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“Why won’t he leave me alone?” she whispers between sobs.
“Because he loved you and then he lost you. He’s a fool.” I kiss the top of her head.
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh God, don’t apologize. You’ve been through a lot.”
She heaves a shivery sigh. “All breakups are hard, but that was so awful. I should have cut all contact with him from the beginning, but I missed him.”
It occurs to me then that maybe she isn’t as over him as I thought. Perhaps once she’s taught him a lesson, she might want to get back with him.
“I’m sorry I said we were dating,” I tell her. “I thought it might stop him bothering you, but I should have asked you if you minded first.”
“No, it’s good,” she says fiercely. “I hate him. I’m glad you were here. I hope he never comes back.”
I’m not surprised by her vitriol, but it does make me suspect she wasn’t honest with me before. I move back a little and lift her chin so she’s looking up at me. The moonlight that comes through the window lies across her face in a sheet of silver.
“He was my first,” she says.
My eyebrows rise. “Seriously?” Jesus. She was a virgin until she was twenty-three?
She nods. “While I was growing up, Dad was really strict with us about seeing boys. My sisters didn’t care, and just did what they wanted.” She scowls. “I hate how I sound so weak. But I was too terrified of him to rebel. At uni, everyone else was sleeping around, but I was too shy, so I just threw myself into my studies. It was only when I came here and met Jason…” She swallows. “I was relieved to get it over with. But I really picked the wrong guy for that.” Her eyes shine.
“Tell me the truth,” I say firmly. “Did he ever rape you?”
“No. But he used to like holding me down, and he was… rough sometimes.” Tears spill out of her eyes.
Cold slices through me, as if the moonlight is a silver blade. “Did you ever say no?”
She shakes her head and looks down. Fucking hell, she’s ashamed because she didn’t ask him not to be brutal with her. Oh my God, the things men do to women.
“I’ll be all right,” she says. “I just need a few minutes.” She moves away from me, goes through the back door out into the garden, and closes it behind her.
I wonder whether to follow her. My instinct is to comfort her, but equally I don’t want to intrude if she wants some time alone.
I want to kill Jason. To be the girl’s first and treat her like that. No—to be with any woman at any point in her sexual journey and treat her like that. Fucking bastard.
Gritting my teeth, I decide to give her five minutes, and I go upstairs and visit the bathroom. As I come out, my phone vibrates in my pocket, and when I pull it out I see it’s a FaceTime call from Huxley.
I go into my room, close the door, turn the light on, and answer it.
“Morning,” I say, sitting on the bed as his face pops up on the screen.
“Evening,” he replies, and grins. “How are you doing?”
“Yeah, okay. Just got back from watching Shakespeare in the Park with Heidi.”
His eyebrows lift. “Oh, you’ve been to see her?”
“I’m still here, I’m staying with her. She’s had a bit of trouble with her ex, so I thought I’d hang around and make sure she’s okay.”
His smile fades, and his brow darkens. “He’s still harassing her?”
“I think she might have seen the last of him now. She threatened to call the police, and I roughed him up a bit.”
He nods. “Good. Thanks.”
I blow out a breath. “Hux, she wouldn’t say, but I think he might have assaulted her.”
