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“He—” Ethan swallows hard. “She is only with him because she thinks she has to. She loves you.”
Loving me and being with me are certainly different. Even I know that.
But part of me can’t believe what Ethan’s saying. Something in his words, maybe the tone sparks a memory, a theory.
I can’t speak. I stare at him in disbelief as he continues. Frozen on his words, the guilt settles over me.
All I see is red, overwhelming rage when I hear the words, “He hit her….”
That asshole had his hands on her? My Evie. I barely have enough control to stand there and listen to this. The war I’ve just left is nothing compared to the internal fight I’m having now.
My back is to her, but when I hear commotion behind us again, I turn around. Nothing compares to the sight I’m met with.
Evie, against the house and Shane with his hand to her throat.
26
EVIE
Ican’t breathe. I blink, try to move my head and focus, whispering, “That hurts.”
I meet his eyes, scared of what I’ll see. There isn’t anger. There’s sadness as they narrow at me. He pauses as if he’s about to say something to me, but his face twists into disappointment. “Did you tell your mom?”
I grab at his hands and try to pull them away. “Tell her what?”
His body presses to mine. He tilts his head and leans forward, his grip easing up. “About this.” His thumb sweeps over my swollen cheek.
My tears begin to stream down my cheeks. “No, because she’d kill you if she knew.”
A sad, condescending smile forms. “I thought you wanted me dead.”
I bring a shaking hand to my neck and try again to remove his grip. I can feel my heart beating in my throat. “I want you to stop hurting me.”
He’s quiet for a moment. Contemplative. “Maybe I need to show you how much I love you.”
No, no, no!I close my eyes and wish I could be anywhere but here. “If you love me, you won’t hurt me.”
My words make him pause for a moment. His eyes drop to my chest, and he nods slowly, and then traps me against the side of the house, one hand by my head, the other on my hip. His touch is rough and unwanted. Tugging my dress up around my waist, his hand works between my legs. I grasp his wrist. “Stop.”
I know what’s going to happen. And I’d rather die than have this happen here. Shane’s questing fingers prod around me under my dress, an unwanted friction. It only hurts me. My tears can’t be helped. Involuntarily, I make a whimpering sound, even more scared than I have been. “Shane, please,” I beg. “Not here.”
“Go ahead, look at him now. Let him see you fucking me. Let him….” He grunts, his erection against my thigh. His jeans are still on but I know what’s about to happen.
My blurry vision focuses over Shane’s shoulder where Grayson is looking my way, over his shoulder when Courtney points at us, and then away again.
To anyone else, this looks like a couple making out.
It’s so much more than that. It’s a girl being forced to pretend she’s okay with this.
Shane’s left hand tightens around the back of my neck, the other between my legs. His mouth latches onto my neck, biting and sucking. “Come on, Evie. You know you want to make him jealous.”
“Stop!” I yell, slamming my hands into his chest. “I said no!” I try to scream, but Shane’s hand over my mouth captures my pleas. I stare at him, his irises swallowed by black.
“Shut up,” he growls, shoving me against the side of the house harder.
You would think this gets easier to deal with. To numb yourself. But it doesn’t. Each time it hurts before I can react. I hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I hear the roar of the lawnmower races fading, and then Jameson coming around the other side of the house with his helmet in hand, his cell phone in the other.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, knowing he’d interrupted somethingprivate. Jameson looks at me as he walks by out of the corner of his eye and the hold Shane has on me.