My hand moves before I can stop it.
The slap cracks through the silence.
His head turns with the force of it.
But he doesn't flinch.
He doesn't step back.
He just turns his face forward again and looks at me.
Steady. Unflinching. Accepting.
"Once I eliminate the danger," he says. His voice is flat. Dead. "I won't cross your path again."
My chest tightens.
"I'll leave." He holds my gaze. "And I won't come back."
The words hit me like a second blow.
"I promise."
Something breaks inside me.
Tears burn my eyes. Spill down my cheeks.
My hand moves again.
Another slap. Harder this time.
His head snaps to the side. He takes it. Doesn't raise a hand to stop me. Doesn't try to defend himself.
Just stands there.
Waiting.
Like he deserves this.
Like he deserves worse.
"You idiot."
The words tear out of me. Raw. Broken.
My fists hit his chest. Once. Twice. Again and again.
"You stupid, stubborn idiot."
He doesn't move. Doesn't block me. Just absorbs every blow like it's nothing.
Like the pain doesn't matter.
Likehedoesn't matter.
"How dare you." I hit him again. "How dare you say that to me."
The tears won't stop. They blur my vision. Streak down my face.
