Chapter 7
Cara
It’s weird how being emotionally numb sharpens every little ache and pain in my body. The scrape on my cheek throbs especially hard. Jean is bending over me, changing the bandage on it, slathering it with antiseptic cream and taping gauze over it.
His fingers are gentle. There’s concern in his face. I still want to hide from him. “I’m a mess,” I sigh.
“You’re beautiful,” he insists, and I feel a catch in my throat and shiver. “You just got beat up. You’ll heal, and meanwhile, only an i***t would expect you to be photo-ready.”
He’s just called my parents and most of their peers idiots, but I don’t disagree. In fact, it’s good to hear, after that horrible phone call. It makes me feel better that someone, a grown-a*s man who has probably survived more than I’ve ever even w
