“Andrew.”
The silence between us was enough of an admission.
“I’m sorry, James. Believe me, I’ve learned my lesson. Every time I inhale too deeply, I’m reminded of my stupidity.”
“Andrew—”
“What do you think?” I finally turned to look at him. “Do you think she’s actually insane?”
“I think someone who restrains a person and inflicts harm against their will isn’t of sound mind. I think someone whose voice of reason doesn’t stop them and force them to wake up after pulling a knife out of someone’s body isn’t right. And I think someone who can turn their conscience off with a flip of a switch and ignore the pleas of another human begging for mercy is not all there.”
I agreed with him. I didn’t want to think Elise was not all there, but James was right. Something didn’t even register with her as she was stabbing me. Her eyes were wild with rage. With James’s words, I couldn’t help but also think about Brandon.
“Kind of like Brandon’s situation too,” I said.
“Yes, though the situation with Elise is quite different. In some ways it’s worse.” I frowned and looked at him. I was completely at a loss. James started the car and backed out of the parking spot.
“How in the hell could Elise’s actions be worse than what Brandon endured?”
James glanced at me but didn’t say anything. No. He was going to explain this to me because it was a ridiculous statement.
“I’m being serious, James. Tell me how this is worse. Brandon was tortured and held captive for years. He was fucking waterboarded and freaks out when it rains.”
“Brandon hated the people who held him against his will. You didn’t hate Elise. As I said, this is worse in some ways. You gave her your trust, your consent, and your heart.”
I closed my mouth and faced forward as I absorbed his words. Once we were out of the parking garage, the rain hit the windshield, and the wiper blades automatically began gliding along the glass.
“Are you going to talk to your father about everything?”
“I don’t think everything, no. Stress affects him badly, and we’re coming up on the anniversary of my mom and brothers’ deaths. The new coffee house location is in the final construction stage and less than two weeks away from opening. That’s stressful on its own. I just can’t add to all that.”
“Andrew, he’s your father and loves you.”
I swallowed hard past the lump in my throat. I couldn’t imagine telling my dad about all of this. All he needed to know was that I’d moved out. I couldn’t stand telling him about the domestic abuse mess.If that was really what this was.
“I know. And I love him too. That’s why I can’t talk about all of this with him.”
“What have you told him?”
“I’ve told him that things with Elise didn’t work and I moved out. I told him that she had anger issues and was becoming violent. I told him she threw things—”
“At you?”
“No. Just things in general.”
“Did you tell him she stabbed you with a large kitchen knife seven times?”
“No. I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“Andrew, you’ve known me far too long to even try to get away with ‘because’ as an answer.”
“I’m all he has left. My mom is gone. My brothers are gone. I’m his only son.”
“Which is a huge part of why he would want to know that you were stabbed.”
