GENESIS

“Don’t hide from me, baby. I’m so sorry.”

I looked down at his grip on my wrist, then back up at him. He looked sorry—truly—but I still felt so dirty. His words echoed in my head, impossible to forget.

“I promise you, baby, I didn’t give her permission to take you anywhere. I would never do that. She’s my friend, yes, but I’d never allow her to do something like that,” he said, gently brushing my hair away from my face. His touch was soft, but his fingers pressed into my skin like he needed me to believe him.

I wanted to. He looked like he was telling the...