Page 139 of Sinner's Salvation

I’ll fight for you, Cameron. You’re worth it.

I can’t stay mad when I know he’s trying. The best course is to move forward and escape this push-and-pull, this game of hide-and-seek we have going on.

Lifting my glass, I take a long sip. Setting it back down, I open the doors to my past, letting all my vulnerability slip through.

For him. I love him. It’s terrifying and exhilarating all at once. I put all my bravery and trust in our connection. In us.

“I was seven when I was diagnosed with leukemia,” I finally say.

He sucks in a breath, jaw tightening. He is mad at something he couldn’t have possibly prevented. He’s my broken villain, yet also the hero I need.

“I got sick out of the blue... It was awful. Being sick sucks but when all you can think of is playing and enjoying every day, you don’t think something like that could happen. In my child’s brain, death was an abstract concept. I didn’t care about what happened afterward because I didn’t want to be separated from my parents.”

My voice breaks, but he interlaces our fingers on the table, offering me silent support.

“Everything changed in an instant with the diagnosis. For years, I was in and out of hospitals, enduring treatments—treatments that I wouldn’t wish on anyone.”

I take another sip of my drink. Cameron lifts my hand to his cheek, cradling it there. “So, you’ve always been a fighter, haven’t you?”

A smile lifts the corner of my mouth. I guess he’s right.

“My sister was conceived as a way of saving me. She was a bone marrow match, born to help me fight leukemia. The transplant worked. But whenever I look at her, I feel guilty. What if she finds out? What if she hates me?”

I purse my lips, forcing my tears back. This high-end restaurant should not have been the place to have this discussion. I stare at my small hand, enveloped by his larger one—a protective cocoon.

“Look at me.” His smooth but deep voice compels me to do that.

“What would you have done in your parents’ place? You question what they decided. Now what if it were our child?”

I catch my lower lip between my teeth. “Ours?”

“Whose else would it be?”

Suppressing a smile, I study his face, every muscle taut with seriousness.

“Because I know we would do the same. And whenever guilt knocks at your conscience, imagine this exact scenario. We’d not only save one child, but get the gift of a second one.”

I never thought about it like that, even though my parents have implied something similar.

“Thank you.”

“Life is not a matter of yes or no and black or white. Most of it happens in shades of gray. As for Serena, I believe she won’t mind when she finds out. You share a deep bond. She is loved and happy and has a big sister with an incredibly good heart. You’re already a hero in her eyes. Once she learns about your battle, she’ll have even more reason to see you that way.”

“Who are you right now?”

He places a tender kiss on my palm.

“I don’t know, but I want to explore this with your help.”

Can he still shock me? I guess he can. This man right now is what my heart desperately craves.

“Thank you. It was my way of coping, I guess. I mourned the child I didn’t get to be. My hair fell out so much, then having to shave it... I didn’t want to get used to liking my hair again. I’m a coward.”

“No, you’re the bravest woman I know. You’re fascinating, Violet. If people could be stars in the sky, you’d be a damn galaxy—the brightest one,” he says, leaving me speechless.

Dessert comes, and a certain comfort veils us in our own little world. I guess that happens when you’ve already stripped bare in front of each other. There is no place for awkwardness between us any longer.

I eye his chocolate lava cake, which looks better than my tiramisu. He switches plates with me and waggles his eyebrows, making me giggle.

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