Page 112 of A Lie in Church

I sighed softly, the memories starting to overwhelm me.

“But I had to go home that night. The doctor was against it. I didn’t want my family to get worried and call the cops.”

“No one in your family knew?”

“My sister. She once caught me smoking weed in the bathroom after I returned from camp, and she warned me to stop, but she never told my parents. I told her about all my boyfriends. She never liked Dominiano. She wanted to tell my parents about the attempted rape, but I begged her not to. To my parents, I had changed.”

“You didn’t tell her about the mark on your back?”

“I only told Vina ’cause she saw it and now you. Grey also knows about the scar.”

“How did you end up dating Grey?”

“After he saved my ass, I never saw him again until I got to college, and we were taking the same course. We pretended not to know each other for some time, but later, we became friends. He finally asked me out. It was hard at first ’cause I thought he was going to be like the rest, but he changed a lot in my life.”

“Can I ask you something?” Tristan asked.

“Sure.”

“That day in the church Grey mentioned something about you having an affair with a married man. Is that true?”

I swallowed the dryness in my throat. I looked away from Tristan and stared at my hands.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Tristan said rubbing my thigh smoothly.

“His name was Jeremy. I met him at a bar where I’d managed to get in with a fake ID. We talked the whole night and he bought me a drink. I told him I was twenty-one but I was sixteen then, and he told me he was twenty-six. He was so nice and bought me gifts every time we hung out. Two weeks later, I found out he was married and had a kid. I wouldn’t say we dated but the attraction was there. I never saw him again after that.”

“I’m sorry you went through all that. You’re stronger than I give you credit for,” Tristan said, and pinched my thigh.

I smiled.

“You attract the worst men.”

“Yeah, and you’re one of them.”

“Yeah, I am,” he whispered.

“The fact that you didn’t shed a tear after telling those stories shows how strong you are. It’s a rare superpower,” he said with a genuine smile.

Thank God he didn’t see the ones trying to come out.

“I’m glad I met Grey,” I whispered after some time.

“I’m glad I met you,” he said more to himself, but I was able to pick up the words.

My cheeks turned warm even if I tried not to overthink it. I glanced at the wall clock and yawned.

“Come here.” He tapped on a spot next to him.

I moved to where he was and lay down, turning my back to him.

“Good night,” I said with a yawn.

“Good night, Chloe,” he whispered close to my ear.

I could feel the warm air from his nose. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but he put one arm around my waist and pulled me closer to his naked chest.

I switched off the lamp and stared into the darkness. I turned around and faced him. I felt his eyes on me.