to respond. His statement knocked me.

“Pack your stuff and leave,” he told me with a shrug like I meant nothing. He walked back to stand behind his desk. Dismissing me.

I simply couldn’t not believe what he was saying. I stared at the man I didn’t recognize.

“You don’t mean that,” I argued, unable to believe that was what he wanted. I was stunned. My mind couldn’t comprehend his words.

“I do.” His bold unwavering stare made me take a step back.

Had I been so wrong? It made me doubt my confidence in his feelings for me and how we felt about each other.

I shook my head. “No.” The one word echoed in the room.

“If you won’t leave. I will.” He made a move to walk past me but I stepped into his path, determined to get him to talk to me.

“No.” I stood firm. I would not allow him to give up on us. “You don’t mean this. I know it.”

“What do you want from me Taylor?” he asked, angrily. He pulled his hand through his hair.

“I want you to tell me why you’re acting like this.” My eyes searched his. “Why are you giving up on us?”

I had to understand, or it would drive me crazy.

He bowed his head and I reached out to touch his arm. He pulled away. “Don’t touch me.”

I retracted my hand. My throat was raw and I swallowed.

“Don’t you love me anymore?” I asked softly, unsure of how we had gotten to this place.

“None of that matters.” He rolled his shoulders.

I frowned. “What do you mean?” His answer was beyond confusing.

“I’m not good for you.”

“That’s not true-”

“Stop it!” He yelled and I faltered back a step feeling the anger come off him in waves.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” he asked, glaring at me.

I swallowed, unsure of how to handle him.

“I loved you more than anything, more than anyone. When I didn’t think it was possible for me to feel that way I fell so deeply in love with you that I lived and breathed every moment I could have with you.” The agonized tone tore at my heart, shredding it.

He bowed his head, defeated. “Even when I love you so much that I know that I can’t give you life you deserve.”

“What are you talking about?” I whispered. He wasn’t making any sense.

“None of it matters anymore. Don’t you get it.”

“Of course it matter. I love you and you love me.” I studied him. “That’s all we need.”

He shook his head. “It isn’t enough.”

“Why are you doing this?” I pleaded, unable to stop myself.

“Stop Taylor,” he warned but I couldn’t.

I loved him too much to walk away.

“You love me,” I stated, like that was the only thing that counted. “I won’t let you do this.”

He growled out in frustration and with a sweep of his hand cleared the desk. The sound of objects crashing to the floor faded to background as I stared at him. He leaned both hands on the desk and bowed his head.

“Loving me, nearly killed you,” he whispered quietly.

I wanted to reach out to touch him but feared I would only worsen thing.

He straightened but would not look me in the eye, instead he looked at the stuff that he had wiped from the desk that now lay strewn across the floor.

“How can I keep you safe when I brought the danger into our lives?”

Then he looked to me.

My heart melted for him.

“I brought Mack into our lives. I wrecked us.” His voice husky with emotion. His eyes clouded with guilt.

I shook my head gently, afraid if I said something it would stop him from opening up to me and letting me see what he was struggling with.

“I will never forgive myself for putting you in danger.”

I moved closer, needing to touch him. To ease his torment.

“You were trying to do the right thing,” I murmured.

“It didn’t matter when Mack was holding a gun on you. None of that mattered,” he argued.

His chest rising and falling with desperate emotion.

“I did the right thing and it nearly cost me everything.”