Dinner was ready.
As always.
---
Salomi moved quietly around the kitchen, placing plates one after the other like it was second nature.
Because it was.
---
But this time—
Something was different.
---
They noticed.
---
Not all at once.
Not loudly.
---
But in the way silence shifted.
---
Ruby watched her longer than usual.
Sofie lingered in the doorway.
Christian didn't look away as quickly as he normally would.
---
It settled in slowly—
The realization.
---
She was the one.
---
The one who kept everything from falling apart.
---
Dinner ended.
---
And for the first time—
Before Salomi could reach for the plates—
They were gone.
---
Cleaned.
---
Put away.
---
Quietly.
---
She stood there for a moment.
Hands still.
Eyes soft.
---
And she smiled.
---
That smile again.
---
But this time—
It didn't haunt.
---
It warmed.
---
---
Changes followed.
---
Small at first.
---
Christian stopped coming home late.
Distanced himself from the noise, the crowd, the chaos that once felt necessary.
---
Sofie chose differently.
Fewer friends.
Better ones.
Ones that didn't laugh when she fell.
---
Ruby…
Smiled more.
---
And somehow—
Without anyone saying it out loud—
---
Home changed.
---
It became…
Warmer.
---
They sat together more.
Sometimes in silence.
---
But it wasn't uncomfortable anymore.
---
It felt like something they had been missing—
Without knowing it.
---
Even their mother's voice—
When it came through the phone—
Started to lose its weight.
---
"She's the reason everything—"
"She's not," Ruby cut in once.
---
Silence.
---
Then the call ended.
---
And no one called back.
---
---
They were choosing.
---
Quietly.
---
Her.
---
It happened on an ordinary evening.
---
Groceries.
A simple task.
---
Salomi walked beside Christian, a small list in her hand.
---
He hadn't been asked to come.
---
But he did.
---
Silently.
---
They were halfway down the street when a voice called out.
---
"Christian!"
---
Matt.
---
A familiar face.
One that had been in their house before.
---
Christian turned.
Greeted him.
---
But something felt off.
---
The way Matt looked at Salomi.
---
Lingering.
---
Unsettling.
---
Christian noticed.
His body tensed slightly.
---
Then Matt stepped closer.
Too close.
---
And Salomi—
Moved.
---
Not casually.
Not unconsciously.
---
She stepped behind Christian.
---
Like she was hiding.
---
That was all it took.
---
Something snapped into place.
---
Christian shifted instantly.
Stepping in front of her.
Blocking the view.
---
"Let's go," he said shortly.
---
They left.
---
But Salomi wasn't the same.
---
Her fingers fidgeted.
Her steps quicker.
Her eyes avoiding the street behind them.
---
"You okay?" he asked.
---
"I'm fine," she replied quickly.
Too quickly.
---
He didn't push.
---
But something inside him—
Refused to settle.
---
---
He went back.
---
Found Matt.
---
And then—
He heard it.
---
"…almost had her," Matt was saying, laughing with another guy. "Quiet ones are the easiest. Pretty too… just needed time."
---
Christian went still.
---
"…figured she was nothing anyway," Matt continued. "The way he talks about her—"
---
That was it.
---
---
He moved.
---
Fast.
---
Matt didn't even see it coming.
---
The first punch landed hard.
---
Then another.
---
And another.
---
Rage poured out of him—
Years of it.
Misplaced.
Misunderstood.
---
But now—
Focused.
---
"You don't touch her!" he snapped, voice raw.
---
Matt tried to fight back.
Failed.
---
Christian didn't stop.
---
Blood.
Shouts.
People gathering.
---
"I only did it because of you!" Matt yelled desperately. "You made her look like an easy target!"
---
That hit harder than any punch.
---
For a split second—
Christian froze.
---
And in that second—
Everything came back.
---
Every word.
Every insult.
Every moment he had reduced her to nothing.
---
He had done this.
---
He—
---
The next punch was heavier.
---
Not just anger now.
---
Guilt.
---
Self-hatred.
---
He didn't stop until people pulled him off.
---
Until his knuckles bled.
---
Until a voice broke through the noise—
---
"Christian, stop!"
---
Salomi.
---
---
That night—
She bailed him out.
---
Of course she did.
---
Because she always did.
---
They sat in silence.
---
She cleaned his wounds carefully.
Gently.
---
Like nothing had happened.
---
Like he hadn't just destroyed someone.
---
Like he hadn't—
Destroyed her.
---
He couldn't take it.
---
So he moved.
---
Dropped down in front of her.
---
Lower.
---
So he could look at her properly.
---
Her eyes met his.
---
No anger.
No resentment.
---
Just—
Concern.
---
And that—
That broke him.
---
Tears filled his eyes.
Spilled over.
---
He grabbed her hand.
Held it tightly.
---
"I'm sorry…"
---
His voice cracked.
---
"I'm sorry…"
---
Again.
Softer.
---
"I'm sorry…"
---
It became a rhythm.
A confession.
A prayer.
---
He pressed her hand to his forehead.
---
Because words—
Weren't enough.
---
Would never be enough.
---
Gentle fingers touched his hair.
---
She ran her hand through it slowly.
---
"Look at me," she said softly.
---
He did.
---
"It's okay."
---
That was it.
---
And it shattered him.
---
Because it shouldn't have been okay.
---
But she said it anyway.
---
He shook his head slightly.
Eyes locked with hers.
Trying to say everything he couldn't form into words.
---
"I'm sorry…"
---
"It's okay."
---
Again.
And again.
---
Until his strength gave out.
---
He rested his head on her lap.
Closed his eyes.
---
And for the first time—
He felt peace.
Even if it hurt.
That night—
He didn't let go of her hand.
---
Not even when she told him—
"I'm not a child anymore."
---
He just held it tighter.
---
Not as control.
---
But as promise.
---
As protection.
---
As something he should have done a long time ago.
---
---
And when they walked home—
---
They weren't the same anymore.
---
They were no longer just people living in the same house.
---
They were something else.
---
Something fragile.
---
Something real.
---
Something finally beginning—
---
Just as time…
Was running out.