Okay fr go back and read the first chapters of Save me and tell me how much better this one is?! 

Trigger warnings: Mentions of abuse, injury/blood, depression, anxiety, panic attack, self harm

After his failed attempt at getting answers from his brother, Sebastian gave up and went down the stairs, where he told Larisa, "This is pointless. Let's go." 

Larisa went to protest but saw it wouldn't help. She knew how stubborn Sebastian could get when things didn't go the way he wanted, and reluctantly, she left. Callum used this as his excuse to flee the awkward situation, leaving Holly at the bottom of the stairs. 

Meanwhile, Andy crossed the landing and found the room Remington had hidden himself in. He stayed outside the closed door, and without knocking, quietly said, "I want to help you." From inside, he could hear nothing, and at risk of scaring him further, added, "I won't come in unless you tell me to, but you should know I'm gonna stay here to stop her from getting in." 

There was a comfort in the words that Remington wasn't used to hearing, though he couldn't move even if he wanted to. Besides, it was easy to lie through a closed door. Andy could have been planning anything beyond that wall between them. He needed the separation. It assured him of at least a temporary safety. 

Holly was coming up the stairs. Andy could hear her as he took his phone from his pocket and opened the voice-recording app. He watched the landing until he saw her, and when he did, he stepped forwards, having pushed his phone into his pocket, and shook his head. She said nothing, mostly so that Remington would be caught by surprise at her barging in, and as she approached Andy, who's shoulders were the level of her nose, he just watched. She didn't expect to find him as intimidating as she did. 

Once she was withing touching distance, Andy unfolded his arms, let them fall by his sides. "No," he said. "You don't come any closer." 

She smiled. She actually smiled. Andy could have knocked her brains out right there. He contained his anger. "My house," she reasoned meanly, with a false sweetness to her voice. 

"No," Andy repeated. "I'm not playing. You stay away from this door, I'm warning you." 

"Warning me what? "

She was provoking him but he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of responding the way she desired. He said, "What you're doing to him is illegal." 

She smiled again. Andy found it challenging to stay put. "I'm not doing anything to him," she said. 

"Don't lie to me." 

"Get out my house." 

"No." 

"I'm not doing anything to him," she repeated. "You saw the cuts on his arm and you're worried, that's fine, but you have no right in barging in here and accusing me. It's self harm. You never heard of that before?" 

"Sure, but that's not what this is. We all know that." 

"You're wrong." 

"No. I'm not wrong." 

"Just move." 

Andy glanced back at the door. "No." 

She was growing impatient. "You can't be here. It's not your house." 

"I'll go as soon as you back off." He folded his arms and fixed her in a firm glare. Just because she was hurting one man wouldn't mean she'd manage to hurt him. He'd dealt with violent people before. Hell, he'd been a violent person when he used to drink. He knew how their minds worked, and he knew how to work them into doing what he wanted. 

"Not happening." 

 "Fine, then I'm not leaving." 

Holly was looking past him now, eyeing up the door handle. Andy caught her gaze and stepped to the side, blocking her view. "No," he said. "Don't even think about it." 

"I told you, I'm not doing anything to him." 

"And I know you're a liar. Funny, that." 

"There's nothing funny about it." 

"No, there isn't, and yet you're smiling. Would you really be smiling if your boyfriend was cutting himself? I don't think so. Now why don't you back up, and I'll be on my way." 

"So I can never smile just because he's a depressed piece of shit?" 

Gotcha. I knew you couldn't keep it up. Andy cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "Care to repeat that?" 

She was getting flustered now, having slipped up and said something she wasn't supposed to. "I-he...Get out." 

Andy shook his head. She didn't need to know he was audio-recording this entire conversation. He'd tell her later. 

"Get out," she said again. 

"No. Not until you back off." 

"I'm not even touching you." 

"No, and thank God. Go on, go. Or do you want to spend the rest of today with me in your house?" 

"You're just like him." 

Andy said nothing, but had a feeling something else was about to come out. 

Her face was hard and her fists were tight. "He never knows when he's wrong, either. Maybe that's why he cuts himself so much. Punishment." 

"Punishment," And echoed. "I see." 

Her expression remained the same. Internally, she was losing control. No one had ever confronted her like this before, and he was so calm about it, she didn't know how to react. "When someone's wrong, they need punishing." 

"Sure, when they steal or drunk drive," Andy said. "But not for making mistakes everyone makes." 

"Such as?" 

"You know, arriving late for something, forgetting to reply to a message, missing a phone call." He paused, then said, "Being sad." 

"He's not sad, he's a fucking useless piece of shit." 

This is too easy, princess. Andy simply raised his eyebrow again. 

"He has to be punished if he never does anything right," she went on. Her facade was crumbling fast. "I mean, imagine the state we'd be in if he wasn't punished for all the shit he does wrong. He needs it so he can be better. It's fucking obvious." 

"I see," Andy said. 

"And anyway, he never cuts that deep. He's a fucking baby." 

"I see." 

"I mean, come on. It's supposed to hurt. That's the whole point, so I don't know why he gets upset at me for helping him." 

"Helping him," Andy repeated. "You help him." 

Her eyes widened and she froze. "I-I..." 

"You help him," he said again. 

She begun trying to backtrack but it was too late for that. No matter what she said now, he had the evidence in his pocket.