I felt something cold settle in my chest.
“You never told me.”
“I was ashamed.”
“Of what?”
“Of being afraid of my own family.”
He looked toward the window.
“When they found out about you, everything got worse.”
I stared at the photograph.
“How did they find out?”
“Daniel followed me.”
Thomas’ voice grew quieter.
“He took photographs. He told my father I was seeing someone.”
I looked down at the picture again.
It had been taken the night we first met.
Suddenly, the red circle made sense.
It wasn’t romantic.
It had been a mark.
A target.
“What happened?”
Thomas’ eyes filled.
“My father told me to stop seeing you.”
“And you listened.”
“No.”
His answer came quickly.
“I told him I wouldn’t.”
That surprised me.
Thomas looked straight at me.
“I was going to leave.”
I stopped breathing for a moment.
“Leave?”
“With you.”
I couldn’t speak.
“I had this ridiculous plan,” he said. “I thought I would pack a bag, walk away from everything, and ask you to come with me.”
My chest tightened.
“But you didn’t.”
“No.”
His voice cracked.
I hated that the sound still affected me.
Thomas looked down.
“Daniel came to me first.”
