Page 34 of Scared Love

You make me want to let my guard down!” she screams

with tears rolling down her face.

108

I raise my hands hoping to show her I won’t hurt her and

say,“I promise you, I will never hurt you! I promise I

actually want to kill everyone that has ever hurt you.”

“Well, that’s a very long ass list,” Emma deadpans.

“Every man I have met has let me down, or has hurt me,

beat me, raped me. Why does it even matter?”

She lets me sit next to her on the bed and I tell her,

“Because you don’t deserve that, baby girl.” I rub her back

in slow gentle circles. “You deserve someone to bow down

at your fucking feet! You deserve the fucking world, baby

girl. Hell, you deserve the fucking universe and if you let

me, I will be the person that gives it to you.” She laughs, more to herself than out of humor and says,

“Trust me, you don’t want me. Nobody wants me! I’m

trash. I’m ruined. I’m nothing but a filthy, disgusting

whore!” she exclaims as she starts sobbing into her hands.

“Baby girl, you are everything,” I say as I wipe away her

tears.

“Someone as perfect as you shouldn’t have gone

through any of that.” I walk into her closet and grab some

gray sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt for her. I bring them

into the room and hand her the pants and shirt, telling her,

“Here, put this on. You’ll be warm and I’ll find us a movie

to put on. Any favorites? And what about popcorn?”

110

“This may sound silly but Rapunzel is my favorite

princess. So can we watch Tangled?” she asks, while

looking at the ground.

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