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“Corbin, step away. Knox will leave, and you and I can talk about this. You need to calm the hell down,” I say through shaky breaths, holding out my arm in front of his chest as he tries to stalk towards Knox again.
I don't think Corbin hears a word I’m saying. I see nothing but pure rage in his eyes. His pupils are fully dilated, and his chest is heaving with uncontrollable breaths. Corbin’s hand shoots to my forearm, gripping me tightly before forcefully shoving me away. I don’t even think he registers what he did, because his eyes are laser focused on Knox.
Knox’s eyes immediately dart to where I’m holding my arm. His gaze turns deadly when he notices a red mark forming on my forearm. He slowly turns his head, staring at Corbin with nothing short of rage. If I was Corbin, I would be shitting myself from his stare alone. I’ve seen Knox pissed before, but right now, he looks murderous.He’s done holding himself back.
“Knox, don’t!” I scream as Knox reaches for the collar of Corbin’s shirt, fisting the material in his hands.
“Don’t youeverfucking lay a hand on her again,” he seethes through clenched teeth, tightening his grip on Corbin’s shirt before shoving him back with all his strength. Corbin goes flying into the flat screen TV, and I hear a loud crash as hundreds of little shards of glass go flying everywhere.
“Oh my God!” I scream in panic as hot tears stream down my face. My eyes fall to Corbin laying on the floor as blood drips down his arms from the glass penetrating his skin. Thankfully, it’s not an excessive amount, but it’s still alarming to see. My first thought is absolute shock. My second thought is how painful it’s going to be for him to remove the small pieces littering his arms.
“What the fuck, Knox? Jesus Christ, Corbin’s my uncle!” I yell, stepping to kneel beside Corbin. I can barely see through the uncontrollable tears filling my vision.I have no clue how we could ever come back from this.
“I don’t give shit who he is! He laid his hands on you,” he replies without hesitation, motioning his hand toward my already bruising arm.
“You need to leave,” I reply through clenched teeth.
“I’m not leaving, Phoebe,” Knox replies, shaking his head.
“Knox, don’t make this difficult,” I grit out. “You need to give us some space.”
“Don’t bother,” Corbin chimes in, standing up and wiping little shards of glass from his clothes. “I’m leaving.” He straightens his back and walks toward the front door.
“Corbin, what do you mean you’re leaving? Look at you. You’re bleeding!” I respond in a panic, trailing behind him all the way to the door.
“It’s just a few cuts, Phoebe. I’ll survive,” he replies quietly, turning his broad shoulders to face me. His eyes are glassy and red-rimmed, like he’s trying so hard to hold back his own tears. I instantly see the regret in his eyes over what just happened.
“Please stay,” I whisper as hot, wet tears stream down my cheeks.
“What are you doing, Phoebe?” he scoffs, shaking his head. “You have your whole life ahead of you. I know you don’t understand this right now, but you’re just a kid. Do you even realize how fucked up this is?” he asks as he creaks open the door, the sun highlighting the concern etched into every line of his face.
“We didn’t plan for this to happen, Corbin. You have to believe me,” I reply, my voice barely audible.
“You were right. I should have called before I just showed up. You two enjoy the rest of your weekend.” He flashes me a disappointed look and slams the door behind him, leaving me absolutely broken.
I stand still as a statue for minutes, just staring at the door before I hear another knock coming from the door. This one is much softer than the knocks when Corbin first arrived. Still - I have a small sliver of hope that it’s him. That he’s calmed down, maybe changed his mind and wants to talk.
When I open the door, my heart drops as I realize it’s just our pizza being delivered. The young man wearing a Domino’s hat takes in the scene before him. His eyes widen and his mouth hangs open at the chaos he just walked into. The television is barely attached to the wall, small shards of glass scattered across everything. Knox is still frozen in the living room with blood dripping from his nose. I can only imagine what this looks like to a stranger as I stand here with bloodshot eyes and tear-stained cheeks.
“Is… is everything okay, miss?” he asks, flickering his eyes back and forth between me and Knox.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” I quickly reply, wiping my tears with the back of my hand and grabbing cash from the counter for a tip.
“Are you sure?” he whispers quietly, only for me to hear.
“Thank you for your concern, but yes. Have a good day,” I reply, before grabbing the box and shutting the door in his face. I know he’s just concerned and trying to be nice, but I have nothing else to give right now. I’m completely exhausted and embarrassed over what just happened. A few seconds pass before I feel Knox’s body heat behind me.
“Phoebe…” he whispers.
“Don’t,” I reply, refusing to face him.
“Phoebe, I’m so sorry. When he touched you like that, I saw red. I fucking lost it,” Knox croaks, breaking our silence.
I keep my body angled towards the door, not wanting to face the cold, hard truth of our reality.
“Phoebe, talk to me,” he rasps.
“Knox…” I hesitantly turn my shoulders to look him in the eyes. He’s fully clothed now, wearing the jeans and hoodie he was dressed in when he arrived. He must have slipped them on when my back was turned.
