I’ve known one thing for a long time, the world always thinks I’m the dominant one between us. People see the way I walk—big strides, tense shoulders, a low voice that always sounds like a threat. They think I’m the one leading her, as if a girl as gentle as that has no power over me at all.

Funny… they never really see.

That night, I had just stepped out of the minimarket when I saw a strange man standing far too close to her. His fake friendly smile, the way he leaned in, made my blood boil even before I understood what he was saying. The streetlight reflected on the rain puddles, and I could see the shadow of my own body as I walked quickly toward them—and that shadow looked like a beast ready to attack.

I didn’t care what reason that man had. I just knew he stood too close. My breath tightened in my chest, hot and heavy like embers. My hand had already lifted before I even had time to think, my fingers clenched so hard my knuckles turned white. I could feel the pulse in my temple, like an electric current that needed only one touch to explode.

He touched her arm. That was enough. I was ready to make him regret it. But before I could touch him, I felt something far stronger holding my wrist. Her hand. Small, warm, and not forcing anything at all. Just touching, yet that touch stopped all my anger faster than any punch.

“Let’s go home.”

That voice was soft—not commanding, not pleading. Just as usual, gentle, clean, innocent. A voice that has never said a single harsh word in her life. A voice that always pulls me down from the storm.

I lowered my gaze to her. Her face washed in yellow light, her clear eyes looking at me without fear. She didn’t try to comfort the man who disturbed her. She didn’t apologize for anything. She only looked at me. At me. At the man everyone believes is dangerous.

Strange, isn’t it, how even in the hottest rage, she can make everything feel silent.

I released the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. The hand that had been clenched now trembled a little, not because of that man, but because only she can stop my darkest side without needing many words.

That man was still there, but I no longer cared. There was only one thing pulling me back to earth, the light grip on my wrist.

I turned my body toward her, moving so quickly that her breath brushed against my chest. My arm automatically wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her into my chest, tighter than I intended but she remained silent. Not resisting. Not scolding.

I lowered my face, hiding it in her hair. Not to protect her, but to calm myself.

She’s always like this. Always able to hold back my darkest side without fighting it. People think I’m the one leading this relationship. People think I’m the one in control. But the truth is simple, I may be able to destroy the world but only she can stop me and every time she holds me like that, I remember why I choose not to be a monster.

I choose her. Always her. And I go home not because she asks but because she is the only place I can call home. The only woman of mine.