Nathan sighed as he knelt beside Crystal. He tenderly tucked her hair behind her ears and gently said her name. “You are safe now,” he said. “The danger has passed.”

Crystal hung her head. Such was her shame that it seemed impossible to look him in the eyes. Nathan touched her chin, though, and lifted it. “Say something,” he said. “You can do it. Don’t let that man get to you. If you do, he wins.”

Still, she could not meet his eyes, and when he finally realized that he ...