The man leaves the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I wrap myself in his shirt, greedily inhaling the air near the collar. There’s barely any scent of cologne. Just a faint aroma of cigarettes and the man himself. He smells so good that I almost want to breathe nothing but that.
I lie down on the bed and curl up in a foetal position — it makes the pain feel less intense. I close my eyes and pull the blanket over me. It feels so pleasantly cool against my bare skin, gradually warming up. I never thought I’d be so happy just to lie in a clean bed.
For the first time, I feel completely safe. I know for sure the man won’t harm me. Most likely, I’m not even interesting to him as a woman… after all, he reacted calmly to my nudity. He looked at me, yes, but more at my bruises than at my
