The lock on my apartment door clicks, and I don't even have to look up from the sofa to know it's Adam. For months, our arrangement has been the only uncomplicated thing in my life. Late-night texts, tangled sheets, and an unspoken rule that we leave our real baggage at the door. He is my escape. But tonight, I am not looking for pleasure. I am bleeding out emotionally, hollowed out by Tyler, the man I finally found the courage to leave.

Adam drops his keys on the counter. His heavy boots cross the hardwood, stopping just inches from where I sit curled in a ball. He reaches for the hem of his dark henley, expecting the usual routine, but the fabric doesn't make it over his head. A choked sob breaks out of my chest. It is an ugly, fractured sound, and Adam freezes.

"Megan?" His voice is low, stripped of its usual playful edge.

I try to pull it together, to offer him the carefree version of myself he signed up for, but the dam breaks. I tell him everything. I tell him how Tyler monitored my phone, how the isolation crept in so slowly I didn't realize I was drowning, and how the bruises on my upper arm are only just starting to fade. I hate myself for crying over a man who frightened me, and I hate myself even more for ruining the one safe, detached thing I had left with Adam.

Adam doesn't move to hold me. He just stands there, the muscles in his jaw ticking frantically. His dark brown eyes are entirely unreadable. He asks two blunt questions about where Tyler lives and whether he still has a key. When I answer, Adam simply nods, turns on his heel, and walks out the door. The heavy click of the lock seals my humiliation. He was only here for one thing, and the second things got heavy, he bolted.

I cry myself to a fitful sleep on the couch, convinced I've lost the only distraction that kept me sane. But at 6:00 AM, my phone buzzes on the coffee table. The caller ID is an unknown number. When I answer, a dry, raspy voice speaks through the static of a precinct phone.

"Megan. I need you to come bail me out."

He actually walked out just to get arrested! 😱 Did Adam ghost her because he didn't care, or did he go looking for trouble? Hit ❤️ if you need to know who he punched, and share this dramatic premiere with your bestie! 👇