Ultraviolet

Chapter Fifty-One: The Great Robbery

My phone was flooded with texts. Most from Jess, some from Jack. One message was from Hadeon. Three words: "Jess is worried".

Seeing Hadeon hunched over that man was traumatising, and all he has to say is "Jess is worried". I slammed my phone face down on the coffee table.

"I made pancakes." Ty offered from his tiny dining table. I looked up to the table. Beside Ty was an empty chair and a plate of golden pancakes. "Well, I ordered them. But I plated them."

I stood up and slowly joined him, picking up a fork beside my plate and cutting a small square of pancake and chewing on it delicately.

Each time I blinked, I saw that man and was reminded of the many times I looked into the dirty mirror in the Wilkes' bathroom at my bloody noses. They never hit me hard enough to make my nose bleed, that would show when I went to school. Instead, they slapped me or grabbed me or spat in my face. I would get nose bleeds from anxiety. The Wilkes' made me afraid of everything, which gave me the anxious nosebleeds and stomachaches and the blackout spells.

"Why did you let me stay with you?" I asked him suddenly. "I was so horrible to you, why did you even pick up the phone."

Ty set down his fork and crossed his arms over his chest as he thought over his next words.

"You weren't horrible." He assured me. "I went on the first date I'd been on since my ex and- I think you are amazing, by the way- but I definitely was projecting ... something? I think I wanted some kind of perfect love story. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

"Apology accepted." I muttered. "Though it really, really wasn't necessary."

"Could you tell me just part of what happened?" Ty asked, changing the topic back to last night.

The concern in his eyes made me gulp. He really just wanted to make sure I was okay.

"I trusted someone and I shouldn't have." I sighed. "And now I don't know if he is completely to blame or if my sister knows anything about what-"

I caught myself and stopped talking before I spilled too much.

"You don't have to tell me exactly what this person did," Ty started. "But is it possible that you misunderstood the situation."

"No." I answered instinctively, before thinking about it for a second. "I mean, I don't think so."

I remember a conversation I'd had with Hadeon. He had left to do something for Adrianna, and came home with blood under his nails.

I told him that I believed he was a good person, and that he wouldn't do that to someone who didn't deserve it.

But I had no idea about how... violent he could be. That wasn't just simply "roughing" the guy up. Hadeon completely mutilated that man's face.

I could see clearly now. I couldn't trust Hadeon, or my sister.