(Esther's Point of View)
The air was so tense that I could almost taste it. In the quiet of our apartment, with the soft hum of the city outside the windows barely reaching us, I stood across from Matthew. But inside, it felt like the world was on hold, with all the noise, distractions, and layers of our lives and love waiting for one moment to break through. And it had to be now.
I was done pretending, done being patient, and done waiting for him to tell me what he was hiding from me. I could see it in the way he looked at me and how close his walls were to me. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was scared of something from his past coming up. But what about now? I couldn't ignore it any longer. Not when it felt like everything between us was on the line.
"Matthew," I said in
