Page 59 of A First Sight

“It wasn’t like that,” I said. “I didn’t follow you around and creep outside your house and things like that. I went to a concert. Paid for your lunch. I sent you flowers because you’re a talented musician.”

Her face went white. “You – you sent me the flowers?”

I frowned, even more confused. “Yes, roses at the end of last month.”

Something like horror came over her expression. Horror and betrayal and pain. So much pain.

“Do you have any idea what he did to me because of those flowers?” The question was barely a whisper. “He thought I’d been flirting with some other man who meant to humiliate him by giving me flowers at work.”

I shook my head. “No. That’s not…I mean…I didn’t…”

“Thosefuckingflowers.” Her voice rose. “If you thought what you saw him do on the street was bad? That was nothing.Nothing!”

“Maggie–”

“No!” She pointed at me, her hand shaking. “Dale raped me that night.”

I was going to vomit. I didn’t want to hear this, and I didn’t want Maggie to have to say it, but I would listen. I owed her that, at the very least.

“He dragged me into our bedroom and said he’d teach me who I belonged to.” She wrapped her arms around herself, then straightened. “The pain and the humiliation…you can’t understand if it hasn’t happened to you. And it’s happened to me. More than just that night, but that was…the worst.”

No.Fucking no.

This couldn’t be happening. I remembered her at the performance, how I thought she looked sick. I worried about her.

And it had been my fault.

“I’m so sorry,” I said hoarsely.

I took a step toward her, reaching out, needing to comfort her.

And that was when it happened.

She flinched.

Color flooded her cheeks, and she shook her head, the tears spilling over. Without another word, she grabbed her suitcases and walked out. I heard the front door close and still didn’t move.

What had I done?

Memories flashed through my mind.

I bent over, my stomach twisting, filled with agony at realizing how much pain and suffering I caused her. Then, that flinch, as if she thought I’d hurt her the same wayhedid.

That was enough to get me moving. Straight into the bathroom, where the contents of my stomach gave me a great visual illustration of what I had done to the woman who meant so much to me.

FORTY-FOUR

MAGGIE

I managedto stop the tears and clean my face off before I reached the lobby, but it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to see I’d been crying.

“Miss McCrae!” I glanced over at Yul as he hurried toward me, the concern on his face growing when he saw my face. “Are you all right?”

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I kept walking, hating that I was rude to someone who had been nothing but nice to me.

“Do you need me to call you a car?” He followed me toward the door.

I shook my head and pressed my lips together tighter. I needed to get out of here. Just as I stepped outside, the universe, it seemed, gave me a break. A cab pulled up in front of the building to drop off a family of three.

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