Craving clarity

"Do you hate me?"

Emma's heart jolted, and she felt a sudden tightness in her chest. The question pierced through like a knife, tearing open wounds that she had attempted to bury deep within her.

Her gaze fixed blankly on him, the anguish, fury, and anxiety mingling in her eyes as she remembered all those countless nights she cried herself to sleep with the marks of ownership he left on her body and soul.

He was right. She's like the moon, a stunning sight to behold, yet marked by scars.

Big ugly scars that ran deep within. Serving as a constant reminder of the battles she's fought and the pain she's endured. Nonetheless, her beauty lies in her strength to carry on despite them.

Silence hung between them, suffocating and unbroken. Her eyes flickered nervously while her breaths became shallow and jagged.

Although she knew that the answer to his question was a "yes," a blunt brutal 'yes I do' yet she found herself incapable of uttering those words out loud.

Was it out of fear or so