𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐈𝐕𝐄 , Jim carroll

(21.OO)

Adrienne took a deep breath as she stepped into the police station lobby, her heart racing, but her mind firm. She wasn't here for closure or reconciliation-she was here for clarity, to face the questions that had haunted her since the day she discovered Jim's betrayal.

A stern-faced officer greeted her and led her down a corridor lined with buzzing lights and distant voices. They reached a small, plain visiting room with a table in the center. "Your visitor's here," the officer said as he called to Jim, who was seated, scribbling in a small notebook.

Jim's head snapped up at the mention of a visitor. He hadn't expected anyone, least of all her. He quickly tucked his notebook under the pillow on his bunk, as though hiding something personal, and followed the officer toward the visitation room. With each step, his heart thudded faster. He hadn't seen Adrienne in weeks, but when he finally entered the room and saw her sitting there-calm, poised, yet stern-it was as if time folded back on itself. She looked just as she had that first night, the night she saved him, the night he couldn't believe someone so beautiful and fierce could step into his life.

But Adrienne's face was stone-cold as she watched him approach. She sat back, arms crossed, eyes never leaving him, waiting for him to sit down. Jim swallowed, nerves taking over. When he sat down, all the words he'd rehearsed in his head suddenly spilled out in a nervous rush.

"A-Adrienne, oh my God... I know you probably don't want to hear anything from me, but please, please, just let me explain. I've been working on what to say, I've thought it all out, and-"

Adrienne held up a hand, her voice sharp but steady. "Shut up, Jim."

The words hit him like a punch, and he fell silent, taken aback. She leaned forward, her gaze fierce and unyielding.

"Let me tell you what you did," she said, her voice cutting through the air. "You broke into my home, my home, Jim. And when I confronted you-when I asked you about it, you looked me in the eye and lied to me. You acted like it was nothing, like I was nothing."

Jim's mouth opened, but he thought better of interrupting. Adrienne's expression hardened as she continued, laying out each transgression like weights on a scale.

"And then there was this chase. You running after me, calling, trying to 'explain' yourself every chance you got. Explain what, Jim? That you were tearing my life apart one lie at a time?" Her voice trembled for a brief moment, but she steadied herself. "Or was it about the drugs? Because the person I met back then-that guy I took a chance on-isn't the person I see now."

Jim ran a hand through his hair, struggling to gather his words. "Adrienne, please... I know I've changed. But I had my reasons. I did it all... I did it all for you."

"For me?" Adrienne scoffed, disbelief flickering in her eyes. "Breaking into my house was for me? Lying to my face, getting deeper into whatever mess you were in... you think any of that helped me?"

Jim shook his head, his frustration building. "I know it sounds messed up, but I didn't want you to see how bad things had gotten. I wanted to protect you from it-"

Adrienne cut him off, her voice filled with pain. "Protect me? You weren't protecting me, Jim. You were dragging me down with you. I trusted you, and you used that trust to cover up every mistake you made."

The weight of her words settled over the room, and for a moment, silence reigned. Jim's mind raced, searching for anything that could possibly make things right.

"I messed up," he said softly, looking down. "I know I did. But every decision I made was because I thought it would keep you from seeing me fall apart. I wanted to be better for you, Adrienne. But I... I just kept messing it all up."