“He hit me,” she whispers after a few minutes of silence.
“Who?” I demand, fighting to keep my voice steady.
“I don’t know. I never knew their names, but he hit me. At least, I think he did.”
Rage flits through my every orifice, every organ, every single nerve, burning with white-hot rage. I take a deep breath, knowing I can’t be mad right now, pushing it to the back of my mind until I can use it to unleash. And I will.
“Nina, it was just a nightmare. It wasn’t real. I’m here now.” I lift her chin, bringing her face to mine.
Her eyes lack the light that shone in them just hours ago.
“You hurt me.”
I close my eyes.Shit.“I’m so sorry, Nina,” I force out, fuming at myself. I’m such a prick. “I didn’t mean what I said.”
“Please leave me alone,” she states, eyes lost.
“You think I’d fucking leave you alone right now?”
“You leave, or I will.”
“Let me help you.” I try to hug her tighter, but she climbs from my lap, crawling to the other end of the shower.
“Please,” she begs. “I need to be on my own right now.”
Fuck.It takes everything inside me to stand and move my feet to the door, praying it’s the right thing to do.
I go back to my room, shedding my wet clothes from my body and launching them at the TV as my anger surfaces. Sitting down on the edge of my bed, I run my hands through my hair with absolutely no idea how to fix the fractured soul I can’t seem to figure out.
Nina
Climbing from the shower floor, I drag myself up and under the spray, washing my body clean, wishing I could erase the images in my head. Maybe I should have let Mason hold me, but for all the reasons I wanted him to, there were twice as many as to why I didn’t. He believes that to care is to know everything, all the things I would have told him if he had just asked. He’s wrong. You can care for someone and not know their secrets, exactly how I did for him.
He took what he wanted without asking, which I could have got over—I was prepared to swallow my dignity and take his controlling nature in my stride. But that was before he trampled on my pride.
His words were the beginning of the end. He doesn’t get to hurt me, especially when he doesn’t even know me.
No amount of digging will expose the reality that lives with me.
Once I’m dried off, I wrap myself in a towel and leave the bathroom. I find Mason sitting on his bed, his head in his hands. His hair spiked out all over the place.
He means well, love, he’s not a bad bloke.
I push Vinny’s words from my head.
What I would give to go to him, to let him hold me like before, and to let him tell me it’s all okay.
It’s not okay.
His head comes up as I step into view, his sad eyes meeting mine, and a sick part of me silently pleads that he doesn’t let me go.
Don’t give up on me, Mase.
His eyes scan my towel-clad body. “Will you stay tonight? It’s late. I can take you home first thing.”
“I want to go home.”
“I know.” He drops his head again. “But I need you to stay.”
