Chapter 85

I told myself again and again that our bodies can sometimes act independently from our conscious desires, responding in ways that defy our rational understanding. I told myself that we are not always in complete control of our physical reactions, even when faced with those who elicit feelings of disdain and animosity.

With a sharp intake of breath, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as Clyde's voice pierced the silence, his words dripping with disdain and mockery. "First you wore my shirt that's barely reaching your mid thighs," he sneered, his tone a cruel reminder of his power to humiliate and degrade.

"Secondly, you did not wear any bra," he continued, his words a damning indictment of my perceived inadequacies. Each syllable struck me like a blow to the gut. His voice, dripping with contempt, seemed to echo in the depths of my mind.

"And as if it wasn't enough to seduce me, you drenched the shirt with the water dripping down from your hair," he spat, his words bi