I sat on my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to steady my breath. The room was silent, but the tension from earlier still clung to me, wrapping around my chest like a vice. Adrian’s grip on my arm had left a faint, tender bruise, a reminder that his concern was turning into something darker, something I was no longer sure how to handle.

And then there was Dad.

The knot in my stomach tightened at the thought of him. He hadn’t seen the bruise Adrian left, and he had no idea about the constant messages, the control, or the way Adrian’s mood could shift so quickly. That was the terrifying part—knowing I was juggling the tension between Adrian’s growing possessiveness and Dad’s unpredictable temper.

Keeping Adrian a secret from Dad was a delicate balancing act, one I couldn’t afford to mess up. I knew Dad. He wouldn’t just get angry if he found out; he’d explode. He hated the idea of me keeping anything from him, and Adrian’s growing presence in my life would be more than enough to set him off. The thought of it sent a chill through me.

I couldn’t focus on anything. I kept replaying the way Adrian’s fingers had dug into my arm, the way he’d looked at me like I was slipping away, like he owned me. Every touch felt heavier now, more like a reminder that he wouldn’t let go. He always managed to twist things, making it seem like he was doing everything out of care, like I was the one being unreasonable for wanting space.

But I knew the truth. The more I pulled back, the tighter his grip would become.

The door creaked open slightly, snapping me out of my thoughts. Ethan poked his head in, his face filled with concern. “Hey, you good?”

I forced a smile, sitting up quickly. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired.”

He stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. “You sure? You seemed off earlier with that Adrian guy.”

My heart sped up at the mention of Adrian’s name. I tried to shrug it off, keeping my voice calm. “It’s nothing. Just… we were having a disagreement. It’s fine now.”

Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly not buying my weak explanation. “Disagreement? He seemed pretty intense for just a ‘disagreement.’”

I bit my lip, trying to think of what to say that wouldn’t reveal too much. I couldn’t let him—or any of my brothers—get involved. They didn’t know what Adrian was like when he was angry, and the last thing I wanted was for them to see. Worse, I couldn’t imagine what Dad would do if he ever found out about all of this. The thought alone made my stomach churn.

“It’s not a big deal,” I lied, hoping my voice didn’t shake. “Just stress.”

Ethan watched me for a moment longer, then sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Listen, if something’s going on with this guy, you can tell me. You know that, right?”

“I know,” I said quickly, nodding. “I swear, it’s nothing like that.”

He didn’t look entirely convinced, but he stood up, glancing toward the door. “Okay. But if anything changes, or if you need help, just say the word.”

“I will,” I promised, though the words felt hollow in my mouth. I hated lying to him, to all of them, but what choice did I have?

Ethan gave me a small smile before leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him. I waited until his footsteps faded down the hall before I exhaled slowly, the knot in my stomach tightening again.

The truth was, I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep this up—juggling Adrian’s control, Dad’s temper, and my brothers’ concern. I was stretched so thin that one wrong move would send everything crashing down around me.

---

The next day at school, I did everything I could to avoid Adrian. I ducked into different hallways, pretended to be busy in the library during lunch—anything to keep from seeing him. But I knew I couldn’t avoid him forever. I could feel his presence even when he wasn’t near, like a weight pressing down on my chest.

Sure enough, as I headed toward my last class of the day, I heard his voice.

“Hey.”

I stopped in my tracks, my heart skipping a beat as I turned to see Adrian leaning against the lockers, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was unreadable, but there was a coldness in his eyes that made my stomach drop.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he said, his tone calm but laced with accusation.

“I haven’t,” I lied, my voice weak. “I’ve just… been busy with school.”

He stepped closer, his gaze narrowing. “You didn’t respond to my texts.”

“I’ve been overwhelmed,” I said, my throat tightening. “It’s nothing personal.”

Adrian’s hand reached out, gently brushing my arm. But even the gentlest touch felt heavy with unspoken threats. “You’re making it personal by ignoring me.”

“I’m not trying to,” I whispered, feeling trapped between his words and the walls of the hallway. “I just needed time to think.”

“To think?” He raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

“About us,” I said, my voice barely audible. “I just… I need some space, Adrian. Things have been intense lately, and I just need to breathe.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened, his hand dropping from my arm as his eyes darkened. “Space? What, you think you can just push me away whenever you feel like it?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but no words came. The fear clawed at my throat, making it impossible to speak.

“You don’t get to just walk away,” he said quietly, but the edge in his voice was sharp. “Not after everything we’ve been through.”

My heart raced, panic surging through me as I searched for a way to calm him down. “I’m not walking away. I just… need to figure things out.”

Adrian stared at me for a long moment, his gaze cold and unrelenting. Then, finally, he let out a slow breath and stepped back, though the tension between us didn’t fade.

“Fine,” he said, his voice flat. “Take your space. But don’t forget who’s always been there for you.”

“I won’t,” I whispered, even though everything inside me was screaming to run as far from him as I could.

Adrian gave me one last look before turning and walking down the hall, his footsteps echoing in the empty space.

I stood there for a long moment, trying to steady my breath, my heart still pounding in my chest. The weight of his words, of his control, hung over me like a shadow.

And a quiet voice inside reminded me it wasn’t the end.

---

I made it through the rest of the school day on autopilot, my thoughts swirling around Adrian’s words, the tension in his voice, and the darkness I’d seen in his eyes. No matter how many times I replayed the conversation, the fear and guilt only grew heavier. It felt like I was caught in a web, and every time I tried to pull away, the threads tightened.

By the time I got home, the sun was starting to set, casting long shadows across the house. My brothers were all home—Ethan and Maxim sitting at the kitchen table, and Elijah and Lorenzo talking quietly in the living room. The usual chatter filled the space, and for a moment, it felt like everything was normal. But the knot in my stomach reminded me that things were far from it.

I stood in the entryway, just listening to the casual, familiar sounds of home: laughter, conversation, the clinking of dishes. It should have felt comforting, but instead, it made me feel even more distant, like I was on the outside looking in. These moments of normalcy were slipping further away from me. I felt disconnected, like I was standing in the middle of it all but couldn’t quite reach it.

I hung my bag by the door and made my way into the kitchen, forcing a smile as Maxim looked up.

“Hey,” he said, his tone light. “How was school?”

“Fine,” I replied, grabbing a glass of water from the sink. “Just tired.”

Ethan shot me a glance, his brow furrowed slightly. “You sure? You seem a little off.”

I could feel their eyes on me, waiting for me to explain, but I just shrugged. “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

But I wasn’t fine. I hadn’t been fine for a while now.

Before they could push any further, Dad came into the room, his presence immediately shifting the energy in the space. He was calm tonight—too calm. The kind of calm that felt like it could snap at any second.

“What’s going on in here?” Dad asked, looking around at the group.

“Nothing much,” Lorenzo said from the living room, glancing toward the kitchen. “Just talking about school.”

Dad’s eyes settled on me, and I could feel the weight of his gaze as if he were reading my thoughts. “And how was your day?” he asked, his voice smooth, but there was always that underlying edge.

“Good,” I lied, hoping to keep things light. “Just a lot of homework.”

He nodded, though his eyes lingered on me for a moment longer than I was comfortable with. Then, without saying anything else, he turned and walked back into the living room. I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, but the tension didn’t leave my chest.

His presence was like a storm cloud—calm on the surface, but always with the potential to strike. I knew he was always watching, always waiting for an excuse to remind me of my place, to pull the rug out from under me. Every conversation felt like walking on glass, trying to avoid a crack that would shatter the illusion of peace.

I took my glass of water and headed upstairs, eager to escape the weight of everyone’s attention. As I climbed the stairs, I could hear the faint murmur of their conversations drifting up from below, but I was already disconnected from it all.

In the quiet of my room, I set the glass down on my desk, my hands trembling slightly as I sat down. The tension from school, from Adrian, from Dad—it all felt like it was closing in, squeezing the air out of the room. My head ached from the weight of it.

I pulled out my phone, half-expecting another text from Adrian, but the screen was empty. That small relief didn’t last long. I knew he was giving me space—for now—but deep down, I knew it wouldn’t last. He’d be back, demanding answers, demanding my time, demanding more than I could give. And next time, I didn’t know if I’d be able to push him away without things getting worse.

The thought of him grabbing my arm, his grip leaving bruises, made my skin crawl. He was always apologetic afterward, but I could see the darkness in his eyes when he was angry. It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t just a mistake.

I sat down on the edge of my bed, my mind spinning. It wasn’t just Adrian that was crushing me—it was everything. Home, school, the lies I kept telling everyone, the secrets that weighed me down. The constant pressure to hold it all together.

A soft knock on the door made me jump, my heart racing as I looked up.

“It’s just me,” Elijah called from the other side. “Can I come in?”

I hesitated for a moment, then stood up and opened the door. Elijah stepped inside, his expression serious but gentle, the way it always was when he was worried about me.

“You’ve been quiet lately,” he said, closing the door behind him. “More than usual.”

I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to keep my voice steady. “I’ve just been stressed. You know, school and stuff.”

Elijah wasn’t buying it. “It’s more than that. I can tell.” He sat down on the edge of my bed, motioning for me to join him. “You don’t have to tell me everything, but… if something’s going on, I want to help.”

For a split second, I wanted to tell him everything. About Adrian, about the way he made me feel like I was losing control, about how trapped I felt under Dad’s constant watch. I could picture it—the moment the truth came out, the look of anger on Dad’s face, the way Adrian’s fury would grow if he found out I had told anyone.

But the words wouldn’t come. If I told Elijah the truth, things would spiral, and I couldn’t handle what that would lead to.

“I’m fine,” I said softly, sitting beside him. “Really. It’s just been a rough few weeks.”

Elijah watched me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine. I could tell he didn’t believe me, but he didn’t push. He just nodded slowly. “Okay. But if you need anything, I’m here. You know that, right?”

I nodded quickly, grateful for his support but terrified of what would happen if I let him in. “I know. Thanks.”

Elijah stood up, giving me a small smile before heading to the door. “Try to get some rest. You look like you could use it.”

As soon as the door closed behind him, I felt the weight of everything crash back down on me. I couldn’t keep this up. The lies, the pretending, the constant fear of what would happen if Adrian or Dad ever pushed me too far. It felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, and one wrong move would send everything crashing down.

I lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to find the energy to think about what came next. But all I could feel was the pressure of trying to keep everything from falling apart. Between Adrian’s control and Dad’s temper, I felt like I was being squeezed tighter and tighter, like the walls were closing in, and no matter how hard I tried to push back, they kept inching closer.

I closed my eyes, hoping sleep would come quickly, but the thoughts kept spinning, twisting in the darkness. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the edge was closer than I realized—that one day soon, I would fall, and there wouldn’t be anyone to catch me.

---