Page 60 of Shattered Veil
“Give us a minute, Erin.” Balor tugs me aside. “What’s wrong? Talk to me. I’m here.”
“I want... I want to scream. I hate this. I hate having to do this.” I sniff.
“Say the word, and I’ll drive to his place. You can watch me beat the piss out of him first and get your clothes after.”
“That’s not the answer.”
“How much did you tell your father about what Wes did to you?”
“Not much.”
“You kept it bottled up?”
I nod.
“You didn’t want him to worry.”
I nod again.
“Let me make something clear right here, right now. I can handle worrying. You don’t have to be strong for me.” He glances around.
Following his gaze, I spot other women shopping, glancing at us.
“Fuck, I should have shut this place down for you.”
“Can we leave?” I ask, my voice small.
“No. You’re doing this.” He brings me into a dressing room. “Go ahead. Let it out. Scream. Cry. Throw things. Punch something. Punchme.”
Tears build up and once they leak, I can’t stop them.
It starts as a choking sob, but Balor holds my face. “Come on. Wail.”
“I don’t want anyone to hear me.”
“Why not? Who cares? I don’t. Stop protecting him. When Erin asks why you need all this. Tell her. Don’t feel ashamed. Shamehim!”
My rage builds to a frenzy, a volcano erupting inside me. In the corner, I spot a mannequin. A male one. It’s dressed up in a baseball hat, a stupid striped shirt, and Bahama shorts like someone is taking it on a boat for crying out loud.
I storm up to it and start punching it. Screaming at it. Kicking it.“You bastard. I hate you. I hate you.”
This goes on for I don’t know how long, until Erin peeks into the dressing room. “What’s going on?”
She probably thinks I’m yelling at Balor and is ready tocall one of his brothers.
Balor pulls me against his chest. “She’s letting out some bottled-up anger.”
“Are you that hard to work for?” Erin asks.
This makes me snort a laugh into his chest. “No. He’s the best boss.”
Erin fidgets, knowing she’s not getting the full story. “Oh.”
Straightening my back, I say, “I walked away from everything I owned eight months ago to get away from an abusive situation.”
Erin nods. “I’ve worked with survivors in the past. I have a checklist for building a new wardrobe.”
The sense that I’m not alone in my trauma takes so much weight off my shoulders.