Beneath His Cold Charm

20

Through the Armor

★★★

Zoey sat in the familiar warmth of Emely's room, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the soft fabric of a pillow on her lap. The comfort of being in her best friend's space should have calmed her, but tonight, even Emely's bright presence couldn't ease the heaviness weighing on her chest.

Emely was busy organizing some things across the room, humming quietly to herself. Her presence was always soothing to Zoey—a contrast to the chaos that seemed to exist everywhere else in her life. Emely had always been her rock, ever since kindergarten. Whenever things got too hard to handle, Emely was the one person Zoey could always count on.

But even Emely didn't know the full truth. Zoey had kept her darkest secret hidden, afraid of what revealing it might do—not just to her, but to their friendship.

"Hey, you okay?" Emely's voice cut through Zoey's thoughts. She turned around, her eyes soft with concern. "You've been really quiet today. Like, more than usual."

Zoey swallowed, shifting uncomfortably on the bed. She wasn't sure how to respond. The truth was, she wasn't okay. Far from it. But saying it out loud made it real, and she wasn't sure if she was ready to handle that.

"I'm just... tired," Zoey mumbled, avoiding Emely's gaze.

Emely frowned, walking over and sitting down next to her on the bed. She nudged Zoey gently with her shoulder, her usual lightheartedness replaced by genuine worry. "Zoey, you've been 'just tired' for weeks now. I know something's going on. You don't have to pretend with me, you know?"

Zoey's heart clenched at the kindness in Emely's voice. She had been bottling everything up for so long—hiding the pain, the fear, the self-doubt. And she was so used to keeping up the act that it almost felt impossible to drop the mask, even with Emely.

"I'm fine," Zoey tried again, but her voice was weaker this time. She knew Emely wasn't buying it.

"Zo," Emely said softly, her hand resting on Zoey's arm. "I'm serious. I can tell something's wrong. You don't have to talk about it if you're not ready, but... I just want you to know I'm here, okay? Whatever it is, I'm here."

Zoey bit her lip, fighting the urge to break down. She could feel the walls she had built around herself starting to crumble, and it scared her. What if Emely looked at her differently after she found out? What if she couldn't handle the truth?

"I don't know how to talk about it," Zoey admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's... hard."

Emely's eyes softened even more, if that was possible. "That's okay. You don't have to figure it all out right now. Just... one step at a time. I've got you, Zoey."

Something in Emely's words broke through Zoey's defenses, and before she could stop herself, tears welled up in her eyes. She quickly wiped them away, embarrassed, but Emely was already pulling her into a gentle hug.

"It's okay," Emely whispered. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it together."

Zoey clung to her, the weight of everything she had been hiding suddenly overwhelming. She didn't want to feel like this anymore—trapped, scared, alone. But letting someone else in meant showing them the parts of herself she was most ashamed of. The parts she had worked so hard to keep hidden.

Pulling back from the hug, Zoey wiped her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. Her hands trembled as she glanced down at her sleeves, the fabric covering the evidence of her pain. She knew she couldn't keep hiding forever, not from Emely. If there was anyone who deserved to know the truth, it was her.

With trembling fingers, Zoey slowly pushed up her sleeves, revealing the faint, thin lines etched into her skin. The scars—some faded, some newer—stood out starkly against the pale skin of her wrists.

Emely's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching as she stared at the marks. For a moment, she didn't say anything, just looked at Zoey with a mixture of sadness, disbelief, and concern.

"Oh, Zoey..." Emely's voice cracked, barely more than a whisper. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Zoey bit her lip, the tears threatening to spill again. "I didn't want to—" She paused, struggling to find the right words. "I didn't want you to think I was... weak. Or that I couldn't handle things."

Emely shook her head, her eyes filling with tears of her own. "Weak? Zoey, this doesn't make you weak. I just... I wish you hadn't gone through this alone."

Zoey couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She had been holding everything inside for so long, and now, finally, it was all pouring out. "I didn't know how to tell you," she sobbed. "I didn't know how to ask for help."

Emely wrapped her arms around Zoey again, holding her tight as she cried. "You don't have to go through this alone anymore," she whispered fiercely. "I'm here. I'll always be here, Zoey. I love you, and we'll get through this together, okay? You're not alone."

For the first time in what felt like forever, Zoey felt a sense of relief. The weight of her secret, the shame of her scars—it was still there, but somehow, sharing it with Emely made it a little lighter. She wasn't sure how she was going to get through this, but knowing that Emely was by her side made her feel like maybe, just maybe, she didn't have to face it all alone.

As Zoey wiped her eyes, she couldn't help but think about Matt. Despite the small moment of kindness he had shown her.

But for now, she was grateful for Emely. Her best friend had seen her at her worst, and instead of pushing her away, she had pulled her closer. Zoey wasn't sure what the future held, but with Emely by her side, maybe she could start to heal—one step at a time.

---

That night, as Zoey lay in bed, she felt a sense of calm she hadn't experienced in a long time. She still had a long way to go, and there were still parts of her that were broken. But knowing that Emely knew the truth, that she didn't have to hide anymore, made her feel like she could finally breathe.

But as the reality of her family issues, her self-harming addiction, and the upcoming exams loomed over her, she knew that this was just the beginning. There were still so many battles left to fight, and she wasn't sure how she was going to face them all.

★★★