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Andrew shook out his hand, fury still rolling off him in waves. “This motherfucker accused my wife of raping him.” He shot Nolan a look so full of disgust, I was genuinely shocked he didn’t spit on him. “You’re sick, Nolan. What the fuck is wrong with you?”

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” Nolan said unsteadily. “It’s the truth.”

“It’s alie!” Leann shrieked, shoving past the men as tears welled in her eyes, and she pointed a finger at Nolan. “Yourapedme, you asshole!”

The Marine I’d lived with for over a year wouldn’t have taken that. He’d have shouted back at her that yeah, she absolutely had, and he wasn’t going to stay quiet over it anymore. He’d remind her that she’d threatened to turn that accusation back on him if he ever said it out loud.

The man who’d been carrying that trauma by himself for all this time, though? He went almost full deer-in-the-headlights. Facing down his family, listening to his own attacker break down sobbing as she told everyone he’d assaulted her, Nolan looked downright terrified and defeated.

I put a hand on his arm, and he flinched away from my touch, staring at me with the wide eyes of cornered prey.

“So, what?” Andrew glared at Nolan as he wrapped an arm around his crying wife. “You want me to believe you were raped by a woman?” He gave a sharp, derisive laugh. “You really want me to believe Leann would do that to you? Fuck you, you absolute piece of shit.”

Nolan wiped some more blood off his lip, and his voice was low and shaky as he asked, “Do you really believe I’d rape anyone?”

“I didn’t,” his brother snapped. “But if you think I’m going to buy that—”

“All right. All right.” John stepped into the fray and gestured for both of his sons to shut up. “We need to sort this out. As a family.” He glanced at Nolan, then Leann, and his heartache was plain to see as he added, “Decide if we need to get the police involved.”

“Call the police!” Leann challenged through her tears. “I didn’t want anyone to know because—” She paused, lip quivering, and then collapsed into fresh sobs. Her husband gathered her in his arms, shooting Nolan a murderous look.

“Andrew.” John gestured at the door. “Why don’t you take her…”

Andrew didn’t hesitate. As he gently herded Leann out of the restroom, he snarled, “You’redeadto me, Nolan. Fuckingdead.”

Nolan slumped against the wall, blood still trickling from his nose as his eyes welled up again and the sound of his sobbing sister-in-law—his fuckingrapist—faded down the hall. The door took its sweet time closing, and when it did, it mostly muffled her cries.

All eyes shifted to Nolan.

After an uncomfortably long moment, the groomsmen made their escape, mumbling about checking on Matt and Sophia aswell as Andrew and Leann. That was when I realized the groom had slipped out in the chaos as well.

When everything stilled again, only John, Nolan, and I remained in the silent men’s room.

I kept a hand on Nolan’s shoulder, as much to reassure him I was there as it was to make sure he stayed upright.

After ages, his dad quietly said, “This is a very serious accusation, Nolan.”

“I know.” Nolan was clearly struggling to hold back tears, vomit, or both. “I know it is. And I didn’t think anyone would ever believe me. That was… That was why I never said anything.”

“Why now?” John asked. “Why right before Matt’s wedding?”

“You saw what happened out there.” Nolan gestured as if to indicate the sanctuary across the hall. “After what happened at Sophia’s bachelorette party, and—”

“Hold on, hold on.” John cocked his head. “What happened at the bachelorette party?”

Nolan pressed his lips together, again looking like he was fighting back a wave of nausea.

To his father, I said, “She was, uh… not exactly concerned about his boundaries.”

John’s eyebrows rose. “Meaning?”

“Trying to get in his lap, getting handsy.” I almost got sick myself at the memory of her behavior that night now that I knew what I did about their past. “She was really not happy that I kept getting between them.” I glanced at Nolan. “Or that he wouldn’t let her get handsy with me.”

Nolan shifted his weight, not looking at either of us.

“I knew something had happened to him in the past,” I said. “That night, I figured out it was her.”

Nolan felt around until he found my hand, and he gripped it tight.

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