Hi Guys ! I gotta say, I wasn't excepting that wave of comments, but I'm glad you did ! It gave me so much streinght, thank you so much !

Please tell me what you think about this one :)

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TW : Mention of non-consensual sex (nothing graphic)

Donna sat at her desk, her thoughts consumed by worry for Harvey. She was trying to focus on her work, but the sense of fear gnawed at her insides. She knew Harvey was capable, but the idea of him facing Paula alone unsettled her deeply. She couldn't shake the scare of what might unfold.

As the day dragged on, Donna found herself glancing at the clock repeatedly, each passing hour heightening her anxiety for Harvey's meeting with Paula. She hoped that whatever happened, he would come out of it stronger and ready to move forward. She just wanted him to be safe and to find some peace in the chaos that had taken over his life.

The hours dragged on, and as the sun began to set, Donna couldn't shake the feeling of unease. She knew that tonight would be a turning point for Harvey, and she just hoped that he would come out of it unscathed.

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Harvey left the office, heading to meet Paula, his mind focused on the task at hand. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he was ready to face whatever came his way. With Donna's support and his own determination, he was confident that he could get through this and come out stronger on the other side.

Tonight would be the end of one chapter and the beginning of a new one, and Harvey was ready to face it head-on.

GHB.

Fuck.

How could he have missed that? How could he have been so blind? And above all, why would Paula do this? He had turned the problem over and over in his mind, but he couldn't understand. Sure, he hadn't been the perfect boyfriend, he was well aware of that. Having another woman on his mind and in his heart, using his relationship with Paula to forget Donna and failing miserably. But that didn't justify drugging him every evening, did it? No, it didn't make any sense. Paula might be a good therapist, but there was no way she could have understood what was going on in his mind. He never talked about Donna—actually, the only times she was mentioned were when Paula brought her up.

When he arrived home, the lights were already on, and he knew Paula was already there. He couldn't even come home quietly and have a moment to himself before she arrived. Come to think of it, it had been like this for weeks and in hindsight, he realized how suffocating it was to have his space invaded in this way. He knew he shouldn't feel this way—she was his girlfriend; he was supposed to look forward to seeing her, feel complete with her, and miss her when she wasn't around. All the things he felt for Donna and would never feel for Paula. And now that he knew what she had probably done to him, his condo was no longer a sanctuary with her inside. She had to leave now. Leave his home and his life.

"You're already here," he commented dryly as a greeting.

Paula sensed the tension in his voice but decided not to point it out. As she approached him in the living room, she noticed his bandaged hand.

"How's your hand?" she inquired, her tone carefully neutral.

"Fine," Harvey replied curtly. " Had to go to the hospital for a few stitches, but it'll heal."

"At the hospital?" The blonde ticked, a flash of panic in her eyes. Her eyes widened momentarily, a flicker of concern crossing her face.

Harvey furrowed his brow at her reaction, his suspicion growing stronger. "That's generally where they do stitches. Is there's a problem with me getting medical care?"

That snapped Paula out of her stupor. "What? No, of course not. I'm just glad you're okay, and... I'm sorry again, I never meant to hurt you. As angry as I might have been, I didn't want you to be hurt," Paula murmured.

"I know," Harvey sighed. "But I can't just forget everything you said to me yesterday."

"If it's about Donna-" Paula began tentatively.

"Of course it's about Donna," Harvey cut on sharply.

He tried to keep his cool, but thinking back to what Paula had implied the night before made him feel sick. He let a moment of silence pass, expecting Paula to say something, but when she didn't, he continued. "I need my key back."

Paula's eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you breaking up with me? Over a fight?"

Harvey realized he needed to handle this delicately if he was to confront her about drugging him. He sighed and sat down on the couch, pulling her with him. "I don't know where we stand right now."

"I'm sorry we've come to this because of my insecurities," Paula confessed, embracing his uninjured hand. "Maybe for a while, I could give you more space. I could go back to sleeping in my own apartment. We could take things slower."

And God, he wanted to say yes. He would have said yes. If he hadn't been at the hospital, he would have said yes and he would've meant it. His fear of abandonment was so deeply rooted in him that he would have said yes to anything. Anything except sacrificing Donna. What she had asked him to do last night was still unacceptable to him. He could never do that. Donna would always come before anyone else in the world. Always.

"That would be a start," Harvey lied. But Paula didn't seem to notice the lack of conviction in his words and smiled at him timidly.

"Why don't you go take a shower and then we'll order some food?" Harvey tensed for a moment at the suggestion before immediately relaxing so Paula wouldn't sense any hesitation.

He stood up, telling her he wanted Chinese food. He entered his bedroom and kicked off his shoes, took off his jacket and tie before heading into the bathroom and closing the door. He turned on the shower and waited a minute before turning it off and quietly exiting the room to return to the living room.

He'd wanted to be wrong. He'd wanted to find a rational explanation for all of this. Because Paula was the epitome of gentleness, and he couldn't imagine she was actually the cause of his distress. But that was indeed the case. He saw it with his own eyes. He was witnessing her ritual. Pouring him a glass of scotch and adding something to it.

"What are you doing?" he exclaimed so loudly that Paula jumped, not having heard him approach.

Her attempt to compose herself faltered as she stuttered, "I thought you were in the shower."

"What did you just put in my drink?!" His accusatory tone escalated.

"It's just a relaxant, you seem-"

"Bullshit!" Harvey cut her off sharply, his anger rising. He could no longer try to rationalize. He had seen it with his own eyes; she was the cause of all this.

"Harvey-" Paula attempted to interject, her voice trembling.

"It's not a relaxant. It's GHB!" He exclaimed.

"No!" Paula blurted out hastily. "It's a derivative but-"

"I don't give a shit ! It still shows up as GHB in a blood test."

The revelation hung in the air, a damning testament to Paula's deceit.

"You got a blood test?"

"The hospital did it when they saw my condition after I drank the glass you served me last night," Harvey explained, deciding not to stop there. "And speaking of last night, do you want to know what I was doing all afternoon with Donna?! I was at the hospital running a battery of tests, thinking I was sick. And you know why I didn't tell you? Because I didn't want to worry you! But now..." The lawyer sighed, suddenly exhausted by it all. "Now I realize you were putting me through all of this. How could I have been so fucking blind?!"

Paula's tears flowed freely, a stark contrast to Harvey's controlled anguish. "Harvey—"

"Why?! Tell me why you did this?" His voice cracked with frustration, searching for answers that seemed elusive. "Because I've turned the question a hundred times, and I still can't find any justification for what you did..."

"You were always thinking about her," Paula confessed amid sobs, her words a desperate plea for understanding. "Even when you were with me, you weren't really there. You think I didn't see it? Even in your sleep, you sighed her name—"

Harvey's voice cut through her justification, his anger resurging. "Then stop sleeping with me, confront me, yell at me, break up with me, but drugging me?! Out of all the things you could have done, you chose to do that."

"Harvey-" Paula's plea was met with a wave of disbelief.

"What did it achieve to make me unconscious, for fuck's sake?!" he yelled.

"You weren't unconscious, the dose was too low for that. But yes, you were drowsy, and most importantly, you weren't thinking about her anymore. You were just with me," Paula finished in a whisper.

Harvey said nothing for a moment, trying to process that she had admitted to causing all of this. Then something came back to him, something he had tried to forget, which was rather ironic considering he had been forgetting a lot lately, but this detail he couldn't get out of his head.

"A while ago, you sent me a message about..." Harvey's voice faltered. He closed his eyes, unable to believe what he was about to ask. "Did we have sex while I was under the influence?"

"Harvey-" Paula hesitated, her evasiveness speaking volumes.

"Damn it, I can't believe this! So we really had non-consensual sex?!"

The young woman, who had been avoiding her boyfriend's gaze until then, finally looked up. She knew what she had done was irreparable, but she wouldn't let him accuse her of such things. "If you really want to know, your dick was quite consenting."

"But did I say no and you went ahead anyway?" he asked in a low voice. So low that Paula almost didn't hear him, as if he hoped she wouldn't hear and wouldn't have an answer.

"Harvey-" Paula was reluctant to answer.

"Did I ?" Harvey pressed.

She took a moment to respond to the question, and when she finally spoke, it was a half-hearted admission. "At least you weren't thinking about her, it was just you and me."

"Oh my God," He felt the panic attack coming on, and he needed her to leave. The last thing he wanted was to break down in front of her. "Put your key on the counter and get out," he said as he headed towards his bedroom.

"Harvey, please..."

"GET OUT!"

He leaned against the wall of his bedroom and slumped down. He vaguely felt his phone vibrate but decided to ignore it. He heard the door slam faintly as the buzzing reached his ears once again.

For the second time in 24 hours, his vision blurred, his breathing quickened, and sweat began to accumulate on his face. The only difference from this morning was that Donna wasn't there. He tried to calm himself in every possible way: trying to think of something else, forcing himself to take long, slow breaths. He didn't know how long he had been there, but eventually managed to get up and stumble towards the bathroom, emptying his stomach.

He felt his phone vibrate again distantly and once more chose to ignore it.

He couldn't understand how this could have happened. It just didn't happen, actually. Not to a six-foot man known for his ability to read people. Certainly not to a man at the top of his career, with an oversized ego and legendary arrogance. Certainly not to a man who had had countless affairs.

But maybe it did. Maybe it was his karma hitting him square in the face. He had crossed the line so many times, whether in his career or with women. Maybe it was just payback. Not to mention what he had done to Paula. Maybe in the end, it justified some of her actions. Maybe it was his fault too.

He heard the front door open and heels clicking on the floor.

Donna.

He heard her footsteps approaching, stopping in the bedroom and then resuming, getting closer and closer until the bathroom door opened.

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When Donna saw Harvey, sitting on the floor in front of the toilet for the second time in less than 24 hours, she couldn't help but jump to conclusions. "Please, tell me you didn't drink anything." Donna's worry spilled into her words as she knelt beside him.

Harvey shook his head. "Just a panic attack," he confessed, his throat tight.

Donna sighed, a look of sympathy on her face, and sat down next to him against the shower glass.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Harvey asked, not expecting the redhead to show up.

"I called you several times, you didn't answer. I was worried," Donna explained gently.

Harvey acknowledged her with a nod but remained lost in his thoughts, staring blankly ahead.

"Harvey, what happened?"

"It was her," the lawyer confirmed to her, even though Donna already sensed the truth. "It was her," he repeated. "I saw it with my own eyes. I confronted her, and... she confessed."

"I wish I had been wrong, Harvey."

But Harvey didn't really hear her, busy replaying the conversation in his head as he stared at an invisible point on the wall in front of them.

"Did she say why-"

"We slept together," Harvey blurted out without hesitation, catching Donna off guard.

She furrowed her brow, knowing full well they hadn't obviously slept together today, but she didn't understand why Harvey was saying this now.

"What are you-"

"When I was under the influence," the lawyer clarified, his voice hollow. "We slept together."

"What?!" Donna couldn't help but raise her voice, sitting up straight. She couldn't believe her ears, just when she thought she'd heard the worst. "Harvey, look at me."

He turned his head towards her, his gaze empty and lost, breaking Donna's heart. He couldn't have been further from the Harvey she knew.

"You know that's not that, don't you? If you were drugged, it's not just sex, it's-"

"Don't say it," Harvey interrupted, his tone pleading. He closed his eyes, clenched his jaw and took a deep breath. "Don't say that word, please."

She respected his plea, wrapping her arm around his, mindful of his injured hand.

"You should come stay at my place for a few days," Donna suggested softly, resting her head against his shoulder.

She couldn't see his expression, but she imagined him contemplating her offer, weighing the options silently.

"Harvey, I'm not asking you to move in with me. I'm just saying it might be good to get away from the condo for a while, there are some bad memories here. Well... the few you remember." She moved her head just enough to see his face but kept it on his shoulder. "What? Too soon?" she teased.

"Right on time," Harvey smiled, turning his head slightly towards her.

.

Their faces were extremely close, so close that their noses almost touched. Harvey found himself drawn to Donna in a way he hadn't allowed himself to acknowledge before. He was just inches away from her lips, and my God, he wanted to kiss them. He was close enough to her face to count every freckle and detect the hint of green in her hazel eyes.

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Donna felt Harvey tense at the closeness, contrasting with his gaze that had rarely been so gentle. Her breath caught as she realized she had seen this look before. When he told her he loved her and then took his words back.

"I'll start packing some things. You should call Ray," Donna murmured, wanting to break the moment but still making no move to pull away from Harvey's shoulder.

"We can take a cab."

"Harvey, we're also going to pick up some of your suits so you don't have to go back and forth in the morning. Do you really want Tom Ford sitting in a yellow cab?"

Harvey nodded at the mention of the suits. "I'll call Ray."

When they arrived at Donna's place, Harvey couldn't help but notice the packages sitting on the kitchen counter.

"What's this?" he asked, curiosity piqued as he approached the packages.

"Oh, just some groceries. I did a bit of shopping after work and didn't get around to putting it away," Donna replied casually, already making her way towards the bedroom with Harvey's suits to hang them up in her closet.

Harvey quirked an eyebrow. "That's a lot for one person. You stockpiling?"

Donna chuckled, hanging up the suits in her closet. "It's not just for me, it's for both of us. And you, sir, need to gain weight. Now that everything's out of your system, you're bound to be starving," she explained lightly, returning to the kitchen.

"Hold on a minute," Harvey said suspiciously, scrutinizing her. "For both of us? How did you know I would agree to come here?"

"Harvey, come on, haven't you learned anything in twelve years?"

He rolled his eyes. "Because you're Donna," Harvey sighed, feigning annoyance even though his teasing smile gave him away.

She nodded in agreement and they began unpacking the groceries in a peaceful silence. It was clear that Donna had left nothing to chance: milk, eggs, bread, a variety of vegetables, pasta, bagels.

The meat and cheese were probably already in the fridge. Then Harvey froze for a moment as he saw an item at the bottom of the bag.

"What's wrong?" Donna asked.

Harvey pulled out a packet of ramen noodles. "You bought noodles?"

"Yes," Donna replied cautiously, not understanding why he seemed so surprised. "Chicken flavor—your favorite."

"But... I thought you didn't like these?"

"I don't," confirmed the redhead. "But you do. I'm not going to only buy what I like, Harvey, that's ridiculous. Why would I do that?"

Harvey seemed momentarily caught off guard by Donna's thoughtfulness.

"No reason," he replied softly, setting the noodles aside and continuing with the groceries.

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He retrieved a few items and began to tidy up. Donna didn't need to ask to know that a similar scene had likely occurred with Paula and there certainly hadn't been noodles on the menu. She silently approached Harvey, who had his back to her, and waited for him to turn around. When he finally did, he was clearly surprised by their proximity, not having heard Donna approach, and now found himself trapped between her and the kitchen counter.

"Harvey."

"Donna."

"If I ever see her near you again, I'll kill her," the young woman warned with a gentle voice as if she hadn't just threatened someone.

Harvey opted to respond in a joking tone; he had had enough serious conversation for the day. "You'd end up in jail."

"No, I wouldn't because I have a very good lawyer." She raised an eyebrow and fixed her gaze on him to make him understand to whom she was referring.

"Have you now?"

"Yep, Louis is the best," teased Donna. Harvey mockingly grimaced in horror and continued to unpack the groceries.

After negotiating for nearly 20 minutes, Harvey finally agreed to sleep in the same bed with her instead of on the couch.

"Harvey," Donna murmured in the darkness of the bedroom, and my God, Harvey thought he might get used to Donna whispering his name in bed far too quickly.

"Yeah?" Harvey responded, his fatigue evident in his voice after the emotionally draining day.

"First thing tomorrow morning I'm going to find you a psychiatrist." Donna declared softly.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but I don't have a great track record with them," he joked, yawning.

"Oh, I've noticed. That's why this time, I'll be the one to choose," Donna stated firmly, leaving no room for discussion.

The hardest part had been done: understanding what was going on with Harvey and ending his relationship with Paula, but that didn't mean everything would be okay. He needed help, and Donna knew her presence alone wouldn't suffice. The issue ran deep. So tomorrow, she will find the best damn psychiatrist in town for Harvey and he will be fine. Harvey had to be fine.

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