𝐏𝐒𝐘𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐀𝐓𝐇 (Ash Trilogy #2) ✔️

27

~ Saint POV ~

God, I've missed her so much.

My heart is nearly jumping out of my chest being in her presence. She's right there, she's right across from me. I could reach my arms out and touch her soft skin, run my hands through her hair. But I don't. Because I know that's not what she wants.

And so, I keep digging with her.

She digs aggressively, I know this must be hard for her, and I wish I could hug her and comfort her.

"Aurora-" I start.

She cuts me off, shooting her eyes up at me, "Don't."

She takes a pause, before beginning to shake her head and whisper, "Don't. Look at you, Saint. You've been with me for five minutes and you've already killed someone. I-I'm digging the fucking grave with you!"

I remain silent. It's clear she's frustrated as she shouts under the moonlight.

She gestures at me in disbelief, "A-and look at you! You're covered in blood! I don't even know whose blood it is!"

"Every single person between here and New York who couldn't tell me where you were," I say softly.

She swallows. I keep my eyes on hers for a moment before grabbing the body behind me and pushing it into the grave, and starting to fill it with dirt again.

This time, she doesn't help me. She drops her shovel to the ground and leans her back against the tree, her butt sitting on the grass.

I toss the dirt over the man's body who I did not regret killing even for a second.

"How'd you even find me?" she breaks the silence once the grave is half full.

"Took about $20 million, having to bribe security footage after security footage, and the people that sold the bus ticket," I tell her, and her big blue eyes look up at me. "But no price could've ever been too much."

It's like she's confused as her eyebrows tug together and her hands clasp together. She asks quietly, "Why?"

"Why?" I repeat the question like I couldn't believe she would ever need to ask that. "Because I fucking love you, Aurora. Because I can't breathe without you. Because I would kill anybody who wrongs you and not feel bad about it. Because you are all I need in this world, not money, not air, not food, just you."

She jumps to her feet, taking quick steps toward me, "W-well stop! Stop loving me and leave me alone!"

"I'm only here because of you, Aurora," I toss the shovel onto the ground frustratedly and step towards her. "I was going to leave! I was going to leave, but you begged me to stay, and I stayed for you!"

She snaps, "Well, I don't love you anymore, Saint!"

My head tilts at her. She continues to look up at me, breathing heavily, eyes wide.

"You don't?" I question.

She looks at me with a serious expression before saying strongly, "No."

"Hm," I purse my lips and nod.

I take one last step toward her. We're barely touching now, and she sucks in a breath once I get this close.

I bring my face closer to hers, and ask her, "Then why haven't you turned me in?"

Her throat moves as she gulps. She shakes her head a few times without saying anything, as if she were trying to think of what to say.

"It wasn't because I love you," her voice is quieter than her shouting before. "I can't love you. I don't love you."