Adara suddenly felt very shy, but she also knew that they deserved an explanation for her turning up on their doorstep. They had taken her in and cared for her and, even more so, had made her feel safe. She decided that, for the first time in her life, she would have to trust someone. Why not them? They had only been good to her.
“I don’t really know where to start,” she said, feeling very vulnerable.
“Start anywhere you like. Not everything is going to come out in one sitting, but just know that nothing you say here will make us think any less of you. As I’ve said, you are safe here. Why don’t you start with what happened to you that led you here, to us,” Malachi said.
Adara took a deep breath and started where James had watched her walk home from the corner. She told them everything,
