“Marvin?” Jasper furrows his brows.
“Yes. The woman disappeared into a cabin that belongs to him?” Part of me hopes Jasper will refute it all, that the cabin does not belong to Marvin, so it will trigger him to talk to his friend.
“You were all the way there? Yeah, Marvin has a small cabin on the outskirts of the woods. I rarely go there, it's my way of thanking him for always being around.”
I fight for a steady breath, trying to gauge his reaction to my revelation, but I can’t read his face.
“He forced me inside, and-”
“Forced?!” Jasper cuts me off.
“He forced you?” he repeats, and it’s all he says.
I nod, and my eyes dart to the ground.
“Look at me,” he says sternly.
And my eyes snap back to his.
“Didhehurt you? Is he responsible for the wound on your head?” The words rumble from his chest, and he has a hard time composing himself. Every muscle in him seems locked in restraint, the kind that costs pain to maintain.
“No… not really… I tripped,” I whisper. “But I think he wanted to…” The rest dies on my tongue, a breath-thin confession that barely makes it past my lips.
My hands betray me before my mind can stop them. I fold my arms around myself, fingers digging into my sleeves, a useless instinct to hide what my body remembers.
Jasper sees it.
In one swift, controlled motion, he lifts the fabric from my arm.
The bruising blooms beneath his gaze—deep violet and inky black, spreading like spilled night across my skin, as if darkness itself has seeped into my veins.
His breath sharpens. I feel it in the tension of his hands, in the way his jaw locks, and in the fury that coils tighter with every second he stares. The mark of another man on my body, a mark I never consented to. Marvin had hurt me, the evidence right there. He touched what belonged to Jasper.
Something inside him crosses a line—from fear into something far more dangerous, even deadly.
My throat constricts, and I’m unable to form any words. Instead, tears fall, and he pulls me into his embrace. He kisses my head tenderly and softly strokes my back.
“I’m here, Starling. You’re safe.”
My tears turn into uncontrollable sobs, and I grasp his shirt, burying myself in his chest. It’s the release of my fear andpanic from earlier, as realization sets in that Marvin can’t access me here.
Chapter Sixteen
While Jasper speaks on the phone, it feels as if the room shrinks until there’s barely any space left to breathe. Marvin is coming over. I’m going to be face to face with the man who wishes me dead.
It’s been a few days since my encounter with him, and he hasn’t reached out to Jasper to smooth things over or explain his side of the story. It was peculiar, the eerie silence, which only heightens my fear. Jasper had wanted to storm over and demand an explanation, but given my fragile state of mind, he refrained from seeking revenge on my behalf immediately. Taking care of me was priority number one. Until now. I feel slightly better, and I couldn’t take it any longer witnessing him pacing like a caged animal, the rage eating at him. All I could do was release the shackles.
The moment Jasper hangs up, Marvin’s voice no longer echoing in my ears, my knees buckle, and I collapse in his hold. The fright paralyzes me. He pulls me against his chest, gently stroking my hair.
“It’s going to be alright, Darling. He won’t lay his hands on you ever again. I promise. I am so sorry you had to endure that.”
I hear the guilt in his voice, the underlying fury at himself for not being there to protect me.
“None of it is your fault, my love,” I whisper.
“I never should have lost sight of you, Starling.”
“Please, don’t let the guilt rot inside of you, Jasper. I don’t blame you, not in the slightest bit, I hope you know that. I never should have been so stubborn and willing to challenge you.”
