25 Chapter 25

　　Hope

　　My heart sinks with dread. My father is the reason his parents are dead.

　　‘I'm so sorry,’ I say, crying. He grabs my chin to force me to look at him.

　　‘It's not your fault. It's not like you had anything to do with it,’ he says, before kissing me on the lips.

　　‘Hope? You’re shaking,’ he says, concerned. He rests his forehead on mine. ‘You’re burning up,’ he says, standing, lifting me up.

　　He grabs his coat, covers me, and walks nude, upstairs to our room. I’m trembling and shaking. He lies me on our bed and goes into the bathroom to fill the bath.

　　He scoops me up, and lowers himself into the bath with me in his arms, so we are both in the water. My mind is racing one hundred miles an hour, before it fades into nothing.

　　I wake up in bed, nestled into Max, who is snuggled into me, with his arm around me. Sitting up, I rub my forehead.

　　‘How are you feeling?’ He asks, sitting up.

　　‘My head hurts. Otherwise, I’m fine,’ I answer.