Page 159 of Heart So Hollow

My stomach turns sour and I feel like the room’s gone cold.

I tense my jaw to still my trembling chin, “Can you please stop?” It comes out as a scratchy whisper.

But Bowen’s not done, “Did you let him kiss you?” he asks softly, “Did you let him bend you over right there or did you have the decency to go somewhere else?”

The rage and terror finally boil over and I slam my hand on the edge of the counter, “Just stop it!” I shout, squeezing my eyes shut as the hot tears finally run over.

“Why?” Bowen scoffs, pushing away from the counter, “Does it bother you? How does that make you feel?” In a flash, he slams his fist into his chest, “How do you think I feel?” he shouts with such force that I flinch and my hands instinctively fly up to my face.

Once I recover, I drag my palms across my cheeks, trying in vain to stop the flow.

“Brett,” Bowen’s demeanor suddenly changes, his face relaxes, and his voice evens out, “What did you do?” he asks ominously.

Suddenly, I hear Barrett’s voice in my head.

I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you to tell Bowen.

And, immediately, my body reverts to what it knows best—shutdown.

I take a breath and look him in the eye, “I didn’t do anything.” My voice is firm and my eyes glaze over, seeing him, but not really seeing him.

I can make it make sense in my head. I didn’t initiate anything with Colson, but I didn’t mind it, either. I justify it enough to get stoic and survive whatever the hell is happening right now, just like every other time my brain’s threatened a breakdown.

Bowen’s jaw tightens, “I really hope you’re not lying to me.”

I stare back at him, focusing on his pupils dilating and watching his deep brown irises go black. I can stand here like a statue for as long as it takes, until he calms down and decides he’s finished. He and Colson have some odd similarities, but hopefully one of them isn’t the sadistic psychological torment Colson enjoys.

After a few moments, Bowen takes a deep breath and runs both hands up his face and through his hair, “Baby girl,” he gives his head a shake, almost like he just realized he turned into a completely different person for a few minutes, “You know I love you more than anything and I’ll give you everything under the sun.” Suddenly, his hands fly up to cup my face, giving me a start, “I’ll never let anyone hurt you and I’ll never let anyone take you away from me. Because you are everything to me.” A second later, his eyes darken and he lowers his voice again, “But I promise you, if you ever betray me, I’ll be your worst fucking nightmare.” He lets his hands fall away from my face, still frozen in a stoic trance, “So, you let me know if you want to stay friends with Colson Lutz. Otherwise, you should probably cut him loose before things get complicated.”

Bowen steps away from me and turns, storming out of the kitchen and into the garage. He slams the door behind him, leaving me in the middle of the kitchen in an adrenaline-addled daze, wondering what just happened.

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