The scalding water cascaded over my skin, trying—and failing—to wash away the deep ache between my thighs and the fresh, purple bruises blooming across my hips. Logan had been especially brutal after our return from the gala. The violent car ride, the dark frenzy in the penthouse elevator... he had taken me twice more against the mattress before finally allowing me to slip away into the sanctuary of the bathroom.
I stood directly under the heavy spray with my eyes closed, fighting to steady my ragged breathing. The mindfulness and breathing techniques that had once helped me manage my stutter felt entirely useless now. Every single time I closed my eyes, I simply saw his cold, slate-grey ones staring back at me in the darkness with that terrifying, unhinged mixture of absolute obsession a
