For two days, Emma avoided the workbook. She shoved it into a drawer and buried it under old papers, telling herself it hadn't happened, that she was spiraling into madness after Ethan's betrayal.
But on the third night, when the apartment was too quiet and her chest ached with loneliness, she gave in. She pulled the drawer open, dragged the workbook out, and flipped to the page.
Her heart lurched. More words had appeared:
I don't understand why you're so afraid. But I swear to you, I'll never hurt you. You're the only girl I'll ever love. Tell me what I did. Tell me how you hurt you, and I'll change it. Please, Emma. Don't push me away.
She pressed the book to her chest, rocking slightly as though it were a child she had lost, as though the touch could anchor her to sanity.
Even though the words offered comfort, Emma felt the weight of the past pressing down on her. She knew the answers she needed could not be given lightly—and that her heart would have to carry the truth she had long buried.