Pauline's POV
Two people changed everything about my life. Windsor showed me I didn't have to accept being hurt over and over again. She taught me that fighting back was worth it. My scars weren't marks of shame anymore. They became proof that I survived. That I could reclaim pieces of myself I thought were lost forever.
Arnold was different. He helped me discover who I was during the quiet times. When I desperately needed a place to catch my breath, he opened the doors of this house to me. The house wasn't mine. It wasn't really his either, not in the way it should have been. But somehow it became our refuge. Still, I always noticed how uncomfortable he looked within these walls. His father's presence lingered everywhere. I could see Arnold's shoulders relax every time he prepared to walk out that door. That relief was something I understood completely.
That same feeling washed over me now as I watched him pack his bags by the entrance.
"I'll see you soon," I said quietly.
