Chapter Fifty
JULIE
Time passed, and Lenore never moved. We didn’t talk for a lot of the time she stayed with me. She only let go of my hand when I pulled it away from her, because honestly, hands get sweaty, and I needed to separate ours.
“Don’t you need to be anywhere?” I asked her finally, making her look up from her phone, which she’d glanced at when it beeped with a message.
“I’m sure I’ll need a wee at some point.” She said, offering me a small smile.
“Is everything okay?” I pointed at her phone, and she nodded, setting it aside.
“Marco was just letting me know that they’re out there, if they’re needed.”
I felt a sudden wave of fear. “Who? Who’s out there?”
She frowned, as she sat up a little. “Marco, the Bennetts, Cass, Adam. Everyone you might need.”
I stared at the covers. “Not my family? Nobody called them, right?”
She smoothed the bedding I was staring at. “No. Should we?”
I shook my head rapidly. “No! I don’t want them here. I don’t want them to know.”
Lenore got up, pouring a half glass of water, and offering it to me.
“You have no reason to feel ashamed, Julie.”
I took the glass, my hand shaking too much to hold it steady.
“Shouldn’t I? I’m a whore. They told me that, and he told me that. And why would they say it, if it wasn’t true? I should have listened to the voice inside. The one that warned me that my slutty ways would be my undoing.” It hurt so much that they’d been right, this whole time.
Lenore looked horrified. “Who the fuck said that to you?”
“My parents. They’re ashamed of me.”
She slammed the water jug down, and sat beside me again. “Then they’re utter assholes, who don’t deserve a minute of your time. And if he said it… that’s because he was a monster, and he was trying to break you. Don’t let it in. You’re not any of those things. And you know what? You’re not a victim either. You’re a fucking fighter, and I’m going to help you remember that. You have a family now. Not the ones you were born to. They can go to hell. You have me. Marco. Cass and the Bennetts. And you have Adam, Julie. Trust me when I say he’d do anything for you.”
I stared at the water, the glass now resting against my blankets, because my hand was still trembling.
“He won’t want me now. I wasn’t worthy of him before this.”
Lenore let out a low noise, almost a growling sound.
“You know what we walked in on, in your house? He’d kicked the door in. Adam, I’m assuming. To get to you. It was smashed. And he was on top of that bastard, beating the living shit out of him. He killed him right in front of us. Killed him for hurting you.”
I couldn’t look at her. “Adam killed him? I didn’t know what was happening. One minute that monster was… was… raping me… and then he was pulled away from me. There was yelling, and other noises, but I just blocked it all out. The overwhelming thought was that Adam was there, in the house with me, but he didn’t come near me. He didn’t touch me, or hold me, or get me away from that man. He just left me there.”
The tears were back again, as if I’d have any fluid left in my body at this point. But Adam… he’d just left me there. Why didn’t he come near me? Because I was dirty? Was he ashamed of me?
Lenore wiped at her own eyes. “Julie, what I saw was a man so full of rage, and protectiveness, that he beat a guy to death, to punish him for hurting the woman he loves. He knew we were coming to help. He focused on removing the threat. Making sure he couldn’t hurt you again.”
“Maybe he won’t want to touch me now. I’m tainted by that monster’s touch. His hands. His body. His… he… he’s been inside me. Why would Adam want me now?”
Lenore suddenly grabbed the glass from my hand, catching it before I spilled water all over the bed.
“Can you leave me alone for a little while please. I need to be alone.”
She stood up, letting out a small sigh. “Anything you want, sweets. Just bear in mind that we’re all just out there, and we won’t leave you, okay?”