Page 28 of Shattered Oaths

She shakes her head again. “Nothing. I stopped him. I stopped him before he could do anything.” She’s sobbingnow, her voice high-pitched and breathing heavy. “I tried telling him to stop. It was like he couldn’t hear me. He’s never done that before.” Her eyes gloss over, as if she’s drifting back to wherever she was before she showed up here. “His hand. He put his hand in my…” Another shake of her head. “He was touching me. I couldn’t get him to stop.”

My throat is thick, chest aching at the complete brokenness in her tone as she chokes on air and falls against me, her head buried in my chest.

I don’t hesitate before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her into me, one hand moving to cradle her head.

“Shhh,” I soothe, my lips resting against the top of her head as her body heaves with the force of her tears. “You’re safe now.”

“I was so scared, Noah,” she cries against my chest.

I hold her tighter. “I know, baby.”

Images of him Justin hurting her, his unwanted touch on her body, his sleazy voice in her ear flash through my mind and I grit my teeth, my blood beginning to boil in my veins.

Despite all the anger I feel toward Justin, it takes a backseat as I scoop Bella into my arms and carry her up the stairs and into the ensuite in my bedroom, setting her down on the toilet for a moment while I reach over the bathtub and turn on the faucet.

Bella continues to tremble beside me, from the shock or the wet clothes, I’m not sure but from the faraway look in her eyes as she stares at the bathroom counter, I’m going to go with the former.

I throw some bath salts into the warm water before moving to the storage cupboard where I keep the towelsand pulling out the fluffiest one, placing it in the towel warmer Savannah convinced me to buy.

Once the bathtub is filled, I turn off the faucet and turn to Bella. “Do you have any clothes with you, or do you want something of mine to wear after?”

She blinks at me sluggishly, her voice small and fragile. “Whatever I have is in the car.”

“I’ll get you something of mine to wear. We can bring your bag in tomorrow.”

She nods and I return to my bedroom, rooting around in my dresser for anything that might fit her small frame. My mind briefly flashes back to the last time she wore something of mine, but I quickly shake it away.

Now is not the time to be thinking about that.

I grab a t-shirt, some briefs from the unopened pack of new ones and a pair of long socks from my dresser before returning to the bathroom.

Bella sits in the same position I left her, eyes focused again on the bathroom counter, and I step in front of her eyeline, holding up the clothes. “They might be a little big, but they’ll do the trick. I put the towel in the warmer for you. Take as long as you need, okay? I’ll be right downstairs if you need me.”

She looks between me, the clothes in my hand and the towel warmer and back again as if she’s soaking up all the information. When she doesn’t say anything in response, I kneel down in front of her and tuck a loose strand of damp hair behind her ear. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I don’t want to be alone,” Bella answers quietly.

I dip my chin. “Okay.” I look around the room, trying to come up with a way to make this work. I point at the openbathroom door. “I’ll sit right out there, okay? You won’t be alone.”

Bella contemplates for a moment before nodding. “Okay.”

Relief courses through me and I smile at her as I stand. “You can talk to me the entire time if you need to. Or I will stay silent. Whatever you need from me, just let me know.”

I turn away from her and head toward the door, ready to take my seat on the floor just outside of the bathroom when her voice stops me. “Noah?”

I look back at her over my shoulder. “Yeah?”

She gives me a soft smile. The first one I’ve seen in a long time. “Thank you.”

The sincerity and gratefulness in those two small words cause a lump to form in my throat and instead of responding with words, I dip my chin and take another step forward beforesinking down onto the floor.

CHAPTER 12

BELLA

My head is full of fog as I roll over in bed, my eyes squinting against the harsh morning light peeking through the gap in the curtains.

Blinking away the sleep in my eyes, I scan my surroundings. The room is unfamiliar to me yet somehow familiar.