I reached out again, this time letting my hand rest gently on her trembling shoulder. My thumb brushed her skin in what I hoped looked like a comforting gesture.
"But I won't abandon you. I won't leave you to deal with the consequences alone. We'll figure this out together. I promise."
Kate's thoughts spiraled even faster through the bond:
[He's being so kind… even though he thinks he forced himself on me. I'm the one who slipped the drug into his wine. I'm the one who climbed on top of him while he was barely conscious.]
[I'm the slut. I'm the villain in this story. But if I confess now… he'll never look at me the same way again. He'll see me as a predator. I can't lose him. I can't lose what we have… even if it started with a lie.]
She looked up at me with those big, watery eyes, her voice soft and fragile. "Jack… how can you say that? What if… what if my husband finds out? What if my daughter never forgives me? I've destroyed my family in one night…"
