REMORSE

Chapter 27- Sanctuary

⚠️T/W - Graphic description of sexual abuse, skip if you prefer to avoid this topic.

QUINN

This was the most humiliating two hours of my life. My body had been prodded, touched, swabbed, and photographed by people who must be so used to seeing battered bodies that they remained unemotional throughout my examination. It was a nightmare to recount how I was brutally mauled and sodomized by my partner, someone whom I relied on to protect me. It slowly dawned on me that his disrespect for my body was partly my fault because, out of gratitude for his companionship, I let him touch me inappropriately. I let him have liberties that should only be given to someone I genuinely loved.

It was difficult to admit to myself that letting go of Hunter broke me, and until I put myself back together, not even Hunter saving me now would ever mend me. I was a damn good subject for psychoanalysis, a perfect case study of how a seemingly normal girl let a break-up disintegrate her soul and allowed herself to get ruined inside out.

Hunter set the wheels in motion for John to be picked up for questioning. I felt too weak and bruised to argue. I would worry about this later. All I wanted was to get some sleep, to forget about how John abused me. Now lying on this hospital bed in a private room, I wondered what my parents will think of all this. The media will surely cover this incident, and dad will blame me for not suffering in silence.

Hunter came in with some food, looking more relaxed now. He set the food on the small table beside me and sat on the bed, taking both my hands.

"Come here," he said kissing my hand and hugging me, so gently I felt like crying again. He pressed kisses on my cheeks, and rubbed my back in a comforting way. This is what being comforted by a lover, a dad, a brother or a best friend feels like; all of which I sorely lack right now. He was all of that rolled into one, feeding my heart with badly needed comfort and kindness. I lapped up the attention and burrowed into the comfort of his warm chest, uncaring of what would happen tomorrow. And then my phone rang. My body started shaking for fear of seeing it was John calling. Hunter switch off the phone and put it back on the table.

"Who was it?"

"No one you need to talk to right now."

"What time is it?"

"It's four-thirty. Get some rest, baby."

"That was John, wasn't it?"

"Don't worry about him, okay? He'll be picked up for questioning any minute now."

"He'll get away with it. Papa will help him."

"Things will be changing for you from now on."

He cupped my face with both his hands, the pads of his thumbs roaming over my skin. I closed my eyes to revel in the comfort of being touched by Hunter again. It's been so long, and I had practically given up on ever seeing him again. I thought he had forgotten about me. Now I deeply regret not swallowing my pride to go after him in Paris, to ask him to take me back. Maybe I could've prevented him from marrying someone else.

"Quinn?" I opened my eyes to see his hazel ones up close.

"Yeah?"

"I want to take care of you. Okay? Please let me."

"How?" You have your own life now. You have a son."

"I'm taking you home with me as soon as they give you the clearance to go home. I'll take care of having your things packed and moved to my place."

"Wait, wait. Hunter, I know you want to help but come on. I'm not leaving John."

"What? Quinn, he raped you. He's been abusing you, judging by the bruises you have on your body. How can you want to go back to him?"