At three in the morning, pain woke her.

She followed the treatment instructions and sat at the edge of the bed until the room stopped spinning.

The skin beneath her dressings ached; each movement reminded her that something violent had happened during an ordinary breakfast.

She remembered how many times she’d made herself smaller to keep the peace.

She had stopped meeting friends who irritated Garrett.

She had accepted Priscilla’s insults at dinner.

She had stopped mentioning an old college friend after Garrett suggested that a married woman should not need outside advice.