Page 238 of Master of My Life

Ethan looked at Chase. “You know that part.”

Chase nodded.

“What you don’t know is that after that . . . well, you know he kept doing it, but he also passed me

around to his friends.”

Sabrina gasped. “Oh, Ethan!”

Ethan pressed his lips together and looked at his hands. “He got paid for me sometimes, too. I saw

the cash exchange hands.” He paused. “One time, the guy finished with me, but couldn’t remember

where I belonged. It took a few days to get home. So . . .” He swallowed. “Blake tattooed his initials

here.” He pointed to his hip. “So I wouldn’t get lost again.”

The room was heavy with silence. Sabrina wanted to hug him but didn’t want to disturb his story.

“When I was eighteen, I ran away and joined the army. Later, I had the flag put over those letters.”

He blinked several times. “I’d have killed myself had I not enlisted. They taught me to fight and shoot

and other shit that gave me a sense of control I’d never had before.” He clenched his jaw. “A few

years later, I went back and beat the shit out of Blake.” His eyes hardened. “I made him feel what he

made me feel.”

“Did you kill him?” Chase asked.

Ethan shook his head. “But he was fucked up.” He closed his eyes and sucked in several breaths,

then gave a tight smile and opened his eyes. “I feel better.”

“That’s a heavy burden to carry by yourself,” Chase said.

“Guess so.” He let out a long breath. “Figured you guys should know before . . . you know.”

“Can I hug you now?” Sabrina asked.

Ethan chuckled. “Yeah.”

She lunged at him, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him as hard as she could. “I’m

sorry that happened to you, Ethan.” She kissed his cheek and studied his face.

Ethan shrugged. “It’s in the past.”

Chase’s mind spun as he watched Sabrina hugging Ethan. Though Ethan brushed it off as a part of his

past, Chase knew how heavy that burden had been. But Ethan tended not to dwell on things and Chase

had to respect it. He’d known that tattoo represented something from Ethan’s past, but had no idea

how bad it had been. If it had just been his stepdad, that would have been bad enough. But to be

passed around? Chase shook his head. It was a wonder Ethan let another man touch him at all. He was

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