Chapter 181: Will You…
Rebecca
The hallway feels endless walking out. Every step echoes, and I watch Marcus’s shoulders tense as we pass that closet door. It’s still there. Still broken. I can feel the weight of whatever happened behind that door pressing down on him like a physical thing.
I squeeze his hand tighter. It feels cold in my hand and I know the weather has nothing to do with it.
Outside, Marcus stops and takes a deep breath like he’s been drowning. I don’t say anything until we’re in the car, doors closed, engine running. Safe.
"You okay?" I ask, though I already know the answer. He doesn’t have to tell me.
He grips the steering wheel and stares at the house through the windshield. I follow his gaze. It looks so ordinary from out here. Just a tired old house with peeling paint and dead flowers in the window boxes. But I know now what it holds inside.
"I don’t know," he says honestly. "Ask me tomorrow."
I nod. Don’t push. He’s been brave enough for one day.
He puts the car in drive, but before we pull away, he looks at the house one more time. There’s something final in his expression, like he’s saying goodbye.
"Thank you," he says to me. "For coming with me. For not saying anything. For just... being there."
I turn in my seat to face him. "You don’t have to thank me for that."