ey

t to her earlier excitement. I could almost hear her young mind reeling, trying to re

choked out. "You have to be. Jordan would never hurt me. He saved my lif

nful echo of my own. I remembered that night clearly. It was the winter break of our freshman year. We were walking back from a party, a little tipsy, laughing

em lunged at him. Jordan fought them, a wild, desperate energy fueling him. He was smaller than them, but he didn't back down. He took punches, but he never let th

rely a whisper. The memory felt distant, like a s

voice rising in a desperate pl

d me once, during an argument about another woman." The memory flashed, sharp and sickening. The sting of his ha

ial. "You're trying to trick me! You're not me

ou forever. I will protect you always. You are my world." I traced the words with my thumb. "I wish I were lying," I whispered, not

to tell you everything. Every betrayal. Every broken promise. And when I'm done, you