I stood outside the large window of Aliyah's room, watching her sleep peacefully. Her serene face, bathed in the moonlight, should have brought me some comfort, but it didn't. My mind was still reeling from what happened earlier today.

I almost lost control. The way she looked at me, her eyes pleading with unspoken desires, asking for something I ached to give her—it took every ounce of my willpower not to give in. Every fiber of my being had wanted to take her right then and there, ...