Keeley was surprisingly comfortable snuggled up with Aaron, and she fell asleep. She awoke around three in the morning, completely trapped. She had rolled over during the night, now facing him, pressed against his chest, his arm slung over her, their legs tangled.

She sighed, wide awake now. Her heart raced uncomfortably from the closeness. They hadn't slept like this in a long time. Even when they were married, this simple intimacy ended after she lost the baby—only two years into their marriage. Their marriage faltered early but lasted another six and a half years.

It was still hard to believe Aaron sent her away only to keep her safe. How long had it taken him to reach that conclusion? Her father had been killed two years earlier, and Aaron claimed he was gathering information to prove it wasn't an accident.

Had he let her go because he couldn't prove it, or because his enemies were making further moves? Did he never consider adoption because he didn't want to endanger another innocent child?

So many assumptions Keeley had made were wrong, even after learning the truth. Her anger at his selfishness overshadowed the reasons behind his actions.

Seeing how desperately he craved her company now…it must have been incredibly hard for him to push her away. It was still a stupid thing to do, but she tried to see it from his perspective.

Aaron was a month away from his twenty-second birthday when they married. He always seemed older due to his upbringing, but he was still young. He naively believed he could handle any problem as long as they stayed together.

She gazed at his peaceful sleeping face. He was around this age—twenty-four—when the ectopic pregnancy occurred. How could a twenty-four-year-old be expected to handle that?

He made the wrong decision, but he did the only thing he could think of. Keeley had blamed him too much. If she were in his shoes, would she have had the courage to tell him the truth? She wasn't sure.

Two kids in love. In a simpler world, that's all they would have been.

Returning to that sweet innocence was impossible, but…could this be fixed? Aaron still loved her. Her experiences had hardened her heart; she didn't feel the same. Her heart didn't race just from looking at him. Being around him didn't bring her the happiness it once did. At best, she felt sorry for him.

She wanted Aaron to find happiness, but he insisted he could only be happy with her. He was very good to her, but appreciation wasn't love.

Keeley knew what being in love with him felt like; this wasn't it.

Moving in had been a mistake, but she had nowhere else to go until she got a job after graduation. This would only hurt them both.

He had seemed so happy this past week. Even now, he had a soft, content expression. What would happen to him when she left?

She leaned her forehead against his. "I'm sorry I can't give you what you want, Aaron," she thought.

Staying wasn't fair to him, but she knew he'd object if she tried to leave. He didn't seem to care about fairness; he just wanted her around. It made her feel worse.

Keeley lay trapped for another hour before Aaron shifted enough for her to escape without waking him. Sleep was impossible now.

She decided on a long bubble bath before seeing her father. Unfortunately, she nearly tripped over a cat—she couldn't tell which one in the dark—scaring herself even more.

She flipped on the bathroom lights, using them to guide her back to her room for a towel and clothes in the semi-darkness. She didn't want to wake Aaron; he needed sleep.

The running bathwater was soothing; her thoughts flowed away with it. Nothing mattered—not the death anniversary, her uncertain future, or her situation with Aaron. Nothing.

Easing into the warm water, she closed her eyes and leaned back. She'd used enough bubble bath this time; it didn't overflow.

The jets were so relaxing she didn't emerge until the water grew cold. She donned a blue tee shirt with a giant yellow smiley face and jean shorts, wrapping her hair in her usual towel turban.

It was only 5:03 AM. She'd make muffins while her hair dried. There were blueberries in the fridge. Her dad loved blueberry muffins; hopefully, they'd cheer him up.

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