“Yeah.” She shook her head. “He claimed he found it on the bar when he called my land line later that night to let me know he had it. I knew he was lying, but I couldn’t prove it. I just wanted my phone back.”
“What happened?”
“It was late, maybe three in the morning.” The scene flashed through her mind and she shivered.
Loran took the wine glass from her hand and set it down on the tray before encircling her in his arms. “Go on.”
“He told me he was parked across the street from the little house I rented. He said he could come to the door, but I didn’t feel safe letting him in so I told him I’d come out and get it.”
He kissed her temple when she drew a shaky breath. “Take your time, baby.”
“He jumped out of the car as soon as he saw me. I thought about running back inside, but it was too late. He was on me, even before I could scream. He beat the hell out of me and left me in the middle of the road.” She was crying now, but barely noticed the tears as she struggled to get the words out. “I could have been hit by a car. It was dark. I was wearing black. I couldn’t move. I…”
“That son of a bitch,” he said, his voice broken. “What the hell happened to him?”
“I crawled on my hands and knees to the side of the road,” she said, ignoring his question. “But I didn’t have a phone so I couldn’t call for help. I laid there bleeding until my next door neighbour found me a few hours later.”
“I can’t believe you went through that.” He stroked her hair while kissing the top of her head. “Tell me he’s in jail. ‘Cause if he’s not I’m going to hunt him down and—”
“He is.” He was a repeat offender, so the judge gave him the maximum, eighteen years. He could have been out by now, but bad behaviour meant he’d serve every day of his sentence. She hoped.
“How could you have gone through this without your family and friends knowing?”
“My college friends knew,” she said. “I just didn’t tell my family or friends back home. I was embarrassed and ashamed.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Bella.”
“I let him into my life.” And that still haunted her.
“I get it now,” he said, his voice gentle. “Why you reacted the way you did when I went crazy that night.”
“You were so jealous, so possessive,” she whispered, burrowing deeper into his arms. “You had that same look in your eyes that he used to get when he was confronting some guy that I was talking to. Then when you hit him—”
“I’m so sorry I scared you.” He grazed her chin with his finger, tipping her face up to meet his. “If I’d known what you’d been through, I obviously would’ve handled it differently.”
“I know.”
She’d had a lot of time to think since that night in Vegas and she knew, deep down, that Loran was nothing like her college boyfriend. He had made a mistake that night, but that didn’t mean she should have compared him to her ex.
“The way you reacted to seeing me with someone else last night kind of reinforced what I’d already figured out. You’re not some irrational, hothead who can’t stand to see me with someone else. You’re human. You overreacted after we’d spent an intense night together. I get that now.”
“I have to admit, seeing you with someone else last night wasn’t easy.” He grimaced. “I hated the guy and didn’t even know him.”
“Feelings of jealousy and possessiveness are normal when you care about someone.” Her therapist convinced her of that.
“I do still care about you.” He brushed his lips over her cheek. “But I guess you figured that out already.”
She nodded, linking her hand through his. “And honestly, I’m not sure what to do with that.”
“That’s okay,” he whispered. “We don’t have to figure anything out right now. It’s enough that you’re here.”
