Lena's voice trembled despite her words. Jonas. He's not going to stop. He's going to keep coming, keep threatening until until we stop him. Jonas's jaw set with determination.
That's it. I'm done playing nice. Tomorrow, we're going to the sheriff. We're filing charges for harassment, trespassing, assault. And we're telling Judge Harrison everything, including the threat he just made.
It's his word against mine. No, it's his word against ours. I heard the threat. I witnessed the assault. Jonas cupped her face gently.
You're not alone in this anymore, Lena. Stop acting like you are. That night, neither of them slept. They sat together by the fire, Jonas's arm around Lena's shoulders, both of them listening for hoofbeats that never came. Tell me something, Jonas said quietly, about your life before all this.
Something good. Lena thought back through the years of pain to find something bright. I had a garden once, at the house I shared with Daniel. Nothing fancy, just vegetables and some flowers. But there was this one rose bush, pink roses, the prettiest things you ever saw.
I'd sit with them in the evenings and just breathe. Feel alive. We'll plant roses here, Jonas promised. Pink ones, as many as you want. You don't have to I want to.
I want you to have beautiful things, Lena. You deserve beauty after all the ugliness. Lena leaned her head against his shoulder, letting herself draw strength from his solid presence. Tomorrow, they would go to the sheriff. Tomorrow, they would fight back against Reed's manipulation.
But tonight, in this quiet moment, she let herself believe that maybe, just maybe, everything would be all right. Jonas. Mhm? Thank you. For stopping, for staying, for fighting for me when you had no reason to.
His arm tightened around her. I had every reason. You matter, Lena, to me, to the children. You matter, and people who matter are worth fighting for. Outside, a storm was building.
She could smell rain on the wind, hear thunder in the distance. But inside, wrapped in Jonas's warmth and protection, Lena felt something she hadn't felt in years. She felt safe. Friday morning dawned gray and threatening, the air heavy with the promise of rain. Lena dressed carefully in her borrowed clothes, her hands trembling as she buttoned the bodice.