I'm glued to the wall, unable to tear my eyes off the scene unfolding in front of me. Jared is sprawled across the floor and Jake is standing over him with anger. Jared blinks in surprise before scowling up at Jake."What does it look like I'm doing? I'm dancing." Jared argues in a defensive tone. Jake inhales a sharp breath and his eyes continue to darken with every passing second. "She asked you to get off her. She shouldn't have to ask twice," Jake hits back at him. Jared's dark eyes briefly flicker over to me before turning back to Jake.

"She was enjoying it. Don't you believe me? Ask her." Jared spits out in a drunken haze. My eyes grow wide at his words and I begin shaking my head in protest. "N-no. I wasn't! I –" I stop talking with embarrassment. Several eyes are on me and I feel like the air is being sucked out of the room. Jake takes one look at my horrified face before knowing the truth. He reaches down to grab a fistful of Jared's shirt and he pulls him up until his face is inches away from his.

"If you try that again, you can enjoy my fist in your face," Jake warns him through clenched teeth. Jared pauses for a moment and he appears taken by surprise. My gaze alternates between Jake and Jared, and I don't know what my next step should be. I glance around for signs of Trish, but the faces looking back at me are alien. My hand flies to my chest and I feel the oxygen knock straight out of my lungs.

"Why are you protecting her? She's anyone's game." Jared says in a tone that makes my stomach swirl with nausea. He follows up his comment with a snigger of amusement. If I wasn't so stunned into silence, I'd argue with him on his views on women until I was red in the face. Jake appears to be just as disgusted as I because his hand flies back before connecting with Jared's nose.

"Jake, don't!" I yell, charging toward him. Despite how disgusting Jared's comment is, I don't want to see him hurt. One of Jake's friends swoops in toward me before wrapping an arm around my waist. I'm lifted away from Jake and Jared as they both begin fighting on the floor. He pulls me into the crowd despite me trying to wriggle out of his hold. "You don't want to get in the middle of that, sweetheart." The guy says to me while keeping his arm securely around my body. It's a sea of punches, kicks and verbal abuse. Multiple phones are held up to record the fight and I glance around with panic.

"Stop it! He's drunk, it's not worth it!" I yell at Jake. He's clearly the one winning the fight and blood soon begins to cover the floor. I cover my eyes with one hand before placing the other over my ears. I don't want to hear Jared's cries for Jake to stop, and I don't want to keep watching Jake ploughing into his limp body. The scene reminds me of my own encounters with Trevor and it makes bile rise to the back of my throat. Jared's pained groans can be heard through my attempt to block out sound.

I scream out for Jake to stop hurting him. "Stop it! Stop fighting!" I yell before pushing myself out of his friend's hold. Jake's head snaps up at the sound of my voice and I recoil backward from the anger seeping from his expression. I immediately fall silent and the colour drains from my face. His blue eyes are cold and emotionless, lacking any sign of warmth. The danger in his eyes mirror Trevor's eyes and I feel the nausea in my stomach turn to battery acid. My heart freezes with fear and the alcohol I've consumed through the night begins to make its way back up my throat.

"Emily," Jake calls out my name quietly, but it's too late. I've seen enough. He wipes his bloodied hand on his shirt before standing up to approach me. I furiously shake my head in protest to keep him away from me. I can't be around him when he reminds me of Trevor.

I spin around to go in search of air. I need to get away from Jake before I'm sent spiralling into a pool of darkness I can't swim out of. The noise around me drowns out into nothing, and my vision begins to blur. I push through a sea of people to find the exit. The desperation inside me begins to deepen with every passing second. I release a soft whimper when I struggle to find a sanctuary to catch my breath.

I manage to burst out into Ivory's back garden. It's the only place in the house that isn't crowded with drunken bodies. I stumble down the pathway while feeling like I'm on the verge of losing consciousness. The cold night air whips against me harshly, but I feel like all of the air is being stolen from me. I slump back against a tree before placing a hand over my chest.

"Breathe," I whisper to myself feeling like I'm a fish out of water. My chest rises and falls erratically and I can't seem to shake Jake's cold eyes from my mind. I slump down to the floor before pulling my knees into my chest. Trish was right, I should have listened to the rumours surrounding him. I know he was trying to defend me, but I can't get on board with his decision to use violence.

"Emily!" Jake's voice calls out my name. I don't know how far away he is from me, but I don't respond to him. I focus on trying to clear my vision and inhale oxygen so I don't pass out. A dark figure drops in front of me, but I can barely make out his features due to the dark spots invading my sight.

"Emily." Jake says with relief in his voice when he finds me. His hand reaches out to rest on my shaking knee and I stare straight through him as I attempt to catch my breath. A deep frown takes over his face when he realises I'm struggling to breathe. "Hey, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that in front of you." He apologises with a deep regret in his voice. I continue gasping for air, hating that I'm breaking apart in front of him.

"I-can't-breathe," I gasp out, feeling sweat bead my forehead. It feels like an invisible hand is wrapped around my lungs, squeezing all of the air out until I'm left with nothing. Jake springs into action and grabs hold of both of my hands. He places one over my heart before placing the other over his heart. His blue eyes soften and he looks directly into my eyes with determination.

"You're going to be okay, Wentworth. Focus on the rhythm. Can you feel it?" He asks me with urgency. I try to focus on his heart rate, but I can barely make sense of his words. I shake my head in protest before feeling my eyes roll to the back of my head. The lack of oxygen has finally caught up with me and the darkness has won. I fall limp into Jake's arms as I lose all control of my senses.

*

My eyes open to the sight of a white ceiling. Panic brews inside my chest and I abruptly sit up to gauge my whereabouts. I'm lying on a bed I don't recognise. The floral sheets are soft and smell like fresh laundry. The walls in the small bedroom are painted a baby blue shade. I almost jump out of my skin when I turn to find Jake sitting on a beanbag in the corner of the room. His arms are resting on his legs and his head hangs between his shoulders with regret. My throat dries out and I don't know what to say to make my presence known.

"How long was I out?" I whisper. Jake's head snaps up at the sound of my voice and his eyes flash with relief. How long has he been sitting there? He runs a hand over his face before leaning back against the wall. A deep exhale comes from him and his eyes linger on my face. "Not long. I was giving you another minute before I took you to the ER," Jake tells me. I wince in embarrassment at his words. My first party almost ended up with emergency services being involved. I sit up on the bed before wrapping my arms around my shivering frame. I can hear the party continuing downstairs and the earlier commotion doesn't seem to have affected the vibe. "I should go home," I say quietly.

"Are you trying to avoid me or the party?" Jake asks me quietly. My eyes snap up to meet his and I suck in a sharp breath to slow down the beating of my heart. I'm quickly reminded of the fight earlier and the danger that radiated from Jake's aura. I've spent my life avoiding violent people and I reluctantly need to do the same with Jake. My heart protests at my decision, but my mind knows it needs to happen.

"I need to leave," I whisper before tearing my eyes off him. His blue eyes burn fiercely in my direction. I stand up to walk out of the room but my legs wobble unsteadily. I release a short gasp as I feel myself falling. Jake shoots out of his beanbag and his strong arms wrap around my frame. He pulls me toward him in one swift motion, narrowly avoiding letting my tumble to the floor. I'm suddenly pulled against his body and I'm now as sober as a judge. A silence settles in the room, but Jake doesn't loosen his grip on me. His head hangs low until his warm breath hits my cheeks.

"Emily," Jake says my name quietly, with a hint of desperation. My eyes flutter closed because I know he can feel the barrier dividing us. He's silently begging me to let down my guard, but I don't know if I can. Years of abuse have left me damaged, and I find it impossible to trust anyone but myself. I don't realise I'm holding my breath until my lungs feel like they're on fire. Jake gently turns me toward him before wrapping his fingers around my chin. He tilts my head back, forcing me to look up into his eyes.

"I don't want you to go," Jake tells me, searching my eyes for any hint of my reaction. His gaze falls to my lips, and I battle against the decision of wanting him to kiss me or not. My heart screams for him to come closer, but my mind warns me to be cautious.

"Why did you hurt him?" I whisper before dropping my gaze to the floor. I can't look into his eyes without feeling like my judgement is being clouded by his beauty. Jake's arm falls from my waist, and he takes a step back to create distance between us. "Jared is a fucking jerk. I saw what he was doing to you. I saw how uncomfortable he made you feel. I'm not going to stand back and allow him to speak about you like that, Wentworth."

"You didn't have to hurt him. Violence isn't always the answer," I hit back at him instantly. My eyes connect with his and we're both staring at each other with fire igniting between us. Jake lifts his hand before squeezing the square of his jaw. He looks like he wants to argue against me, but chooses against it.

"It looks like we'll have to agree to disagree. Jared got what he deserved," Jake tells me, his voice lined with darkness. His words feel like a punch to my gut. The Jake that I've seen before tonight hasn't shown any likeness to Trevor at all. Tonight has left me disappointed and questioning all of my feelings toward him. I know Jared deserved to be taught a lesson, but should a lesson be taught from the end of a fist?

"You're right," I whisper before taking a small step toward the door. "We're going to have to agree to disagree," I add before turning around to walk away from him. I hear Jake release a deep breath of frustration before he follows behind me.

"Emily, wait. Let's talk about this," he pleads with me. I pull the door open, and the sound of the party magnifies from downstairs. Before I have a chance to leave, Jake pulls me back into the room before slamming the door shut. He presses me up against the wall before caging me in between his strong arms. My eyes grow wide at his actions, and I stare back at him with a questionable look on my face. "What are you doing?"