Chapter 26

• BRYCE
• Isla curls her slender arms around her waist. I watch in horror as my words cause her to physically shield herself. If I could drop-kick myself, I would because I’m a fucking asshole. I’ve shamed her, which is all Paul has ever done. People assume abusers only use violence on their victims, but it goes beyond that. Abusers break down every part of a person until there’s nothing left. It’s deconstruction. It doesn’t happen at once. It’s a slow, drawn-out campaign to strip all the layers until everything that makes them who they are is decimated.
• I step toward her, and she shuffles back. She shakes, her bottom lip trembles, and a lonely tear glides down her face. She should lash out at me and run for the hills, but she stands there, vulnerable and exposed.