*tw: domestic abuse*

Weeks passed and Roman became more hopeless by the day to the point where he was in his and Abigail's bedroom with a waterfall coming from his eyes.

He couldn't cry in the house. He hadn't cried in forever. Thank God that she wasn't home from picking out her wedding dress yet.

She was going to look stunning walking down the aisle and their outfits would coordinate.

They would exchange vows and rings and kiss and live happily ever after like a fairytale ending where the princess gets the dreamy prince and the prince lives a perfect life with his gorgeous new wife.

Ever since Logan came into his life again, it was even more apparent how desperate he was for him.

His heart ached thinking of what once was and what could have been if he had just told Logan when they were kids that he loved him back.

Judging by Logan's texts, he loved the birthday gift and the notes touched him.

Come on.

Think about girls.

You're bisexual.

Abigail is everything you've ever wanted.

That was such a blatant lie. And he couldn't leave her, because even if he doubted their love, he needed her. He had already gone so far in their relationship that he couldn't reverse any of it. The damage was done.

You're not gay.

"Ro?"

Roman jumped as Abigail entered the room quietly.

"Are you... crying?" she asked.

Roman stood up and wiped his eyes, forcing himself to smile. "No! No, I'm okay. Why would I be crying?"

She put her hand out and he immediately flinched. She giggled, "I'm not going to hit you." Instead, she swiped away his leftover tears with her thumb. "So. You were crying and then you lied about it." Her tone completely shifted with one sentence.

He slowly backed away. "I-I- Abi, I'm sorry, I-"

"Shush. I'm just a little pissed that my fiancé isn't happy with me."

"W-What? I'm always happy with you, Abi! When I was crying i-it wasn't about you."

"Yeah?" She threw her purse onto the floor and Roman could basically see the seething fire coming from the sides of her head. "Then what was it about, huh?"

Roman turned red and couldn't think of a response. He was taller than her, but she still managed to tower over him somehow.

Sometimes her eyes looked just like Logan's. Other days, they were so filled to the brim with fury that he couldn't even tell they were related.

"So you aren't going to tell me?" she laughed wickedly. "Then you'll have to make it up to me. Let me get my anger out."

Roman gulped and nodded. "Okay. What?"

~~~

His clothes hid the evidence that Abigail hurt him.

Why did I let her? Why couldn't I fight back?

It could be worse. It was just a few hits.

He was athletic and had immense stamina from both sports and musical theatre.

So what's wrong with me?

She grinned up at him like nothing had happened and said, "It's time for bed now. It must have been such a long day for you."

They slept cuddled together.

Well, Abigail slept. Roman couldn't. He didn't get a blink of sleep that night. He didn't want her in his arms. For once, he wanted to be the one being protected. Feel a strong embrace around him. But alas, he would need to get used to her.

You're the man.

But you're too pussy to defend yourself.

What would everyone say about you if they knew you couldn't fight back?

A man.

Not some sort of homo.

~~~

Roman: Hey, Abi. ❤️ My boss wants a meeting with my other co-workers that goes past normal hours. I'm really sorry! I'll be home later than usual.

Roman: Love you.

Abi ❤️💍: That's fine! Love you more, babe.

Thank God that worked.

Roman feared for his life every time he lied to Abigail. He didn't know what she'd do if she caught him in a lie, and that was the scariest part. The uncertainty.

In reality, he was at Logan's house.

"Abi got really angry with me the other day," he said, not looking Logan in the eye, "and she's already past it but I'm not."

"What even happened?" Logan asked.

His hand went to the bruise covered by his shirt. "Uh, nothing important... just a small dilemma, I guess."

Logan raised an eyebrow at the painfully obvious falsehood. "You can trust me."

Roman shook his head. "I might tell you another time. Just... the biggest problem with our relationship right now is you."

"What? I'm not a part of this monogamous relationship you have with my sister. That is both incestual and-"

"No, not like that."

Logan thought Roman was going to continue, but he didn't for almost two minutes straight. He couldn't find the words.

Finally, Roman said, "These past weeks since we met again have been hell. And I think it's because I'm lying to myself. Logan, I-..."

"Yes?" His voice was laced with concern.

He was going to kill Abigail, whatever she was doing to Roman that Roman couldn't tell him.

"I need you."

They were kissing in seconds flat. Perhaps Roman initiated it, but they weren't really sure.

"Ro, I'm no homewrecker," Logan whispered.

And Roman was faced with the fact that he was a cheater, the greatest scum to walk the earth.

He could hear Abigail's loud sobs, maybe screams too, ringing in his ears, and even though it was in his head he could feel himself rushing to fall to his knees to apologize and tell her she was his world.

And if he broke it off with her...

God, it would be ten times worse.

It was no use. He was stuck with her, maybe forever.

~~~

No matter how much Logan despised Abigail and her actions, it was still wrong.

Cheating was wrong.

The thought of the split second of a kiss that he could barely count as a kiss rattled his brain throughout his lecture.

When his last lesson of the day had ended, a girl came up to him. "Hey, Mr. Decker?"

"Ah, Brianna. What can I provide for you?"

"I was wondering, since I'm struggling a little..." She sat on his desk.

"No thank you," he stated bluntly. "Respect yourself and just study and get tutored extra. I'm willing to give you extra resources and support. You will never truly succeed like this. Also, I'm exclusively attracted to men."

Flustered, she got off his desk and left.

~~~

Roman still hadn't told Logan about the big situation with Abigail when she found him crying, but he couldn't.

He thought Logan would force him to leave the relationship, but Roman couldn't man up and do it. So he just kept it a secret.

Anyways, merry fucking Christmas, right?

Roman and Abigail threw a Christmas party and Logan accepted their invitation because he just stooped down to moron level for a hot second.

He didn't know anybody there except Roman and Abigail, but there was an obvious problem there.

So he just left and "celebrated" Christmas like he always had.

Alone at home, plowing through work like he always did.

He didn't even like Christmas. He thought it was boring and, coming from a family of very festive Christians, thought it was overrated as shit.

There was a much bigger event clinging to his thoughts.

Roman and Abigail's wedding was only in 20 days.