"I can't just live my life in fear, I have to live! Otherwise, what was the point of everything that I've endured in my life up until now, if I reduce myself to tears any time I think I see Christian's face in an alleyway? I am stronger than this, and I resent the fact that you think I'm some delicate flower who can't take care of herself."

Okay, maybe that was a little bit harsh, but when Emmett told me that I couldn't attend my classes because of the Christian situation, I knew that I had to stand up for myself and to him. I wasn't going to live in fear, not anymore. I had taken down too many abusers in the past to succumb to that kind of lifestyle.

"Well then at least let me send someone with you to make sure that you're safe! The police suggested that themselves, did you not hear the detective assigned to this case?"

Emmett's blue eyes were stark with worry and I found myself reaching up and placing a hand on his face, his features immediately calming upon my touch.

"Fine. But they stop at the door to the class."

"Deal."

He leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against mine, but it wasn't long before I wanted more. I knew we couldn't indulge ourselves considering the fact that I was about to be late to my first day back to school since the whole Christian debacle.

It was a short and sweet kiss that had me wishing I'd taken a class later in the day, but the both of us needed to get our days started. Emmett had a day filled with meetings and press conferences, majority of them wanting to ask about me since the press had caught onto the Christian story from back in Texas. It was more than embarrassing to say the least to have paparazzi trying to pry into every single aspect of my life, but I tired to ignore it and just carry on like nothing was wrong when it was one of the hardest things I'd had to endure.

The flashes of cameras in my face reminded me of the first time I'd been put under media scrutiny back in my home town before the trial with Christian and the remnants of that panic bubbled up in my throat any time I'd step outside of our protective little bubble in his apartment complex.

"Walk out with me?"

He noticed the fear and trepidation in my eyes and held onto me a little bit tighter for a few seconds longer, not realizing just how much this little show of support meant to me. He heard all of my tiny secrets and small triggers, and in the dead of night telling each other our deepest darkest secrets and desires, he held onto every tidbit of information I gave to him, like it was a life line and he would drown if he forgot even a small snippet of what I was telling him.

It was one of the reasons that I adored him so much, he always listened to me and made sure to implement what he learned into our life. If I liked my tea with two extra sugars, then he would always make sure to make it just how I liked it.

When I would come home, he always had a piping cup of coffee ready for me to go because he knew I would want to stay up almost all night studying.

He anticipated every single one of my needs, and be it something small like making sure my robe was warmed up in the dryer before I got out of the shower because he knew I was perpetually cold or even something as small as texting me almost ever second we were apart when it was feasible, he always knew what I needed and what he could do to make me feel better.

So when he squeezed me tight and picked me up off of the ground in his embrace, the smile didn't have to fight its way onto my face, the happiness surrounding me and blocking out all of that previous panic and fear that I'd felt trying to take over when even thinking about facing those vultures outside with their cameras.

We walked out together, him dressed ready to go to the gym and me prepared for my first day back at Harvard. It was a faux trial day so I was dressed in my business attire, a large black pea coat over my burgundy suit jacket and black skirt.

I ignored the yelling, the flashes of the cameras, the invasive questions, even when they got particularly nasty and personal. Sometimes I wondered where they came up with those questions, but then we were safe inside Emmett's car service and I could finally breathe.

"Harvard campus first, and then to the stadium please," Emmett said to the driver.

"You're going to the stadium today?"

"Yeah, I have to talk to my coach first. Apparently there's some speculation about draft day and they're tossing my name around to get traded, but I'm not too worried. I think it's a ploy to get me to sign an iron clad deal which keeps me with the Patriots unless I get seriously injured."

"Wow, that's good then right? It secures your future here." With me, I wanted to add, but I didn't want to get too far into that. We were practically already living together, and I didn't want to push the envelope with saying something super clingy like that.

I could see myself with Emmett for the rest of my life, but we hadn't really talked about marriage and the whole shebang, so I was nervous to even allude to it, worried that it might scare him away...but after the whole, 'there's an entire psychopath after me' I doubted much could scare this man off.

It still wasn't easy to bring up a subject like our future together in normal sentences, though.

"Yeah, I'm not trying to get traded so soon, especially since you just started school here. We'd obviously stay here until you're done, and if you wanted to stay here afterwards, I'd try to find a way to make it work."

Oh. Well, that made my stomach swarm with butterflies. He'd already thought about our future then, and the way he was talking about it made it seem like it was a given that we would stay together. My cheeks heated as he gripped my hand in his.

"Mr. Scott, we're at the campus."

"Okay. I love you, have a good first day back."

He brushed his lips across mine and after hearing his previous words, my insides warmed as he squeezed me even tighter in another one of his amazing embraces.

I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face, even as a body guard trailed behind me.

I was in a good mood the entire school day, even when Malcolm beat me during a faux trial. My head just wasn't in it, too focused on thoughts of my future...our future.

"Hey, how're you doing?"

I smiled up at Malcolm as we stepped together in line in the cafeteria for lunch.

"I'm doing really well, actually. Despite everything, Emmett's just been great at keeping my mind off of it."

"That's great. I know, I've read some articles, it looks like that guy hasn't been spotted in the city since a few days ago."

A few days ago, when he'd stalked Amalia to our apartment. She'd gone up safely, and he had left shortly after the sirens were heard in the area. I watched it all on security camera footage from across the street, it had captured the entire thing.

Amalia had decided to move home and be with her parents while this whole thing 'blew over', her words, not mine, and I couldn't have agreed with her more. The last thing I wanted was someone getting hurt because of me.

Because if she got hurt again by someone that I had put in her path, I wasn't sure that I could forgive myself. I still didn't know if I forgave myself after what happened with Raphael...

"Lydia."

"Huh? Yeah, what's up?"

"Your phone has been going crazy this whole time. Something wrong?"

"Hold on let me check."

I had a few dozen missed calls from a familiar number, one that I recognized as Emmett's work. Sometimes he'd call me from this number when he was away from his phone in the field house of the practice field.

I picked up on the fifth call that came through.

"Hello?"

"Miss Montgomery. You are listed at Emmett Scott's emergency contact. Is this correct?"

"I- yes. What's wrong?"

Dread filled my stomach and I had to bite back the bile rising in the back of my throat. Malcolm's concerned brown eyes met mine and I held a finger up to him as if to say 'one second'.

"There's been an incident involving Mr. Scott. He's in stable condition at the hospital but he has been sedated and you are his only emergency contact. We are required to contact you."

"What happened?" I hardly recognized my own voice as I croaked out the words that wanted to stick to the back of my throat.

"There was a dispute with a disgruntled friend, and Mr. Scott was struck with a vehicle. That's really all I can say over the phone. Can you get here?"

"Absolutely, I'm already on my way."

My fingers had already hung up the call and ordered an Uber before Malcolm could even ask what was wrong.

I didn't know what had happened, if it was his uncle or if it was Christian or who had hurt Emmett but I swore that once I found out who had hurt him that they'd never hurt anyone else again.

Mess with me, that was one thing, but mess with Emmett- my Emmett, then there would be hell to pay, and I would be the devil doling out the punishment.