Kelly’s POV
“Kelly—”
“Let’s talk some other time, Pierce. I still need to talk to Luke’s siblings.” I cut him off when I ran into him while walking towards the morgue.
Emily called me and told me that he already informed Luke’s siblings about what happened. I’m going to meet them now.
“Kelly, I can’t let another day pass without you hearing my explanations—”
I faced him and he stopped walking. “I need time, Pierce. I already have so many problems.”
He stared at my face. Pain was visible in his eyes. “Kelly, I lost you once and I don’t wanna lose you again. I’m scared that if I let this pass without giving you my explanation I’d lose my chance again. Kelly, I...I love you so much and I’m willing to wait even if it takes a decade, but I can’t wait in peace knowing that you misunderstood what happened...”
I swallowed hard. “T-Then go! Explain it to me. Now!”
His brown eyes softened. “She went to my unit last night and purposely spilled her coffee on her dress... She...asked to borrow my shirt and I let her but I didn’t expect that she would try to seduce me. She heard that I was talking to you, so she said that on purpose.”
I laughed sarcastically. “You know that she wet her clothes on purpose and you still helped her.”
“I can’t ignore her. I did her wrong—”
“Stop taking responsibility for the things that you cannot control, Pierce! You loved her and you hurt her but it was beyond your control. You didn’t know that you’d hurt her and you can’t take that responsibility forever...”
“...You already apologized, sincerely. That’s enough! You don’t have to constantly help her or be kind to her just because she was once part of your life and you hurt her accidentally...”
He swallowed hard. “I-I...”
“How about me?” I lifted my chin and looked at him blankly. “Are you only chasing me because you feel like it’s your responsibility to make me feel better because you hurt me before?”
“No!” His voice cracked as he constantly shook his head. “I love you, Kelly. So much! God knows.”
“Then, put me on the top of your priorities,” I said as tears pooled in the corner of my eyes. “I don’t need a kind man who will help anyone or everyone who’s in need. I need a man who will prioritize me over other people—people who are not even your family.”
“Kelly...”
“I don’t want you to be kind to everyone, Pierce! I don’t want you to feel responsible for the things you have no control over. I want you to ignore the people who are only getting in our way. I want you to be my best friend again! I want you to be my husband again!”
The pain is making me so uncontrollable. My emotions have exploded.
I just want him to be selfish sometimes. I don’t want a superhero, damn it! I want a man. My own man!
“I-I’m sorry...” he whispered. “I-I was just scared and...insecure.”
I shook my head and wiped the tears that rolled down my cheeks. “You can be scared. You can be insecure. But please...stop caring about other people. Stop caring about Lexi. Stop seeing her. Stop talking to her. Stop...just stop making me so fcking jealous!”
His brown eyes remained staring at me softly as he took a step closer to me and gently caressed my cheeks with his thumb. He moved his face down and closer until I felt his lips pressed on my forehead.
His warm arms slowly wrapped around my body as he pulled me closer, hugging me.
I can feel his heartbeat. I can feel the heaviness of his breath. I can feel his warmth. I can feel his love.
“I love you,” he whispered in my ear. “I love you so much and sorry for disappointing you again. You don’t have to tell me about these things twice. I will work on myself and make myself better. I will make sure that when you come back to me...the guilt in my heart is all gone.”
I squeezed my eyes closed and buried my face in his chest. That’s all that I need to hear.
I pulled away and looked at him. I wiped my tears and looked him in the eyes. “Tell me if you have already cleared your heart from guilt. I’m just waiting for you to come back to being the man I once knew. I’m just waiting for you to be the Pierce I married before. Be mine again. Completely mine because I have always been yours, Pierce. I have always been yours...”
He slowly nodded and caressed my bottom lip. His eyes were burning with love, desire and admiration as he stared at my face.
“I’m yours too, Kelly. And I will never hurt you again.”
Someone suddenly pulled me away from Pierce and slapped me.
I was shocked but after I saw the woman who did it, I stilled.
“Hey!” Pierce tried to defend me but the woman, who’s even younger than Phoebe burst into tears.
“My brother was kind! He only wants to support us and provide for us. Why do you have to involve him in your messy life? Why?”
I looked down and bit my bottom lip. “I-I’m sorry...”
“Sorry?” She sobbed. “You’re sorry? I don’t need your sorry! Bring my brother back! Bring him back!”
“Lucy, stop it!” Luke’s younger brother came and stopped the youngest.
“No! She needs to pay for what she did! She was the one who killed Luke! She killed our brother!”
“Lucy, it’s not Kelly’s fault...” Pierce tried to defend me but Lucy slapped him too.
“Stop defending that woman! She’s ruining everyone’s life—”
“Lucy, I said stop it! Luke won’t like this!”
Lucy looked at me with hatred before she pushed her brother away. She wiped her tears and walked away.
I squeezed my eyes closed and pressed my lips together. I understand her pain and I’m not blaming myself for what happened. I’m not stupid to blame myself but I feel so sad and sorry for what happened to Luke. I’m not gonna stop until I give him justice.
“Miss Kelly...” Luke’s younger brother, Liam, called me.
I sniffed and looked at her. “I’m sorry...”
He shook his head. “Nothing happened was your fault, Miss Kelly. I just want you to know that Luke left something. He strictly told me that if something happens to him, I should give it to you...”
I was shocked. “W-What is it?”
“I hid it in our house, Miss Kelly. I want to give it to you now but I want to stay with my brother and...Lucy’s like that so...”
I slowly nodded. “I understand. Just give it to me when you’re ready.”
He nodded and glanced at Pierce behind me before he walked away.
Luke left something. He knew what’s going to happen. He discovered something and that led him to a cruel and painful death.