Melissa
He nodded and I headed upstairs to my room.
I closed the door and started undressing. When I caught myself in the mirror, the tears came before I could stop them.
My chest was covered in bruises. The marks on my neck I'd already hidden with makeup — something I never used to wear, something that had become necessary since Eliezer.
I showered and stood at the mirror again, covering what I could.
The tears came again anyway. I blinked them back. Dad couldn't see.
I got dressed and went downstairs.
The table was already set, but Dad wasn't there. Fatinha came in carrying more dishes.
"Hi, my girl. Your father called all the farmhands to eat up at the big house today. He's in good spirits — missed you something fierce."
"He really did." I caught myself. "I shouldn't have gone on that trip with Eliezer at all. Those five days were—"
I stopped. Dad had just walked in.
"There she is — my beautiful girl." He spread his arms. "Your father invited everyone to eat with us. I hope you don't mind sharing your stew."
He looked like a different man from the hollow figure I'd seen in his office an hour ago.
"Of course not, Dad. They're all welcome. It's an honor having everyone here. We're family."
Everyone sat down and the meal got going.
"Good Lord, Fatinha, what did you do to this oxtail? It's extraordinary."
She caught my eye and I blew her a kiss.
"It really is, Fátima," Dad said. "Thank you for always being here for us — and for spoiling my girl."
Dad stood and said a few words, first praising Fátima, then speaking to each farmhand by name. He had always been like that — a friend to everyone. On this farm, we were family.
Lunch stretched out long and comfortable, followed by dessert. Fátima made beautiful sweets from fruit she grew right here on the property.
When people began filing out, Dad came to me, took my arm gently, and looked straight at my neck.
"Melissa, my girl — what are those marks on your neck? Don't tell me that was—"
"It was nothing, Daddy." I cut him off before he could finish. "I bumped into a tree branch at the resort. You know how clumsy I am."
Dad looked at me for a long moment and said nothing. Then he walked away, leaving me standing there. I knew he hadn't believed a single word — he'd seen marks before, and heard some of Eliezer's sharp words when he visited the farm.
I sank onto the sofa and opened Instagram. That was where I saw the post about the show that had started the whole fight.
Henrique e Juliano were performing in two months. I'd asked Eliezer if he wanted to go, and it had turned into a screaming match — and then he'd tried to force himself on me. Force himself. That wasn't lovemaking; it was something close to assault. I grabbed my truck keys and drove home in the middle of the night. He could figure out his own way back and pay his own tab at the resort — not that he ever paid for anything. I always covered it. As usual.
That trip was supposed to be our first real night together. I hadn't been ready, but I'd been planning to give in to his pressure. A lot of people would probably assume a woman my age had been with plenty of men by now. But that wasn't how it was for me. I'd never felt that pull, and after everything Eliezer had done, the idea had moved even further away.
I was lost in those thoughts when Dad sat down beside me and took my hand.
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