The Protective Heart ✔️

27. Protecting her from confronting too soon

A/N: An early update?! Whaaaattttt? So I'm throwing a bachelorette party for my best friend this weekend so in celebratory fashion, I'm giving you all an early update! I will post another chapter on Monday, too! Love you guys and thank you so much for your support! It means the world to me! Have a great weekend! Cheers!

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A hand touched my cheek, waking me from my sweet slumber. Through my groggy vision, I could see Declan's mismatched eyes looking down at me. I sat up quickly, swiping his hand away from my face.

"What the hell are you doing here?" My aching body felt like I was filled with cinder blocks.

"I've been looking for you for hours." I looked up into the sky to realize it was nighttime. The moon was out, along with all of the beautiful shining stars. I grimaced as I thought about how I used to refer to Declan as the stars in the sky.

He was anything but that now.

Now, he was the abyss that darkness brought. He was the part of the sky that was nothing, the absence of the stars and moon.

"You've done enough damage so just leave me the hell alone." My fight was gone and all that was left was emptiness.

I fought so hard to be strong when my father left us. How could I let a man come into my life and ruin me again?

"I know you're hurting. I know that even if I tell you the truth of what happened right now, you won't believe me. So I'm going to wait. When you're ready, come to me and I will tell you the whole story. But please, I'm begging you, don't close yourself off again." I focused on the dandelions that were spread across the meadow. I couldn't bear to look at him, to see those mismatched eyes and those lips that she kissed.

"Just go." I choked out, holding back tears.

"Gold-"

"I told you never to call me that again!" I screamed, closing my eyes tightly and clutching the earth in my hands. There was a long pause before he spoke once more.

"Just stay safe, Crystal." Hearing him say my real name cut my heart like a sword. I didn't realize it until that moment but Goldi had become my name. It had become who I was and who I was, was his.

Everything started crumbling apart.

I had let myself become consumed by this man. Before I met him, I was a strong woman but once I met him, I had become weak.

I heard his footsteps walking away as dirt dug under my finger nails. After I was sure that he had gone, I stood up and walked back to my car. As I drove to the dorms, I thought about my relationship with Declan. I knew how men worked and I still let him into my life.

How could I have been so stupid?

As I walked back into my dorm room, I saw Bridget laying on my bed. She was fast asleep with her cellphone still in her hand. I realized that she must have been waiting for me and fell asleep. I smiled at the thought of how much she cared for me. Bridget and Bailey had always been there for me ever since I started college. I had never told them about my dad and why I hated men so much but they didn't care. They stayed by my side anyways.

Bailey and I had been roommates our first year in college. Bridget had became friends with Bailey through one of their classes and that was when we all started hanging out. We had become each other's family; sisters at heart and all that mushy stuff.