Christian took Victoria’s hand and gently kissed the back of it.

"You have nothing to apologize for, nothing to feel bad about, Victoria. Everything I do, I do because I love you. I am willing to do whatever it takes, but I will free you from that damn animal."

He squeezed her hand firmly and led her down a hallway toward a room at the end. However, she did not move forward.

"I can’t run away right now. You know my children are there; he… he could hurt them." The mere thought of what Salvatore might do to her little ones made Victoria’s skin crawl, and she wanted to turn...