Chapter 11: The Weight of Staying
That night, Roselyn could not sleep.
Marcus lay beside her, his arm heavy across her waist, holding her as if she might disappear if he let go. His breathing was slow and deep now. He felt safe. She did not.
She stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks in the paint. This was supposed to be easy. This was supposed to feel like control. But something inside her felt tight, like a door that would not fully close.
She had planned this. Every step. Every word. Marcus was meant to be a lesson, not a life.
Then why does it feel harder to leave? she wondered.
In the morning, Marcus woke up smiling. He made coffee, humming softly as if nothing had happened the night before. He kissed her cheek and asked what she wanted for breakfast.
"Anything," she said.
He smiled wider at that. "I like that answer."
As they ate, he talked about the future. Small things at first. A trip. A different apartment. A life that had room only for her.
"We could make this work," he said. "Really work."
Rosalyn nodded, but her chest felt heavy.
At the café later that day, she caught her reflection in the glass. She barely recognized the girl staring back. She looked calm. Normal. Like someone who belonged to someone else.
When did I stop pretending? she thought.
That afternoon, Sebastian Vale came in again.
He didn't say much. He ordered his coffee and waited. But when Rosalyn handed it to him, his eyes lingered on her face.
"You look tired," he said quietly.
She hesitated. "I'm fine."
He didn't argue. He never did. "Just remember," he said, "being needed isn't the same as being chosen."
The words followed her long after he left.
That night, back at Marcus's house, Rosalyn stood alone in the bathroom, staring at herself in the mirror. She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart beat—steady, alive, unsure.
This was the danger she hadn't planned for.
Not love.
Not guilt.
But the slow, frightening thought that staying might change her in ways she could never undo.
And for the first time since this began, Rosalyn wondered if walking away would hurt less than remaining.