"Do you want me to get someone else?" Damien asked hesitantly. "A woman, maybe? Do you think you'll feel better talking to a woman rather than talking to me?"
For the first time since this nightmare began, I answered. "No," my voice was barely above a whisper. "I just… I’d like to take a shower. Maybe a change of clothes?"
"Yes, of course!" His voice lifted as if I had finally given him something sensible to do—something that could help, even if just a little.
He practically bolted out the door, his footsteps fading down the hall. For a few moments, I just stood there, hugging myself, my mind still reeling from everything. Then, not too long after, Damien returned, his arms full of clothes and toiletries.
"I brought everything I thought you might need," he said, placing them on a broke
