The Monster Inside. [SHORT STORY] ✔

Chapter 3.

He falls to his knees, his voice trembling. "No. No! I'm so sorry, Rose. I-I don't know what got into me. Please don't do this. We can sort it out, babe."

Tears threaten to spill from my eyes as I watch him, his own eyes glistening with regret.

"Just go, Jack."

"What about your promise, Rose? I can't stay without you. Please don't break up with me."

My resolve weakens as I see him so vulnerable. I soften, my voice trembling. "I'm not breaking up with you, Jack. I just need some time. Please leave."

He looks at me in silence for a moment before standing up and walking out. I close the door behind him and collapse in tears, the weight of our memories crashing over me.

I remember a time when we were sitting on top of a cliff, his arm around my waist and my head resting on his shoulder. He had just shared the painful truth about his mother's alcoholism and abuse.

"Say, Rose," he asked quietly, "if I ever did something terrible to you, would you leave me?"

I lifted my head, puzzled. "Like what?"

He pulled his arm away from my waist and stood near the edge of the cliff. "Like maybe hitting you."

I thought he was joking, but the seriousness in his voice made me shiver. "Yes, Jack. If you ever did something like that, I would leave."

"Leave me... leave me..." he murmured, almost to himself.

Panic surged through me as I noticed how close he was to the edge. "Jack," I said, my voice filled with fear. "Move away from the edge."

He turned to me with a bitter tone. "Someday, eventually, you'll leave me, won't you?"

I couldn't bear the thought of losing him. I began to cry, my heart breaking. "No, Jack, I won't leave you. Not ever."

He faced me with a desperate look in his eyes. "Do you promise, Rose? To love me unconditionally, no matter what baggage I come with?"

I rushed to him, clutching his shirt tightly. "I do, I promise, Jack."

He enveloped me in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry for making you cry, Rose. I won't hurt you again. I love you."

"I love you too, Jack."

Now, as I scream into my pillow, I am overwhelmed by the conflict within me. I can't leave him. I need him, yet I despise the fear he instills in me.

Oh Jack, I love you so much, it's tearing me apart.