9.

I wake up to my stomach crying in hunger at the appetizing smell that makes its way into my nostrils.

I open my eyes to see a plate of badly cooked eggs and not so bad looking bacon and toast. Normally I would smile because even though he's not much of a cooker, he'll go out of his way just to make sure I'm fed.

But this morning, the first words that come out of my mouth are,

"Did you not see me struggling?" I know he was looking at me as I danced with him. My mind can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that he might have seen but did nothing. It's all I could think about last night, and well - now.

"Bruno jokes around babe. Everyone knows that." I chuckle because I did imagine him using that excuse. But it was in the furthest most impossible excuses I'd thought he'd use. I'd thought it was ridiculous even thinking of it. So I stare at the love of my life with so much pain in my heart to ask him,

"You thought it was a joke that he kept touching me inappropriately and you just let him? Even when I was clearly uncomfortable?"

He keeps quiet so I continue,

"Or was it that you were scared people would see you defending me and ask questions?" I can't help the tears that force their way out of my eyes as he continues on keeping quiet.

"Or was it that you didn't want to seem 'not cool' to your dear friend Bruno? Which one is it?"

Either one of those reasons is incredibly horrible and I hope he says something else because I don't know what I'll do if he says it's one of them.

"Answer me!!" My voice is loud. His silence is driving me insane.

"I don't know." He whispers and I bow my head in disappointment. His head is still facing the ground.

"You don't know?" I chuckle.

"So you would've let him do whatever he wanted to me?"

"No!" His response is quick.

"Then tell me what you would've done." My voice is back to being soft.

He pauses for a while, then,

"I don't know."

I decide that's all the explanation I need before I get off the bed to go put on my clothes. I ignore him when he says,

"Baby please I love you." Multiple times and continue putting on my shoes. And then I head to the bathroom to go get myself together. I don't like being a crying mess in public, especially not in an Uber because the drivers always ask questions.

When I come out of the bathroom, I see him locking the door then he takes the key to lock it inside of his password-protected safe so I don't leave.

"Ezra, please don't make this harder than it already is." My voice is breaking again.

"I can't let you leave me. I can't live without you Alex." He says making his way to me then he cups my face to look into my eyes.

"I need you in my life. Please baby." He continues to whisper as he stares into my now watery eyes.

I love him, more than anything. That is something even he knows, but one can only take so much before they finally realize they can't take anymore.

The realization that Bruno could've literally done anything to me and he would've let him hit me hard. His reputation is clearly more important than me. His looking good in front of his friends is clearly more important than me. How could I just continue staying with him even after he's made that very clear?

I don't even care about his session with Olivia. I don't care that I saw him kiss her while I danced with Bruno. I care that he doesn't seem to care about me like he says he does and that's why I'm leaving him.

I'm leaving him because he doesn't love me enough to stop someone from sexually assaulting me.

"Tell me why I should stay. And don't say because you love me."

Love is genuinely not enough, I'm learning that. And he seems to too because he can't seem to think of a reason.

We then sit on the floor for hours not saying anything. Because even though he knows it's over, he won't let me out.

It hurts to throw away all the years we've put into us, and I don't want to do that. But I have to.

Not even just for me.

This whole relationship has been difficult for the both of us, ever since he got famous at least. I know he hurts too when he can't kiss me in public or tell someone off when they're flirting with me.

I can see the pain in his eyes when he tells me he's going to an important event and we both know I can't join him even though he could use the support.

I know it hurt him when he saw me struggling with Bruno and didn't do anything. So ending it once and for all will take all that pain away from the both of us. We both won't have to worry about any of that anymore.

It'll hurt but it'll be the better option for the both of us.

So I finally look at him and say,

"You can keep me here all you want but it won't change the outcome of this situation." It's over even if we're in here for days. We'll die of hunger but we still won't be together.

"Wrong." He says simply and I scrunch my forehead at the tone of his voice. It's deep yet none threatening. His eyes are still on the floor but he now brings them up to face me and says,

"If you leave me I'll kill myself." There is no sign on his face that he's joking around and that scares me.

"What?" I whisper barely audible. My body shakes at the thought of him killing himself. I definitely don't want him to do that.

He doesn't say anything, he instead gets up to go to the safe he locked the key in. He doesn't take out the key though, he takes out a,

"Gun!?? Ezra stop, please! Ezra!!" I jump off the floor frantically and run to him. He's got the gun to his head and he's got tears streaming down his face.

"If you leave me, I'm leaving this world." He says ignoring my trying to grab the gun from his head, careful it doesn't go off.

"Baby please!! I love you. Please don't leave me." I'm a crying begging mess at this point.

"You're lying. You're gonna leave me."

"No, I'm not. I love you! Please don't do it. I will stay. Please don't do it." I say looking deep into his eyes. He then lowers the gun slowly and puts it on the floor as we also fall slowly together.

I climb on top of him and hug him really tight as we cry uncontrollably together.

"I will never leave you!" I whisper to him repeatedly as we both try to control our sobs.