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Men who promise nothing but stomp all over my heart and leave me for dead. A rollercoaster that ends with my soul thrown out of the cart. Months of tears, sad songs, and heartache ensue once they’ve had their fun.

During my short twenty-four years, I’ve had three of those.

Topher is the last one, the youngest one I’ve ever dated. He’s three years my junior, but I wanted him.

He used to be a dominant man who would simply announce that he was taking me on a date via text. Appeared at my doorstep every Friday night after a long shift and demanded we go out to a restaurant for a late-night dinner. Told me I couldn’t talk to other guys.

He’d been a delicious red flag.

When he changed, I started losing interest.

He wouldn’t touch me. Wouldn’t try to fuck me like the other guys I’d been with had. I never let anyone get farther than a kiss, but that’s not the point.

The point is, the tension had been insane.

With Topher, nothing happened. He’s been against touching me since day one. Against sex before marriage. We hardly ever kissed.

I’d been hoping that he’d grow out of it.

He hasn’t. He’s become increasingly distant by the day and not in a good, sexy way. Called and visited less.

Since I couldn’t forget how good we had it early on, I gave our relationship another chance. Then another. He was supposed to revert to being his old self.

No such luck.

Which—Why am I having these thoughts right now?

Whatever’s going on here, I need to stay on top of it.

Losing my virginity should be the farthest thing from my mind when Topher’s words hang in the air between the three of us.

His deranged, violent words.

My tongue is heavy as both men stick to their silence. As I wordlessly beg James to tell Topher that even if he’s twenty-one, he’s still his son. He can still order him to stop it.

He stares back. Silent.

Infuriating.

The sound of a knife slicing into meat snaps my attention back to Topher. “He’s not going to help you, Ophelia.”

My heart slows.

He’s right. No one will.

Because there’s no one here.

The expansive dining room is empty but for these two men, me, and our food.

For the first time tonight, I notice that the staff left after they put the plates on the table and poured our wine. They haven’t been back since.

The other times I’d been here, they’d always stayed close by.

Ready with a decanter at hand. Hovering over us to change the silverware to fit each dish. Lingering in the corners of the room in case James or Topher called for them.

I’ve been left here to fend for myself. They even took my coat and purse. My phone.

It’s just me and my thin, black sheath dress against the world.