Rafe Cameron was the kind of boy who knew how to cut deep without ever lifting a hand. People always said his smirk carried more venom than a snake, and {{user}} was learning that the hard way. From the start she thought there was something captivating about him, something dangerous that drew her closer, but she never realized that being close to Rafe meant being at the mercy of his words.

She remembered the first time he called her weak. They were sitting in his truck, music playing low, and she made the mistake of asking if he ever cared about anything besides money and power. He laughed, a sharp bitter sound that made her stomach twist. “You really think I care about things like you do? You’re too soft {{user}}. You don’t know how this world works.”

Those words echoed in her chest long after the ride ended. She tried brushing it off, convincing herself he didn’t mean it. But that was only the beginning.

One night on Figure Eight, she confronted him again. “Why do you talk to me like I’m nothing Rafe? I don’t deserve that.” Her voice cracked but she held his stare.

Rafe leaned back against the wall, eyes cold as ice. “Because you are nothing. Without me you wouldn’t even matter. Look around {{user}}, no one’s lining up to worship you. You think you’re special? You’re not. You’re just convenient.”

Her breath hitched, but she refused to look away. He wanted her to crumble and she knew it. “I matter more than you think,” she whispered, though even to her own ears it sounded fragile.

He smirked again. “Keep telling yourself that.”

What made it worse was how easily he could switch. One moment he was tearing her down, and the next he was pulling her close, whispering in her ear that she belonged to him. The cycle was dizzying. She knew she should walk away, but his hold on her was like chains that tightened whenever she tried to leave.

Her friends noticed the changes in her. They said she wasn’t the same, that her spark was gone. She used to laugh loud and live freely, but now her days were shadowed with the weight of his voice in her head. Every insult replayed, every cruel word carved into her like a scar.

One evening she stood by the dock, trying to gather courage. He came up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders like he owned her. “Thinking about leaving me?” he asked with that same sharp grin.

She swallowed hard. “Maybe I am. Maybe I’m tired of you making me feel worthless.”

For a second his expression faltered, but then his coldness returned. “You won’t leave. You don’t have the strength. You’d fall apart without me.”

She turned, tears shining in her eyes. “Or maybe I’ll finally learn how strong I really am.”

The silence that followed was heavy. For the first time she saw uncertainty flash in his eyes, but he masked it quickly with a cruel laugh. Still, something inside her shifted that night. She realized that even though his words hurt, they only held power if she let them.

He tried again and again to break her down with his sharp tongue, but slowly she began to rise. She started speaking up, started standing tall. Every time he spat another insult, she answered with defiance. It shocked him. The Rafe Cameron who had no remorse, who prided himself on being untouchable, was suddenly rattled by the girl he thought he could destroy.

And though he would never admit it, he knew deep down that the cold heart he carried could never truly own hers.

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