“Sorry,” Tara said, looking down at her toes. “Well, it’s your fault, too, for looking all handsome and sad. How is a woman supposed to resist that?”

“Tara,” he said with quiet warning. “Are you ready to tell me why you’re here?”

“I … I came to apologize.” Her face crumpled with regret and something inside him seemed to wither.

“I don’t want your apology,” he said, more sharply than he’d intended. He didn’t want to assuage her guilt. He wanted to love her. But when her face turned pale, he wanted to smack himself.

“Well, you’re going to get one anyway,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“I…”

“Shut up and listen.” She took a deep breath. “Please. Before I lose my guts and run away.”

The “run away” part shut him up good. No matter what happened, he wasn’t ready to watch her go.

“I was afraid. Not that it excuses what I did to you, but I let my fear get the best of me.” She slid down against the wall until she was sitting on the floor. He joined her from the opposite wall in the hallway. Their outstretched legs were lying parallel to each other. He held himself back from pressing his leg against hers. “What I told you? About my ex from college? There’s more.”

“I’m listening, Tara,” he said in gentle reassurance. But his heart was thumping against his ribs, bruising them with its force. “Go on. I’m here.”

“He wasn’t just controlling. He was emotionally abusive.”

A menacing sound he didn’t know he was capable of making escaped his throat.

“Seth, please. Don’t get angry. Just listen for now. It’s all in the past and I’m finally okay with it. Don’t let it hurt you. Please.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll try not to interrupt anymore,” he said through clenched teeth, trying to control his fury. That bastard had hurt Tara. Really hurt her. He wanted to beat him to an inch of his life.

“He made me believe that I wasn’t good enough. Everything I did was wanting, and he said that I didn’t love him enough to do better. I kept trying to be good enough for him, but kept failing. My confidence was shattered and guilt chained my heart.” She took a shuddering breath and continued, “I would hold my breath and shrink into myself when he was near so I wouldn’t trigger one of his outbursts. But I stayed with him because he always convinced me that it was my fault he got angry. I think that really broke me. I didn’t know who I was anymore. I was so scared.”

“God, Tara. I’m so sorry.” Heat prickled behind his eyes as pain slashed through him, and emotion choked his throat.

“One day, something came over me, and I fought back when he lost his temper. I didn’t buy his hateful accusations. I didn’t cower to his fury. The real me was still inside of me, shouting that I didn’t deserve that. That I’m worth more than what he convinced me to believe. That’s when I finally left him.”