Page 25 of Redeemed

Don’t make him mad.

So when he shoves me back and I feel myself falling, I’m not even surprised. I hit the cobblestone path hard. The pain is familiar, followed quickly by the instinctual urge to run or make myself as small as possible.

“Fine, stay single forever. Fucking freak,” the guy bites out before I can scramble away. He gives me a scathing look and then turns on his heel and stalks away.

I’m frozen on the ground as I watch him move down the path. My limbs tingle from the adrenaline rush, and my palms sting from trying to catch myself. I don’t think I sprained anything, though, so it could be worse.

But… it makes me wonder if I’m wrong. I’ve met quite a few boys who were nice, but then again, I thoughtthisboy was nice when I first saw him. If it hadn’t been for Colton telling me otherwise—and him pushing me just now—my judgment of him would still be wrong.

Maybe I can’t trust my intuition.

I thought the men outside Cornerstone were different.

Less entitled.

Less violent.

Lesscruel.

Am I wrong?

What if they’re all the same, no matter how they were raised?

Colton is nice to me, and I don’t think he’d ever hurt me, but there’s something off about him. I don’t know what it is, but I canfeelit. There’s something about him that’s just… dark. For some reason, I’m drawn to it, but maybe I shouldn’t be.

Maybe he’s just as unsafe as all the men I’ve known before.

Maybe no men are safe.

How am I supposed to know?

“Haven?”

At first, it sounds like Colton’s voice is coming from nowhere, but then I turn my head to see him jogging down the path toward me. He’s coming from the opposite direction that asshole left in.

“Are you all right?” he asks as he gets closer.

I open my mouth to respond, but I can’t speak. Can’t do anything except catch my breath and try to calm my rapidly beating heart before it explodes.

Colton drops to his knees in front of me. “Did you fall? Christ, you’re shaking.” Brows furrowed with concern, Colton reaches for me.

“No,” I screech, scrambling back.

It’s an automatic reaction, one I can’t help. The therapist Julie set me up with told me about fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses during our first session. When I was at Cornerstone, I either froze or fawned.

But that was when I had nowhere to run.

“Haven,” Colton says gently, “it’s me. I’m not going to hurt you.”

But I don’t understand. I justdon’t.How am I supposed to tell the good men from the bad ones? How do I know Colton is telling the truth? Will he turn on me eventually, too?

Slowly, Colton kneels in front of me. His gaze dips to my knees, and his frown deepens. “You’re bleeding.”

I barely hear him through the sound of blood rushing through my ears. Everything in me is screaming to get up. To run, run,rununtil I’m locked up in my dorm where no one can touch me.

“Angel, did someone push you?”

Colton says the nickname so softly that tears spring to my eyes. I can feel my bottom lip start to tremble, and just before my vision starts to blur, I see anger flit across Colton’s face. It vanishes an instant later.

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