Adam sucked in his breath, already knowing her whole story. The burns on her thighs were screaming witnesses to what had happened to her.
“He hurt my mother, badly. He controlled her with violence, and no matter how angry I still am at her for what she let happen under her roof, I do know that. She – she should have done things differently, but I understand why she didn’t.”
“I’m sorry, Katie,” he repeated, knowing that it wasn't anything like good enough, knowing that it was all he had.
But it was as if she didn’t hear him. “The abuse started almost immediately – he beat me and my brother. Locked us in the closet for days on end. Starved us. It went on like this until I was eleven and Ryan was thirteen, I guess, and then it… changed for me. It became more… sexual.”
Adam closed his eyes
