The next morning, Robert arrived before sunrise.<\/p>\n
I had barely slept.<\/p>\n
Every time my phone vibrated during the night, I expected another message. None came. Somehow, the silence was worse.<\/p>\n
Robert knocked once and entered when I opened the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot really.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMe neither.\u201d<\/p>\n
He carried a folder under his arm.<\/p>\n
Derek was already in the living room.<\/p>\n
He looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
There were dark circles beneath his eyes, and his hands kept moving restlessly over his knees.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Dad everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I looked at Robert.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much is everything?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to understand the situation,\u201d Robert said.<\/p>\n
I sat opposite Derek.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started borrowing money about fourteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor gambling?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of it went toward bills. Some toward the car. But most of it was gambling.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes briefly.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much did you lose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMore than eight thousand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much more?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAlmost twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n
The number landed heavily.<\/p>\n
Robert remained standing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did you borrow from first?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA guy named Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVelez.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he the person who sent the messages?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHave you met him recently?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHas he ever come to the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek hesitated.<\/p>\n
That hesitation frightened me more than the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce before I moved in with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the second time?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThree days before I hit you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My chest tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he came when you were at the grocery store.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he threaten you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said if I didn't pay, he'd take something worth the debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you think he meant?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he meant my car.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robert sat beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he mention your mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe asked where I lived.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you told him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't give him the address.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room became very quiet.<\/p>\n
I remembered the dark sedan.<\/p>\n
The photograph.<\/p>\n
The message.<\/p>\n
The night Derek hit me.<\/p>\n
The pieces were beginning to form a picture I didn't want to see.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Marcus know about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew I lived with my mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek lowered his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI showed him your house.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn't speak.<\/p>\n
Robert looked at him sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't bring him inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat wasn't the question.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI drove him past once.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he needed to know I wasn't lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at my son.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you thought that was acceptable?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout a week before the night you were hit.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands began to tremble.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou put me in danger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew someone was threatening you, and you brought him near my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
Derek immediately stood too.<\/p>\n
Then he stopped himself.<\/p>\n
He took one step backward.<\/p>\n
The movement was deliberate.<\/p>\n
He remembered.<\/p>\n
I saw it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am sorry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
The street was still gray with morning.<\/p>\n
A delivery van passed slowly.<\/p>\n
Nothing about the world outside suggested that anything had changed.<\/p>\n
But everything inside me had.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you hit me that night?\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you asked about the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He opened his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had just received another message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat if I didn't pay within forty-eight hours, they'd come to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then I asked about the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were afraid I'd discover the debt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you attacked me because you thought I was going to force you to admit what was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lost control.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou chose violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The distinction mattered.<\/p>\n
He had been afraid.<\/p>\n
He had been desperate.<\/p>\n
He had been ashamed.<\/p>\n
But he had still chosen to hit me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need you to understand something,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Listen.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were frightened that night. I believe you. You were under pressure. I believe that too. But I will never accept those things as an excuse for what you did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't expect you to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't want to be that man.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don't be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrying is not a feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt's what you do next.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
Robert opened the folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe spoke to an attorney this morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlready?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wants copies of every message, the loan agreement, and anything else connected to Marcus.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek reached into his pocket.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have more.\u201d<\/p>\n
He took out his phone.<\/p>\n
There were screenshots.<\/p>\n
Dozens of them.<\/p>\n
Some were ordinary demands for money.<\/p>\n
Others were vague.<\/p>\n
Others were direct.<\/p>\n
One message made me stop breathing.<\/p>\n
We know where she sleeps.<\/p>\n
I read it twice.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you receive this before you hit me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow long before?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you still didn't tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were terrified.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut you still kept me uninformed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the part I struggled to forgive.<\/p>\n
Not because I expected him to handle everything perfectly.<\/p>\n
Because he had made decisions that affected my safety without allowing me to know there was danger.<\/p>\n
Robert photographed the message.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to preserve the original.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won't delete anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek sat down.<\/p>\n
For the first time, his shoulders seemed to collapse completely.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I could fix it myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou couldn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou almost lost everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI almost lost you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't answer.<\/p>\n
He wiped his face.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't mean because you would stop loving me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean because I could have gotten you hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know how to live with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou live with it by making sure you never put me in that position again.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me for a long moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then there was a knock at the door.<\/p>\n
All three of us froze.<\/p>\n
No one moved.<\/p>\n
The knock came again.<\/p>\n
Two slow taps.<\/p>\n
Robert stood.<\/p>\n
Derek looked at me.<\/p>\n
I could see fear return to his face.<\/p>\n
Robert moved toward the window and looked through the curtain.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He checked the porch.<\/p>\n
No one stood there.<\/p>\n
But an envelope lay on the welcome mat.<\/p>\n
Robert opened the door only far enough to retrieve it.<\/p>\n
He brought it inside.<\/p>\n
There was no name.<\/p>\n
No stamp.<\/p>\n
No return address.<\/p>\n
Only my first name written across the front.<\/p>\n
Robert opened it.<\/p>\n
Inside was a single photograph.<\/p>\n
Derek looked at it.<\/p>\n
His face drained of color.<\/p>\n
It showed the three of us sitting in the kitchen that morning.<\/p>\n
The photograph had been taken through the window.<\/p>\n
On the back were five words.<\/p>\n
You should have listened to him.<\/p>\n
No one spoke.<\/p>\n
Then Derek whispered something that made my blood run cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that car.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next morning, Robert arrived before sunrise. I had barely slept. Every time my phone vibrated during the night, I expected another message. None came. Somehow, the silence was worse. … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14699,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14708","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14708","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14708"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14733,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14708\/revisions\/14733"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14699"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}