Chapter 10
1243 Words
Emma’s POV
I couldn’t breathe when I walked out of the building.
Everything felt too loud. The cars, the wind, the sound of people talking. Even my own footsteps felt like they were echoing too hard.
I kept my head down and walked fast. I didn’t know where I was going I just needed to move. To get away before someone noticed I was about to cry again.
I didn’t want to cry anymore.
I’d already done too much of that.
At my desk all day, I tried to act like nothing happened. I smiled when I had to. I typed, clicked, filed, nodded. My hands didn’t stop moving because I was afraid that if I paused for even a second, everything inside me would come spilling out.
And I didn’t want that.
Especially not in front of him.
Because even though Travis had been kind, even though his voice was gentle and his eyes looked at me like I mattered… part of me didn’t trust it.
Not because he’d done something wrong. But because I wasn’t used to kindness that didn’t want something back.
I didn’t know what to do with it.
When he told me I didn’t have to pretend I was okay, it almost broke me.
Because I wasn’t okay.
But I didn’t know how to say that out loud.
Not when I wasn’t even sure what was happening to me.
Ben’s voice still echoed in my head from that day in the alley. His threats. The way he looked at me like he owned me. Like he had every right to pull me back into the past I thought I’d run away from.
I hadn’t told Travis the truth. Not all of it.
He knew something bad had happened. But he didn’t know everything.
He didn’t know I used to feel like nothing. Like a shadow in my own life.
And Ben made sure I stayed that way.
So now, every time I heard footsteps behind me, I flinched. Every time I saw a dark car parked too long outside my apartment, my heart raced. Every time someone raised their voice, even just a little, my body froze.
That’s what fear does. It makes you forget how to breathe.
---
I made it home just before the rain started.
It was a soft drizzle at first, the kind that barely touched the ground. But soon it turned into a steady downpour, tapping against the windows like tiny fists.
I sat on the floor of my living room, back against the wall, knees pulled to my chest. I still had my work clothes on. My heels lay somewhere near the door. I hadn’t even taken my coat off.
I just sat there.
Alone.
And all I could think was how tired I was of being scared.
Of pretending.
Of running.
I reached for my phone, hands shaking, and opened Travis’s contact.
My finger hovered over his name. I wanted to text him. Just something small. Something like:
Thank you.
Or:
I’m sorry.
Or even just:
I’m not okay.
But I didn’t. I locked the screen and placed the phone facedown.
Because I didn’t want to be a burden.
Even though a small part of me, the one that still believed in good things, whispered: He wouldn’t see you that way.
I curled tighter.
I wished that small voice was louder.
---
The next morning came too fast.
My eyes were puffy. I hadn’t slept much. Every time I closed them, I dreamed of Ben. Of hands grabbing me. Of dark alleys and locked doors and voices telling me I’d never be free.
I stood in front of the mirror and forced myself to look okay.
I put on makeup. I tied my hair neatly. I chose a soft blouse and my favorite skirt the one that made me feel a little stronger, a little taller.
I practiced my smile in the mirror.
It didn’t reach my eyes.
But it would have to do.
---
When I got to work, I wasn’t expecting Travis to already be there.
But he was.
Sitting behind his desk, focused, jaw tight like he hadn’t slept either. He looked up as I entered the room, and for a second, everything stopped.
His eyes found mine and something passed between us.
Something heavy.
Something I couldn’t name.
I quickly looked away and went to my desk. My heart was beating too fast. I could feel it in my throat.
I started typing. I didn’t even check what I was typing. I just needed my hands to move. I needed to look busy.
Then he stood up.
Walked toward me.
And gently placed a paper cup of coffee beside my computer.
“I didn’t know how you take it,” he said quietly. “But I figured… maybe you could use one.”
I stared at the cup.
Then at him.
My throat closed up. “Thank you,” I whispered.
He nodded and walked away without saying anything else.
I wrapped my hands around the cup. It was warm. Steady. Real.
And for some reason, that tiny act of kindness almost made me cry again.
---
The rest of the day passed in quiet glances and unfinished thoughts.
Travis didn’t push.
He didn’t ask questions.
But I felt him watching. Not in a bad way. In a way that made me feel like if I fell, he’d catch me.
And that scared me too.
Because the more I felt safe near him, the more I realized how dangerous that safety felt.
I didn’t want to need anyone.
But I wanted him.
And I didn’t know what to do with that.
---
Around lunch, Vanessa came in with her usual loud voice and sweet fake laugh.
She tossed her hair and placed a hand on Travis’s shoulder like she had some right to touch him. I saw the way she
looked at him. Like he belonged to her.
But he barely looked at her.
His eyes flicked to me instead.
And Vanessa noticed.
Her smile faded just for a second before she turned toward me.
“Oh Emma,” she said, all honey and poison, “you look tired. Everything okay?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes. Just didn’t sleep much.”
“Hm.” She tilted her head. “Maybe you should take a few days off. You know, clear your head.”
I knew what she was doing. She wanted me gone. Out of the way. Out of Travis’s orbit.
But Travis stepped in before I could answer.
“She’s fine,” he said firmly. “She’s staying.”
Vanessa’s face tightened.
I looked down at my lap so she wouldn’t see me smile.
---
That night, I stayed a little longer at work.
I didn’t want to go home yet.
Travis was still in his office. I could see him through the glass, sleeves rolled up, tie loosened, eyes focused on some papers. The city lights behind him made him look softer somehow. Less like a boss and more like a man.
A man who noticed me.
A man who brought me coffee when he didn’t have to.
A man who saw me even when I tried to disappear.
And I realized something.
No matter how scared I was…
No matter how hard it felt to breathe sometimes…
I didn’t want to disappear anymore.
Not if he was still looking at me like that.
- Writer
