“Slow down, Miss,” A man with a stethoscope admonishes me as I run by him down the drab hallway. I burst through the door to the locker room, my eyes scanning the rows of lockers until they fall on him.

He’s slumped against the wall, his eyes closed, his skin ashen.

“Dom,” I blurt, rushing to him. I kneel in front of him, touching his cheek. “Are you okay?”

His eyes flutter open. The blues are full of pain, but when they land on me, the corners of his lips struggle to lift. “Cam.” His face twists in pain. “I don’t know whether to kiss you or kill you.”

“I’m so sorry,” I say, my voice at the point of breaking. Seeing him like this, so not like Dom, is something I can barely accept. And to know that my presence helped put him in this situation is unbearable. “I’m so, so sorry.”

I’m not sure if he’s punishing me by not responding or if he doesn’t know what to say. Either way, it hurts my heart. Guilt swamps me as I take him in and my heart shatters into a hundred thousand pieces.

“I shouldn’t have come,” I say, the words toppling from my lips. “I just wanted to show you I cared, that I supported what you were doing.” Tears flow down my cheeks. “I didn’t realize …”

“I told you.”

“I know you did,” I sniffle. “I know and I should’ve listened.”

He exhales sharply. “This place is no place for you, Cam. You could’ve gotten killed.”

“Well, you know what? This place isn’t a place for you either.”

“This is what I am, Camilla. This is my version of a charity event.”

The fact that he says my full name, something he very rarely does, is not lost on me. I fall back on my heels and look at him through the hot liquid pouring from my eyes.

There’s a sadness soaked into his eyes, the way he’s sitting, so pitiful, so painful, that I want to break out into a sob right before wrapping him in my arms and taking him home. With me.

“This is not what you are,” I insist. “I understand you love to fight. It’s weird to me, but I get it. What I don’t get is that you would fight for money, that you think it’s okay to put yourself in danger like this.”

I reach out and touch his cheek. His skin is moist, cool, not like I expect.

“Dom, you are worth so much more than whatever prize money you’ll win tonight. Don’t you see? Your life is worth way more than that. Your health, your happiness. I … I need you and I need you to be healthy and happy. You deserve that. You are so, so much more than all of this.”

He chuckles and I hear the exhaustion in his voice.

“Let me take you home and put you to bed,” I say, offering him my hand. Instead, he looks over my shoulder. I follow his gaze and see Nate and Red.

“What’s she still doing here?” Red barks.

Dom starts to say something, but I turn and block his line of sight.

“The question is, what are you still doing here?” My hands fly to my hips as I stand as tall as I can. “Get your ass out of this room. You aren’t welcome here.”

“Well, it isn’t your room, is it? Percy paid the fee. I’m an employee. So maybe you need to—”

“Shut the hell up.” I take a step to her, looking at Nate in case I get myself in deeper than I can dig out. “Wasn’t one Hughes brother enough? Sorry, Nate,” I add as an aside, making him chuckle.

Red’s jaw drops. “Excuse me?”

“Let me make this crystal clear for you. Get out. Leave Dominic alone. Find another man to throw yourself at, but this time, try to find one that isn’t taken, okay?”

Her eyes narrow as she comes towards me. Nate puts a hand in between us.

“Hey,” he says, looking at Red. “Time to go.”

“Are you blinded by her money too?”

“Go, Hannah.”

“Y’all are fucking crazy,” she growls.

“Nah, we’re being pretty restrained, I’d say,” Nate tells her. “If you want to be pissed, be pissed. But keep Cam out of it.”

“Oh, protect her,” Red glares. “I don’t get it. I don’t.”

“You don’t have to get it,” Nate tells her. “But that doesn’t change the way it is.”

She leaves with a direct glare at me as she goes.

“Nate, give us a second, okay?” Dom breaks the quiet.

“I’ll grab the car and be around back so we can get you out of here. Sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?”

“If it’s broken ribs, there isn’t shit they can do. I’m not paying that bill.”

Walking to Dom again, I feel a shift in the air. A shiver runs down my spine as I take in the look he’s giving me.

“Sit down with me for a minute,” he says softly.

I do, placing my hand over his. It’s cool and damp and makes my stomach churn. “I feel responsible for this. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. It’s mine.” He heaves a breath, blowing it out slowly. “I should’ve had you watch from the locker room or at least stood in the tunnel. I just … I didn’t think clearly.”

“It’s my fault,” I assert. “You told me what this was like and I got you hurt …” My eyes leak again, my heart breaking, the force of which almost knocks my breath away.

“Nate should have the car around in a few minutes. I need to go home and get some meds and try to get some sleep.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

His face is blank. “I, um, I think I should go alone, Cam.”

“Why?”

“I have a lot on my mind and I just … I need some space. I think you do too. You could’ve gotten hurt worse than me tonight, and by the grace of God you didn’t. Think about that, Camilla.”

“Don’t call me ‘Camilla,’” I demand, my breaths turning into hiccups as reality settles on my shoulders.

He hangs his head. It only spirals me harder down, down, down.

“I have thought about it,” I say, going back to his point. “I made the decision to come here, and if it was wrong, I’ll take the blame. I’ll pay my penance. Just don’t block me out,” I cry.

“I’m not blocking you out. I just … this was my worst nightmare. At least I got hurt and you didn’t.”

I can’t respond over the lump in my throat. His voice is raspy, but I can’t see if he has tears or not through my own. I just sit next to him, breathe him in, and wish for the love of God I’d listened and not come to this stupid fight.

“Can I come see you tomorrow?” I ask, almost a plead. “In the morning?”

He looks away and doesn’t respond. Nate comes in and helps him to his feet and they quietly ignore me.

I watch them through the fog, the two men I care about blurring together. Dom finally looks at me.

“Percy is outside. He’ll help me, and Nate will make sure you get to your car, all right?”

“Dom, wait. I …”

He takes my hand and guides me closer. He presses a soft, simple kiss to my cheek. “Go straight home.”

“But Dom!”

With a sad smile, he hobbles out the door.