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301... 303... 305...

I stop outside 307, my hand frozen on the door handle. There's a pit in my stomach so deep I might never climb out. What will I find on the other side? Will she blame me for not protecting her? Will she even be awake?

I take a deep breath and push the door open.

The room is dim, lit only by the glow of monitors and the slice of hallway light cutting across the floor. The steady beep of machines provides a rhythm to my racing heart as I step inside.

"Monica?" My voice comes out as a whisper.

31

MONICA

Iopen my eyes to see Henry walking in, his face a mix of concern and relief. My vision's still a little blurry from the tears I didn't realize were falling. The antiseptic smell of the hospital room fills my nostrils, making this nightmare all too real.

"Hey," I manage, my voice raspy and small. The pain medication has dulled most of the physical pain, but can't touch the rage and humiliation burning inside me.

Henry crosses the room in three quick strides, his presence immediately making the sterile space feel safer. He reaches out, his thumb gently wiping away a tear tracking down my cheek.

"You okay?" he asks.

I almost laugh. Am I okay? My ankle's wrapped in a cast, my car's totaled, and my psycho ex just tried to kill me. But looking at Henry's face—those blue eyes clouded with worry—I can't bring myself to be sarcastic.

"I'm alive," I say instead. "The doctor says it's just a fractured ankle. Could've been a lot worse if I hadn't..." My voice breaks as I remember the split-second decision to swerve into thatsidewalk rather than barrel through the intersection when my brakes failed.

Henry pulls a chair close to my bed, sitting down and taking my hand in his. His fingers are warm against my cold ones.

"That motherfucker is done," he says, jaw tight. "I've already called Josiah."

I squeeze his hand, anchoring myself to his strength. "I should've taken it more seriously. The texts, the restaurant... I just didn't think he'd actually?—"

"Don't," Henry cuts me off. "This isn't on you. None of it."

A nurse bustles in to check my vitals, and I fall silent, watching Henry's face. There's something different there now—a hardness I haven't seen before. It should scare me, this intensity, but instead it makes me feel protected in a way I haven't felt in years.

When we're alone again, I whisper, "I'm sorry you got dragged into my mess."

I stare at our intertwined hands, feeling the warmth of Henry's fingers against mine. My body aches, but it's the familiar ache in my chest that threatens to swallow me whole.

"You shouldn't have to deal with this," I say, pulling my hand away. "This is exactly what I was afraid of."

Henry leans forward. "Monica?—"

"No, listen to me." I shift against the hospital pillows, wincing at the pain shooting through my ankle. "Benjamin isn't going to stop. This isn't just texts or vandalism anymore. He tried to kill me, Henry. Deep down, I knew that there was this dangerous side of him. The one that will stop at nothing to tear me down with him now that I've moved on."

The words hang in the air between us, heavy and undeniable. I watch Henry's face harden again, that protective instinct I've come to recognize.

"I've seen this movie before," I continue, my voice steadier than I feel. "I spent years disappearing into Benjamin's darkness. Losing pieces of myself until I barely recognized the woman in the mirror."

I close my eyes, memories flooding back—the constant walking on eggshells, the gradual isolation from friends, the way he'd twist my words until I doubted my own sanity.

"I can't do that to you. I won't." My throat tightens. "You deserve better than being dragged into my nightmare."

"That's not your decision to make," Henry says, his voice low and firm.

But I can see it now—the strain around his eyes, the tension in his shoulders. This fake engagement has turned into something real, something dangerous. And for what? So his mother would stop matchmaking? So I could have financial stability?

"I think..." The words feel like glass in my throat. "I think we need to end this. The fake marriage. All of it."