Brinley shut her bedroom door and leaned against it, finally letting the tears come.
Her room looked the same ,bed neatly made, fairy lights still tangled where she left them , but she wasn't. Something had shifted inside her, something softer bruised.
She sat on the edge of the bed and pressed her hands into the comforter. She loved him,
That was the worst part.
If she didn't, this wouldn't hurt so deeply. If she didn't, she wouldn't still hope when she should be protecting herself.
He was afraid of breaking her.
But he already had ,not with cruelty, not with lies , with hesitation."I won't disappear again," she whispered to the empty room. "But I won't beg either."
Love shouldn't feel like convincing someone you're worth the risk.
She lay back and stared at the ceiling, wondering how something so real could still feel so uncertain.