Mad Woman✓

9. The archer

"I've been the archer, I've been the prey... Who could ever leave me darling, but who could stay?"

   POV JOE ALWYN:

"Come on, I want to swim", Taylor says, pulling me along. We just walked to the beach, which is only five minutes from our house, and now we're walking alongside the ocean.

The beach is empty apart from some drunk teens who are sitting around a small fire. But they don't pay much attention to us. Too busy with themselves and their conversations.

Taylor is only wearing a white lace lingerie set - she dropped her dress in the sand a few feet ago - and I try to just look at her face as I nod. I take off my clothes clumsily as Taylor keeps pulling me towards the water.

The ocean is surprisingly warm.

"I love this", I say, breathing in the salt air.

Taylor just nods, staring up at the darkened, starry sky. The moon and stars are shining brightly upon us. It is beautiful.

The waves slam on the rocks. The wind is refreshingly chilly.

And Taylor.... She is breathtakingly beautiful.. Her curls fall loosely on her shoulders and her skin is tanned...

She is staring, too, at the sky. Her skin lit up by moonlight. Her breathing is quick, but her shoulders seem relaxed.

I stand beside her, the water reaching just above my knees. The scent of her mild perfume reaching my nostrils.

"I killed them", she speaks softly.

My heart starts beating faster. I say nothing but just silently stand beside her. My hand brushes hers.

"When I told you that all of them died... My exes... I killed them. Every single one of them."

I still stay silent. But my heart is racing in my throat, I can feel it pulsating in my fingertips.

The moment I saw her, I knew she was trouble. And from the stuff she told me, of course, I thought of it. I considered that there might be blood on her hands.

But every time I even thought of it, I shoved the thought away. Not her, not Taylor. But somehow..... hearing her say it, it doesn't hit me... It doesn't scare me, it doesn't make me want to run... It just makes me wanna protect her. I want to wrap my arms around her and tell her that everything will be alright.

That I am here for her.

"And I hate myself for it", she continues, "But I would have hated myself more if I had let them live. Because they would be in pain. They would be in excruciating pain, begging to die. Morris would have hurt them so badly that they would beg for death and I could not let that happen. They shouldn't live in pain, in fear of not dying. So if I could do it over - from the moment he came after Scott - I would do the same thing."

I clench my hands into fists and look at her. Her eyes are filled with tears, her expression is pure pain.

She is broken.

Inside, she is broken into a million pieces.

"I am going to kill them", I say, "I am going to kill Morris and whoever he is hanging out with. I will not let him continue to do this to you. I won't let him hurt you like this."

"No, Joe, it's dangerous. Even knowing their names is dangerous. The fact that you know the name of their gang.... If they find out.."

"I don't care, I won't let them hurt you more than they already did. I won't let them make you kill more people. I refuse to let them hurt you ever again."