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Chapter 15

I had this chapter ready like a week ago, and I just now realized that I never published it 😂 whoops.

Peeta P.O.V.

"Honey, what are you doing up so late?" I ask Katniss softly as I walk into the dimly lit living room. She looks up at me from her seat on the couch, and I can clearly see the tears falling down her cheeks.

"I woke up, and you weren't there," I tell her as I sit down beside of her. "You had me worried."

Katniss takes a deep breath. "I'm not feeling too good."

I frown at her. "Are you sick?"

"No," Katniss replies as she shakes her head at me. "I mean, not really. It's just the stress catching up to me." She swallows hard. "I can't go to sleep without having nightmares."

"Katniss, why didn't you wake me?"

"It's no big deal," Katniss says as she shrugs her shoulders. "It's not like it's anything new."

"Still," I say. "You shouldn't have to face this alone."

"I didn't even wake up screaming," Katniss says with a far-off look in her eyes. "It's more like I was… paralyzed with fear."

"Yeah," I breathe out. "I've been there."

Katniss looks over at me as more tears fall down her face. It hurts to see her like this. Knowing that she's hurting and there's absolutely nothing that I can do to help.

I wrap an arm around Katniss's shoulders and pull her in so her head is resting on my chest. She lets out a sob as I press my lips to the top of her head.

"Emotional pain is always the worse," I tell her softly. "You can't fix it with a bandage or some medication. And the worse part is, it never really goes away. But the best thing is when you have somebody to help you carry the weight of the pain." I stop and take a deep breath.

"I'm right here for you, Katniss," I continue softly. "If you feel like you need to cry, then cry. If you feel like screaming, then scream. If you want to punch something, hit me."

Katniss laughs a little bit.

I cup my hand around her chin and slowly move her head so she can look at me.

"But please," I whisper. "Please don't think for one second that you're alone in this."

Katniss takes a deep breath. "Can I ask you a question?"

I give her a sad smile. "Of course."

She looks me in the eyes and sobs once. "How did you ever handle losing your entire family all at one time?"

"Honestly, I was just a little sad at first. I think that with everything Snow did to me, it didn't effect me as bad at first," I begin. "But when we came back home and started building a life together, and I started getting better, this empty feeling started setting in.

"Then you told me you were pregnant, and I began to focus on the family that we were in the process of starting. When we lost our baby, it all can back. That heavy, empty feeling returned and would not go away."

I stop and close my eyes, holding back the tears. I take a deep breath, opening my eyes again.

"Then I realized something. No matter what we gained or lost, I'd have eveything I'd ever need as long as I'd have you by my side. When we found out you were pregnant with Willow, I knew that it was all okay after that. Yeah, I had lost my family. But I also gained one."

Katniss gives me a sad smile. "I think we've got a pretty good little family."

I reach over and take her hand in mine. "So do I."