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“I don’t know why you were at my house, and I want to know why. I think you want to explain. I’ll give you a chance to do that. But right now, I want to sleep. I don’t want to think or cry or yell or…do anything but close my eyes and sleep until my shift starts.”

He pushed his hands into his jean pockets. “Maybe you should have someone else cover your shift.”

“Do you think Seth’ll be there? He’s been arrested, right? I can’t miss work. I just started. I don’t…I don’t want them talking about me…and him because I’m not there to set the record straight.”

“I suggested it because I thought you could use the time to deal with what happen. And be here for the kids. They’re afraid for you.”

She exhaled slowly, realizing her tears were closer to the surface than she thought. “And if I stay home, they’ll know I’m not okay. Their world has been turned upside down enough. They need me to be okay, and I can’t take that away from them.”

He nodded, and for a moment, she saw understanding in his eyes. She wondered if she imagined it or if she was tired and saw what she wanted to see. But when her kids came back, kissed her goodbye and stepped outside with Cole and Sydney, Zane pulled her up from the sofa and propelled her ahead of him into her bedroom. She had no idea how he knew it was hers, but she didn’t care. He pushed her to sit on the bed, ordered her to stay put and stepped from the room. Then the beautiful blonde who had come with Cole and Sydney stepped inside.

“Hi, Bridget. I’m Chloe. Sydney’s friend.”

As if her brain decided to stop working, she stared at the woman smiling kindly at her. She told herself she should return the greeting, but she couldn’t do more than there and watch her. Fortunately, Chloe didn’t seem to expect a reply.

“I know you’re exhausted, and I’m guessing your body is going into shock. It’s perfectly normal. I’d like to help you change out of your clothes and stay with you until you fall asleep.”

“Why?”

Chloe closed the bedroom door and moved closer to the bed. “Mind if I sit?”

Bridget didn’t answer, but Chloe sat down on the mattress beside her as if taking her silence as a yes.

“I can understand some of what you’re going through. It’s been a few years, but I was attacked and raped. It’s a long story, and I’ve been working hard to try and deal with it. I’m not going to try and get you to talk to me. I’m not going to tell you not to feel what you’re feeling. I’m going to help you change out of your scrubs. If you’d like to shower, I can warm up the water for you. If you want to sleep, I’ll talk to you until you fall asleep. I want to help. Whatever you need.”

“Sleep sounds…amazing, but the shower. I think…” She couldn’t finish the thought.

“The shower it is. Give me a minute.”

Bridget zoned out. She couldn’t remember how she ended up naked under the shower spray, but when the warm water hit her sensitive skin, the tears started to fall, mingling with the water as it swirled down the drain. The tears gave way to sobs, and she slid down the shower wall until she huddled in the corner and gave in to her raging emotions. She wailed at how stupid she was for trusting Seth, how crazy she was for letting down her guard, and for how dangerous it was to put herself and her kids in a position to be hurt.

She had no idea how long she sat there, but when the water turned cold, she gingerly pushed herself to her feet and turned the shower off. When she pushed back the curtain, Chloe was there to wrap her in a big, fluffy towel. The woman instructed her to dry off and helped her slip into clean underwear and an oversized T-shirt. Chloe led her back to the bed, and Bridget curled under the covers, allowing the warmth to seep through to her bones.

She closed her eyes, believing sleep would come instantly. Instead, her mind’s eye recalled Seth’s face so close to hers that she imagined feeling his hot breath on her face. Suddenly the covers felt too confining, like she couldn’t escape the feel of his body pressing against hers, holding her captive as he touched.

She shot up in the bed and flung the covers away from her, her breaths coming in quick, panicked pants.

Chloe reached over to prop the pillows up behind Bridget. Then she straightened the covers at the nurse’s feet, making sure they were smooth underneath her.

“Just lean back. Leave your eyes open if you want, but rest. It’s what you need.”

With a gentle hand, she pushed Bridget against the pillows and crossed around the foot of the bed. Then she surprised Bridget by climbing onto the bed next to her.

“The first time I met Sydney was at this party — I forget where. I was there to network. Part of my job is event planning, and I had already started to build a reputation for myself. I was approached by Emmett Carter to help his fiancé plan their wedding. She was clueless when it came to such things. His fiancé was Sydney. She was quiet, standoffish. I thought she was a bit of a snob, thinking she was too good to be associating with a mere party planner when she was engaged to a successful investment broker. First impressions are not always what they seem. They fool even the best of us.”

Bridget swallowed the lump in her throat. “Why are you telling me this?”

Chloe watched her, her eyes clouding with an emotion Bridget’s tired mind didn’t readily recognize. “I’m just talking. You can lie back and listen. Or you can tune me out. I want you to know you’re not alone right now.”

Bridget nodded, adjusted her pillows and settled more comfortably on the bed. She shifted to her side and curled her hands under her pillow as Chloe continued.

“Most of the time Emmett was at the apartment when I came to work with Sydney. She seemed incapable of making a decision, and instead of empowering her, he took over. I’ll admit I couldn’t wait for the wedding to be over because I didn’t like working with them.

“But then one day, Emmett got busy at work, and I was alone with Sydney. She was completely different, shy but sweet and funny. We had the best time. I hugged her when we finished, and she flinched. Before I pulled away, I saw a bruise on her neck. It looked like a handprint.”

“I’m sorry,” Bridget whispered, realizing what Chloe didn’t say out loud.

“She felt stuck. Emmett had alienated her friends and family, so she only had him. That’s when we started planning, this time for a life away from him instead of her wedding. We found her a place to stay and set her up a business. She’s a computer genius, so it didn’t take long to find customers to help her support herself. Anyway, she finally felt free to leave Emmett.