I pressed my lips together. “I couldn’t imagine the abandonment he’d felt.”
“Exactly my point. I hate the thought of him going through that shit. He felt like she didn’t love him anymore and apparently, he’d rather die than live without her.”
I wrung my hands together. That was why he was hesitant about getting into a relationship with me because he didn’t think I could handle him. “That’s terrible.”
I didn’t know what else to say, so we sat in silence at my kitchen island for hours. He yawned when I did, and I took it as a cue to get ready for bed. I went and changed into a big t-shirt. When I went into the living room, he’d already laid himself up on the couch.
“You can sleep with me if you want.” I crossed my foot behind my other.
He gave me a weak smile and shook his head. “I think I need to gather my thoughts right now, but you being here is enough.”
“I understand,” I mumbled. I went to the closet and grabbed an extra pillow and blanket to give him before heading back to my room.
I reached up and pulled my hair out of the bun, letting my hair fall loose around me as I crawled into bed. My heart twisted in my chest, wishing there was some way I could comfort him. It was something I didn’t know how to navigate, but I’d do my best to help him grieve his friend.
My eyes shot open as I was startled awake from the sound of shuffling near my window. My heart thumped dangerously fast with a buzzing in my brain. A smoldering glare from the end of my bed rooted me to the spot.
Gerald had opened the window from the outside and snuck in, but that should’ve alerted authorities. I took a few deep breaths. I needed to keep calm and de-escalate him. This was my fault. I’d been so caught up with Flynn, I hadn’t thought about checking the windows.
“What do you want?” My voice wavered.
“You, Eve.” He smiled, and I cringed. “I love you, and you love me. We can become physically close again. It’ll take away the pesky layers of distance you’ve put between us.”
I shook my head. “No—no. I don’t want that.”
"You act as if I've never seen you naked before,” he muttered with mock amusement.
I turned my head toward the open door. Flynn was out there. If only I could find a way to get his attention.
Gerald clicked his tongue. “Ah, that’s right. The other guy. That’s why you don’t want me. Don’t worry. I’ll make you forget all about him.”
Panic closed an ice-cold hand around my throat, and every instinct told me to get the hell out of there. I squeezed my eyes shut before they popped open and I braced myself to run—but I was too late.
He launched himself on top of me, and I let out a muffled scream before he slapped his stubby fingers over my mouth. “Shut the fuck up, you bitch!”
I flinched before seeing red. He wouldn’t do this to me. I wouldn’t give into him. I thrashed underneath him, attempting to knee him off me, but he had me pinned to the bed with no way of moving. I shook uncontrollably as his coarse whisky tongue licked at the skin on my neck.
“No!” I cried out, but it was silenced as his hands tightened around my throat. A searing jolt of pain radiated through me, and I pleaded with the universe to send someone to help.
Not a second later, by the grace of God, Gerald was pulled off me and thrown to the ground. Flynn was on top of him, throwing punches that landed with an audible crunch. His fists were thrown full force into Gerald’s face, gut, and arms that tried blocking the hits.
There was a cold burning to Flynn’s rage, an ice that shocked me to my core. I’d never seen that look in his eyes; blood thirsty. Gerald went limp, arms dropping, but Flynn didn’t stop. He pounded his bloodied knuckles into his face with no sign of stopping.
“Flynn,” I croaked. “He’s unconscious. Stop.”
Flynn’s arms froze mid-air before he landed one last punch to his face. He pushed himself off Gerald and onto the floor. It was as if he’d gone into a state of shock. He sat there, unmoving, staring at the wall. I trailed my eyes down his body and noticed he hadn’t been wearing his prosthetic. I’d never seen him without it, but it didn’t matter. He’d protected me.
Bile burned my throat at the thought of what would’ve happened if he hadn’t intervened. The room turned into a blur. My chin trembled as tears rolled down my face.
Deputies burst into my room, flashlights moving as they took in the situation. I sighed in relief before they grabbed Flynn. Flynn’s body jerked as they lifted him off the ground.
My eyes widened. “No! Not him. He saved me! Please, don’t.”
Flynn’s body twisted as he tried to jerk out of their hold but they managed to get a grip on him and drag him out of the room with me screaming after them. Another deputy started to talk to me but my gaze fell on Gerald. He was a bloody mess on the floor. His eyes were already swollen and bloody spit drooled from his slack jaw.
He was as revolting as he was on the inside. With a wrinkled nose I turned to the deputy talking to me as EMS took Gerald away.
“He broke in. Flynn protected me,” I mumbled over and over again. I felt like a record on repeat, and my mind was a fog. I couldn’t comprehend anything the deputy was saying. All I knew was that I needed Flynn.
Plumes of black smoke and dust came from where the bombs had gone off far underground. A series of flashes broke out to my
