“I’m Ashley. Thanks for everything.” I held out my hand. He looked at my wrist, where the ropes cut me.

“I’ll take care of that.”

“It’s nothing,” I said.

“You said you’d do anything, right?” He put me on the stool and grabbed a first-aid kit.

“This might sting.” I bit my lip and watched him take care of my wounds. I suddenly felt warm.

I remembered back when Chad and I got married. He was drunk, and I tried to help him back to our room. I told him not to drink too much. He pushed me away, and I fell on the ground. My bracelet shattered and cut my wrist. I screamed, and he stared down at me.

“Does it hurt? Good. Tiffany felt that a thousand times over. Because I had to save you first, she had to go through that hell…”

I looked at him, completely in shock. My heart froze. After a while, I spoke.

“We were kidnapped to threaten you. You chose to save me. So why are you telling me this?”

Chad’s face went cold.

“Ash, I never wanted to get married. It was all your grandma’s idea.”

“So, if I wasn’t here, you’d only have to save Tiffany?”

“Haha…” I laughed, “You’re crazy. Don’t blame me for what the kidnappers did.”

I got up and took care of my cuts. From then on, I never told Chad what hurt. Now, he was blowing on the wound. I closed my eyes and said, “What are you doing?”

He looked up and smiled.

“When I was hurt, my mom did this. Do you feel better?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He kept going, but he was soon interrupted.