Chapter 24

Lake POV

The hot water scalded my skin, but I couldn’t bring myself to adjust the temperature. I needed to feel something other than the phantom touch of Frank’s hands, the memory of his mouth forcing itself on mine. I scrubbed at my arms until they were raw, trying to wash away not just his scent but the humiliation that clung to me like a second skin.

I hated myself for breaking down in front of Elena and Ramon. I’d survived worse than Frank Morrison’s groping and crude propositions. Hell, I’d done worse things than what he’d tried to force on me today. The only difference was that I’d never done them with Frank—but that didn’t mean I hadn’t done them at all.

When my boss at the restaurant had threatened to fire me after I’d missed shifts to take care of a sick Ollie, I’d let him back me into the storage room and put his hands wherever he wanted. When the grocery store manager had caught me trying to slip an extra can of formula into my bag without paying,