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"E her

She reached the bathroom, slammed the door, and locked it Hunched over the toilet, she dry heaved repeatedly Her stomach had been void of any food over the last several hours, so nothing caed on the door, worry evident in his tone "Emily, let h her stomach She shook her head and stared into the toilet "I… I need a second, Gavin"

"No, E the handle "Open the door Now"

Though she heard the concern in his voice, she also heard authority, and she didn’t put it past hi, Eulp of air and inched over to the door With so h her, she couldn’t decipher if she was co open the door Her words belted from her mouth before Gavin had a chance to speak "Did you know one in three women wind up in a mentally or physically abusive relationship?"

Though his muscles tensed immediately, and blood raced within his veins, Gavin stared back wordlessly

Sniffling, Emily nodded "But the funny part is, it doesn’t start off that way It starts off wonderful, as close to everything you i solid should be Then little by little, the relationship changes, and you wonder if you’re going crazy You literally start to question your own sanity One , and the next, they’re flipping out The first few ti a bad day, but then it beco end isn’t oblivious to it but starts bla themselves"

With his entire body on alert, Gavin clenched his jaw and tried to school his tone In a lohisper, he brushed his fingers across her cheek and stared into her eyes "Did Dillon lay his hands on you?"

Shaking, Emily sed "Did you know mental abuse can make a victim feel depression, anxiety, helplessness, nonexistent self-worth, and despair? But that doesn’t s don’t count, and you don’t realize they never will Sometimes the abuserthat you’re the one who belongs in an institution, not thes, if you actually have the fucking courage to express thenored, ridiculed, , or there’s soht to feel… anything"

Crying hysterically, E on the couch, she stared up at Gavin as he walked into the room, his eyes pinned on hers "Sometimes you distance yourself from friends or loved ones Soh you’ve given this person your heart and soul, their behavior beco on landmines But you continue to love them because they weren’t like this when you met, so it only seems obvious it’s your fault Then--here’s the hysterical part and just hoisted this whole thing beco excuses for their inexcusable behaviors in an effort to convince yourself it’s normal In an actual, damn effort to convince yourself you’re the one who’s made them become the , Gavin knelt in front of her Anger-filled electricity zipped through his nerves as he reached for her hands, lacing his fingers in hers "For Christ’s sake, Emily, telldown her face, E "Wait, Gavin, here’s the kicker A couple of ladies froainst domestic abuse told me I allowed this to happen because ‘I’m a product of my environment’ I mean really, how clichéd is that? Did I ever tell you about my parents? Did I ever tell you how afterassholes?"

Wanting to rip the answer out of her, Gavin simply shook his head Emily had never opened up like this to him, and he knew he needed to let her speak He squeezed her hands as his chest constricted with every unsteady breath she took

"Well, she did She went through theet that being a single parent was hard for her I do But she definitely had a thing for picking up the local drunk at the nearest bar in order to help pay the next month’s rent They’d help for a while before they bounced out like my father did, but that never came without a price She let them smack her around a bit if dinner wasn’t cooked by the time they walked in the door, or if the house wasn’t cleaned by the time they kicked off their filthy boots They all looked different, but they cale one of them was cut fro her head, Emily squeezed Gavin’s hands this ti randfather beat rand it was okay for aself-worth was gained by catering to aain

"But the apple can fall far fro that will never walk in their parents’ footsteps, whether it’s a boy watching his father beat his et hit But this apple landed on the tree’s stump, Gavin This apple took the sa, Eled around Gavin’s When she brought her equally pained gaze back to his, it was all she could do to get out the words "They also told ainst Dillon the day of our wedding, I’d finally broken the cycle"

And there it was The question answered right before him The question Gavin already knew the answer to His stoo pale, he slowly rose as blades of wrath sliced through his chest Blood He wanted Dillon’s blood, and he wanted it now

Es shaky "Don’t Please don’t," she whispered, staring into his veno her hands up to his cheeks, her body trembled with his "I’m here with you, Gavin, and I’ as she watched Gavin try to control his features It wasn’t working though She could see he was about to explode "I didn’t tell you because I don’t want you getting hurt I don’t want you getting in trouble or going through anyto you Please don’t"

Gavin had known she lied to hiut told hi her Gavin gave her a look of confusion, a scowlhis face "I could never hate you, Emily Do you believe me when I say that?"

E down her cheeks

"And you’re worried about me?"

"Yes," she admitted faintly "I have to protect you fro"