The Promise of Us

He didn’t interrupt. Didn’t argue. He simply listened, shoulders tense, eyes fixed on hers like he was afraid to miss a single word.

“I love you,” she continued, the admission soft but unflinching. “That’s exactly why it hurt so much. Because when you decide things for me—when you protect me by shutting me out—it makes me feel small. Like I have to fit inside the space you allow, instead of stand