CARMEN POV
The words hit me like a sudden gust of cold air.
I shook my head immediately. “No.”
The answer came too fast. It came too firm. S much so that all three of them seemed slightly taken aback by the certainty in my voice.
“I haven’t—” I stopped short; my throat constricted, voice rasping as shame prickled hot beneath my skin. “You know—that stuff—not in a long time.”
Doctor Dan’s expression softened.
“Alright,” he said gently. “We won’t pursue that.”
Silence lingered for a moment before he continued, and I knew that it was going to be a heavier one, but I gathered what strength I had and would face it head-on.
“Can you tell me what happened to you, Carmen?”
There it was. The real question on everyone’s mind.
I stared down at my hands. I stared at the faint bruising still
