the man he used to be. It wasn’t just the outside
want to know what happened to you to make you
that had been damaged, but he wasn’t the same
this way. Thinking that you’re not worthy of me.
on the inside either. He was violent and errat-
Thinking that you’re not worth anything.” She
ic. He couldn’t let Rosa catch even a glimpse of
lied down next to him, and reached up to touch
what lay dormant inside of him, and often erupt-
his face but he grabbed her hand. “It’s okay.” she
ed to the surface. He didn’t want her to know that
whispered tenderly. “Let go.”
he was as much a monster on the inside as he was
on the outside.
He swallowed his anxiety and dropped his
hand. Rosa gently grazed her fingertips across the
Sean kicked the door shut, toweled off, and
scar embedded with ruby particles that covered
pulled on his boxers and jeans, then flopped onto
the side of his face. He inhaled sharply when her
the bed and threw his arm over his face. And
lips replaced her fingers and his body tightened
tried to figure out his next move.
instinctively. It had been so long since he’d felt
When he heard the door open, he groaned. “I
don’t want to talk about it mum.”
“I can’t believe you were actually going to let
me walk away.”
her touch, her lips. How had he been able to stay
away from her for so long?
“Tell me what happened.”
He took a deep breath. “The tour lasted three
Sean moved his arm and saw Rosa standing
years. My last day over there, my men and I
by the door. “I’m not going to stop you from do-
were doing a routine sweep, then there was an
ing what you choose to do.”
explosion in the mine nearby, and it collapsed.
“How about if I choose to love you no mat-
We could hear men inside shouting for help. My
ter what?”
three subordinates and I were the only soldiers
“What is there to love?”
there, I told them we had to go in and get those
“How can you ask me that Sean? You know
men out. They wanted to wait for back up, but I
me.”
told them everyone could be dead by then, we had
“But you don’t know me Rosalie. Not anymore.”
to get them out before the mine collapsed further.
“Then tell me. Please.” she walked into the
I went in, and they followed me. We got out all
room and closed the door. “What happened over
the miners, or we thought we did. We heard a
there?”
faint shout come from inside the mine, we went
He shook his head. “I don’t want to think
back in, then there was another explosion. When
about it. I don’t want to talk about it.”
I came to, my whole body hurt like nothing I’d
She sat next to him. “I want to hear about it. I
ever felt, I heard one of my men screaming in ag-