All too late for his love

Skyler was so happy to hear Zayn's solemn promise that her heart might fly out of her chest.

She also secretly praised herself for coming up with such a brilliant plan.

In truth, Skyler had never sold her kidney to save Zayn. As such, her abdomen had never been scarred from surgery.

The scar she had shown Zayn was stage makeup that had been painted on a few hours ago.

Anson Brentwood was the best makeup artist abroad. The scars he painted on his subjects looked so much like the real thing, they could have fooled anyone.

Considering the favor Anson owed Skyler previously, he was happy to help when she asked him to draw a scar on her abdomen.

Presently, Skyler gently grazed the puckered lines of the fake scar that ran along her skin. She figured she should get a real scar, just to be safe.

"Skyler, get some rest. I'll come by to see you tomorrow," Zayn said.

"Zayn!" Before Zayn could reach the door, Skyler caught up to him and clutched his arm tightly. The jacket he had draped over her slipped from her frame, revealing every inch of her skin.

Right now, they were separated only by Zayn's clothes.

Skyler's soft hands tightened their grip on his shirt as she pleaded, "Zayn, can't you stay with me tonight? I don't want to be alone. I'm scared.

"What if you think differently of me once you step out that door? Please don't think of me as a filthy tramp, Zayn. If you do, my life will lose all meaning."

Zayn was not accustomed to having someone intrude upon his personal space like this.

He instinctively pushed Skyler away as he said, "Skyler, I told you, I'll never think of you as filthy."NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.

He closed his eyes slowly before opening them again. What was this feeling swirling in his chest? Whatever it was, it bordered on disgust.

Zayn felt as if a slab of raw meat had been thrown at him and clung to his clothes. It was a strange sensation.

He knew he shouldn't compare Skyler, who had risked it all to save his life, to a slab of raw meat, but his disgust overwhelmed his voice of reason.

"Zayn, I can tell you're disgusted by me!" Skyler's tears, which had stopped not too long ago, began to fall again. "You may not want to admit it, but I know you're disgusted by me!

"I know you've been seeing Lolo again! You can't let go of her, and because of that, you refuse to touch me!

"Don't you know how that breaks my heart? I'm not saying Lolo's bad for you.

"I just don't understand why I've gone through so much and saved myself for you, only for you to love Lolo in the end! She'll only hurt you.

"This is not fair, Zayn. It's not fair to me!"

Zayn said softly, "Skyler..."

Indeed, he owed Skyler far too much.

"Zayn, please, I'm begging you. Even if you can't let go of Lolo, please don't cast me aside all the time,"

Skyler pleaded, tightening her arms around Zayn like he was her only beacon of hope and faith. Before he could say anything, she added, "Could you please let me have a child with you, Zayn?"