Page 108 of Jenna's Protector

“Walt helped me get Max to the vet. Malia stayed behind. She kept me updated while we were…” His knuckles whiten on the steering wheel. “While we were looking for you.”

The car falls silent again. I stare out the window, watching the world rush by. My mind drifts back to Sophia’s pale face and trembling hands.

“How did Sophia play into this?” Carter glances at me, his brow furrowing.

“She just—appeared. Out of nowhere.” I take a deep breath, the memory washing over me. “Walt was supposed to be on a date with Malia. She left early to get ready. I told him to leave, but he didn’t want to. Please don’t blame him for what happened. I made him go.”

“I don’t blame him.”

“Well, I was closing up the café, and suddenly, there she was, looking like a ghost.”

“What do you mean?”

“She was so frail. Her clothes were rumpled and loose like she hadn’t changed in days. And her eyes…” I shudder, remembering the hollow, haunted look in Sophia’s gaze. “They were empty. Like all the life has been drained out of her.” My voice wavers, and I wrap my arms around myself, mirroring the way Sophia held herself.

“Her hands trembled. Her entire body shook. Her fingernails dug into her arms like she was trying to hold herself together. She looked so fragile.” When I look back at Carter, I see a mix of sorrow and determination in his eyes. “When she talked to me, it was like she was searching for something, anything to anchor her. Her entire body seemed to curl in on itself like she was trying to disappear.”

“What did she say to you?” Carter’s hand tightens on mine.

“She begged me for help. Said she’d escaped, that she needed somewhere to hide.” My voice cracks. “God, Carter, she looked so scared. I couldn’t turn her away.”

“You let her in.”

I nod, shame and anger warring inside me. “I thought I was helping her. I made her tea and tried to calm her down. She kept looking over her shoulder like she expected someone to burst in at any moment.”

“Then what happened?”

“She asked if we could go somewhere more private. Said she was afraid they’d find her if we stayed in the café.” I close my eyes, remembering the moment everything went wrong. “I suggested we go to my place. We were halfway there when?—”

“The van,” Carter finishes softly.

“Yeah.” I swallow hard. “I never saw it coming. One minute we were walking, the next—chaos. And Sophia, she just—changed. It was like a switch flipped. She went from terrified victim to... I don’t know. Resigned? Defeated? Ashamed? She knew what was coming. I thought I was helping her, you know.” The words tumble out beforeI can stop them. “Sophia. She looked so scared, so vulnerable. I never imagined…”

Carter’s thumb resumes its gentle circles on my hand. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“I was so angry when I realized.” Hot tears prick at my eyes. “When I saw her climb into that van. I wanted to hate her.”

“But you don’t?”

“How can I? After seeing what he did to her. How he used her. She didn’t have a choice.” I shake my head. The memory of Sophia’s broken expression on the yacht is seared into my mind.

I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the images, but they flood back with brutal clarity. “I saw fear in her eyes, the way she flinched whenever he came near. His touch was a weapon. His words poison. He didn’tjusthurt her physically. He shattered her spirit, piece by piece.”

My voice breaks, and I clutch my arms tighter around myself as if trying to hold my own pieces together. “He paraded her in front of me, a twisted display of his control. Of what he would do to me. Sophia’s eyes were vacant. Like she’d given up hope. She didn’t fight; she just accepted what he did. It was terrifying.”

Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them back, refusing to let them fall. “How can I blame her for anything, knowing what she went through? He turned her into a shadow of her former self. She didn’t have a choice. She was as much a victim as I was, maybe even more.”

Carter’s grip on my hand tightens.

The memory of Jonathan’s cold eyes and cruel smile makes me shudder. Carter notices and pulls over to the side of the road. He turns to face me, both hands now holding mine.

I lean into him, burying my face in his chest. His arms wrap around me, solid and secure. For a moment, we just breathe together.

“Is Max really okay?” I mumble into his shirt. I don’t want to talk about Sophia anymore. My heart can’t take the brutality she endured.

“He’s tough, just like you.” Carter pulls back, his hand coming up to cup my cheek.

“Can we see him? Before we go home?” A watery laugh escapes me.

---