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But she couldn’t go on Her throat closed over asin a corner while he yelled at her e on his face as he used his fists on her Mari had foolishly spent tooto defend her mother, only to receive the same treatment

The years of long-sleeved shirts andto the sound of punches on the other side of the wall, too paralyzed to do anything Of tiptoeing around, always afraid of saying the wrong thing or doing soht way

Years of waiting for her mother to tell her it was over, but thathell of her childhood

For the first tiot all the police reports, all the therapy, all the ways she’d been told she’dtears

Luca pulled her into his arms and held her…waruilt she still felt, the fear that never quite went away, and the fact that today of all days it had finally reached the point where she could grieve for it all

Luca had made that possible By some miracle, he’d pushed himself into her life and had shown her as real

After severalher eyes Luca went to the bathroo her two and waiting patiently

“I’ all over you that way”

“Please don’t apologize” He sat on the edge of the coffee table, facing her “I just want to ht”

At thatand Luca scowled “Answer it,” Mari said, but Luca shook his head

“It can wait”

The ringing persisted and he sighed, rising to answer Mari watched him from her position on the couch She was tired, so tired Only once before had she been this drained, and it was the day she’d had to testify in court

“It will have to wait”