Fix It First

Darius’s POV

“If you were really sorry, you would have come home sooner.” Chloe said the words to the floor, her eyes downcast, her mouth twisted down into a frown.

I could have argued with her. I could have told her that in leaving, I was trying to help keep them safe. But those facts wouldn’t change her feelings.

I wasn’t here, and my family needed me to be. Even when Valerie had tried to reach