“That’s why I stopped competing. After that, I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t hold my head up. I hated that everyone knew what happened and were judging me. The snide comments and whispers.” For a long moment, Hayes remains silent. His hand rises to cup my cheek as his thumb brushes away a tear I didn’t realize had fallen. “None of that was your fault. Do you hear me? He took advantage of you. Of your age and his position of power.”
