“I just wanted it to stop,” Raven cries. “But I couldn’t make Dr. Whitlock stop. Eventually, it felt like there was only one way out.”
My stomach turns as my shoulders tighten.
Raven continues her story, which is quickly becoming my worst nightmare. “I was able to snag a pair of scissors and sneak them back into my room.”
Griffin’s breathing increases, causing his chest to push Raven further toward me. A sense of dread creeps up my shoulders to my neck.
“I cut my wrist once, but it wasn’t very deep. That’s all I was able to do before an orderly found me.” Raven licks her lips as shame swathes her in a tight embrace.
I know how the story goes. I know her attempt wasn’t completed because she’s here, which is what I have to remind myself of, like a broken record. Keeping her hands on my chest,I slide one of my own to her chest. I lay my palm flat over the left side of her chest because I need to make sure it’s working.
Raven is here. She’s in my house. She’s in my arms. She’s alive.
Griffin props himself up on his elbow so he can see Raven’s face better. “I know it’s not what you wanted at the time, but I’m happy you were caught. It’s selfish but fuck it. I’ll be selfish. I need you here. I need your smile, your sassy attitude, and your sweet, sweet body.”
I chime in, adding to Griffin’s reasoning, “I need you to argue with me. I need the space you hold for me so I can unleash all my bottled-up feelings. I need to hold you at the end of every day as we fall asleep together.”
Raven gulps and gives us what we’re desperate for. “I need you too. Both of you.” Her gaze flips back and forth between Griffin and me.
She clears her throat and finishes her story. “Then one night, I was taken from my bed. That’s when I was kidnapped and taken to New York. Over the years, I was able to gather that my parents were trying to sell my brother. I think Noah found out somehow, and that’s why they fought. Anthony Cole and Pierce Murphy were angry when Noah was murdered, so they took me instead.”
My vision blurs, and my body feels cold. I never thought a single person could go through so much, but she has. She’s leaped over every hurdle, knocked down every wall. She’s so strong, so beautiful.
Mystified, Griffin asks, “Why come back?”
“I couldn’t let him get away with it. I know I wasn’t the only one. I came back to figure out how to shut down the hospital.”
Leaning forward, I ask a question of my own. “Why not just go to the police or the press? You could’ve told your story.”
“Who would believe me? I’d be labeled a crazy person, just like they’re doing to Seth and Alice. No one believes someone with a mental health disorder.” Raven shakes her head and looks down at her hands, avoiding eye contact. “So, now you know.”
My eyebrows scrunch together. “Know what?”
“I’m a monster.”
It’s the final blow to my chest. Everything Raven has been through was donetoher. She was reacting just like any other person would. And I’m man enough to admit that she has handled it all with more resilience than I ever could. Raven has more fortitude in her entire body than I have in my left pinky.
And she thinks that makes her a monster? Impossible.
“You’re amazing. I must’ve done something right in a previous life because there’s no way any deity would bring you into my life otherwise,” I whisper reverently. “I love you.”
Raven gasps.
Griffin uses his hand to sweep Raven’s hair out of the way. “I don’t deserve you, but I’m not letting you go. I know that makes me an asshole, but I don’t care. I love you.”
Raven’s eyes widen, and her hand covers her mouth.
“But you both know everything now. How can you look at me and?—”
Griffin grips Raven’s shoulder and rolls her onto her back. “If you’re a monster, then consider this my offering.”
He lifts her shirt, revealing her lack of panties, and propels himself forward, digging his face in her pussy.
Raven gasps, her hands diving into Griffin’s hair. She throws her head back, thrashing about from the onslaught of pleasure.
I sit her up and slide behind her. My back rests against the headboard as Raven lies on my chest. Her legs are spread wide, accommodating Griffin’s broad shoulders.
Taking hold of the hem of her shirt, I lift it over her head. The cool air of the bedroom brushes across the tips of her breasts, causing them to pebble.
