Hope

My heart was palpitating. It pounded hard, so hard that I swore it would burst out of my chest.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Scott barked, charging at him again but I quickly wormed my way in between them.

"Scott please stop."

"No." He hissed, his eyes filled with so much rage as he shoved me aside and jammed Killian against the wall. "I thought I told you I didn't want to see you anywhere near my sister?! What part of leave her the fuck alone didn't you understand!"

Killian groaned. God no. He was bleeding. This was all my fault. I shouldn't have let him in. I shouldn't have asked him to stay.

"Scott, I'll explain," I held his arm desperately. "Please let him go."

"Stay out of this," he gruffed, flinging his arm away from mine so harshly that I stumbled backward but caught myself with the support of the counter.

"Let me fucking go!" Killian barked,  ripping Scott's hand away from his throat and staggering back, fighting to get his air. For a moment, he looked like he would pass out, but he managed to straighten up with pure rage crossing his face. "What the hell is your problem!" He shoved his chest hard, so much so that Scott hit his back against the refrigerator.

It must have hurt but he buried the pain and charged back at Killian.

The two men I cherished the most were falling apart in front of me. Nausea rose in my throat but I struggled to stop it.

"Please stop!" I cried but none of them listened, they both stared with a lethal velocity at each other, panting, their stance still combative.

"I don't know what your problem is but you need to get over it," Killian scowled, bunching up his fist.

"Killian please," I begged but he dismissed me and wiped the blood oozing out of his mouth, glaring deadly at my brother.

"Hope, stay out of this." Scott compelled, pulling me to him.

"Don't fucking touch her," Killian growled, scooping me out of the way as he planted his hand on Scott's chest and shoved him back again.

Scott caught himself from stumbling and advanced again. "You think I want to hurt her? She's my sister you fucker! I'm only trying to protect her."

"From what?!"

"From you! I want you to stay away from her. Is that fucking much to ask!"

"She's my wife for God's sakes!" Killian flared up. "We're having a goddamn baby you fool."

"She was my sister first you idiot and I won't let you woo her with your fucking lies."

"They're not lies, I love Hope and she knows it."

Scott scoffed, shaking his head. "How could you love her? You're nothing but a cold-hearted sick fuck too self-centered to love anybody but yourself."

"You don't know the first thing about the feelings I have for Hope." He shoved him. "Admit it, this isn't about your sister. Stop using her as a fucking means to avenge, you wimp."

"Fuck you!" He threw a punch but Killian blocked it, grabbing his arm and pinning it to his side as he slammed him against the wall with his hand pressed against his throat so tightly that his feet came off the ground.

"Try that again." He snarled. "I dare you.

God, no.

"Killian, please let him go," I begged, having no idea when a tear fell from my face. He finally looked at me. His eyes softened immediately and so did his grip because Scott's face wasn't going pale anymore. "Hope. I've made mistakes in my life. Big ones. But I'm trying to make things right again. But he—" he turned to Scott and glared darkly at him. "—is just using the situation for revenge."

"Back off!" Scott spat, shoving him off with all his might. "You fucking took her away from me now you want to take my sister!" He punched him again and acid rose in my throat.

"Scott!" I shrieked. "Stop!"

Killian caught himself before he fell but the corner of his eyes bled. He spat and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Seems like your girlfriend skipped out the part where she constantly threw herself at me. Do you think I didn't know you were coming to the office that night?! I fucking wanted you to see it for yourself that you were dating an ambitious shameless gutter bitch!"

"I'm going to kill you!" He shoved him against the wall again, prepared to shove his fist down his throat.

I'd had enough.

"Scott that's enough! If you touch him one more time I swear I'll call the cops."

He turned to me, his fists still clenched. "You'd really do that to me?"

"If you don't stop this I will. What the hell's gotten into you, why are you hurting me this way!!"

He let Killian go and turned to me with eyes bleeding pain but I was too furious to give a shit about it. "Hope, I'm not trying to hurt you."

"Then explain how you can confidently beat up my husband in front of me."

"Hope." His hand went out toward me but I sidled out of his reach.

"Are you really going to paint him like he's the victim?"

"He's my husband! This is my apartment. You have no right!"

His eyes softened, and he let out a quick breath. "You're right. I don't. Fine. You want me to beg, I will." He turned to Killian and his knees began to bend, slowly.

What the hell was he doing?

"Killian." My eyes widened and a breath caught in my throat when he sank to the floor next to him.

"Scott, what the hell are you doing?"

He clenched his fist and bowed his head. "Please, you don't have to keep my sister caged because she is pregnant for you. Let her go."

Killian's eyes grew dark. My heart froze.

"Stop!" The word ripped out of my throat as I rushed to him and caught him by the arm, trying to drag him to his feet. "Scott please get up! Don't do this!"

Humiliation burned until my skin actually prickled. He didn't take his eyes off Killian. They burned. "I'll sacrifice my pride if I have to but you have to leave. You have to let her go, she won't be able to leave if you stick around, she finally has a chance to restart her life."

"Scott stop this right now!" I pleaded, unbidden tears spilling from both sides of my eyes.

Why the hell was he doing this to me?

Why the hell was my life this messed up?

"What do you mean she's leaving?" Killian finally spoke, unbothered by the fact that my brother knelt in front of him.

I looked up at him, still trying to pull Scott to his feet. "Its nothing, it doesn't—"

"She's leaving this city," Scott interjected. "She got a new job, a new chance to start her life, don't hold her back Killian. I beg you. Please let her go."

His eyes found mine and my heart was completely eviscerated seeing the hurt in his eyes. "You're leaving?"

I shook my head quickly. "It's not what you think." I reached for him. "Killian I can—"

"Don't." He scowled, taking a step back as if I slapped him.

"Killian please don't misunderstand me. I—"

"Was this your plan—" He paused, then spoke with a coldness that gave me a chill. "—Make me believe you'd forgiven me and then run off my child?"

His words stung like hell, but I took them. Because he was right. I would've run had I not realized that what we had was worth fighting for. "Killian no, I wasn't—"

"If not for you she would've left by now. You're too toxic. If you stay in her life she's never going to be happy.

My sister deserves better. Not a man like you. One with a crappy history and an inability to love." Scott spat.

Killian clenched his fist. His eyes were burning red, he was hurt, really hurt. My heart shattered in my chest. "I think I'm done here." He turned to his heel and snatched his keys from the table with a huge clink before walking out.

The room felt too small. There wasn't enough air, and my stomach clenched painfully as my lungs burned.

"Killian wait!" I wanted to run after him but Scott grabbed my hand.

"Don't. Let him go."

"I'm not letting him go." I slapped his hand off and quickly walked from the room, barely stopping myself from running down the stairs.

"Killian!" I yelled when I stepped out of my apartment and saw him walking to his car.

"Don't go. I'm sorry! God, I'm so sorry, Killian. I was going to tell you about it."

He turned to me. "When? When were you planning to tell me?"

"I...I—" I was stuttering, dry-mouthed with fear.

"Did my words mean nothing to you?" His glassy eyes were bloodshot. "I told you I loved you. I spilled my guts to you. I wanted you to see that I really cared. I so desperately wanted to prove my worth to you but it seems that no matter how I try I'm never going to be enough."

A spasm of anguish ripped through me. "No, Killian. Don't talk like that."

"Your brother got on his knees just to beg for your freedom." He jabbed his chest. "Am I that much of a monster?" For the first time since I had known Killian, a tear slipped from his face.

"Killian..." My arms ached to pull him into me but he had erected an invisible barrier around himself.

He wiped it off immediately and chuckled bitterly. "He's right you know, I'm a fool. I believed I could be right for you. I've been trying to avoid reality but I was a fool because you can't run from reality. Go be with your brother. I won't be the reason why you too drift from each other."

He turned, stepping away from me to reach for the car door.

I couldn't let him leave.

"What about our baby?"

He paused, standing there with his hand suspended above the door.

"Are you just going to leave it too?"

He finally turned to me. "Please go inside, Hope."

My bottom lip trembled. "Why are you doing this to me."

"I love you so much that your happiness matters to me. I've hurt enough, and if you're happy somewhere else then I'm happy too." He turned back to his car and opened the door. "I'm sorry for all the troubles I caused you and your brother." He got in and locked the door.

My throat constricted. "Killian please..."

He didn't look at me. He turned on his engine and squeezes his hand around the wheel before speeding off.

He was gone.

And I stood there, staring at him go with tears pouring down my face.