Atticus takes a deep breath, and I can tell that my words have broken his composure. He drops his gaze lower so that his eyes are glued to mine.
"I know it doesn't look good, Autumn, but I swear my intention was never to hurt you any of those times. And I'm telling the truth. I didn't know Anya was going to be there. She's having difficulty coming to terms with this marriage; she's been acting out because of it. I'm only trying to help her." He tries to reason with me. "I'm not saying that I'm innocent in any of this; I'm just trying to prove to you that I'm not as bad as you think I am. Ask anyone here; I was helping to look for Maya last night. Ask Clarissa if you want to; she won't lie to you; she likes you. She will tell you the truth. I was with my siblings the entire night, and Any
