#Chapter 112: Photography Aftermath

Asher I got Cynthia into my car and drove her back to campus. But she stayed unnervingly quiet all the way back to her room. It wasn’t usual, her silence. So often, I was the one who didn’t talk and she was the one who would fill the void. I didn’t know how to act if our roles were reversed. She went where I led her, and sat on the end of her bed. She seemed to stare right through me, like she couldn’t focus. Her hands trembled. I took them in my own and rubbed my thumbs gently against her palms. “Cynthia?” A tear fell from her eye and my heart ached in my chest. “You are safe now,” I told her. She shook her head. “He won, Asher,” she whispered, so softly I had to strain to hear her. “I’m going to be kicked from the team, and… it’s over.” “I’m sorry,” I said. Finally, she focused on my face. “If he would have… I was almost…” She closed her eyes. I squeezed her hands, hoping to bring her back to me. I didn’t want her to imagine what could have happened. It d