Gunner (EDITED/REWRITTEN)

34- Gunner (EDITED)

The last thing I expected to see tonight was Shelby, and when I went down to the lower deck and saw that she was still alive, my blood instantly turned cold, and I was more than sickened to think I had been mourning her for the last six years.

To think I could have lost Aria because of what I kept up and kept in my home, I felt guilty and stupid that it had me wanting to kill her with my bare hands for Shelby, making me believe after all these years, she was gone.

I had many questions. And I also had so much to say to Shelby, so when I saw Aria aiming the gun at her, I rushed to her, wanting to stop her from pulling the trigger, hoping I'd get Shelby to admit what I wanted to know.

I also wanted to thank her for doing me a favor by giving me Aria.

After seeing and hearing what I have and thinking back to when we were together, I realized what Aria wanted to get me to see. Had I married Shelby, it would have been a fake, loveless marriage.

Shelby didn't love me; she used me.

And the more I think about it; whenever we made love, she never showed me the same love I was giving her. She never told me she loved me; it was always me too after telling her I loved her.

How could I not see any of this when we were together?

How could I have been so blind?

I was blind as a fucking bat, that's why.

I feel even more of an idiot for mourning Shelby like I was after realizing and seeing the differences between Aria and Shelby's love. And now I know that it was because of how much I was in love with Shelby that I ignored what I should have seen during our entire relationship.

And now I'm upset with myself—upset that loving Shelby the way I did cost me my father.

Fuck, I miss my dad.

If my father were still here, he'd love Aria, and he would've been so proud to have called her his daughter.

I was a fool.

I kneeled to the ground and looked at the bullet wound between Shelby's eyes. I had no clue she knew how to handle a gun and was astonished to see what she'd done. I looked up. "Wow, Aria. Have you ever shot a gun before?"

"No. That was my first time," Aria admitted, looking at Shelby while shaking her head, looking surprised and shocked by what she'd done. "My heart was racing, and my hand shook while aiming the gun at her. But then I thought about what she did to you and your father, and I wanted to give you and your dad justice. So I told myself to relax. And just as I did, I pulled the trigger."

I looked away from her and back down at Shelby. "She got what she deserved."

Aria stood behind me, rested her hands on my shoulders, and lowered her cheek to mine. "She did. Justice has been finally served."

"Finally..." I shifted around, pulled her onto my lap, and held her tight. "I thank you for what you did, but now I fear and worry that what you did to Shelby will have you scarred for the rest of your life."

She rested the palm of her hand on my cheek, giving me an assuring smile. "Don't worry. I'll be fine." She turned her head and then stared at The Tormentor's lifeless body lying on the ground. "What are we going to do about him?"

"We don't have to worry about him either."

She snapped her head back my way, looking confused. "No?"

"No. I snapped Torrence's neck after he said he was bringing you home to fuck you until your pussy was raw and that he would make sure you left me for him."