Updated Mar 22, 2026 • ~11 min read
Chapter 22: No Safety Nets
POV: Rory
Rory – SHE SHOWS UP
Rory spends Friday morning drafting and redrafting a text to Henrik that she never sends—variations on “I forgive you” and “I understand the temptation” and “we need to talk about this like adults”—but none of them feel right because she’s still too hurt that he considered choosing money over her, still too angry that he hid the contract for four days while deciding if she was worth more than financial security, still too raw from standing in his apartment realizing that even Henrik, who’s proven himself different from Carlos in every other way, can prioritize career over relationship when the stakes are high enough.
By noon she’s deleted all the drafts and is staring at her laptop trying to write an article about basketball while her mind keeps replaying their fight, keeps analyzing every word of Henrik’s defense of considering the endorsement deal, keeps comparing this situation to when she chose journalism over warning him about the trade rumor and realizing that maybe they’re both equally bad at prioritizing each other when career opportunities conflict with relationship.
Margot calls at two PM with her characteristic bluntness. “I ran into Lucas at the coffee shop. He said Henrik’s a mess. Said he rejected the endorsement deal and is freaking out that he’s lost you. Are you going to forgive him or are we staging a dramatic breakup?”
“I don’t know,” Rory admits. “He chose money over me for four days, Margot. He hid a contract that would require hiding me for two more years and didn’t think to mention it until I accidentally found it. How is that different from what I did with the trade rumor article?”
“It’s not different,” Margot says. “That’s the point. You both fucked up the exact same way—prioritizing career over talking to each other first. He called you out for it, you worked through it, and now he’s done the same thing and you get to decide if you’re keeping score or being partners.”
“I’m not keeping score,” Rory argues.
“Aren’t you?” Margot challenges. “You’re hurt that he considered the money, which is valid. But you’re also holding him to a higher standard than you held yourself. You got forgiven for choosing your career first. Does he get the same grace, or are you going to punish him for making the same mistake you made?”
Rory doesn’t have a good answer because Margot’s right—she is holding Henrik to a higher standard, is using his consideration of the endorsement deal as evidence that he’s not as perfect as she’d convinced herself he was, is looking for reasons to protect herself against vulnerability even after she promised to stop doing that.
“He rejected it,” Rory says quietly. “The deal. He texted Marcus and said no because he didn’t want anything that required hiding who he loves.”
“So he chose you,” Margot points out. “Eventually. After considering his options. Which is exactly what you did with the trade rumor—you chose your job initially, then apologized and chose him. Now he’s chosen you. The question is whether you’re mature enough to accept that apology the way he accepted yours.”
“I hate when you’re right,” Rory mutters.
“I know,” Margot says with a laugh. “But seriously, Rory—do you love him enough to forgive him for being human? For making the same mistakes you made? For needing time to figure out what matters more?”
“Yes,” Rory admits. “I do love him that much. I’m just scared.”
“Of what?”
“Of trusting him completely and having him prove Carlos right eventually,” Rory says honestly. “Of letting myself be fully vulnerable and getting destroyed. Of believing he’s different and being wrong.”
“That’s always the risk,” Margot says gently. “Love requires vulnerability. You can’t control whether Henrik eventually hurts you. You can only control whether you’re brave enough to try despite the risk. And Rory, he’s proven himself over and over. One mistake doesn’t erase months of him showing up consistently.”
After they hang up, Rory stares at her laptop for another hour before making a decision—she’s going to Henrik’s apartment to talk this through like adults instead of punishing him through silence, going to actually communicate instead of just being hurt, going to choose partnership over protection.
She drives to his place at four PM and lets herself in with her key, calling out so she doesn’t startle him.
“Henrik? It’s me.”
“Rory?” Henrik appears from his bedroom looking like he hasn’t slept—hair disheveled, wearing the same clothes from yesterday, eyes red-rimmed in a way that suggests he’s been crying. “I didn’t think you’d come. I’ve been calling and texting—”
“I know,” Rory says. “I needed space to think. But I’m here now because we need to talk about this.”
Henrik nods and they migrate to his couch with careful distance between them, both uncertain how to navigate this conversation without making things worse.
“I’m sorry,” Henrik says before Rory can speak. “For considering the endorsement deal. For not telling you about it immediately. For prioritizing money over us even temporarily. For doing exactly what I criticized you for doing. I’m so fucking sorry, Rory.”
“I’m sorry too,” Rory says, surprising herself. “For running instead of staying to talk through it. For holding you to a higher standard than I held myself. For using your mistake as excuse to protect myself against vulnerability. For not immediately recognizing that you were facing the same impossible choice I faced with the trade rumor.”
“It’s not the same,” Henrik argues. “You had legitimate professional ethics concerns. I just wanted money.”
“It is the same,” Rory corrects. “We both had career opportunities that conflicted with our relationship. We both considered prioritizing career first. We both made mistakes in how we handled it. The only difference is I got grace and understanding when I fucked up, and I didn’t initially extend the same to you.”
Henrik is quiet for a moment, processing. “You came here to forgive me?”
“I came here to talk,” Rory clarifies. “To actually communicate instead of just being hurt. To figure out if we can get through this without it destroying us.”
“Do you think we can?” Henrik asks carefully.
“Yes,” Rory says. “If we’re both willing to be honest about what happened and why. If we can acknowledge that we’re both going to make mistakes like this. If we can extend grace to each other the way we’d want grace extended to us.”
“I rejected the contract,” Henrik says. “Immediately after you left. Told Marcus I didn’t want anything that required hiding you. And Rory, I need you to know—I shouldn’t have needed four days to make that decision. I should have rejected it the moment I saw that clause. The fact that I didn’t, that I actually considered it, proves I have commitment issues I didn’t think I had.”
“What do you mean?” Rory asks.
Henrik runs his hands through his hair with visible frustration. “My whole life I’ve told myself I’m not my father. That I won’t walk away from responsibility. That I’m loyal and committed and different from the man who abandoned my mother. But when presented with a choice that required actual sacrifice—turning down generational wealth for a relationship—I hesitated. I considered the money. And that proves that maybe I have more of his issues than I want to admit. Maybe I’m scared of commitment too, just in different ways.”
“You’re not your father,” Rory says firmly. “Your father walked away. You rejected the contract. You chose the relationship. Yes, it took you longer than it should have, but you made the right choice eventually. That matters.”
“Does it?” Henrik challenges. “Does making the right choice eventually make up for considering the wrong choice for four days?”
“It did when I made the right choice eventually with the trade rumor,” Rory points out. “You forgave me for publishing that article without talking to you first. You understood that I had legitimate conflicts between career and relationship. I’m extending the same understanding to you now.”
“So we’re okay?” Henrik asks hopefully.
“We’re going to be okay,” Rory clarifies. “But Henrik, we need to actually talk about this pattern. About both of us defaulting to choosing career when it conflicts with relationship. About how we navigate these situations better in the future so we’re not constantly hurting each other by prioritizing work.”
“Okay,” Henrik agrees. “How do we do that?”
Rory considers. “Maybe we set a rule that when career opportunities conflict with our relationship, we talk about it immediately instead of making decisions alone. We communicate about the conflict before choosing, not after.”
“That’s good,” Henrik says. “What else?”
“We give each other grace when we make mistakes,” Rory continues. “We acknowledge that we’re both going to fuck up occasionally. We extend the same understanding we’d want when we’re the one who messed up.”
“And we stop using career as excuse to avoid vulnerability,” Henrik adds. “Because I think that’s what I was doing—telling myself the endorsement deal was about money when really it was about being scared of how much you matter. If I hide you for the contract, I can maintain some emotional distance. If I go fully public, I’m all in with no safety net.”
“I do the same thing,” Rory admits. “Use professional ethics as armor against vulnerability. Claim I’m prioritizing journalism when really I’m just protecting myself against potential hurt.”
They sit with that honesty for a moment—both acknowledging patterns that have been operating beneath conscious awareness, both recognizing that their individual trauma responses have been sabotaging their relationship in subtle ways.
“I don’t want to hide you anymore,” Henrik says finally. “Not for endorsement deals, not for professional convenience, not to maintain emotional distance. I want to actually be all in. Fully public. No safety net.”
“I want that too,” Rory agrees. “I submitted my reassignment request. It’s officially processing. In two weeks I’ll be covering basketball instead of hockey, and we can go public without ethical conflicts.”
“Two weeks,” Henrik repeats. “Then we actually get to be a real couple publicly. No more code-switching or hiding or pretending we’re just professional acquaintances.”
“Are you scared?” Rory asks.
“Terrified,” Henrik admits. “Going fully public means no escape route if this ends badly. Means everyone knowing I’m in love with you. Means being completely vulnerable.”
“Me too,” Rory says. “But I’m ready to be terrified with you. To actually choose us instead of protecting myself. To trust that you’re not going to betray me even though that requires vulnerability I swore I’d never risk again.”
Henrik closes the distance between them finally, pulling Rory into his arms with the kind of relief that suggests he was genuinely scared she wouldn’t forgive him, wouldn’t come back, wouldn’t give him the same grace he gave her when she made similar mistakes.
“I love you,” Henrik says against her hair. “And I’m sorry for making you doubt that. For considering money over us. For not immediately choosing you the way you deserved.”
“I love you too,” Rory responds. “And I’m sorry for running instead of staying to work through it. For holding you to impossible standards. For using your mistake as excuse to protect myself.”
They spend the rest of the afternoon talking through the fight in more detail—Henrik explaining the thought process behind considering the endorsement deal, Rory acknowledging her own fear and tendency toward self-protection, both of them making commitments about how to handle future conflicts better, agreeing that communication is more important than being right, that partnership requires grace and understanding even when hurt feelings make those things difficult.
“Can I make it up to you?” Henrik asks later when they’re in his kitchen making dinner together. “For considering the money. For hurting you. I want to do something that proves you matter more than career opportunities.”
“You already did,” Rory says. “By rejecting the contract. By choosing me. That’s enough.”
“It doesn’t feel like enough,” Henrik argues. “I want to do something big. Something that proves I’m all in.”
“Then go public with me in two weeks,” Rory suggests. “Make it official. Tell the world you’re in love with me. That’s bigger than rejecting one endorsement deal.”
“Deal,” Henrik agrees. “Two weeks and we go fully public. I’ll plan something good. Something that makes it clear I’m not hiding you anymore.”
They make love that night with the intensity of two people who almost lost each other again, and afterward Rory thinks about how they keep almost destroying this relationship through self-protection and fear, keep choosing safety over vulnerability until the last possible moment, keep needing dramatic fights to actually communicate about patterns operating beneath the surface.
They need to do better.
Be better at choosing each other before crisis forces the choice.
But for now, they’re okay.
Together.
Choosing partnership over protection.
And that’s progress.
🔥
END CHAPTER 22
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