I wrap my sore body in the giant fluffy towel Nic left for me and risk my first look in the mirror. My left eye is almost swollen shut, the blue and purple bruise angrily staring back at me, and my cut lip has just about stopped bleeding. Running my eyes down the rest of my exposed body, I see his fingerprints on my upper arms and marks wrapped around my wrists. My stomach turns over at the thought of him having his disgusting hands on me. I hoped having a hot bath would not only soothe my muscles but also help rid myself of his putrid smell clinging to the inside of my nose, but it’s still there.

“Liv?” Nic calls softly.

“I’m okay,” I whisper, so quietly there’s no way she’ll have heard it.

“I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready. I’ve made you some pasta and I have wine, if you want it.”

Tears sting my eyes at the thought of someone looking after me. I’ve spent months trying to be the strong one, looking after everyone else, being the crutch they needed to make it through the day. Giving up that stress is a bigger relief than I expected.

After pulling on a pair of pyjamas Nic left for me, I open the door and peer through the opening. My mind is still back there, in the flat, with him. It’s going to take me a while to stop looking over my shoulder.

I slowly make my way downstairs. The sounds of mellow music come from the living room, along with the soft flicker of candles, and I continue making my way towards my friend. The one person I should have come clean to months ago. I’d allowed her to see tiny parts of what my life’s been like. That was enough for her to demand I leave and move down here with her. If she only knew the truth…

“Hey,” she says softly as I enter the room. “Come and sit down.”

Once I pulled myself together after she made the guys leave, I was expecting her to start with the questions, but to my surprise, all she did was lead me up to the bathroom and help me get rid of the visible evidence of today. But the look in her eyes right now tells me that my time’s up. The questions are about to come.

“If it’s too much, then just say, but please, Liv. Tell me what’s been going on?”

Letting out a long breath, I nod at her. When I don’t start talking right away, she leans forwards and grabs both glasses of wine off the coffee table. Shaking my head, I ask for a glass of water instead. After everything I’ve been through I’m not sure I can face it.

After being handed a fresh glass, I take a deep breath and let the whole story spill from my lips. She already knew about David’s alcohol problem and Griff’s drug addiction, but she didn’t know what a threat he was and how he basically controlled our lives through fear.

“Holy shit, Liv. Why the fuck did you stay there? I told you so many times there was a place for you here. What were you thinking?”

I shrug, because all the reasons I stayed there suddenly seem so stupid. My misplaced loyalty to a relationship that has long been over. His family who had no one else to turn to. It’s only now I’m beginning to see it was never my job to try to hold them all upright when they were dead set on falling, on falling into depression or addiction, anything to dull the pain they were causing each other. They were toxic. How did I manage to stay there so long? I wonder as I stare into the kind eyes of my best friend.

“I don’t know what I would have done it if wasn’t for you,” I admit.

“Me?” she asks pointing at herself. “I haven’t done anything. You didn’t give me the chance.”

“You were there when I needed you. You’re here now,” I say, my chin trembling as tears fill my eyes.

We’re deep in conversation when the sound of the front door and footsteps heading our way stops us in our tracks.

Nic’s eyes snap to mine, I guess she wants to see what my reaction will be to seeing the guys. Before I can respond to her silent question, Dec’s stood in the doorway looking between the two of us. His eyes full of concern, he stands as if he’s about to be sent away.

“It’s okay. It’s your house.”

“Uh…the others are outside. We’ve got something for you.”

“Okay?” I ask, my eyes narrowed at him in confusion.

Watching as he turns and gestures for the other guys to enter, my heart starts to pick up its pace as Liam’s angry face fills my mind.

The first thing I see when Liam and BJ enter the room is the black bin bags in their hands. “What the fuck?” I mutter, trying to figure out what the hell’s going on. It’s not until I look up to Liam’s face that reality starts to dawn on me. His face doesn’t look all that different to mine, and fury fills my veins.

How fucking dare they?

Everyone’s silent as we all stare at each other. Dragging my eyes from Liam, I look BJ over, but he seems fine—other than a bloody fist.

“What have you done?” Nic asks, but I don’t need an answer. I already know.

“We went to sort that motherfucker out for good,” BJ pipes up, sounding proud as punch, clearly missing the horrified expression on my face.

“You did what? Why would you do that? I didn’t ask you to go and fight my battles for me. How dare you just get involved like that?” I know I should probably be appreciative, but the only thing I feel is rage that they’ve put themselves in the middle of all this shit.

“But…we just…” BJ stutters while Liam and Dec stand there mutely. A quick slap to the arm from Dec stops BJ’s stuttering.

I pin Liam with a look I hope would make some cower, but he puffs his chest out, standing by their actions. Raising an eyebrow, I wait for his response.

“You’ve got to be fucking joking if you thought we were going to stand by and allow this to happen, Liv. Just fucking look at you. We went to teach your piece of shit boyfriend a less—”

“Please tell me you didn’t.” The thought that they’ve taken this out on David suddenly slams into me. He may not be innocent in all this—he did leave me alone with that monster—but he doesn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of their fists as well as his brother’s.

“No, we didn’t. Your pathetic excuse for a boyfriend was cowering in the corner while the cunt that did this to you beat on him. What the fuck, Liv? We all offered to help you. Why did you allow it to come to this?”

“None of this is any of your business.” I’m up off the sofa and in his face in seconds. “I didn’t ask you to steamroll in and rescue me. I didn’t ask for any of this,” I sob, my emotions and exhaustion getting the better of me. “You had no right to go storming in there. How did you even know where to go?”

“My phone,” Nic whispers behind me. “That’s why I can’t bloody find it.”

“BJ took it,” Dec says to Nic, his tone pleading for forgiveness.

It’s not them I’m mad at, though. It’s Liam. He should have known better than just to storm in like that.

“I tried stopping them,” Dec pleads again. “But we just want to help, Liv. I got David to pack all your stuff. We all just want you happy, and safe.”

“What if I wanted to go to the police? What if I already have, and they turn up to find they’re too late, that some dickheads have already made a head start?” Their faces pale as my words register.

“Well, have you reported it?”

I really want to make them stew, but I don’t have the energy to keep up the façade. “No,” I whisper.

I thought I’d made it very clear in the past that I’d do anything for her, and the second I locked eyes on the man who hurt her, there was no holding me back. As far as I’m concerned, she was mine from the moment I saw her. She’s mine to protect, and she’s going to have to get used to it, especially if she’s planning on sticking around.

Dread fills me that she’ll go back to that arsehole. It’s taken the situation to get to this before she left, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that she’ll run straight back into his arms. He’s got some kind of hold over her, that much is obvious.

I stand and take her anger. She aims all of it my way, and I hate the look in her eyes that suggests she’s disappointed in me. I did this for her. I’ve just got to hope that as the emotions from today wear off, she’ll be able to see that.

“I need to get some sleep,” she says after a few minutes of awkward silence. She slams her glass down and walks through us as if we’re not there.

We all stand and listen as she climbs the stairs and shuts the guest room door behind her.

“I can’t believe you lot,” Nic says once Liv’s out of earshot. “Was that,” she says waving her hand, gesturing to my face, “necessary?”

“Yes,” BJ states, sounding more serious than I’ve ever heard. “No man should get away with hitting a woman. Ever.”

“I know, I agree but, still…” she breathes. “Don’t you think she’s got enough to worry about without you all storming in like white knights?”

“We were trying to help,” I admit.

“I know. I get it, I really do. But you should have thought about it a little more. About her feelings, not just your need for revenge. You’ve jeopardised any chance she had of getting him arrested. All it would do is get you idiots in trouble.”

“Sorry, Mum,” BJ mutters in an amused tone.

“I tried telling them it was a bad idea,” Dec pipes up, “but they were pretty set on it.”

“She’s going to forgive me, right?” I ask, while everyone’s deep in thought.

“Of course, dude. She’ll be thankful. You might even get some,” BJ says, wiggling his eyebrows.

Turning from him, I look to Nic, who probably has a better response to my question.

“Just give her time, Liam. Be her friend, support her. She’s been through a lot; the last thing she needs is you coming on hot and heavy.”

“Now, get out of here and go sort your face.”

“But—”

“No, Liam. You need to give her space. You all do.”

“But what if she’s not here in the morning?”

“She’s not going anywhere.”

“Hmmm…you said that last time.”

“Just go.” She pins me with a look that stops any further argument, and BJ and I start to leave. “You, too,” she says, pointing a stern look at her fiancé.

“Me?” he asks innocently.

“Yes, you. Give us some space.”

Dec looks gutted as he follows us out of Nic’s house.

We walk towards the sea in silence. The events of today run around my head; thoughts of whether we should have dealt with things differently make me question everything, but every time the image of her covered in blood fills my mind, I know that I’d do it all over again. Anything for her.

“Wanna drink?” BJ asks, nodding over to the shack.

“Yeah, but not there. Let’s just go home. I’ve got a bottle of Jack to keep us company.”

BJ’s never been much of a talker, but something about tonight has made me question what his life might have been like before we met. He’s all about the partying and having a good time. I never really stopped to question it before, but after everything, I can’t help the words falling from my lips. “What was that all about today?”

“What?” he asks innocently, draining his glass.

“The need to go after Liv’s boyfriend.”

“He hurt her—well, his brother did. I will not stand by and watch any woman be treated like that by a man, no matter who he is.” His anger is palpable, and I can’t help thinking there’s so much more to it.

His eyes find mine and I see a vulnerability in them that makes me swallow any more questions. BJ’s got secrets. Secrets he’s not going to open up about.

“Okay…well, to revenge,” I say lifting my glass and breaking the sudden tension surrounding us. It’s clear he has nothing more to say on the subject, but the shadows in his eyes tell another story, one I hope he’s able to reveal one day.

I lay in bed later that night. The room’s spinning from the Jack we knocked back out on the patio as we silently stared into the night, lost in our thoughts. My face throbs where he managed to get a good couple of punches in, but it’s nothing I can’t cope with. The image of her in my mind, battered and bruised, hurts more. Every muscle in my body is tense as I fight to stay put. My need to go to her and make sure she stays here this time is all consuming. I will not allow her to go back and put herself in danger, no matter what happens between us.