Sonia follows my gaze and lifts a brow at his watchful gaze. Standing without a single word, she walks toward the door and snaps the curtains around to cut him off.
No remorse, she locks him out and brings it back to just me and her.
“What happened two days ago, Laine? You said you thought about self-harm a year ago; what happened two days ago that allowed you to take it from theory to practice?”
“He keeps calling me.” I drag in a deep breath until my lungs ache. “He calls me every single day. He says he’s sorry. He says he didn’t know he was hurting me.”
Her soft eyes narrow. “Go on.”
“I’d rather be dead than go back, but sometimes… sometimes I wonder if maybe I should.” A loud sob crawls up my throat. “I’m broken and dirty now. No one will ever want me, and my family don’t need my kind of filth around. My kind of shame.” My chest bounces with suffocating cries. “I did it, because it’s better if I’m just gone.”
“No.” Pushing her file away, Sonia stands and pulls me into her arms. “No, honey. You’re not broken. You’re not dirty or tainted or shameful. You’re brave.” She pulls back and stares into my eyes. Hers are steely and sure. “You’re so brave.” She nods toward the door. “And you’re so unbelievably loved. Don’t ever forget that.”