No Such Thing As A Hollywood Ending

chapter 37

Later that evening, Henry sat quietly on the couch, his mind spinning with everything that had happened that day at church. The revelation of Amelia's assault on him, his parents' shock, the pastor's apology—it all felt like too much. He had been carrying the weight of the incident for a week, and now it was out in the open, but that didn't make it any easier to process. If anything, it only made him feel more confused, more exposed.

His mom walked into the living room and sat down beside him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Henry, honey, do you want to talk about it?" she asked softly.

Henry stared at the floor, biting his lip. He didn't want to talk about it, not really. But at the same time, he knew he needed to. He hadn't told his parents everything yet—he hadn't told *anyone* everything.

"Mom..." His voice cracked, and he felt a lump rise in his throat. "I didn't tell you because I didn't think you'd believe me."

His mom's eyes widened in surprise, her hand tightening on his shoulder. "Oh, Henry... why wouldn't we believe you?"

He shrugged, wiping at his eyes. "Because... I don't know. It didn't feel real. I thought maybe I'd... maybe I'd done something wrong. Maybe I hadn't said 'no' enough. Or... I don't know."

His mom looked horrified. "Sweetie, none of this was your fault. Amelia forced you. It doesn't matter if you didn't shout or fight—no means *no*. You did everything you could."

Henry shook his head, his hands trembling. "But I didn't defend myself, Mom. I just... I froze. I didn't expect her to lock me in there. I told her 'no,' but I didn't fight her. And part of me feels like... maybe I should have done more."

His mom pulled him into a tight hug, holding him close. "Henry, listen to me. What happened to you was wrong. *She* was wrong. You're not to blame for freezing or not fighting. No one should have to defend themselves like that—especially when you already told her 'no.'"

Henry let out a shaky breath, leaning into her embrace. "I just... I didn't know if you and Dad would see it that way. I didn't expect the pastor to tell you. I thought maybe it would just go away, that maybe it wasn't as bad as it felt."

His mom pulled back slightly, brushing his hair from his forehead. "I'm so sorry you felt like you couldn't come to us, Henry. But I need you to understand something—what she did is a crime. It's not something you can just brush off or wish away. You deserve to be safe, and you deserve justice. But more importantly, you deserve to heal. I'm just sorry you had to carry this on your own for so long."

Henry's chest tightened at her words, and he swallowed hard. "I don't want the police involved, Mom," he said quietly. "I don't want to deal with that. I don't want the attention or... or any of it. But at the same time, I don't think Amelia should just get away with it. I don't know what to do."

His mom's expression softened as she cupped his face in her hands. "We will figure this out. Ok?"

Henry nodded, his voice barely above a whisper. "Can you promise me something?"

"Of course, honey."

"Promise we won't get the police involved unless it's... absolutely necessary. I just... I don't want to go through that. Not right now."

His mom looked pained, but she nodded. "Okay, Henry. I promise. We won't do anything unless you're ready. But if it ever gets to a point where we have no other choice, I hope you'll understand."

He exhaled, relief washing over him. "Thank you."

They sat in silence for a while, his mom's hand rubbing small circles on his back. Henry felt calmer now that he'd talked about the situation. Even though nothing got resolved yet, just being heard was enough for him right at that moment.