The apartment felt wrong without him.

Too quiet. Too still. Like the walls themselves were holding their breath.

You stood in the middle of the living room, your arms still trembling from hours of screaming—your throat raw, your chest tight. The echoes of the fight hadn’t faded yet.

“You’re insane, Joe!” “I did it for you!” “You killed people!”

The words replayed over and over, like something broken inside your head.

Joe Goldberg had just… stood there at the end. Not yelling anymore. Not defending himself. Just watching you with those dark, unreadable eyes—like he was memorizing you.

Then he left.

Just like that.

And now he was gone.

⸻

At first, it felt like relief.

You paced the apartment, running your hands through your hair, whispering to yourself, You did it. You got out.

But the silence stretched.

Minutes turned into an hour.

Then two.

And slowly… something else crept in.

Fear.

It started small—just a flicker in your chest. Then it spread, cold and heavy, wrapping around your ribs until it was hard to breathe.

Because now that he was gone… you realized something terrifying.

You didn’t just love Joe.

You had depended on him.

For everything.

The way he always knew where you were. The way he handled problems before they even reached you. The way nothing bad ever seemed to happen—because he was always one step ahead.

And now?

You were alone.

Completely, horribly alone.

⸻

Your eyes drifted to the door.

Unlocked.

For the first time in months, there was no one making sure it wasn’t.

Your heart started racing.

What if someone was watching you?

What if someone followed you home?

What if—

Your thoughts spiraled too fast to catch.

Because Joe would’ve known.

Joe would’ve seen it coming.

Joe would’ve protected you.

⸻

You swallowed hard and reached for your phone.

Your hands were shaking.

This was insane.

After everything you just found out—after everything he did—you shouldn’t even be thinking about him.

You should call the police.

You should run.

You should—

But instead, your fingers unlocked your phone.

Opened your messages.

Found his name.

You stared at it for a long time.