I have never been a helpless woman either. But right now, I am. I’m so completely fractured beyond repair I don’t know if I’ll ever recover from this.

“Perhaps I should try,” Lois offers in a gentle tone as she steps forward.

For a moment, Judge looks so utterly broken by the idea he shakes his head. But my eyes move to Lois, and I reach my fingers toward her in a silent plea. She’s the only person who hasn’t hurt me here. My only ally in this house.

“Okay,” Judge concedes with a stiff tone. “Please, just get her onto her side.”

Lois sits down beside me, careful and deliberate as she reaches out to touch my arm. “I’m going to help you turn back this way,” she says gently. “Is it okay if I touch your shoulder?”

I nod at her with a jerk of my chin, and she positions her hand beneath my shoulder and slowly rolls me back onto my side, legs curled into my body. My ass stings. My thighs too. But something sticky coats my skin, and I know they must have salved the wounds.

“Is that okay?” she asks.

Again, I nod, grateful for her soothing energy.

“We have some medication that will help,” she tells me. “Will you take it?”

My eyes move back to Judge, and my body shakes as another wave of agony pulses through me.

“I’ll be right here.” He leans forward onto his elbows, his brows pinched in frustration. “I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. Nobody will touch you. Nobody will ever hurt you like that again.”

My lips part, and I release a strangled sound, working my dry throat until I can force a response from it. “Don’t make promises… you can’t keep.”

Devastation passes over his face, but I’m too far gone to care. When I glance up at Lois, she seems to understand what I need. A promise from someone I can actually trust.

“I’ll stay,” she assures me. “Please, Mercedes, do not worry. I will watch over you. But you need to rest. You need to heal.”

I nod, and she takes the pills from Judge, along with a small cup of water. She has to hold my head up so I can take them, and when I do, my eyes feel heavy within seconds. I’m exhausted, and Lois is right. The only thing I can do now is rest.

Hours blur into each other. Moments of oblivion seem to fracture under seconds of brief clarity when I open my eyes to find Lois kept her word. She hasn’t left. Neither has Judge.