Secret Service.

Imani.

I couldn't believe Harper would do this to me, but I was face down on the ground. It hurt to even breathe, but I called Nathaniel. I was thankful Isaiah was already in school, I don't know what I would do if my baby brother saw this. I knew there was a reason Zay didn't like Harper, I should've listened to him.

"He did this to you?" Nathaniel said as soon as he walked in. That just made me cry harder.

"It's all my fault. It's all my fault. He was a good guy."

Nathaniel sat me on his lap, letting me cry on his suit. "There, there. It's never your fault, don't blame yourself. Are you going to press charges?"

I shook my head no, and my side started to hurt again.

"You're going to the hospital, you're pressing charges, and then you and Isaiah are staying with me." I nodded and let him carry me to his car.

I got treated for a fractured rib and a dislocated nose. My face was just messed up. Instead of being brown, it was purple and swollen. Treatment in the hospital was the worst. The two nurses I got were rude, and they were flirting with Nathaniel the whole time.

The police station wasn't any better. The officers that took my statement were mocking me , and it was worse after they found out I was an escort.

'She was asking for it'

'Watch her go right back to him.'

'She's a prostitute for God's sake.'

I could hear them, It was humiliating and I wanted to cry.

"Excuse me, your job is to protect her by taking her statement, issuing a restraining order and arresting the offender, not by trying to humiliate the victim. If you can't do that correctly, then you don't need to be here, and you won't be here." Nathaniel told them. The visit was better after that.

When we got to Nathaniel's house, he ran a warm bath for me. He helped me out of my sweats and inspected my body. He saw every single bruise, every single reminder of what Harper did just a few hours ago. He helped me into the tub and washed me.

It wasn't romantic by any means, yet it was intimate. He dried me off and used cocoa butter to moisturize me. Nathaniel was gentle, and even though I was in pain, He made me feel better.

"Put this on." He handed me one of his t-shirts. He tucked me in, kissed my forehead and left.

I woke up maybe five hours later looking for Nathaniel. He wasn't in the house, so I went to the kitchen to make a snack. I hadn't eaten since this morning, since the incident.

Harper was such a great person though. He was friendly and nice and kind. Where were the warning signs? Was it my fault? Maybe God was punishing me for cheating. Maybe this was karma at work.

By now, I didn't even want food, I wanted to go to a happier place. I started singing and didn't even realize it.

"I heard there was a secret chord that David played and it pleased the Lord, but you don't really care for music, do ya? It goes like this, the 4th, the 5th, the minor fall and a major lift, the baffled king composing hallelujah. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Faith was strong but you needed proof. Saw her bathing on the roof her beauty and.." I stopped when I realized Nathaniel was staring at me.

"Why'd you stop, you were good."

"It hurts to sing."

He was about to say something when there was a knock on the door.

Nathaniel went to answer it and I sat to eat some Apple sauce. Soft foods didn't hurt to eat.

I was eating when I heard Nathaniel arguing.

"Stay away from her. You never put your hands on a female, ever."

"Coming from someone who thinks women are whores. I need to talk to her."

"You're not going to. Where you high?"

There was a slight pause. "I did a line with Isabelle."

Who is Isabelle? I walked over to the door.

"Hey, Imani baby. You know I didn't mean for anything like that to happen this morning." Harper said as soon as he saw me. "Sometimes you make me angry, and I have to put you in your place, but I only do it because I love you." Harper reached out to touch me, and I froze.

Nathaniel grabbed my waist gently and pulled me away.

"Harper, you need to get help, and go with you're family." Nathaniel spat as he closed the door. "Oh, and it goes without saying, you're fired. If you think about trying anything, I'll make your life a living hell. Try me."

Nathaniel carried me back to bed and I cried. "Maybe I deserved it, for cheating. Maybe this was God's way of saying that I'm a terrible person." I cried on his shirt.

"No-one should ever put their hands on you. If there is a God, I know he wouldn't let that happen to you."

"Nathaniel, I was wrong about you. About what I said about you." I said quietly.

He sighed. "No Imani, you were right."