Instead of hiding myself from his eyes, I wrapped my arms around him again. Staying away from his warmth for this long was bringing back fear in me. Fear of the man I never thought I’d loath even the slightest in my wildest dreams.

Picking up my bare and trembling body in his arms again, he walked us inside the shower and gently placed me down on my feet. Undressing himself, he joined me and let the soothing warm water pour on us.

I stayed quiet as he squeezed some shampoo in his palm and started to wash my hair, gently massaging my scalp. A hiss left my lips when his hands went to the back of my head, where Warner had pulled at my hair harshly.

His shoulders tensed at my reaction. A muscle of his jaw ticked. Gray eyes flashed. But he put on his calm mask again and went extra careful with the back of my head.

No matter how much he stayed normal, I knew the storm that was building inside him. I knew even if he said everything was all right, it wasn’t for him.

My hands were firmly clutched on his waist as he shampooed my hair. I continuously needed his touch at that moment. No matter how much I tried to close off the memories from back at the hotel in my mind, they kept rushing back.

I could still feel his hands on me, his lips on my jaw, cheek and neck, his strong smell of alcohol. His harsh touch and violent behavior.

My stomach clenched at the memories that flashed over my mind, bile raised in my throat. I felt disgusted. I felt dirty with the way he tried to touch me.

Tears started to blur my vision again as I rubbed my arms and face harshly, trying to rinse off his touch from my skin.

“Rosebud? What are you doing?” he asked, gripping my wrists. “Stop it.”

I tried to break free. I needed to wash myself. I needed to clean myself off from his touch.

My tears washed away with the restless water as I fought against him, but he only pulled me into his chest and wrapped his arms around me.

“Calm down, baby. Everything will be fine. I’m here with you. Nothing will happen to you, I promise. Just calm down,” he said, rubbing my back.

I couldn’t stop the sob that broke out of me. Clutching him harder, I cried my heart out in his chest. And he let me.

“I-I trusted him. I thought he was my friend. I-I never thought he could do something like that to me…” I spoke out through my hiccups.