Page 55 of Penance

For the first time in a long time, I see him.

I really see him.

I shrug. The tears are back, and they hurt so bad.

“But what if I did?”

Chapter 12

Draco

She’s huddled in the claw-foot tub, arms wrapped around her knees, eyes red and swollen. Her wet hair clings to her neck, her jawline and her forehead, a dark river against her pale skin. Seeing her like this, so small and broken, sends a wave of satisfaction through me.

I lean back on the toilet, watching her. She looks up at me, and her eyes are wide and fearful, like a doe caught in a snare. I keep my face blank, a mask of calm, but inside, I’m screaming.

I won.

I fuckingwon.

“Mercy,” I say. “Tell me what happened. Everything.”

She looks away, her fingers tracing the edge of the tub.

She can’t look at me and think of that.

Why not?

“I… I don’t know where to start,” she whispers.

“Start from the beginning,” I tell her. “Tell me everything you know.”

Inside, I’m grinning.

I am a wolf, and this mask of concern is my woolen costume.

“I guess it started the morning I saw you at the pharmacy,” she says. “I woke up sick that morning. I was throwing up. I called the doctor, and she got me in that same morning.”

She stops, swallowing hard.

“She did a test,” she said, blinking hard to fight the tears in her eyes. “Test was positive. I’m pregnant.”

“And you don’t remember anything?” I ask.

She shakes her head.

“No. Nothing,” she swallows again. “H-he must have been doing it… while I was asleep.”

“So it’s been happening for a while.” It’s a statement, not a question. “And then he came back and raped you while you were awake, to prove he could.”

She shrugs. Nods.

“I guess so.”

“Bastard,” I scoff. “How far along are you?”

Another shrug.

“I don’t know. The doctor said she can do an ultrasound, but—”

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