𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙧 𝙋𝙊𝙑:
Erin sat on my sofa, curled in on herself like she was trying to make herself as small as possible. Her hands were shaking, her breathing uneven, and my heart ached just looking at her.

I crouched in front of her, trying to keep my voice steady. "Erin... tell me everything."

She sniffled, wiping at her eyes, but she didn't look up. "Daniel showed up last night," she started, voice hoarse. "I thought it was you at the door. But then he was just there, acting like we could just talk, like he had a right to be in my life again."

I clenched my jaw so hard it hurt.

"I told him to leave. I told him I wanted nothing to do with him, that I was happy, that I'd moved on. And then he—" she hesitated, letting out a shuddering breath. Finally, she lifted her head, and my stomach twisted at the sight of the bruise on her cheek. "He kissed me."

My whole body tensed. I knew what I'd seen, but hearing her say it still made my chest tighten.

"And I pushed him away, Arthur. I screamed at him. I told him exactly what I thought of him, how he ruined everything, how I regretted every second I spent with him." She sucked in a shaky breath. "And then he slapped me."

Silence.

The kind that made my ears ring, my hands curl into fists.

I could barely breathe around the rage building in my chest.

"He hit you?" My voice came out low, controlled—too controlled. I felt like if I let any of it slip, I wouldn't be able to stop.

Erin nodded, fresh tears spilling down her face. "And then he told me I wasn't worth it anyway."

I shot up from my crouch, pacing across the room because if I stayed still, I was afraid of what I might do. My jaw was so tight I thought my teeth might crack.

I wanted to hit something. I wanted to hit him.

"I tried to tell you," Erin whispered. "I texted you the second you left, but you ignored me. And I get why, I do, but—" Her voice broke, and when I turned to look at her, she was pulling at the sleeves of her hoodie, eyes full of hurt. "But I don't want you to think for a second that I wanted any of that. I like you, Arthur. I didn't want to mess this up, but I feel like I already have."

I exhaled sharply, running a hand over my face. "You haven't messed anything up."

Her brows furrowed, like she didn't believe me.

I sat down next to her, not too close, not too far. I wanted to reach for her, but I wasn't sure if she'd want that right now. "I should've listened," I admitted. "I should've let you explain instead of assuming the worst."

She sniffled. "I don't blame you. It must've looked bad."

"It did," I admitted. "But I should've trusted you."

We sat in silence for a moment. The weight of everything hung between us, but it wasn't suffocating—it was just there, something we'd have to work through.

Finally, I turned to her. "Erin, I'm so sorry he hurt you."

Her lip wobbled slightly, but she nodded. "Me too."

I hesitated for only a second before reaching out, taking her hand in mine. She didn't pull away. Instead, she squeezed it, grounding herself.

"You're not alone," I said firmly. "You never have to deal with him alone again."

For the first time that morning, Erin let out a small, shaky laugh. "Good, because I really don't want to."