Six

I sighed in relief as I held her in my arms, finally. She wasn’t fighting me anymore.

She was relaxed in my arms, even though she was crying. I held her close to me as if I didn’t want her to slip away and be lost forever.

Her small frame shook with the force of her sobs.

“I’m sorry, Arabella. I’m really sorry,” I muttered as I kissed the top of her hair. “Please forgive me,” I whispered, gently rocking her.

I don’t know how long we stayed in that position before she pulled away to look at me. Her eyes were red and puffy, her cheeks were wet...