The morning sunlight spilled through the curtains like it didn’t know what had happened in the dark. Birds sang somewhere outside. The smell of coffee drifted from the kitchen. Everything looked normal. Safe. Innocent.
But nothing felt innocent anymore.
I stood in front of the guest bathroom mirror, hands gripping the edges of the sink, staring at the faint red marks along the inside of my thighs. My breathing was shallow. My heart wouldn’t slow down.
It hadn’t been a dream.
His hands. His voice. The way he whispered against my neck like I already belonged to him. It was real. And worse, part of me didn’t want to pretend it hadn’t happened.
I heard Maya’s laughter from downstairs. Her bright, warm laugh that had always felt like home. Now it made something in me twist. She trusted me.
