Correcting All Wrongs

Everything was dull; I couldn't find a purpose in anything anymore. Life was choking me until I couldn't breathe anymore. Every day it got harder and harder to get out of bed, putting on a fake smile for everyone around me. "I'm okay." It became a constant thing I repeated to everyone who asked how I was. Not one person truly knew I was aching inside; my emotions were hollowing me out. The pain was devouring me entirely, and I couldn't help it.

I sighed as I tossed my bag over my shoulder and grabbed my car keys. I looked at the clock as I left the office, '11:30 PM'. I walked to my car and unlocked my door when someone suddenly turned me around and shoved me against my car. A tall, muscular man covered in tattoos covered my mouth and pinned me where I stood. For a split second, I managed to shove him off of me, and I swung, trying to hit him, but I missed. He tripped me, sending us both to the ground, tussling. I couldn't let what happened to my sister happen to me; I had to fight. My screams were muffled as he covered my mouth with a cloth. I slowly felt myself drifting out of consciousness until a loud gunshot went off. I watched the man on top of me fall to the ground, and suddenly Sinclair came into view.

He was wet and shivering from the cold as he looked into my eyes. He took me into his arms, pulling me against his chest. "It's okay…I'm here. I promise I will never let anyone hurt you!" He had just saved my life. I hated him so much, but he saved my life. Hours later, I slowly woke up and looked around. I was in bed; I rubbed my head as the night's events were foggy. I slowly got up and made my way downstairs. I entered the kitchen, where Sinclair stood, stirring a warm cup of tea. He handed me a mug before he grabbed his own and looked at me. "Th-Thanks." He walked into the living room, and I followed. I watched him slowly sink into the couch as if the warmth had taken over his body. "I'm sorry you had to see that tonight, Octavia. I tried to get there faster and avoid you knowing."

I heard the sincerity in his voice, but I couldn't help but think if only he could have done the same for Erica. "Am I in danger?" He sighed heavily and nodded. "The day you left my mansion, they were outside watching. I didn't know they'd come for you or your family…." I looked over at him, and we locked eyes. The blue seemed to be faded into a dull grey. He looked torn and tired. I knew he must have been dealing with so much at the time, but so was I. "You can stay here if you want." "No, I couldn't intrude." "You saved my life tonight, Sinclair…. please stay in case they return." He nodded and looked away, avoiding a smile. I went into my room, and I pulled out some of my dad's old sweatpants along with a towel. "Here you go. I'm sure these will fit just fine. I'm sorry, I don't have a shirt." "That's okay. Thank you for everything." I nodded at him and watched as he walked out of my room. I crawled into bed and fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, I woke up to Sinclair wrapping his arms tight around me. He was holding me like I would be gone the next day. He leaned in close and whispered to my ear, "Go back to sleep, princess." The way his strong arms held me made me feel so safe and secure. Hearing his voice in such a low rough whisper made me smile as I drifted back to bed. The following day, I slowly sat up in bed, and the air was filled with a crisp smell of bacon. I could taste it on my tongue as I slipped on my slippers and made my way downstairs. "Good morning Octavia! I hope you slept well, and I hope you don't mind I made you breakfast so we can eat and talk." "Talk about what exactly?" He dished us both up before setting the plates down on the table. The food was delightedly plated, and as I sat down, I realized I hadn't had a complete meal in a long time. There were fluffy scrambled eggs with Crispy bacon, spicy sausages, hash browns, and a fresh fruit salad. My stomach rumbled just looking at it, and without hesitation I started eating. "Mmm, this is delicious, Sinclair. Thank you so much for breakfast." "It's not a problem…Let's talk about what happened last night."

I looked at him as I slowed my eating. "What about it?" "Octavia, it isn't just something that happened. I'm sorry I couldn't save your sister I didn't know it would happen. When you told me what they did to her, I started following them and discovered you were next." He looked down at his plate, and for a second, it almost looked like his eyes were filling with tears. "I just couldn't let them hurt you, Octavia." I started to tear up as well as I looked at him. Slowly standing, I walked over and hugged him tightly as he sat. He tightly wrapped his arms around my waist, buried his head into my chest, and cried. "It's not your fault Sinclair. I know you didn't know. Being so angry with you at first, I blamed you. You couldn't control it, my sister is dead, but it isn't because of you, and I'm so sorry that I blamed you."

His grip tightened around me as I gently ran my fingers through his hair. "I can change. Octavia, I'm more than willing to change for you." He looked into my eyes, and I gently wiped the tears from his cheeks. "You could never escape your past. You and I both know that." I leaned down and kissed him softly, missing the feeling of his soft lips pressed against mine. I gently touched his cheek and deepened the kiss before slowly pulling away. "Let's finish eating. Then we can get going to get some of your things for your house. That is if you want to stay here with me." "I will be happy to stay and protect you." He smiled softly and nodded before slowly letting go and eating again. I took my seat and did the same. We finished eating in silence, yet still looking over at each other.

Later that day we arrived at Sinclair's mansion. As we walked in, I looked around just like before. As I remembered everything that happened that night, a small smile came across my face. "You okay?" "Yeah, I'm fine I'm just caught up in my head." He smiled, and I knew he realized what I was thinking. We made our way up the stairs and I gasped as we entered his room. "Wow, does one person need all this space just to sleep!?" Sinclair laughed at me as he walked to his massive walk-in closet and grabbed his suitcase. "Well, when you have more money than you know to do with, it's nice to spoil yourself." I looked around more, then slowly rubbed my hand across the satin bedding. "It's beautiful in here." "Thank you." I sat down on his bed as he started packing his suitcase. "So, how long did you want to stay at my place?" "As long as you need me, Octavia. I don't plan on going anywhere until you are safe." I smiled softly and nodded. "That's fine with me." "Octavia… You must believe that I didn't know about Erica. I know you said you don't blame me but feelings like that don't go away, so I'm truly sorry."

I looked away for a minute holding my tears back, and then took a deep breath before nodding at him. "I know you'd never let something like that happen to anyone... well, I don't kn- " "Don't finish that sentence. I was wrong to talk to you like that at the hospital, and I'm truly sorry." "It's in the past. Now let's let it stay there." I smiled at him before looking away and walking over to his dresser. I see a photo of him and his brother. Grabbing the photo, I slowly turn towards him. "How is your brother doing, by the way?" "He's doing good, thanks for asking." I returned the picture to the dresser and gently opened a medium blue velvet box. The box was filled with gold watches and chains.

I felt Sinclair come up behind me; feeling him press his body against mine made me blush. "Are these..." "Real? Yeah, they are. I can spoil you, Octavia, and give you everything you ever wanted." His words sent shivers down my spine as he whispered. His deep voice made me relax as I felt his breath on my neck following with a kiss. "Sinclair you don't have to do any of that." "I know but you deserve any and everything." He turned me around and looked into my eyes. It seemed like the color was returning to his eyes, as they were no longer a clod grey. I smiled softly as he pulled me close and placed a long passionate kiss on my lips.