~KNOX~ By three in the morning, the hopeless storm had finally quieted. Everett lay curled tightly against my side, his cheek resting over my heart, his small hand clutching my shirt even in his sleep. His breathing was soft, slow, and rhythmic, his body exhausted from the raw, emotional war we had waged. I stayed awake, staring up at the dark ceiling, gently running my fingers through his soft hair. The silence of the room felt fragile, like thin ice over a frozen lake. I looked down at his face—at his swollen lips, the faint bruises on his neck, the tear tracks dried against his pale skin. He looked so fragile, yet he held my entire world in his hands. I bent my head down, pressing my lips softly against his temple, lingering there for a long, quiet moment. "I love you too," I whispered into the dark, my voice breaking beneath the weight of the truth. "I love you so much it frightens me." Everett stirred slightly, letting out a soft, subconscious sigh, but his eyes remaine
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