Page 44 of The Way We Are

Gravel kicks up in my face when we land on the driveway with a thud, but my resolve doesn’t weaken in the slightest. I repeatedly introduce my fists to Axel’s face, only stopping when an arm wraps around my waist to forcefully yank me back.

“You taught him a lesson, now it’s time to step away.”

“Let me go!” I demand, fighting to get out of Brax’s hold.

My fury is so hot, it takes both Brax and Chris holding me back to keep me away from Axel, and even then, their struggle is immense. I want to beat him. I want to strangle him. I want to clutch his throat until the arrogance in his eyes disappears.

Blood dribbles from Axel’s nose onto his white shirt when he stands from the ground. I’m smacked with a massive bout of adrenaline when I notice his legs are as wobbly as his angry snarl. He was as unprepared for my onslaught as I was for his slap to Savannah’s cheek; he had no chance of stopping it, or to even get a hit in.

When Axel attempts to get up in Savannah’s face again, Landon steps between them. The fury in his slit gaze is as manic as mine. “Get the fuck out of here before I let Ryan finish what he started,” he warns, his words as violent as the blood thickening my veins.

Axel must have a death wish. He ignores Landon’s warning by sidestepping him, his focus so devoted to Savannah, he has no clue he’s moments away from hitting the pavement for a second time this evening.

“Is this what you want?” Axel asks, his eyes locked with Savannah over Landon’s shoulder since his large frame is stopping him getting any closer to her. “A guy who makes $5 an hour flipping patties at a local burger joint? You really think he can take care of you like I have?”

When Savannah remains quiet, Axel roars, “I gave you everything you have! The dress you’re wearing, your fucking car. That was all me!” He bangs his fist on his chest like some sort of macho man. “If you think he can provide for you like I can, that acceptance letter from Cornell was fraudulent as you’re a bigger idiot than first perceived.”

Although his nasty words steep me in anger, I suck in my first breath in nearly thirty seconds. I’m not gasping in air because he's showing Savannah his true colors; I’m grateful he has spun on his heels and is stalking back to his car.

With his eyes locked on Savannah, he slams the door he was trying to force her into before heading for the driver’s seat. Seconds before he slips inside his expensive sports car, he warns, “This is one promise you can guarantee I will keep. If I drive out of here alone, I’m driving straight to him.”

I’m riddled with confusion by his statement, but Savannah isn’t. The instant his threat left his mouth, her eyes snapped to mine. They hold the same appeal they held earlier today. The one where she silently begs for forgiveness.

I shake my head, refusing to bow to her silent pledge for the second time today. He hit her. If he does it once, he will do it again and again. That isn’t a possibility; it is a fact.

“Last chance, Savannah,” Axel warns, drawing Savannah’s focus back to him. “Leave with me, and we will pretend tonight never happened. Stay, and who knows what the outcome will be.” His says his last sentence like he's truly worried. He is a good actor, but not good enough to dampen my anger.

It feels like the sun circles the planet a hundred times when Savannah gauges the authenticity of Axel’s pledge.She isn’t legitimately considering his threat, is she?He struck her in front of a dozen spectators, so who’s to know what he’ll do behind closed doors?

Worried by the delay, Axel says, “It’s you and me, babe. Always has been. Always will be.”

“You can’t trust him, Savannah,” I caution, mindful of the thousands of promises my dad has made my mom over the years. “You just said it yourself, ‘once a dog, always a dog.’”

A stabbing pain inflicts my chest when Savannah’s moisture-filled eyes meet mine. “You don’t understand, Ryan. I need him.”

“No you don’t! You don’t needanythingfrom him,” I fire back, determined to show her I will give her the world if she would just give me the chance. “I can give you everything you need. You don’t need him.”

Sensing the shift in my tone, Brax loosens his hold. He doesn’t fully let me go, but he gives me enough leeway to move a few inches closer to Savannah. Thank god, as I need her to see the honesty in my eyes.

“You don’tneedhim. You’ll neverneedhim.”

Savannah peers at me like she wants to believe what I am saying, but, unfortunately, her eyes reveal she doesn’t. They divulge the words her mouth will never be able to say:he can give me things you never will.

Spotting the horrified expression crossing my face, Savannah whispers, “I’m sorry,” before pushing off her feet.

“Savannah?” several people question in sync when they realize her uneasy steps are headed to Axel’s car.

I want to convey my shock as well, but I’m too stunned by her decision to form words. Savannah’s father works tirelessly to ensure she has the world at her feet, so why would she stupidly believe she needs to supplement with money from a lesser man? It doesn’t make any sense. Nothing that has happened thus far tonight makes any sense.

I snap out of my destructive thoughts when the sound of an engine firing to life roars through my ears. Smirking like the cat who swallowed the canary, Axel revs his engine, demanding Savannah quicken her pace without words.

I fight against Brax’s hold like a madman when Savannah slips into the passenger seat of his convertible not even five seconds later. Although her eyes reveal her decision has been made, I’m not willing to give up without a fight. I let her go five years ago without a fight—I’m not making the same mistake twice.

If she truly wants to be with Axel, tears wouldn’t be streaming down her cheeks, and her chin wouldn’t be tucked into her chest to stop me from seeing the pleading in her eyes. She doesn’t want to be with an abusive man. If she did, she wouldn’t have begged for me to run away with her when we were eleven.

After reading a domestic violence pamphlet I had collected for my mom, she learned the statistics of domestic violence, so she did everything in her power to save me from following in my father’s footsteps. She even sold her beloved retro Barbie doll collection to fund our bus fare. That's not something a person would do if they wanted a violent relationship.

Savannah doesn’t want to be with Axel any more than I want her life to replicate my mom’s. She’s just too scared to admit she deserves better.

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