you gasped for air, but all you got was water.

your lungs burned, your body flailed, panic rising like fire in your chest. rafe’s grip was relentless, his hands forcing you under again and again, the surface slipping further away each time. he was your boyfriend. he was supposed to love you. but love had never looked like this. not with him.

you’d known something was going to happen. you felt it in the way he looked at you that morning—cold, calculated, like he was waiting for an excuse. so you sent jj your location. just in case.

and thank god you did.

your vision blurred, the world spinning, and then—impact.

jj’s fist collided with rafe’s jaw, a sickening crack echoing through the air. rafe stumbled back, stunned, and you broke the surface, coughing violently, collapsing onto the ground. your hands flew to your throat, gripping it as you gasped, each breath jagged and desperate.

jj didn’t hesitate.

he grabbed rafe by the collar, dragging him upright, fury radiating off him like heat.

“what the hell, man?!” jj shouted, voice shaking with rage. “you were gonna kill her!”

rafe didn’t answer. his lip was bleeding, his eyes wild, but jj didn’t care. he shoved him again, harder this time, ready to go further if he had to.

you lay there, soaked and trembling, the sound of jj’s voice grounding you as your breath slowly returned.

you were alive.

and jj had made sure of it.