Zane's POV

I reached out, gently cupping her face in my hands, his touch warm and comforting. “Belle, you don’t have to be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you, and I’m not going to let anyone else hurt you either.”

She leaned into my touch and I felt like I was making some headway, but she suddenly pulled away.

She wrapped her arms around herself. “You don’t understand, Zane. I’m not just dealing with the usual kind of problems. It’s deeper than that, more ...