But today had been too much. Everyone had a breaking point. And this was Anna’s. I pulled her into my arms. She might break for a moment, but I refused to let her fall. “We’re going to get through this.”

“I don’t know if we are.” Her body shook against mine as her tears came harder. “It—it’s too much. I can’t—”

“You can, and you will. These assholes don’t get to win.”

Anna couldn’t seem to get out another word. And she didn’t need to. All she needed was to let some of this out. All of the pain and grief she’d been bottling up for way too long.

“Let it out. Keeping it all in was what made you sick in the first place.”

I could feel her trying to rein it in, even now. But the dam had broken, and there was no getting it back now. As much as I hated that she was hurting, I was glad it wasn’t eating her alive anymore.

I held her as she sobbed. For her sister. The innocent love that had turned so wrong. For the parents that were supposed to care for her but never did.

I didn’t know how long we stood on the side of that highway, vehicles whizzing past every few minutes. I didn’t care how long it took for Anna to let everything free. I’d stay with her until she unlocked it all.

Slowly, her breathing evened out, and the tears lessened. I framed her face with my hands, wiping away what tears I could. Her cheeks were red, and her eyes were bloodshot.

“I’m sorry, I—”

“No.” The single word came out more harshly than I’d intended, and I did my best to soften my tone. “You don’t have a damn thing to apologize for. You needed this. And it’s my honor to stand with you while you let some of that toxic stuff out. If you don’t, it’ll kill you.”

“I’m scared that if I start, it’ll never end. There’s too much hurt. And if I really sit and think about it, I’ll drown.”

I stared into those red-rimmed eyes that still somehow managed to be beautiful. “You’re too strong to drown. Especially if you take the hand that someone’s holding out.” It wasn’t an outright request, but Anna knew what I was asking. For her to let me in. To let me support her.

Her hands fisted in my shirt. “I’ve leaned on you more in the past two weeks than I have any other person in the last ten years.”