by Meghyn King
“But you did. You did do something.”
Scarlett frowned at the ground and cuddled up closer. The air was cool against her skin, the humidity having dropped as the afternoon wore on. His body protected her from most of the coolish air. “Ethan, what if I talked to Sofia?”
“Hm?” Ethan sounded half dazed, like maybe he was caught in his own thoughts.
“Sofia. What if I talked to her?”
“What do you mean?” He carded his fingers through her loose hair, his fingernails scraping her scalp lightly. It made her shiver.
“You said you tried to convince her to talk to the police. She wouldn’t. But what if I talk to her? I’ve been in a position where I’ve been tormented. I’ve been the victim of abuse.” She grimaced. She hated saying it, and that was her issue. She was a victim, but she also knew that it wasn’t something to be ashamed of.
“Would you do that?” Ethan pulled back, so he could stare into her eyes. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable, Scarlett. Your feelings matter too.”
His words warmed her. She smiled. “I’m fine. I want that jerk to get his own karma, and Sofia deserves justice for what he did to her.”
He touched his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “You’re amazing.”
“I know,” she teased in return.
Scarlett woke with a yawn and cuddled closer to the warm body behind her. Ethan was still deep in sleep, evident by his slow and steady breathing, but his shirtless chest offered extra heat to her back. She entwined her feet with his under the blanket, seeking more warmth for her freezing limbs.
He woke with a hiss, then shifted closer. “Your feet are cold,” he mumbled into her hair.
“Sorry,” she chuckled, glancing over her shoulder at him. “I’m always cold in the morning.”
“I’ve noticed the trend.” He kissed her bare shoulder. She wore a silk knee-length nightgown with thin straps, and it was at moments like these that she appreciated its scanty design. She loved his lips on her skin, his beard scratching against it.
“I need to get up.”
He groaned. “Why?”
“I want to visit Sofia. She’ll be home, right?”
“Yeah.” He rested his head on his elbow, which was lying on a pillow. Scarlett took a moment to admire the flex of his bicep as he shifted to get comfortable. “Are you sure you want to? I won’t hold it against you, Scarlett. I want you to talk to her, but I won’t force you to do something you don’t want to. I’m not Jeremy.”
“I know.” She wriggled around to face him and stroked his cheek. “You’re nothing like Jeremy, and I hope you didn’t let his words upset you. You aren’t controlled by the women in your life. You compromise with us. That makes you more of a man than him.”
He grinned. “Oh, I know that. I’m not doubting my masculinity, Scarlett.” He traced a finger over her temple and down her cheek. The pads of his fingers were rough but felt amazing. “You’re a woman in my life, aren’t you?”
Scarlett groaned. “Trust you to pick up on that.”
“I can’t help that I love listening to your voice.”
Her cheeks heated, and she glared at him. “Stop being romantic. It’s useless.” It wasn’t, though, and she had a feeling he knew that. He’d always had a natural charm, and he used it to his advantage.
“Nope, I don’t think it is.”
“Whatever.” She ignored his knowing smile when she slipped out of bed. The cold air hit her skin and she shivered, eyeing the air conditioner on the wall in the corner his room. “How cold do you have that darn thing?”
“Not cold enough. You switched it up.”
Ugh, she had. She loved her cold air-conditioning, but Ethan had it on a ridiculously low temperature. She’d always thought she was bad for it, but apparently, he was even worse. Ignoring his cackle of laughter, she ran toward the bathroom and started a hot shower. He joined her soon after, and they spent the next hour under the water touching and tasting each other’s bodies, which of course led to some intense and passionate sex against the glass walls of the shower, finished off with actually getting themselves cleaned up and ready for the day. Scarlett couldn’t seem get enough of him, and no matter how sore she got from the stretch of his thick cock and the way he thrust into her like he was trying to reach her soul, she wanted more.
“What do you have planned for today?” she asked as she slipped on a beautiful sundress she’d picked up in Greenwich Village one day. Some of her clothes had found their way into his closet over the last few days she’d spent with him. She refused to acknowledge their presence there. It meant nothing.
“Not sure. We have Rob’s bachelor party tonight and I think he wants to start drinking early. I might hang with the boys for a while. Probably play some football.”
“You guys aren’t going back to the festival?” She fixed her hair in his full-length mirror. It was easier just to throw it up in a single ponytail—she wasn’t going out of her way to look nice for Sofia. Scarlett was going there as another woman, with some advice that would hopefully get Sofia to change her mind about reporting what had happened with Jeremy.
“Maybe. That’s the best place to get started drinking.” Ethan grabbed a pair of jeans and slipped them on.
Scarlett watched him through the mirror and licked her lips. His thighs were thick and muscular, and she loved them. She’d always had a thing for a man’s thighs.
Ethan smirked at her. “Time for another round?”
“Do you have the stamina to get it up again?” she teased.
He snorted. “When it comes to you? Absolutely.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes and grabbed her handbag. “Tomorrow. You’ll be busy today, and I might visit Shy and see if she needs some help with the final preparations.”
Ethan grabbed her as she made to walk past him, dragging her against his body. He leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. “You’re stunning, you know that? You take my breath away.”
“Yeah?” She cupped his cheeks and drew him in for a longer, passionate kiss. He tasted like his peppermint toothpaste. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
“Glad to hear that.” He released her and gave her ass a pat. “I’ll text you her address.”
“All right. Ring me tomorrow?”
“Won’t you be busy with Shy? The wedding is in a couple of days.”
“Maybe. I’ll talk to her.” She pointed at him. “In the meantime, make sure Rob doesn’t get cold feet. Tell him I’ll kill him if he doesn’t turn up to the wedding.”
Ethan saluted her. “Yes, ma’am. I’ll drag him there myself if I have to.”
Scarlett laughed. “Are you going to drop me off at the hotel so I can get my car, or should I catch a cab?”
“I’ll take you. Come on, gorgeous.” He held out his hand, and she didn’t hesitate in slipping her hand into his.
Sofia lived on the outskirts of town. It was a quieter part of Ponchatoula, with older houses lining the streets. It wasn’t the kind of suburb Scarlett expected Sofia to live in, but she had realized by now that everything she knew had changed. The people she went to high school with had changed, and it wasn’t something she needed to get into her head any longer.
She pulled into the narrow driveway, and stepped out and headed toward the front door, knocking gently.
Sofia opened the door almost immediately. Identical dark eyes to Ethan’s stared at her, wide with surprise at the presence of Scarlett on her doorstep. “Scarlett?”
“Hi, Sofia.” She smiled gently. “Mind if I come in?”
“Is Ethan okay?”
Scarlett frowned. “Why wouldn’t he be?”
“It’s just… well, I heard from Margorie, who heard from old Elinor, that you went to the festival with him. You wouldn’t be here unless something happened to him….”
“No, nothing like that.” She winced. Had she been that cruel to Sofia, that she believed Scarlett would be here for no other reason? Probably. Scarlett had b
een defensive since she arrived in Ponchatoula. Guilt gnawed at her. “I thought we could have a chat.”
Sofia hesitated, but nodded. She moved out of the doorway, allowing Scarlett to step into the slender hallway of the tiny house. Sofia had to squeeze past her, so she could lead the way into the kitchen. It wasn’t anything like Scarlett could ever imagine for her former bully. The house wasn’t just tiny, it was old, with small, crumbling holes in the plastered walls, and peeling paint. The carpet was threadbare, with patches missing, exposing the concrete beneath. She wondered why Ethan hadn’t mentioned anything, but then again, it wouldn’t have made any difference in her decision to visit Sofia.
The kitchen Sofia led her into wasn’t any better, with a small, round table, and just two wobbly-looking chairs seated around it. There were three other matching chairs stacked against the wall, but the legs were broken off them. Some of the cabinet doors were hanging off their hinges, and the dull marble counter was heavily chipped.
“Sorry, I didn’t know I was having visitors. I would have cleaned.” Sofia scurried into the kitchen, attempting to close one of the cabinet doors, but it creaked and fell completely off its hinges, clattering on the floor beside Sofia’s feet. Sofia let out a small scream.
“Sofia, are you okay?” Scarlett rushed over to her, grabbing her shoulders. “Are you hurt?”
Sofia’s shoulders shook. “I’m fine. I’m fine. I just got a fright.”
Scarlett’s heart ached for this broken woman, because that was what she was. Broken. Scarlett knew that feeling well, because this was once her. The difference was that Scarlett escaped before any more damage could be done. Sofia was stuck in the same town as her abuser.
“Come on. Come and sit down.” She led Sofia over to one of the chairs and helped her sit. “Do you have coffee? I’ll make it for you.”
“In that broken cupboard. It’s not as nice as Ethan’s coffee. That’s why I go to his house some mornings.” She chuckled, but it sounded as fragmented as she looked.
Scarlett swallowed around a lump that was forming in her throat. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry for Sofia or drag her into a hug. It didn’t even matter that this was the woman who had bullied her into leaving town. At that moment, Sofia was someone who needed help. She was Ethan’s sister, and Scarlett would do everything she could to help her.
She located the coffee in the cupboard where Sofia said it was, and found two mugs beside it. The mugs were clean, though chipped, but Scarlett didn’t mind. She boiled some water and made the coffee in silence. She felt Sofia’s eyes on her the entire time and it didn’t bother her like she expected it would have.
“How are you?” Scarlett finally asked as she set the mugs of steaming coffee on the table. She sat in the other chair and smiled gently at Sofia.
“I’m fine.” Sofia eyed her carefully. “I didn’t know you were back in town. On the first day I saw you, I mean. I wasn’t stalking you. I work at the Coffee Corner sometimes.”
It was said so defensively that it made Scarlett frown. “I never accused you of stalking me.”
“Just so you know.” Sofia took a sip of her coffee and groaned. “You make nice coffee.”
“Maybe that’s why Ethan’s been keeping me around,” she joked.
It brought a smile to Sofia’s lips. “I never expected you two to be a thing.”
Scarlett grimaced. “We’re not.”
“What? But you’re sleeping with each other. You went to the festival.”
She hesitated. She didn’t know where to begin in explaining it to Sofia. How could she tell her that she and Ethan were only fucking? It felt like acid on her tongue, because it felt wrong to think it, let alone say it.
“I’m leaving a few days after Shiloh’s wedding.”
“Couldn’t you do the long-distance thing? Do you remember Becky from school? She was a year above us. She’s in a long-distance relationship with a lawyer from Los Angeles. He’s a nice guy. I met him once.” Sofia wrapped her hands around her steaming mug and took another sip.
“They usually don’t work, but I’m glad it is for Becky.” Scarlett cleared her throat. “I didn’t come here to talk about Ethan.”
“Really?” She glanced into her coffee. “What did you want to talk about?”
Scarlett noticed a lulled whisper to Sofia’s voice, like she was afraid to raise it any higher. There were some moments when Scarlett could barely hear her, but it came with the fear. That kind of fear was Scarlett’s old friend and she knew it well.
“School… and what you did to me.”
Sofia clenched her eyes closed and her grip on the mug tightened. “Will you let me apologize, and explain it to you?”
“No, but I want to explain something to you.”
“Me?” Even though she spoke, her eyes didn’t open.
“Yes. I want to tell you what your bullying did to me.”
“I know. I know what it did to you, and I’m sorry.”
“Sofia.” She said her name gently, so not to scare her, and grabbed one of Sofia’s hands to touch it comfortingly. “Can you listen to me?”
Sofia’s eyes opened, and she nodded.
“Good, because I need you to hear this.” Scarlett stole a deep breath. “You destroyed me, Sofia. You broke my heart. All I ever wanted was to be your friend.” She held up her hand when Sofia’s mouth parted, as though she was going to speak. “Listen to me. Please.” She took a sip of her coffee. It was quickly becoming lukewarm, but she never minded it at that temperature, as long as it wasn’t cold. She needed caffeine for this talk—or maybe something stronger.
“You hurt me. All I ever wanted was to fit in. I admired you all during middle school, but you barely acknowledged me. When you began torturing me in high school, it was hell. I was terrified of going to school. There were days when I woke up praying I’d be sick, just so I didn’t have to go. And Shiloh told me it was her who told you about my crush on Ethan.”
Sofia fiddled with her fingers, her throat working a deep swallow. Her stare stayed on Scarlett, though, giving Scarlett her full attention.
“I’m not saying this to make you feel bad.”
“I know you’re not, you’re not that type of person. Ethan wouldn’t ever be with someone who’s like that.” Sofia smiled. “Ethan’s a better person than I am.”
Scarlett didn’t reply to that comment because back when they were teens, that was sort of true. Like with everything else, though, things had changed. She didn’t know Sofia well enough to comment on it anymore.
“You broke me, Sofia. I had PTSD, and I was afraid of leaving the house because I thought everyone was judging me the way you did. After what you and Jake did to me… I was afraid of my own room. As soon as I got to New York, I went to a therapist, and I understand my emotions now, but I need you to know the damage you did.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “I do.”
“I know you do. I can see it in your eyes.” She squeezed Sofia’s hand. “Who did this to your face, Sofia?”
Sofia froze. “I—I don’t know what you mean.”
“You do.” Scarlett stared at her softly. “Let me help you.”
“He’s not in my life anymore.”
“But he is, isn’t he?”
Sofia laughed sadly. “Ethan already told you. Did he put you up to this?”
“Yes, he did tell me, but he didn’t put me up to this. I wanted to do this myself because I know what it’s like to be a victim of abuse.”
Her eyes dropped to the mug again, her hands gripping Scarlett’s tightly. “I didn’t realize the consequences of what I did. I was young and stupid.”
“I know, and I can’t forgive you for what you did, Sofia. You destroyed me. But I can move on. I have moved on.”
“For Ethan?” Sofia asked.
“This has nothing to do with Ethan. This is for us. You and me. We need to move on.”
“Exactly. I need to move on, so I can’t take him to the cops.”
“That’s not moving on, Sofia. He’s out there doing it to other women. Your brother is trying to find proof on him, but Jeremy is scaring women into keeping their mouths shut. He’s a pig.” Scarlett gritted her teeth at the thought of the son of a bitch. “He was out with Nicole last night, and he was squeezing her arm tight enough to hurt her.”
Sofia’s eyes widened and her entire body shivered visibly. “That’s how it starts. Just little bruises… from squeezing too hard. ‘It’s an accident,’ he says.”
“And we both know it’s not. Nicole is a sweet person, a perfect victim for him. She’d never speak out against him.”
“I know.” Her voice was barely audible, and Scarlett had to lean forward to hear her.
“We can’t let him hurt her, Sofia. We just can’t.”
Her hand shook in Scarlett’s hold. “Am I weak, Scarlett?”
“Hell naw, you’re not!” Anger simmered beneath her skin, making her Southern accent more prominent than before. She wanted to destroy Jeremy for making Sofia, a once strong woman, afraid of her own shadow. “You’re strong. You’re Sofia fucking Antonelli. You don’t let any man walk over you. Hear me? Destroy that motherfucker. Rip off his balls.”
Sofia’s eyes widened. “You curse a lot when you’re angry.”
Scarlett threw her head back and laughed. “I curse a lot most of the time.”
“You’re fierce. I like this Scarlett.”
The smile she sent Scarlett was soft and genuine, and Scarlett’s chest ached with a feeling she couldn’t identify. Maybe happiness? Could she be happy now that her former bully looked at her with admiration? When she came back to town, she had plans for Sofia to be jealous of her successful life and glamorous new looks, not admire her, but she decided that she liked admiration a lot better.
“It took me a long time to get there, Sofia,” she said truthfully. “And it’ll take a long time for you to heal, but I believe you can, and that begins with you putting this bastard behind bars. Talk to your brother. He cares about you.”
