“Tessa.” She steps closer, her expression softening. “How bad is it?”
“It’s fine.”
“Stop lying to me.”
“I’m not?—”
“Yes, you are.” She gestures to my arms, my covered skin. “You’re always lying. To me. To yourself. And for what? To protect him?”
“It’s complicated,” I whisper.
“No, it’s not.” Layla’s eyes fill with tears, and it guts me. “He’s hurting you. And you deserve better than that.”
I look away, blinking hard against the burn in my own eyes. “You don’t understand.”
“Then help me understand.”
I can’t. I can’t put into words the fear that lives in my chest every single day. The way Preston’s voice echoes in my head even when he’s not there. The certainty that if I try to leave, he’ll find me and kill me. If not me, someone else. He could hurt Logan or Layla. He wouldn’t stop until he had what was his, and in his mind, that’s me.
“I threw the napkin away for a reason,” I say quietly.
“Why?”
“Because keeping something like that around Preston would be too dangerous.” My voice breaks on his name. “If he found it… if he saw Logan’s number…”
I don’t finish the sentence. I don’t have to.
Layla’s face pales. “Tessa, you can’t keep living like this.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, you do.” She grabs my hand, squeezing tight. “You always have a choice.”
I pull my hand away, wrapping my arms around myself. “You don’t know him. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“Then tell me.”
I shake my head.
“Tessa—”
“He’d come after me,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them. “If I left. If I tried to get help. He’d find me. He always said he would. And I believe him.”
Layla’s jaw clenches. “So what? You’re just going to stay with him forever?”
“I don’t know.” My voice is barely a whisper. “I just… I need to be smart about this. I can’t just run. I have to have a plan.”
“Okay.” Layla nods, her expression determined. “So let’s make a plan.”
“Layla—”
“I’m serious. You and me. We’ll figure this out. You don’t have to do this alone.”
Tears spill down my cheeks before I can stop them. “I can’t drag you into this.”
“You’re not dragging me into anything. I’m already in it.” She pulls me into a hug, and I collapse against her, sobbing quietly into her shoulder. “You’re my best friend, Tess. I’m not going to let him keep hurting you.”
I want to believe her. I want to trust that there’s a way out. But even as she holds me and whispers promises that everything will be okay, I can’t shake the cold certainty settling in my bones.
