Joe's heart shattered when he saw her standing there. She was standing there, in black leggings and a hoodie, her arms crossed against her chest. She wasn't supposed to be here. She looked exhausted. She looked broken. Joe couldn't believe she'd found him. This wasn't supposed to happen. Who knew what Adam would do to her? Adam seized the opportunity to catch him off guard, knocking him over. What was she doing here? This wasn't part of the plan - fuck. She was supposed to be home and safe.
"Adam, get the fuck off of him." Taylor had a fire in her voice that Joe had never heard before. Joe shoved him off of him. Taylor wasn't scared and he could see it written all over her face. He felt so proud of her - even though she shouldn't be here. Her voice wasn't even trembling a tiny bit.
"Taylor-" He started but Taylor wouldn't hear it. Joe knew that she'd be mad at him for this, he'd expected it.
"What the fuck, Adam?" Taylor wasn't backing down. Not this time.
"It was his idea," Adam spat. "He's not just some pretty schoolboy, Taylor. He's not what you think." Taylor was just relieved that they'd both stopped fighting.
"Stop this, Adam," Taylor told him calmly. "You need to leave."
"No. If I win this - then he's going to leave you. And I'm going to win this. So back off and let me fight him." Taylor turned her head to look at Joe and turned her head to see him looking down at the ground. That's really what he'd said? She couldn't believe it. He wouldn't do that, would he? He couldn't be that stupid - no. Not stupid. He wasn't stupid and he wouldn't have done this unless he knew he could win. He'd have done this to protect her, not to show off to Adam.
"No." Taylor felt strong. He'd broken her too many times now, and she was tired of it. "No." She was so fucking tired of feeling broken. Of the darkness. She was so fucking angry. This man that was standing in front of her had taken everything from her. Taken every scrap of herself that she had and had thrown it from the precipice. But today, she was going to get those parts back. They wouldn't be his anymore.
"I wouldn't lie to you, baby. That's what he fucking said."
"Don't fucking call me that-" Taylor wrenched her arm away from him as he tried to reach for her.
"Come on, Alwyn. Finish what you started." Adam launched himself towards Joe, but Taylor shoved him backwards.
"I told you to fucking leave, Adam. Leave." She'd never felt such fire within her, never felt like for once she might actually be able to stand up to him. He'd robbed her of everything and she'd had enough of it. She couldn't put up with it anymore.
"No." He cursed. "You used to love me-"
"That wasn't love!" She cried out. "I might have loved you once, a long time ago. But now, I wouldn't care if I never fucking saw you again."
"You don't mean that, baby." Adam took a couple of steps toward her, and this time she didn't back down.
"I do. I mean it more than anything I've ever said before, Adam." She argued bitterly, and in the heat of the moment, she struck him across the face. "I meant it with everything I am. I don't want you to ever fucking try and get to me again." She yelled. The worst part of it all - this actually felt good.
"Baby-" She slammed her hands into his chest, shoving him against the wall. "Baby, I'm sorry-"
"Leave me alone!" Taylor hissed. "I don't want to fucking see you, Adam. Stop this. Stop all of it." When he tried to speak again, she hit him. She hit his chest - not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough to get him to be quiet. "I mean it. If I have to go public about every inch of our relationship, then believe me," she warned, "I fucking will, okay? If I see you ever again, I will go to the media."
"You wouldn't do that-" He had stopped fighting against her.
"I would." And she would. "Leave me alone." Her voice was so strong, so powerful in a way that it had never, ever been before. "Don't you dare try and make contact with me, or anyone in my family. If I hear that you have - I'll tell them all about what you did. I'll tell them about the times you'd never listen when I said no. About the people, you assault in the bars and then pay them enough money to keep their mouths shut. About the girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I know too much about you, Adam. I know what you're like. I'll tell them about it all. I have photos on my phone of every single bruise you ever fucking gave me."
She couldn't believe what she was doing right now.
"Baby-" Adam tried to touch her cheek, but she pushed his hand away. She slapped him.
"Don't call me that." He deserved this. She hit him again and again until she couldn't see straight. "I mean it, Adam. Stay the fuck away from me and the people I love. Tomorrow, you'll move your stuff out of my apartment and I never want to see you again. Find somewhere else to live, for all I care. You can't stay there anymore. It's mine." Joe had pulled her away from him now, as Adam had slumped to the ground. She wanted to hurt him more, she really did. She was so mad, and he wasn't even fighting back. He didn't answer her. "Tell me you'll leave me alone." She kneeled down beside him. His face was read, and she could see that he was confused as to where her anger was coming from. He still didn't say a word. "Tell me you'll leave me alone!" She shrieked. "Tell me, Adam."
"Okay- okay!" Adam held his hands up.
"Say it."
"I'll leave you alone." He murmured. Taylor pulled him upwards.
"I swear to god if you tell anyone about this," she paused, looking him up and down. What was she doing? "I'll come back with everything you've ever done to me. I'm going to fight back, Adam. I will fight back. Your career will be ruined. If you tell a single soul about what happened tonight," She really was doing this. "Then... who knows what I'm capable of doing." She let him go and watched as his body slumped to the ground again. She couldn't describe this feeling. So many times it was her. She was the one on the ground with his threats. And now, here she was. She was the one with the power, for once in their relationship."Go to hell."
She stepped backwards, meeting Joe's chest. She still had words to say to Joe - but she couldn't even form a sentence right now. Joe took her hand and lead her from the building. Taylor put her hood back up.
"I'll come back and get my car later," Joe told her softly. Taylor's legs were trembling. What had she done? Never in her life did she ever think that she'd have been in that situation. It was incomprehensible- she'd really done it. And now she was relying on Adam and his ability to keep his mouth shut.
"Taylor-" Joe started when she got in the car, but she held up a gentle hand.
"I just need a few moments to process what just happened." She wasn't mad at Joe... well, a tiny little bit of her was. "Let's just spend the night here... we can't drive all the way home at this time of night," Taylor told him.
She heard him quietly sigh.
They sat in silence for all of two minutes, Joe driving and Taylor trying to comprehend what on earth just happened. She couldn't. And for some reason, this made her burst out laughing. The whole thing was just so ridiculous, so unlike her. She'd literally hit him. The thought made her laugh harder. Joe looked over at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "Are you alright?"
This made her laugh harder. She held her hands up to her face. "It's just so fucking ridiculous, this whole thing is just... I mean... did you see me? Fuck. Who knew, that Taylor Swift, a famous singer also dapples with fights in dark abandoned buildings on the side." She shook her head in disbelief.
"I really am sorry, Taylor," Joe murmured softly. "And you have every right to never want to speak to me ever again. I'd totally get it if you did because what I did was so stupid and I don't know what came over me. I just really wanted you to be able to feel free." When Taylor looked over at him, he had a tear rolling down his cheek. "I'll never forgive myself for what he did to you while I wasn't there. I know that what I did was... fucking stupid, believe me, I know."
"I'm not mad at you," Taylor put a hand on his thigh. "I'm really not. I'm not mad at what you did, but I'm slightly mad that you'd put yourself in danger like that. Who knows what he would have done to get his way? And you're bleeding." His lip was bleeding. Taylor felt so bad. This was all because of her. "I was so scared. Not for me, because frankly, I couldn't even think straight back there... all I could think about was how you'd done this for me. And that I didn't want anything to happen to you."
"How did you find out?" Joe asked her as they pulled up to his apartment. They managed to slip inside without anyone seeing them. "I didn't want you to come because I didn't want you to have to face that pain again. I just kind of hoped that I'd beat him up and then I'd come home to you, and we'd never have to see that bastard ever again." Neither of them said a word until they got through Joe's door. Taylor still wanted to laugh hysterically because it was all just so funny to her.
"Please tell me you have some sort of alcohol." She laughed and Joe pulled out two wine glasses and a bottle of wine. "Well... I faced it again..." she said through laughter. "I'm sorry. It's really not funny. I can't stop laughing. Oh! I'd better phone back Pat-" Taylor said before realising that she wasn't supposed to tell him that it was Patrick who'd told her where he was. "My mom... I didn't tell her why I was going because I knew that she wouldn't let me go."
"Patrick told you?" Joe groaned. "I can't fucking tell him anything."
"He was worried about you, Joe." Taylor sat down on the couch as Joe came over with wine for the both of them. She flicked her mom a text letting her know that she and Joe had finished late and would be back mid-morning tomorrow. "He did it because he wanted me to send security or something to help you."
"And so you decide to come by yourself? With no security? Taylor, something could've happened to you." He rested a hand on her cheek.
"Something bad could've happened to you too! I wasn't going to let you fight my battle for me. I had to finish it. What else can I say? I'm a bad bitch. Just kidding. I really don't know where that came from." Taylor smirked, breaking into a laugh. "I can't even remember what I told him. I just remember telling a lot. And my hand hurts." Her hand was red, and Joe brought it to his lips. "But I feel so good. He deserved it - well he really deserved a lot more than what we did - but I hope that I got my point across."
"You definitely did," Joe assured her. "You were incredible. Honestly, Taylor. Maybe if you decide singing isn't right for you, you could become a boxer." Joe smiled. "I really am sorry for going behind your back. I don't know what I was thinking, love. But you were... awesome. Powerful. Brave."
Taylor drank a big mouthful of wine. "It felt good, Joe. It was kind of like I was breaking down that box that he'd kept me trapped in. And I feel different now - it was like before, I was on a leash. I was free, but really I wasn't. Now, it's like I can breathe again." She leaned in and kissed him. "I've never felt like that before... I've always been a good girl walking on a tightrope... always had to be perfect." She smiled. "But that was so unlike me... and I loved it."
"You can move on," Joe told her. "We can move on. Together."
"We can." Taylor kissed his cheek. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. "We can definitely move on." She paused. "I just hope that no one finds out about what we did..."
"They won't," Joe assured her. "No one saw us. Adam won't say a word because he knows we have enough knowledge to break him. And his career."
Taylor laced her fingers through his. "I love you, Joe."
"I love you too, Taylor. So much."
They set off early the next morning, and Taylor was surprised to see a moving truck outside of her apartment. Adam had listened. Maybe this meant that he really was going to leave her alone. Maybe she really could find peace.
She was so surprised. She didn't know that she could ever go back into that apartment again... but she'd buy another one. She was so relieved to be driving away from that night. She was happy to leave it behind her, and everything that happened would be forgotten. Joe drove them home, with one of his security driving his car back later.
When they got back to Rhode Island, it was sunny. Blue skies and golden sunlight beamed down over her house. Taylor kept her red knuckles hidden under her sweatshirt. She was still wearing yesterday's clothes and looked like she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards.
"I love you," Joe told her. It was about the thirtieth time he'd told her that during the car ride home, and she wasn't tired of it.
"I love you too."
She walked through the door, and her mom was waiting for them. "What happened?" Her mom knew how to read any situation, and she could see that Taylor's hands were still slightly shaking. "Who's going to tell me? Joe, firstly, you're bleeding and... bruised, and Taylor, honey, you look like you've seen a ghost."
"We just... cut some ties with someone who wasn't letting go," Taylor said. She knew that her mom would be disappointed if she told her the truth. "But we're fine now."
"Are you sure?" Her mom persisted.
"Yes, mom. We're okay." Taylor smiled. "I've never been better."
Her mom smiled because she could see the truth in her smile. "Well that's good. I made the two of you lunch, but I'm afraid I should get going home..."
"You didn't have to, mom." Taylor wrapped her in a hug. "You really didn't have to. But thank you so much for coming. I really needed you these past couple of days. Thanks for being here." She squeezed her mom tightly, taking in her warm scent. She loved her mom so much that there weren't even words to describe it.
"I'll be here whenever you need me, honey. You just call me when you need me, okay? I'm glad you're feeling better."
Taylor was too.
She spent the afternoon cuddled in bed with Joe, the two of them were exhausted. Taylor barely slept last night. "Thank you so much for standing up for me," she said as she leaned up to kiss him.
"I didn't stand up for you, love. That was all you."