I wrap my arms around her waist. “We can turn this game around and make it the fun, flirty game you wanted it to be, trust me on that. But can we just let this moment be what it is? I don’t wanna tell you what you need, but I can tell that you don’t have anyone in your life that holds space for you to just sit in your emotions. And I know that’s by design because sitting in your emotions is the one thing you don’t want to do. But I got you. I swear to God if you’d just let me, I would kiss all your scars. I’d kiss them until you could appreciate their beauty the way I do.”

This time when her tears fall, I take care to wipe them for her. “Okay. I can do this.”

“Take your time.”

She takes a deep exhale and then finally she lets it all go. “Dante was persistent, and though I didn’t think I deserved it at the time, it was nice to have his attention. So I gave in with the expectation that we’d keep it light. He wanted more and he told me to keep an open mind, so I did and things were nice, for a while. But then, my dad disapproved. He said I didn’t need the distraction of a relationship and that Dante had to go. I warned Dante about it but he, like you, said he wasn’t scared of him. And I was just so…tired. Tired of living under his thumb and giving up everything just because he snapped his fucking fingers. So I stayed. Not because I loved him, because I didn’t. I liked Dante but never at any point did my feelings for him come anywhere near what I felt, what I feel, for you. So, he lost everything because of my selfish rebellion and had nothing to show for it.”

“So, you’re saying all the sexual assault accusations…”

“Came from my dad, yeah. I have no idea how he got ten women to come forward or what he said to them. I was able to track them down, and I tried talking to them but none of them would retract their story. And they seemed horrified when I asked. They knew who I was—Jason Harding being my father is no secret—so when I came to them it wasn’t Dante they were terrified to speak about, it was my dad. A few of them even made me promise I would tell my dad that they didn’t tell me anything.”

I scrub a hand down my beard. “Fuck.”