As soon as we get outside, he looks down at the sidewalk and then at my feet, turns and scoops me over his shoulder, igniting a second bout of psycho and fight in me. I throw myself into a second hurricane tornado of violence and try like a psychopath to get away from him.

“Sophie, for the first time in my life, I will actually spank you. Will you stop fucking fighting me!” Arrick snaps at me, gripping me so harshly it makes me yelp in fright, and I fall quiet. The threat of being smacked sounds real, like he means it and I recoil inside my own head. It’s...