Page 68 of Feverburn

She shook her head and took a deep breath.“No, I was unconscious.”

“Wait, what? You didn’t choose to do this to your body?”

“No,”she whispered, her eyes getting glossy.

“Who did this to you?”

“My ex-boyfriend, Stefan. He wanted me to let him brand me with his initials. He hinted about it for months, and I never let him. He was emotionallytoxic, so I ended our relationship. But we co-owned a tattoo studio in Boston, so I still had to work with him. It bruised his ego that not only did I dump him, but I was more successful as an artist. I was booked out for a year with clients.”

“So he did this inrevenge? After you dumped his pathetic ass?”

“Yeah, that’s what spurred it on. Branding or scarification isn’t unheard of in the tattoo world, but I would never want one. Stefan knew that. We were having a work party for Christmas, and he spiked my drink and did it anyway. A finalfuck you.” Her face twitched.

“Baby, I am so sorry. That makes me sick.”I tried to gather my thoughts, fighting blind rage to find this asshole.

“The worst part, he filmed me topless, passed out in a tattoo chair and everything. Other guys who worked in the shop watched him do it. Not only did he post it on social media, but he also livestreamed it—eight solid minutes ofassault. The whole tattoo world saw it, like people I saw at conventions, other artists, and my clients. Everyone.”

“He filmed himself branding you? After drugging you?”Even I could hear the disgust in my voice.

She nodded but continued to hold my hand.“Yes. That’s why I no longer work as an artist. I was humiliated, chased away.”

“This is serious. That’sassault. Where can I find him?”I lifted in my seat.

She gently pushed me back down.“I won’t tolerate any violence, Carson. You have to promise me you’ll leave him alone.”

“I don’t know if I can promise that.”I tried to take deeper breaths. My pulse thudded in my ears, and my throat went dry.

“I already sued him and won the case. This was a couple of years ago. He’s now on probation, but he gets to go on tattooing like nothing ever happened.”

“That’s fucked up,”I spat.

“It is. It truly is. I lived off the settlement because I couldn’t work or leave my apartment. I was so devastated. Stefan pushed me out of my career, something I worked hard for. Tattooing is already a male-dominated field and istoxicas fuck. It’s bad enough to be a female artist. But to have everyone see mynakedbody in such a traumatizing moment pushed me to my limit. He kept defending himself, saying he didn’t do anything besides the branding, as if I should begratefulthat all the guys in the shop didn’t, you know…”

She wiped away a tear and swallowed hard.

“One of my clients saw the livestream and called the cops. I’m sogratefulshe did.”Her voice was now thick with emotions,“Waking up with a branding on your body is anightmare. I had physical proof of the event. I had to rebrand myself to remove his mark and make it non-descript. I remember biting a belt to make sure I didn’t crack my teeth. My own singed flesh wafted in my nose. I could smell it for days after. It was disgusting.”

I kissed a tear pooling alongside her nose. She was such atoughwoman. She shouldn’t have to live with this horror. No woman should.

“Once the scar healed, I covered it with a Medusa, the protector of women. I remember sitting in front of the mirror one night doing it myself, tears running down as I took my body back. I had to make it mine again somehow. I had to take away the mark of the man who hurt me. I know not every woman gets the chance.”

Our hands remained on her body, holding her pain together.

“I’m proud of you for doing what you needed to. But it’s sad to know you can’t tattoo anymore if it was something you once loved.”

She nodded.“I made an exception for Dane because I’m a softie for guys who don’t have parents. In some way, I relate because I don’t know what it’s like to have extended family or a dad. Tattooing was my world; it ate up almost all of my twenties. Right out of high school, I moved from Pennsylvania to Boston for an apprenticeship and worked up to co-owning a shop. Women felt safer coming to me with body art. That’s the irony.”

“Makes sense. Men are fucking creeps, and having access to people’s bodies is a privilege.”

“When it all went down, Ilosthalf of the business because I couldn’t stand to be around Stefan or buy him out before trial. Luckily, my lawyer, Angie, fought for me. I got a decent settlement, but I couldn’t go back. I kept a low profile as a barista and tried to heal. I went to therapy and journaled a lot. I used the last of it to buy my way into Silver Springs. That’s why I need Pine Bluff to work out for me.”

It was all clicking into place. It wasn’t a job for Rosie. It was her way of doing something besides tattooing.“And you’re helping women with a safe space and jobs.”

“Exactly. And I’m taking my power back. I’m not hiding from the entire world anymore. I still get to own a business, and I’m not ashamed that yet another guy hurt me. I mean, I found a friendship with Kaylee because of it. We have a scorned sisterhood.”Her face twitched with the mention of Kaylee.

I changed the subject.“I’m glad you had a good lawyer.”

“Yeah, Angie was a lifesaver. She turned into my friend. She’s how I met Tyler. She works at the same firm as him.”

---