Darkness Before Dawn

car.
    "Put me down, Cole," she demands, which makes me tuck her face into my chest and hold her tighter. When we make it to the car, I put her in the back and sit beside her, and then turn to Spencer who's standing outside of the door.
    "Spencer, take my car and take Aubry home, please."
    He nods and walks away from us before Bruce turns on the car and drives us away. Blake tries to writhe out of my hold the entire ride home, clawing at me and biting my arm, but I won't let her. She refuses to speak to me but I don't care. I'm not even mad at her anymore, I realize after the fifth time she bites my forearm. I'm just relieved. Relieved she's safe and in my arms, relieved she has to go home with me because all her shit is there, relieved we bought our place together and her name is on the house so she can't just walk away from me. Because walking away isn't that simple anymore, and even if it was, I wouldn't let her.
    I rub my forehead and exhale before I kiss her head. "I'm sorry I wasn't here for you today. Again."
    She pushes away from me and looks at my face, her eyes red and glazed over from the alcohol and tears. I get the feeling she's going to scoot down as far away from me as she can, and this time I won't stop her. Instead, she surprises me by climbing into my lap and wrapping her arms around me, burying her face in my neck as she begins to sob. My heart crumbles for her, the way it does every time she lets me see her pain. I can't imagine what she went through today, seeing her father for the first time. I squeeze her tight against me and soothe her by running my fingers through her hair, the way I always do, because it's the only thing I know to do when she's like this.
    When we get home, I walk out of the car still holding her in my arms and carry her to our apartment. After placing her on the couch, I get her a glass of water and some ibuprofen.
    "You feel okay?" I ask quietly as she takes the water and pills.
    She hiccups a breath and nods once she puts the glass down.
    "Do you want to talk about what happened today?" I ask quietly.
    She shakes her head and new tears begin to stream down her face. "I can't."
    I get up and walk to the kitchen to see if I can find anything to eat.
    "What happened at Mark's office?" I ask after putting some bread in the toaster.
    She ducks her head down, but not before I catch the hurt look in her eyes. Her hair creates a curtain around her and all I can make out are her pursed lips.
    "Blake, what happened there? Why did you even go? He could've brought whatever you needed over here," I respond with a sigh.
    She looks up at me for a long moment with narrowed eyes and tilts her head, as if she's contemplating asking me a question. I raise an eyebrow expectantly.
    "Why do you care if I go there or not?" she asks harshly.
    I shoot her a confused look. "I just don't understand why you went. You know he would've brought whatever you needed. You didn't have to go there!"
    "Are you worried because you didn't want me to run into your dirty little secret?" she seethes.
    I gape at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"
    She shakes her head slowly, giving me a disgusted look. "You and Barbie. Or Skipper. Or whoever the heck she is! The blond from Mark's office!"
    "What?" I ask in a quiet voice as I try to figure out what she's talking about, until it all comes back to me. Oh. Fuck. "No! Blake-"
    "Don't." She gets up, clutching the small glass of water in her hand. "Don't you dare. I don't even want to talk about this right now."
    She begins to walk the opposite way and I follow, ignoring the chime of the toaster and sprinting around the counter. When I get to our room she's sitting on our bed, her back facing me as she looks out at the view of the city from our floor to ceiling windows.
    "Baby, what did she say?" I ask, feeling the adrenaline rushing in waves through my body, my mind running a mile a minute.
    Blake turns her head and glares at me. I don't think I have ever seen her so mad...since Sasha, and that scares the shit out of me. While she works her jaw and glares at me, I try to figure out ways to get that lying whore fired from Mark's office tomorrow.
    She shakes her head slowly before standing up. "Get out," she demands.
    "I'm not going anywhere! Whatever she said, she lied to you, Blake!" I grit, trying to control my own anger. She will not have the last word. Not today. Not with this.
    "Get the hell out, Cole. I swear to God-" she starts.
    "Shut up!" I interrupt and