[ Rain's POV ]
I stood outside our door for a long time, my hand hovering over the handle. My heart was racing with a familiar, sickening dread. I knew Fran. I knew he was spiraling into a fury without hearing a single word of explanation. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. Maybe if I just stay calm, I can reach him, I thought.
I stepped inside, letting out a heavy sigh. I found Fran in the kitchen, leaning against the counter and nursing a glass of water. Seeing him—still limping, still in pain—made me rush toward him, holding out the bag of food I'd picked up.
"Fran, I brought dinner. Mushroom soup from that diner you like," I said, trying to keep my voice light.
But as I reached out, Fran flinched as if my touch was poison. He violently brushed my hand away. The bag hit the floor with a wet thud, the soup containers bursting open and spilling across the tiles.
We both stared at the mess for a silent, agonizing heartbeat. Then, without a word, Fran turned and limped toward our room.
A sharp sting hit my chest, but I swallowed it down. It's okay. I understand why he's like this.
After cleaning the kitchen, I grabbed the first aid kit and followed him. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, his face a mask of cold annoyance as I entered.
"Fran," I said, kneeling on the floor at his feet. "Let me check your ankle. If you don't treat it, it will get worse."
I reached for his hem, but he stood up so abruptly that he shoved me back, sending me falling onto the floor.
"I told you not to touch me!" he roared, looking down at me. "Go check on your Athena. Isn't that what you're good at? Playing the hero for her? Doing exactly what you've always done?"
Something inside me finally snapped. Those days of silence, the guilt I had carried for a crime I didn't commit—it all came rushing to my head like fire.
"Fran!" I stood up, my body trembling with a sudden, raw heat. "Can you stop being so childish for one second and just listen to me?!"
"Childish?" He stepped into my space, grabbing the collar of my shirt and bunching it in his fist. His eyes were dark with unfiltered rage. "You're calling me childish after what you did?"
"Do you really think I could do that to you?!" I shouted back, tears finally spilling over. "Do you really think so lowly of me? You know how important you are to me. I've given up everything for you. No matter what happened, I always chose you! Always!"
I saw a flash of panic in his eyes as he saw me cry. His grip on my shirt loosened slightly, his fingers trembling.
"But I've had enough, Fran," I whispered, my voice breaking. "If you hate me this much, just let me leave!"
I turned to walk away, but I didn't even make it one step. His hand clamped around my wrist like a vice, pulling me back with a force that made my head spin. Before I could breathe, he shoved me against the wall.
Thud.
He pinned me there, his body pressing into mine, his face inches from my own.
"No," he hissed, his voice low and dangerous. "You belong to me. No one is leaving."
Then, he crashed his lips against mine.
It wasn't a kiss. it was an assault of emotion—messy, desperate, and aggressive. He tasted like cold water and salt. My mind went into a blind panic; I tried to push his chest, but he was like a mountain. He didn't let go. He forced his way in, his other hand sliding beneath my shirt, his skin burning against mine while his grip on my wrist began to bruise.
"Fran..." I gasped against his mouth, my lungs begging for air, my heart Hammering against my ribs in total confusion.
The world was spinning. In a moment of pure survival instinct, I bit down. Hard.
The sharp, metallic taste of iron flooded my mouth. Fran stiffened and pulled back, his thumb flying to his bleeding lip. We both stood there, chests heaving, the air in the room thick and suffocating.
He looked at the blood on his hand, then at me, his eyes wide with a sudden, horrified realization of what he'd just done.
"F*ck!" he shouted, the sound echoing off the walls.
He turned and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door so hard the frames rattled. I stayed slumped against the wall, my fingers touching my own swollen lips, my mind a shattered mess of questions I didn't know how to answer.