The shaking gets worse.
My teeth chatter.
Something soft lands on me.
The blanket.
Dante wraps it around my shoulders. Pulls it tight across my chest.
"Marina." His hands cup my face. "Look at me."
I can't.
I can't see anything.
Everything is blurry.
Wet.
I'm crying.
When did I start crying?
"Marina." His voice is softer now. Still urgent. But softer. "You're safe. I've got you. You're safe."
I'm not safe.
I'm never safe.
This is what happens.
This is what always happens.
Violence finds me.
No matter how far I run.
No matter how normal I try to be.
It finds me.
"Breathe." Dante's thumbs brush my cheeks. Wiping tears. "Breathe, cara. In and out. With me."
I try.
The air catches in my throat.
Comes out as a sob.
"Again." He breathes in. Slow. Deliberate. "With me."
I match him.
In.
Out.
In.
