The grocery store lights flickered faintly above, casting a soft glow on the aisles. I wasn't really there for shopping—I just needed to breathe. As I turned the corner near the dairy section, I heard my name, low but urgent.
"Hey! There you are."
It was Sophia.
The moment I saw her, something inside me settled. She didn't smile right away—her brows furrowed instead, scanning my face like she was searching for the truth behind my eyes. She always knew. Even before I opened my mouth.
"You went to the therapist?" she asked, her voice a mix of concern and quiet hope.
I nodded. "Yeah… I did."
She gave me a small, approving nod. "Good. That's good." Her expression softened. "Did you listen to what he said? Are you finally going to follow through with this?"
"I think I'm ready," I whispered.
Sophia looked relieved, like she had been holding her breath for weeks and could finally exhale. But that relief quickly shifted. Her gaze dropped to the scarf around my neck. She didn't say anything at first. She just stared.
Then, without warning, she stepped forward and gently tugged at the fabric. I froze. She dabbed at it with her sleeve, wiping away the smudged foundation I had used in a panic earlier.
And there they were. The marks I had tried to hide.
The look in her eyes changed instantly. Not anger. Not judgement.
Hurt.
Deep, real hurt.
"You're letting him do this to you?" she said, her voice tight. "After everything?"
I couldn't speak. I didn't know what to say that would make it okay, because nothing could.
"You don't deserve this," she whispered, barely holding herself together. "You never did. You are not a toy. You are not someone he gets to pull close and push away whenever he feels like it."
The tears started before I realized they had, burning my eyes as she took my face in her hands.
"I've watched you disappear in pieces, and I stayed quiet because I thought maybe—just maybe—you needed time. But I can't watch him erase you anymore. I won't."
Her voice cracked.
"I want you to end it tomorrow. I'm not asking you—I'm begging you. Please. For me. For the girl you used to be before all of this."
I had never seen her like that before. Fierce, but breaking. Strong, but breaking for me.
And then she pulled me into a hug. It wasn't soft. It was the kind of hug that said, you are mine to protect, and I will not lose you to this. The kind that felt like home.
Sophia wasn't just my best friend. She was the kind of person people don't believe exist. The one who sees the cracks before they become breaks. The one who holds you up when you no longer know how to stand.
She didn't need to say it, but I knew: I was her entire world, and she would set that world on fire if it meant saving me from the dark.
Even though I had already planned to walk away from Sin, her words lit something in me. They didn't just comfort me—they gave me strength. Knowing she was on my side, I felt less alone.
And maybe, for the first time in a long time, I believed I could do this. Not because I was strong.
But because I had Sophia.