I pulled back, lowered the towel from my wound, and twisted around until my back was facing him. Until my disfigured spine was in full view. I waited, chewing on my battered tongue, my eyes closed and heart split open. He was behind me, shifting closer. And when he slid his hand across my bare back, I trembled from head to toe. I felt his palm splay across my skin as he uncovered my own harrowing secrets and stripes of belt-thrashed scars.
