Page 199 of Joker

Raven looks up when I step in. And there it is.

Everything.

Fear. Relief. Guilt. Something deeper.

Something that’s been building since the second she walked into my life and apparently decided to ruin me in the best possible way.

I close the door behind me. Slow. Deliberate. And for a second, neither of us moves.

Then she stands. Crosses the room. Stops just short of me like she’s not sure if she’s allowed to touch me yet.

That alone tells me how bad the fight shook her.

I reach for her first. No hesitation. No space. Just pull her into me and hold on.

Her arms come around me instantly. Tight. Desperate. “I’m sorry,” she says into my chest.

The words are muffled. Raw. Real.

“I know,” I answer.

Because I do. Because I saw it in her face. Heard it in her voice. Felt it in the way she came apart when he got close enough to touch her.

She pulls back just enough to look at me. “I didn’t mean it like that,” she says. “I know you’re not him. I know that. My body just—”

“I know,” I repeat.

Her eyes search mine like she’s trying to find any trace of doubt. There isn’t any.

I cup her jaw, thumb brushing under her eye where tears have dried into faint tracks. “I’m not trying to control you,” I say quietly.

Her breath catches.

“I’m trying to keep you breathing.”

That lands.

I can see it. Feel it.

She nods slowly. “I know that now.”

I hold her gaze. “And after this—” I pause just long enough to make sure she hears the weight of it, “—if you want space, if you want me gone, if this is too much—”

Her hand comes up and covers my mouth. Hard. “Don’t,” she says. Her voice shakes. But it’s firm. “Don’t you dare say that.”

I go still.

She drops her hand and steps closer, pressing into me like she’s done pretending distance is safer. “I’m not going anywhere,” she says. “You don’t get to decide that for me.”

Something in my chest loosens. Just a little. “I’m ending him,” I tell her.

No sugarcoating. No softening.

Her eyes don’t flinch. Not this time. “I know.”

“He won’t stop,” I add. “You said it yourself.”

“I know.”