Elena‘s POV“And who decided that?” I asked, my voice rising, thick with a sob I couldn't hold back anymore. I grabbed his shirt tighter, twisting the coarse fabric in my hands. “Who decided you don't get to be forgiven, Zack? Is it the mountain, or is it just your own stupid pride? You think carrying all this guilt on your own makes you strong? It doesn't. It just makes you a coward.”Zack flinched, his head tilted back slightly as if I had physically struck him. His lips parted, but no sound came out.“You spent nine years letting me believe you were a monster because it was easier for you to carry the blame than to face us,” I whispered, my chest heaving as I looked up into his icy blue eyes. “If you throw away our feelings now, if you tell me to go find some other man just so you can feel clean up here in your self-inflicted prison... then you are throwing away everything we bled for.”Zack’s eyes closed. His chest rose in a long, shuddering breath, and when he opened them again
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