Chapter 38

• —Ellie—
• I hovered beside the bed, unable to move. The white sheets were gone, sheets covered in my blood. Tristan had taken them, and I knew why. I closed my eyes for a moment. He would send them to my family. They would find out what had happened. What would they think? Would they hate me? Banish me?
• This wasn’t rape. I could not defend my actions. There was no force, no torture, no violence. Mateo had risked his life for me. Men had died because of me, and I had betrayed them all. I turned away from the bed, unable to bear its presence, and headed toward the window. I climbed on the windowsill, wincing at the sharp twinge between my legs. A painful reminder I didn’t need.