Innocent?
Had he truly convinced himself of that?
Sean didn’t wait for my response.
Instead, he turned on his heel, carrying Mandy toward the doctor’s office.
Meanwhile, I could no longer stand it.
My body had reached its limit.
So, with what little strength I had left, I began to crawl—inch by inch—toward the nurse’s station.
A long trail of blood followed behind me as I dragged myself forward.
By the time all my wounds had been treated, it was already late at night. That was when I received a video from Mandy.
On the bed, Sean hovered over her, his lips pressing against her injured abdomen and ankles again and again—tender, reverent.
Meanwhile, my own ankles, left to dangle in agony for hours, throbbed with unbearable pain.
So this is what love and hate look like…
The video lasted a full thirty minutes. And I watched every second of it, like a fool bent on self-destruction.
The moment I hit save, a message from Sean popped up on my screen.
"Marie, I acted on impulse today, but no matter what, you shouldn't have hurt Mandy."
"The doctor said she was traumatized, so I’ll stay with her tonight. Think of it as making up for your mistakes."