Page 214 of Break Away
“That last one feels targeted.”
“It’s my favorite.”
She exhaled a laugh, and the sound loosened something in my chest.
Then her face sobered again. “Maddox’s dad had power. Money. Everyone knew the Vincent name. Darian’s family had enough money to buy excellent threats. Their attorney called my parents and gave them a preview of what pressing charges would look like. My phone. My texts. My history with Darian. Every picture. Every party. Every time I’d flirted or kissed him or been his girlfriend used to prove I was a liar. Once they threatened his job, his pension…”
My thumb moved over the back of her hand.
“My dad wanted to burn the world down,” she said. “My mom wanted to wrap me in blankets and never let anyone look at me again. I wanted to disappear. Every path ended with me on display. Again.”
My voice came out rough. “So you didn’t press.”
“I couldn’t.” Her eyes lifted to mine fast. “I know how that sounds.”
“It sounds like you were seventeen and cornered by people who knew exactly how to make justice look like another assault.”
She covered her mouth.
I tugged gently until her hand came down. “Don’t hide from me.”
Her chin trembled. “I don’t know what to do when you say the right thing.”
“Insult me. It’s familiar ground.”
She let out a shaky breath. “Your hair is still damp, and it looks like a sad golden retriever after a lake incident.”
I nodded gravely. “Strong recovery.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
She looked at me then, really looked, and I could feel us becoming something in the quiet. Not fixed. Not healed. Something with a pulse. Something that had survived long enough to sit half-naked in her bed and tell the truth without turning it into another blade.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
I sighed. “Aura.”
“No, I know. I’m not using it like a Band-Aid. I just need to say it when it comes up.” Her fingers moved against mine. “I am sorry I made you feel like loving me was embarrassing. I am sorry I made your softness feel pathetic. I am sorry I didn’t tell you enough to help you understand.”
I looked down at our hands. “I’m sorry I made you pay for what I didn’t know.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I knew you were scared.”
She went quiet.
I let that sit because it mattered.
“I knew enough to stop being cruel,” I said. “I didn’t. That part is mine.”
Her thumb slid along my palm. “We are a fucking mess.”
“Yeah.”
“Like, professionally.”
