DEBORAH'S POV
The ride to my father's house felt longer than it ever had when I was a child, staring out the window, wishing I could disappear. Dominic's presence next to me in the car made the air heavier, not comforting like it should have been. He stayed quiet, his jaw tight and eyes focused ahead, never once looking at me. I pressed my hands together to hide their shaking and tried not to think about the sting still burning on my cheek from his slap. My chest felt bruised in places no one could see.
