He Put His Ex First So I Found My True Mate Chapter 19
I set the drive on the table.
Daniel glanced at it but didn’t ask what it was.
He brought over an ice pack, wrapped it in a towel, and gently laid it across my arm.
“How do you want to handle this?”
Graham never would have asked me that.
He would only have decided for me what counted as generosity and what counted as overreacting.
I looked at the bruising fingerprints darkening on my skin.
“Call patrol.”
Daniel’s hands paused for a second, then he nodded.
“Okay. I’m with you.”
I didn’t wait until morning.
By the time the Cedar Ridge territorial patrol arrived, the engagement party lights were still glowing outside.
Daniel gave a full account of what had happened in the parking area.
I handed over my phone and explained that Graham had been denied contact in the past and had still slipped into the party without an invitation.
Patrol photographed the marks on my arm.
When the flash went off, I instinctively turned my face away.
Two years ago, I had held a camera to preserve the moment of my own humiliation.
Now, a lens was pointed at my injuries for the first time, and it was being used to protect me.
When they had finished documenting everything, one of the officers asked, “Has he forced his way back into your life before?”
I thought about the apartment intercom ringing for three straight days, and Graham shoving security as he tried to force his way into the elevator.
“Yes.”
My friend had contacted patrol that time, too, and the building had incident records.
I wrote down the date and address.
Daniel sat beside me, never answering a single question for me.
He only moved a glass of warm water closer to my hand and waited whenever I needed a moment before continuing.
After patrol left, I emailed my attorney.
The subject line read:
*Application for Territorial Protective Order*.
Once the email was sent, I picked up the drive again.
Two years ago, I had copied those files to prove to myself that I wasn’t imagining things.
Later, the house was sold, the ceremony was canceled, and Graham was no longer able to take anything more from me.
I buried the drive at the bottom of a bag and refused to look at it again.
But tonight he had said, *You’re mine*.
That was no different from the word *No* under *Will she leave?* on that betting sheet.
He had never treated my refusal as a final answer.
I handed the drive to Daniel.
“Come with me to see the attorney tomorrow.”
This time, I wasn’t going to wait for Graham to understand on his own.