Page 35 of His Obsession
I want you to know that you are both the best and worst thing to have ever happened to me. I know that is confusing, but I am hoping this journal will better explain. I loved you then and I love you now. I never wanted to give you up, but I felt like I didn’t have a choice. Upon reflection, I should have asked the others for help. You deserve more than a letter full of excuses, so I’ll spare you that. Just know I wanted you, but I couldn’t keep you. — I found you because you belong in the community with my people. Ourpeople. Your destiny is here. You will find peace and safety with the community, but also love. I rejected the idea of connecting with another after you came into existence, and that was my destiny. I have to believe that you are destined for more. — A few things you should know about the community. You are safe. You will experience things here that might seem strange or maybe even inappropriate, but do not fear the unknown… Carol can be abrasive, but she is the most kind and gentle person I know. I hope that she will become the mother for you that I wish I could have been. — Lucian will be the leader when Felix passes, so he will be your leader as well. Don’t be afraid to find comfort in him. You are both destined for greatness.
I love you from the bottom of my heart, Elise. You have grown into an incredible woman, and I am so proud of the challenges you’ve overcome, but the fight is not over. Find safety among our people and have faith in your destiny.
Jennifer Hart
“This would be easier if she had said she hated children, or I was just an ugly baby,” I say flatly. When I open the journal again, there is a picture loosely taped to the inside cover. The woman looks nearly identical to me. She is in a hospital bed and is holding a newborn. She has tears in her eyes, but she is smiling brightly down at the child. “Fuck.”
“What?” Carol asks.
“Is this Mom?” I ask as I pull the picture free and hand it to her.
“It is,” she smiles.
“Damn. She did a damn good copy and paste job with you,” Laura laughs.
“She sure did,” Carol says, handling me the photo.
“She… She held onto a picture of us,” I say.
“I know in my heart that she loved you, Elise,” Carol says. “Every Halloween, she would put out an offering for Lady Fortuna. I never understood why, but now I know it was for you.”
“I’m glad I got to meet her,” I say, wiping a tear from my cheek.
“Were you with her when she died?” Lucian asks.
“Yeah. Her doctor called me and said that she didn’t have much time. She was in a hospital a few hours from here,” I explain. “That’s when I learned that she was flying across the country to see me. Although we talked daily.”
“How about this…you read the journal. Bradley and I will start going through the footage. Carol and Laura can try and decode Dad’s notes,” he says.
“Okay,” I say. I pull my feet up to sit cross-legged as everyone moves to do other things.
The first entry is dated for her twenty-fifth birthday. It immediately starts with her disclosing that she was raped. She was at home alone when a man came over. At first it was to just wish her a happy birthday, but it grew sinister fast. She was held down and raped on her couch. After, he said she would be his wife one day. She doesn’t mention him by name but says that he was an important part of the community.
The second entry is roughly three weeks later when she discovers that she is pregnant. She talks about being afraid for her life because the man visits her every night and repeatedly assaults her. She states that she plans to disclose it to the leader, and she is confident that he will handle her attacker. She returns the same day and states that she disclosed to the leader, and he was given the choice between going before the council or accepting banishment. He accepted the banishment and left.
The last entry is dated the day before her death and states that she wanted to try and find peace before dying, so she wanted to finally say his name.
“Daniel Fritz,” I say.
“I’m sorry?” Lucian says.
“That’s who raped her,” I say. “He raped her on her twenty-fifth birthday. She found out she was pregnant three weeks later, so she disclosed to the leader and Daniel chose to be banished rather than to go before the council. The day before she died, she said she wanted to find peace, and then just wrote his name.”
“I remember when he left the community,” Carol says.
“Why did he keep the rape hidden?” I ask. “Shouldn’t that have been something to tell others, even without mentioning my mom?”
“Daniel was his best friend,” Lucian says with a sigh. “He was his right-hand man, like Bradley is for me. He would have only done that if he thought he was a danger to the others.”
“That must be why there isn’t any record of this in his notes,” Bradley says.
“He’s dead,” Laura says. She turns her phone so I can see, and it’s an obituary for Daniel.
“He died shortly after she did,” I say. “He was… fifty-two.”
“So, what now?” Bradley asks. “If it’s not Daniel messing with you, then who is it?”
“He created a community similar to ours when he went off on his own. It could be any of them,” Lucian suggests.