His Daughter

Chapter 12

Greg opened his eyes, groaning from pain. His head felt like liquid led, sloshing around and pounding as he tried to raise himself off the bed. His back ached, muscles tense and sore from excessive movement. He didn't remember much. He remembered the tortures, the voices, the touches, but... when did he fall asleep? He had no idea. Was he even awake then? Greg looked around, squinting his eyes to lift the pressure off of his forehead. Everything seemed in place. Even the bed remained in the same space, as If he didn't move it around. As if nothing happened...

He sighed. He was tired. He was tired, but it felt different this time somehow. It wasn't this weird sensation of everything being dreamy and unreal. He didn't feel scattered or absent like last time. There was no confusion, no underlying fear. He just felt... tired. Greg rubbed his face, but a small smile crept onto his face. He was feeling better. Was it the elation of quite literally beating his oppressor? Who knows, he would take it anyway. He needed a god damn break and the sudden feeling of being somehow fine was just what he needed.

Greg yawned quietly, stretching before ultimately getting out of bed. He reached for his phone, checking the time.

- Five, huh?- he mumbled to himself before reaching for the glass at the nightstand. Just as he was about to tilt the glass, drinking the last nights water he stopped. The water smelled off, somewhat metallic with a hint of sweetness, making him nauseous. Greg looked at the glass displeased. Did it go stale through the night? It smelled off, not by a lot... He would check the filter in the tap later.

Greg took the glass in one hand, the unfinished meal in the other and opened the door. He marched down the corridor, reaching the kitchen in mere minutes. The table and the counters were trashed, littered with dirty plates and glasses, making Greg smile slightly.

There she was, his Gabbie... She seemed so independent last time they talked, yet he was glad that deep down she was still that messy goofy woman, that would grab multiple things at the time but only finish two of them. He spilled the water back into the tap, setting up his morning coffee as he begun to gather the plates for a lengthy session of dishwashing.

He was halfway done with stacking the pancakes on the plates when Greg heard shuffling of tired feet across the hallway.

- Yes, I know...- Gabbie irritated voice echoed through the empty hallway.

-No, I haven't told him yet. It's- It's not that easy... No, no, you don't get to lecture me on how I am supposed to do it. That is not how it works...

Greg paused, looking down the corridor perplexed as the doors to the bathroom closed behind his wife, muffling the sound of the conversation. He put down the cutlery; his eyes glued to the entry way. She sounded irritated and on the edge, talking on the phone with who, he presumed, was not a stranger given the tone of her voice. Gabbie cared for appearances more than anything, always hiding behind a façade of being seemingly perfect be it in front of her friends or coworkers. She would often shower them with small white lies, such as her babysitting Jenny when Greg was at work or being the main cook in the house. Greg would let those slide usually, seeing no necessity for pointless fighting over somebody else's perception of their life.

"Let them think we are perfect..." He would often think to himself.

He knew he shouldn't, but morbid curiosity writhed at the back of his mind, nudging and prodding. She was talking with somebody familiar. Somebody who she was close enough to not feel ashamed over being emotional. Greg really couldn't think of somebody besides him that would have seen Gabbie's true and unfiltered self. Afterall, she always held her friends at arm's length, not to mention that neither of them had seen those people in ages. It couldn't be her parents either, since she went had no contact with them ever since Greg met her. The man stared down at the table, debating his options before ultimately giving into the tiny voice whispering in his head.