Page 219 of Only Be Mine

“Don’t,” he said.

Not loud, worse.

Controlled.

“I have done nothing,” he continued quietly, “but protect you.”

The pressure on my wrist increased another fraction.

Pain bloomed sharp and immediate.

“You think anyone else would have done what I did for you?”

My pulse thundered.

I didn’t fight his grip.

I didn’t pull away.

Because I understood something now with absolute clarity.

If I resisted, he would escalate.

If I stayed still, he might choose restraint.

So, I stayed still.

“Trevor,” I said carefully. “You’re hurting me.”

He looked down at our hands, almost like he hadn’t realized.

Like it was an accident.

His fingers loosened immediately. “Sorry,” he said.

And the apology was so soft it almost sounded real.

He released me completely, stepped back, and ran a hand through his hair.

For a moment, he looked tired.

Not furious.

Cornered.

“You have to understand something,” he said, voice lower now. “Trust is everything. Once that’s broken…”

He let the sentence hang.

My wrist throbbed where his fingers had been.

I flexed it subtly.

“You said you were safe,” he reminded me. “You told the detective that.”

I nodded.

“I need to know you meant it.”