Chapter 34: Finding Safety

“It was horrible,” Harley said. She’d been saying that a lot. For a while, she was all but in the fetal position, saying it over and over again. But Marian was patient and held space for her while Harley processed what happened.

She rubbed Harley’s back, stroked her hair, and held her when she needed it. Marian provided all the comfort she could, trying to keep the woman she loved - and she realized that she did love her - calm and feeling as safe as possible.

It was weird; Marian didn’t want anything from Harley. All she wanted was for the girl to feel better. She wanted Harley to be happy. That’s what mattered. So Marian comforted her, listened to her, and let the girl ramble as much as she needed to.

Harley stared at the blank wall, her eyes miles away. “Poor Cat. Her face was covered in salt. She must’ve been crying for hours. Her lips were chapped. He kept her terrified and unable to even wipe away the tears all that time, and then, in the end, he just watched her die.”