Jossy went on, words rushing out now, unmeasured, as if they had finally burst out of her. "He doesn't allow me to talk to anyone, especially men. The one time I spoke to a guy at a club, that night, Damien hit me so hard, my face was swollen for days. The first day I ran into Noah at a gala, he was so angry at me.
I wasn't allowed to work either. The job I do for the Lennox family, part time, I took it in secret. He never knew."
She let out a bitter laugh. "Even meeting you, going out with you, I had to blackmail him. It was my reward for defending him publicly, for writing that stupid letter after the cheating scandal."
Her voice cracked, her pacing faster now. "That night I waited for him, Hazel. I made his favorite cake, chocolate chip. Like a fool. I thought if I made him happy, maybe.. maybe he would stop seeing other girls. But he didn't. He cheated, and at every chance, he hit me like I was nothing. Like I couldn't feel pain at all.
Hazel's eyes brimmed with tears, but she stayed silent, letting her friend vent years of silence into the open air.
Jossy didn't notice the fact that the guest room door stood wide open. Her words spilled into the hallway, each confession louder than the last, carrying further than she realized.