“Could she have been drugged?” I ask aloud.
“We’ve eaten and drank the same as her, I don’t see how,” Pete says as Dex moves to the part of the room she keeps looking at.
“There’s nothing here, see?” He raises his arms and turns in a circle to show her it's safe, but it doesn’t stop the trembling; if anything, it makes it worse. I reach around to rub a hand up and down her back, and she watches him with something akin to terror in her eyes.
“Please, I just want to go,” she whimpers, practically breaking my heart.
“Go where?” I ask again as Dex grabs the handle to the closet and pulls it open, gesturing to the empty space.
A scream that tears my heart out rips from her throat as she scrambles to move away from him, practically clawing at my body in her retreat. I don’t hesitate to pick her up and clutch her tightly to my chest.
Her arms and legs wrap around me tighter than I thought her capable of.
“What’s going on?!” Elias asks, as he barges into the room, clearly having heard her scream.
“Please, don’t make me go in there!” she begs as her tears soak into my shirt.
I frown at Dex as I ask her, “Go in where?”
“The closet?” Pete asks, and a sound that's half sob, half scream escapes her. My eyes widen in partial understanding.She’s afraid of the closet.
I quickly move us to the living room, sitting in the middle of the couch as Jagger and Pete sit on either side of us.
She cries into my chest as I gently sway her side to side, my hand rubbing up and down her back, and the others all do the same on an arm or leg. We let her cry, knowing it’s best not to try to talk her out of her current meltdown. She needs to get it out before we can talk to her.
And when, after a few minutes, she finally calms down, Dex is there with a wet cloth to wipe her face and a glass of water for her sore throat. She gives him a tight smile before settling her head against my chest and taking a few deep breaths.
Nobody says anything as we sit there quietly supporting her. If she doesn’t offer the information freely, I’m going to have to ask, but I’m hoping she’ll be forthcoming. This is clearly something we need to know, and I wonder howwe’ve managed to go three weeks without knowing about it.
She lets out a sigh as her hand comes up to lightly trace over the front of my shirt. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.
I wrap both arms around her and squeeze her tight. “Never apologize for being upset, Wren.”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it sooner. I had the perfect opportunity when you found out about my claustrophobia, but I was embarrassed.”
“Embarrassed?” Dex asks in confusion. “Of being scared?”
She lifts her head and looks around until her eyes land on Elias, who’s currently sitting in the other chair. His body freezes as her eyes lock on him. “I… I’m sorry I never told you about it,” she whispers to him. I frown, unsure what she means.
“Tell me now,” he encourages her, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees as he stares at her. He’s trying to remain calm for her, but I can see how tense he is beneath the surface.
She offers one small nod before her head drops back to my chest, as if I’m the one helping hold her together right now. A thought that warms my heart inexplicably.
“Growing up, if I argued with one of Robert’s lessons or went against his rules, he would lock me in a small closet.”
“He did what?!” Elias growls, his eyes filling with anger.
She shrugs. “It only happened when I didn’t listen.” Fuck. The way she still tries to defend her brother absolutely kills me. Luckily, Elias seems to feel the same way.
“Sweetheart, why didn’t you tell me? How long did this go on?”
“He hasn’t done it since I was like… fifteen. By then, I’d learned my lesson.”
“And before that? When did it start?” He presses.
She shrugs. “As far back as I can remember.”
Everyone is silent while we absorb that information. This explains so much. Not just her claustrophobia and fear of closets, but why she did everything he asked without question.
