Chapter 35

“Who are they for?” I sound childish, and he only smiles harder, a look of adoration evident on his face. He’s chipping away at me, melting some of my ice with his current behavior and mood.

“I’ll show you.” He turns and carries me to the bedroom, gently laying me on the bed beside the bags. Yet as he does, I instantly return to cold and upset, that inner swell of warmth dissipating fast, my mood trickling away, and I realize what it is almost immediately; a clarity or epiphany like a lightning bolt out of the darkness.

I miss Jake’s affection! His touch, his caresses, his hugs. I miss us! That’s what this constant anger is.

I miss him touching me freely, without permission or needing to ask for it. I miss the spontaneous, arrogant,

‘I can touch you because you’re mine’

Jake. I miss being picked up, hauled around, and grabbed. I miss the way he would kiss me a million times a day just because he had to, and I miss that body molded to mine, making me f