Page 65 of Shadows Within

“No, but you should respect him, Callum. It’s important to me.” She’s silent for a minute.

Her relationship with Jake is something I must tread against lightly. While I don’t have many boundaries, I’d do anything to have a father like him in my life. I won’t ruin that for her.

“I’ll be over later.”

“Callum—” She starts.

“I’ll be quiet, don’t worry. He’s hasn’t heard all the other times I’ve sneaked in.”

And all the times that she doesn’t know about. She doesn’t respond.

“I’ll see you later, Angel.”

“Bye, Callum.” The softness of her voice stabilizes my mood.

I drive to my house to have a shower and change before I see her. As the night passes in my rear-view mirror, I can’t shake the thought of how much power she holds over me.

Things Left Unsaid

Scarlett

I come home after a much-needed night with Sophia. Laughter, ice cream, and her company cured some of my broken pieces. I haven’t been able to slow down and enjoy life with everything going on lately, and although I want to tell her about it all, I can’t, not yet. Still, I would be lost without her support.

I open the car door and quietly shut it. While it’s not too late, Dad is likely in bed. I slide my key into the lock and push the door open. Dad’s not sitting in his recliner, but the kitchen light is on. I throw my stuff on the table and walk upstairs.

The bed meets me as I enter my room. Heat washes over my face and my vision blurs. Suddenly, it’s not my own bed that I’m looking at. The walls become red, instead of the white that coats my room. I begin to relive that nightmare of a night all at once.

I’m lying on that bed; my limbs are flaccid.My hand reaches for the wall as I steady myself.

I moan, but I can’t make out what I’m trying to say. I seem intoxicated, even though I didn’t drink much. Three men surround me.

The air feels heavy as I try to take a deep breath. I close my eyes and push it out.A distinct smell fills my nose, a common cologne, one that I’ve smelled since that night. Its citrus pulls me in—a scent that isn’t as sophisticated as the typical Langford man. I can’t shake it. Its woody undertones wash over me, and notes of cinnamon pull me in further.

I can’t stop the memories from flooding in.Suddenly, I’m no longer looking at what happened to me. I feel his hot breath on my neck. He tries to pull my shorts down. I want to usemy hands to stop him, but I’m unable to move them. I try regardless.

I open my eyes to a warm hand, gripping my hip. I yell. The hand quickly covers my mouth. I turn to see Callum’s eyes and my breath steadies.

His hand wraps around my head as he pulls me into his chest.

“Shh, I’m here now.”

Relief washes over me—I feel safe in his arms. His smoky leather scent grounds me as I bury my face in his shirt. I want to tell him what just happened, but a part of me is scared.

“Callum, I …” I struggle to get the words out.

He pulls back and looks at me, his hand gripping my face.

“Don’t hide from me, Angel.” His thumb traces my jaw, and his eyes meet mine—so dark and mysterious, yet so beautiful and soft. They stand for everything he is.

“I saw something. Well, I guess I felt it.” I don’t know how to tell him. “I remembered some of what happened at um… the party.”

“What do you mean you remember? What did you see?” His brows meet as he looks toward the ground, concerned.

“I remember being in the room. I remember I was so hot, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe.” My throat tightens. I don’t know how to tell him about how vulnerable I still feel and that I can’t remember everything. “There was someone on top of me, he was trying to pull down my shorts.” My cheeks burn. I want to crawl inside a hole and never come out. Suddenly, I feel ashamed. “I don’t know what happened after that.”

His face drops and he takes a step across the room. His hands ball into fists at his sides and his shoulders tense.

“Callum, I was drinking. I should’ve been paying attention. I’m—”