I sigh. “You can lash out at me all you like, and I’m sorry if it’s hard for you to accept me and Leni together, but that’s not the issue here. Don’t you see how your actions affect other people?”
“Maybe it would help to talk to someone,” Vanessa suggests.
“What? Like a shrink?” The scepticism is clear in his tone.
“We can’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do, but maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea if we all saw someone.” My thoughts drift to Leni. It wouldn’t be a bad idea for her either.
“What good’s it going to do?” Dylan asks, and for the first time in a long time there’s vulnerability in his voice. “It’s not like you and Mum are going to get back together, and I don’t have a problem. If you want me to stop filming myself having sex, then I’ll stop.”
I pause. “Is that what you want? For your mother and me to get back together?”
“Fuck no,” he admits, huffing out a humourless laugh. “You two were toxic together. I actually considered telling you about Mum’s affair so you’d break up sooner.”
Vanessa clears her throat, her hand toying with her hair. “Yes, well, I know I probably could have handled things a little better.”
“Whatever, Mum. You and Dad were miserable together. At least things kind of got more tolerable when your toy boy was boning you.”
I shake my head. “We weren’t exactly perfect, but I would have thought we taught you to respect women.”
Dylan hangs his head. “I don’t know why I took photos of Elena. Like I said, a few of the guys on the team were doing it…” His voice trails off as he meets my gaze. “I really am sorry.”
“It’s not me you need to apologise to.”
He nods, thoughtful. “So, this thing between you two is…”
“Serious? Yes.”
“Isn’t it like, illegal or something, to date your students?”
I rub the back of my neck. “She’s not technically my student, but we are keeping it quiet until she graduates. I had already given my notice before we started anything, and we’re both leaving Beckford.”
“Together?” he chokes out.
“Yes.”
His eyes move to his mother. “How do you feel about all this?”
She glances at me before returning her attention to him. “I just want you both to be happy.”
“You think seeing a therapist would help with that?”
Tears glisten in her eyes. “I do. We all have things we need to heal from, and I think it will do us all some good toseek professional help to move on from our past mistakes. Your father and I included.”
I soften my tone. “Dylan, you’re my son. I will always be here to support you, but objectifying women the way you have been is not okay. They’re real people, and they need to be respected as such. I’m not shaming your kinks, as long as you’re doing it in a safe and respectful manner. Those two women might have consented to you recording them, but I’m sure they didn’t consent to that video being shared around, did they?”
His shoulders droop. “No.”
“I didn’t think so. This is why I think talking to a professional will help you explore your sexual urges in a healthier way.”
Dylan slumps back against the couch. “Whatever.”
He’s still resisting, but at least he’s not shutting down the idea altogether. Vanessa’s right. None of us have really dealt with the marriage breakdown, and I guess we weren’t as good at hiding it from Dylan as we thought. I’m not making excuses for his behaviour, because there’s nothing that makes what he did right, but I’m determined to help him through it, and Vanessa’s suggestion of therapy seems like the best option for all of us.
Chapter 30
Leni
“I’m sorry, can you please repeat that?” Willow’s eyes are practically bugging out of her head over FaceTime.
