“No one deserves to be hit, Ellie. No one. It doesn’t matter whose hand it comes from—it’s wrong and unforgivable. I vowed that I would never be like him, and I want you to understand how much I mean it. I would never hit someone in anger unless I’m trying to protect what’s important to me.” I lift my other hand and gently touch his cheek. “You don’t have to try very hard to convince me. I see who you are. There isn’t a trace of that man inside you.”
