Amnesia: Book One of the Amnesia Trilogy

Chapter Seventeen | Maxwell Fitch

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Chapter Seventeen | Maxwell Fitch

Robyn's POV

I laid in bed with him that night, just like we always had when I couldn't sleep or vice versa. I was comfortably tucked into his chest, facing away from him. His hand was wound tightly around my waist and I could feel his gentle breath on my neck, sending shivers all throughout my body. This was what I loved about Ryder, he made me feel safe and protected. I knew he would fight for me always. He had unknowingly become my new safe haven.

I had remembered my encounter with Rachelle just the night before and instantly grew curious, "Ryder?"

"Hm?" He mumbled sleepily, and I felt bad that my curiosity was keeping him up. But for some reason, I needed to know. Perhaps for closure.

"Who is that girl I thought was your girlfriend?" I asked, as if I didn't already know her name. With the strange amount of courage that I had somehow conjured up, I turned and faced him so I could see the reaction on his face.

He was staring at me with wide eyes, and his body immediately tensed, "No one Robyn. Drop it, please."

"Were you guys... a thing?" I bravely asked, although in all honesty I feared the answer.

He closed his eyes and huffed out a breath, "Yeah. We went on a few dates, but I never asked her to be my girlfriend."

My jaw clenched without my permission. "You never asked me to be your girlfriend either, but I pretty much was... and am," I reminded him.

"That's true," he said promptly, frowning. "But she was just a rebound from you and I feel terrible about using her like that because she's a really great girl who really, truly deserves the best. And I..." He trailed off, a distant look vacating his eyes.

"You what?" I pressed, curiosity shooting through me once again.

"Never mind," he said with clenched teeth. He squirmed, showcasing how uncomfortable he was with the topic, so reluctantly, I dropped it.

"Okay," I sighed, running my hands over his chest in an attempt to calm him down. He visibly became less tense at my very touch, making me smile unconsciously. "Why are you so rich, Ryder?" I asked, moving onto a new subject because truthfully, I loved when we did nothing but talk.

Wrong move. He grew angry; not because of what I said, but because of what I brought up. I brought a hand up to his cheek and gently caressed his face. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. When he opened his eyes, I could see the struggle in his beautiful blue-green irises as he said, "My father, Maxwell Fitch, is a millionare CEO of some huge company, I couldn't possibly care what for. He used to be nothing but an average business man... that was when he was married to my mom. As he gained popularity in the business industry, he was home less. A lot less. Either at parties or on business trips. Slowly, he became less of a father to Alison and I. When he was at home, he was just there. He wasn't good for much."

"Whenever he went to parties, he would come home at ungodly hours of the night, drunk off his ass. My mother would confront him every single time, and every time, he... He..." Ryder looked so pained and it broke my heart, but he needed to get this off his chest, and I needed to know for the sake of our relationship, "he would hit her. Countless times. Alison and I could do nothing but watch as he beat the living shit out of her. We were kids, we weren't capable of much. And one morning when I was fifteen, we woke up, and she was just gone." So that's what was going on. That was why Alison and Ryder were so welcoming towards me when I first met me. That was why they tensed up at the mention of abuse and money.