The days slipped by like water through my fingers.

One moment, we were running. The next, we were simply... living.

A new life. A different one.

We rented a small apartment, barely more than a box with walls. Amelia had insisted on something cheap. The kind of place that didn't stand out, that wouldn't leave a trail for Michael to follow.

I wanted something better. Something with more space, at least two rooms.

I had my savings to cover that, but she wouldn't allow it.

"We don't need much," she had said, shaking her head, her eyes soft but resolute. "I just need to be away from him."

So, I let her win. And that's how we ended up here. One bedroom. One bed. Not ideal for me, considering I wasn't actually Lena. But I adapted. I kept my boundaries. I stayed as far on the edge of the bed as possible at night, careful not to overstep.

Still—some nights were harder than others. Because some nights, she cried. She thought I didn't notice. She thought she was being quiet, pressing her face into the pillow, muffling the sound of her grief. But I noticed. I always noticed.

And on those nights, when the weight of everything became too much for her, she would reach for me. She didn't say anything. Didn't ask for permission. She simply curled against me, her fingers clutching at my shirt, her body trembling as she held onto me like I was the last solid thing in her world.

And I let her. I let her hold onto me. I let her bury her face in my shoulder. I let her use me as a shield against the pain of the past. She curled into me, her face pressing against my shoulder, her fingers fisting the fabric of my shirt.

I didn't tell her that everything would be okay, because I wasn't sure if it ever would be.

Instead, I just laid there, my hand resting lightly on her back, listening to the soft, uneven breaths as she slowly calmed down.

And in that moment— I realized something. She felt safe with me. Safer than she had ever felt with Michael. And that? That was terrifying. Because it meant that I wasn't just changing the story. I was becoming part of it.

And I wasn't sure if I wanted that.