Archie didn't speak. His silence wasn't agreement, but it wasn't denial either.
"Uhm..." Emma stepped closer, lowering her voice. "I know you have power, Arch. And the will. So why don't you just fight for her? Why won't you just do something? I don't like Brian for Vee, either. He rubs me the wrong way."
That was when Archie finally smiled.
Not an happy one.
It was thin, crooked, and soaked with something broken.
"I can fight a million men who want her," he said softly. "But I can't raise a finger against the one man she wants."
Emma blinked. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out.
Archie's eyes dropped to the floor, then turned away toward the hall, his shoulders sagging just a little. "If she wants Brian… then fighting for her is just another way of making her hate me."
He began to walk.
Slow, steady, disappearing down the hallway with the weight of last night heavy on his back while she watched him go, heart sinking.
☆♡♡♡☆
Back to Present...
