Fuck… she'd been through hell. Both of them had. And suddenly, everything about Cora made sense. The walls. The paranoia. The constant vigilance.
"You're strong," I said softly, pulling back just enough to look at her. "You really are. And you don't get to blame yourself for surviving."
"I would always sleep when he was home," she choked out. "I didn't want him to—my mother… she—when I… they're…"
"Ssh." I pulled her back into a hug. "It's okay. You're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you. Ever."
She nodded weakly. "Mm…"
Knowing all this made me feel like an asshole for even thinking about crossing lines before. No wonder she didn't trust men.
"Thank you," she whispered at last. "For listening."
I nudged her shoulder lightly. "Told you. Good listener."
"Mm."
"Come on," I said gently. "Let's head back in. Your sister's probably worried sick."
"Y-yeah." Then, unexpectedly, she linked her arm with mine. "Let's go."
I blinked—then smiled.
"Yeah."
