Callum makes a choking sound. His hands come up, scrabbling at my arm. "Get off me. I'll have your badge for this."
I press harder. "You put your hands on a woman in a public place. I watched you grab her. Watched you refuse to let go when she asked. That's assault. Want to tell me again about having my badge?"
His face is turning red. Can't tell if it's from lack of oxygen or rage.
"She's my fiancée."
"Ex-fiancée." Jessica's voice comes from somewhere to my left. "Emphasis on ex."
"The lady says you're done." I release the pressure slightly. Just enough that he can breathe. "I suggest you accept that and leave town before I find a reason to arrest you."
"Arrest me?" His laugh is strangled. Bitter. "Ignacio, it's me. It's Callum. We've known each other since kindergarten. You taught me to ride a bike. We're best friends.”
"We were." I keep my voice flat. Empty. "Before you decided Jessica was property instead of a person."
"I love her!"
"You broke her." The words come out harder than I intend. "Piece by piece. You took everything bright and special about her and dimmed it until she was small enough to fit your idea of what a woman should be."
Around us, the store has gone completely silent. Everyone watching. Everyone listening.
Good. Let them see who Callum really is.
"That's ridiculous." But his voice wavers. "I loved her exactly as she was."
"No." Jessica steps forward. "You loved the version of me you created. The quiet one. The obedient one. The one who didn't question or challenge or take up space."
She moves closer. Close enough that I can feel her warmth against my side.
"I'm done being that person," she continues. Her voice is shaking but getting stronger with each word. "I'm done making myself smaller so you can feel bigger. I'm done apologizing for existing."
Callum's expression shifts. The rage smooths away. The charm slides back into place like a mask.
"Baby." The word makes my forearm twitch against his throat. "I know you're upset. I know I made mistakes. But we can fix this. We can go to counseling. I can change. Just come home with me and we'll work it out."
"No."
"Jessica, please."
"I said no."
The mask cracks again. "You'll regret this. When they get tired of you, when they move on to the next shiny thing, you'll come crawling back. And I won't be there."
I feel Jessica flinch beside me.
My control snaps.
"Time to go." I grab his shoulder and haul him away from the meat case. Spin him toward the front of the store. "Before I decide that assaulting someone in my county is worth the paperwork."
"This isn't over."
"Yes, it is." Jessica's voice is small but certain. "It was over the moment I ran from that church. You just didn't know it yet."
Callum stares at her. For a moment, I see genuine confusion in his eyes. Like he really can't comprehend how she became someone who fights back.
Then his expression hardens into something ugly.
I walk him toward the front of the store. My hand stays on his shoulder. Firm. Unyielding.
