Chapter 4

Poppy

I feel their eyes on me, repelling my tears as if they're an umbrella in a storm. They're hungry for answers, craving them with an intensity that makes this ordeal feel less like my own private nightmare and more like a shared burden. Yet, deep down, I know it ' s not theirs to bear.

Perhaps the best way to bury the past is to unearth it with the truth. It's a risky gambit, but desperation leaves me with scant alternatives. As my tears begin to subside, I attempt to steady my breathing. My warm breath rebounds off my knees, turning my face an even deeper shade of beet red.

I muster the strength to sit up straight, adopting the posture of someone who might have her life together; Julian ' s hand doesn ' t leave me, sliding from the small of my back to my knee as he watches me, still kneeling in front of me like that sculpture that is holding up the world. What is it called again…Atlas, that ' s right. He ' s stuck holding up the world as a punishment. My teary eyes meet Julian ' s worried ones. I hate that his caring for me is like a punishment.

I lick my lips but keep my eyes down on my knees. I might be able to confess some of the truth, but I can ' t withstand their eyes, especially Harper ' s.

"I do know who did this. At least, I think so," I begin, my voice a mere whisper against the tension in the room. "I know so," I correct myself with more conviction, the name 'Andrew' surfacing in my mind like a dark omen—a name I won't voice.

My knees begin to shake, and Julian ' s hand presses down on them to steady my nerves. " It ' s ok, I ' m not upset. Just let me help you." He says in a gentle tone.

This is what ' s going to ruin us. " I can ' t," I whisper. Hating Andrew even more for taking away more people I love.

Harper ' s patience snaps, her voice a sharp demand in the confined space. " Tell me!" she insists, encroaching on my bubble of turmoil. " Poppy, tell me what ' s going on?"

" I can ' t," I sob back, the words a blade to my own heart.

She wedges herself closer, her plea tinged with desperation and a hint of betrayal. " After everything we have been through, you ' re going to keep secrets from me? I ' ve been by your side through thick and thin. Just tell me."

Julian ' s fingers press against my thigh like a guiding hand trying to coax me out of hiding. I shake my head, " I can ' t."

Harper ' s frustration boils over into a growl of defiance. " Fine! I ' ll figure it out myself!" With that, she turns, her departure a blur through my tear-soaked vision.

" Harper, no!" I call out, my voice weak, my body unsteady as if intoxicated by despair. The sound of the elevator buttons being furiously pressed echoes down the hallway, a somber confirmation that I ' ve just made my best friend my adversary. All in the name of protection.

Kent hurries after her, leaving me trapped in a room with Julian and his uncle, my heart a battlefield of conflicting emotions. " I…um…" My voice falters, and my nose is now an inelegant mess. I try to clean up with the back of my hand, " I ' m gonna leave." I ' m going to run and find a place to shatter completely.

Julian stands, " No, you ' re not, Pumpkin." He reaches for me and pulls me into a hug, causing my eyes to cry again. His heat was a comforting contrast against the chill of my fears, " If you ' re scared someone will hurt you, this is the time to tell me. You know what I have at my disposal. You know I ' m the only person who can keep you safe, Pumpkin," his whisper is both a vow and a caress, his lips pressing a tender kiss to my jaw.

" I don ' t know what to do," my confession is muffled against his chest as my tears soak his shirt.

" You need help. It might feel like everything around you is crumbling, but you're surrounded by lifeboats in these turbulent waters. Let us pull you to safety, Poppy."

I ' ve needed help for so long.

I ' ve tried to save myself, but the weapon I was using to defend myself turned out to be a shovel that only dug me a deeper pit.

It ' s time.

My knees tremble. I wish I looked like a cute baby deer learning how to walk, but I know I look more like an elephant stuck in mud needing help.

Julian is right; I ' m surrounded by people trying to help me. I just need to accept the help. If anyone could keep Harper and Henry safe, it would be Julian and his family. I don ' t care about myself. I just want the people I love safe from Andrew.

" I ' m scared you ' ll look at me differently," I whisper to him, my arms reaching out, hugging him tighter.

" And how do you think I will see you, Pumpkin?" he probes gently.

I swallow hard; the fear is tangible. " Like a failure, a victim, a stupid, scared girl who should have fought harder. A shell who did nothing."

He reaches down and tips my chin up, grey eyes meeting mine. " What if I see you as an incredibly brave woman?" His question challenges my self-doubt.

" I ' m not brave," I counter, the weight of my fears bearing down on me.

" I think you are. I see the woman I love, who is incredibly terrified to jump. All she needs to do is open her eyes, wipe away her tears, and she ' ll see all the hands reaching up, waiting to catch her." He gently cradles my face in his hands, his thumb softly tracing the paths of my tears as if to erase them from memory.

Then, he kisses me—a kiss so tender, it feels like the world pauses just for us. It's the kind of kiss that makes you believe in silver linings and second chances, filled with the silent promises we're too scared to say out loud but feel deep in our bones. In that moment, wrapped in Julian's embrace, I find a haven—a reminder that amidst the chaos, there's a love that feels like coming home.

" I ' m gonna catch you, Pumpkin. I just need you to trust me. Jump."