Tate took her hits without flinching or moving away. The least he could do was let her take out some aggression on him. His eyes swung away from her, unable to keep looking. He wished he was back in the house now, out of Kansas, locked away with Hayden who was just as hated and just as messed up as he was.
His voice quivered but the rest of him had gone motionless. Even the rising and falling of his chest had stopped. "I tried. I tried to protect you, Violet. I didn't want you to die. I didn't want any of you to die."
"Your dad says that you can't forgive me. Because a person can only forgive someone for what they did to them personally. And I don't want you to forgive me, Violet. I just want you to know that I'm sorry." He began to breath properly again, and his chest rose and fell as if he were alive. "I love you and because I love you I'll leave you alone."