The storm outside had reached its peak, and the house was alive with the sound of laughter and conversation. But despite the camaraderie, Joelle sat quietly on the edge of the couch, feeling the weight of everything pressing in on her. The flickers of lightning outside only made her nerves tighter, the thunder rumbling like a drumbeat in her chest.

She hadn't meant to, but she found herself counting the seconds between the lightning and the thunder, her breath quickening as the storm seemed to get louder and more intense. The noise, the chaos, the tension in the air-all of it started to feel suffocating.

At first, she tried to push it away. To focus on the people around her. Malachi was laughing, playing with Jaxon, and even Roman was joking with Jimmy about something, his deep voice carrying through the room. But none of it helped. Her chest tightened, her breath coming in shallow gasps, and the walls of the room felt like they were closing in.

She needed to get out.

Joelle stood quickly, excusing herself with a murmur, and walked out of the living room, her footsteps hurried but quiet. The hall was dim, the only light coming from the flickering remnants of the storm outside. She moved quickly toward the back of the house, the hallway feeling longer than it was. The house that was supposed to feel like home now felt like a trap, and she needed air-space to breathe.

When she reached the back door, she grabbed the knob, but her hands were shaking too badly to turn it. She took a deep breath, pressing her forehead to the cool door, trying to steady herself. But the panic kept rising. Her mind was racing, her heart pounding in her chest like it might explode.

Why am I like this? she thought, fighting the wave of anxiety. Why can't I just relax?

She could hear the storm thrashing outside, the rain slamming against the windows, and it made her feel more and more trapped. Her thoughts spun in circles, spiraling down into a place she didn't want to go, and before she knew it, she was backing away from the door, her breath shallow, her vision blurry.

Joelle had never liked storms, but this one felt different. This one felt too much. It brought back memories of feeling small and powerless. Memories of the uncertainty her family had gone through. And, as much as she hated to admit it, it brought back the fear she'd buried for so long-the fear that things would fall apart again, that this time, maybe Roman wouldn't be able to fix it.

She collapsed against the wall in the hallway, clutching her chest, feeling the panic rising in waves. Her breaths were coming too fast, and she could feel the weight of her emotions threatening to crush her.

I can't do this, she thought, her hands shaking even more.

Then, from the shadows, she heard footsteps.

"Joelle?" Roman's voice was soft, filled with concern.

She froze, her chest tightening even more at the sound of his voice. He'd found her. She hadn't wanted him to. She hadn't wanted to be vulnerable in front of him-not when they were still figuring everything out, not when things felt so fragile.

But before she could stop herself, before the wall of pride could go up, she turned, her eyes wide and filled with silent panic.

Roman immediately noticed the look in her eyes-the same fear, the same trembling that he had seen in her before, when she was a child. But now, it was different. Now, it was worse. He could see how much she was struggling, and it made his heart ache.

"Hey," he said gently, taking a cautious step toward her. "Hey, it's okay. You're okay."

Joelle tried to shake her head, her hands gripping her sides as if to keep herself together. But the panic didn't stop. "I... I can't breathe," she whispered, her voice small and shaky.

Roman's heart cracked. He stepped forward slowly, his voice a soothing whisper. "It's okay. I'm here, Joelle. Just breathe with me, okay? In and out, nice and slow."

But Joelle couldn't seem to focus. The world around her was spinning, her vision swimming as the panic attack continued to spiral.

Roman knew he needed to help her, but he had to stay calm. He stepped closer, carefully reaching for her hands, gently holding them. "Joelle, look at me. You're safe. I promise, you're safe. Let's breathe together. In through your nose, out through your mouth. You can do this."

For a moment, Joelle's eyes darted around, her breath coming faster, her panic uncontrollable. But slowly, his calm presence began to break through the chaos in her mind. She forced herself to meet his eyes, and for a second, just a second, the overwhelming fear lessened.

She took a shaky breath, just like he told her. "In... out..." she whispered, the rhythm grounding her.

"That's it," Roman said, his voice a soft anchor. "You're doing great. Just keep breathing, one breath at a time."

Slowly, her breathing began to slow, her hands relaxing in his. The storm outside still raged on, but inside the house, in the quiet space between them, the chaos seemed to fade. Roman kept his hands on hers, his gaze steady and calm, watching as her panic began to ebb away.

After what felt like an eternity, Joelle's chest wasn't heaving as much. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, still trembling but less so now.

"Feeling better?" Roman asked softly, his voice still full of concern.

Joelle nodded, though she couldn't bring herself to say anything. The weight of the moment was too much.

"I'm here, Joelle," Roman said again, his voice full of love. "You don't have to face this alone. Not anymore. Not ever again."

For the first time in what felt like forever, Joelle allowed herself to let go. She stepped forward slowly and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest as the last of the panic slowly faded. He held her tightly, letting her find some peace in the storm, both outside and within.

And for the first time in a long time, she believed him. She believed she wasn't alone.

In that moment, with the storm still howling outside, Joelle realized that healing didn't come all at once-it was a process, slow and steady, one small step at a time.

But for now, in her father's arms, she felt like maybe, just maybe, everything would be okay.