AVA

The morning light was like an unwanted intruder. It filtered through the thin curtains of my childhood bedroom, sharp and unforgiving as though it was trying to chastise me.

I tried to roll over, but my body immediately reminded me of everything that had happened in that dark, quiet gazebo last night.

My inner thighs were sore with a dull, familiar ache that thrummed between my legs, and my back felt I’d sprained a muscle or two there. I was sore in all the right places, and every bit of that soreness was like a danger sign pointing toward my brother-in-law.

I stayed under the covers for a long...