in the night- h.s

chapter 52

July 2017

"So how have you been since I last saw you, Rosalie?" Her therapist asked, crossing her legs unbeknown to what was about to come. Rosalie face said it all.

"I'm not going to lie to you, Karen. You're not going to be proud." She started. Karen's eyebrows raised, ready for Rosalie to start explaining whatever car crash had happened. "I broke up with Harry." She confessed. The disappointment was not hidden well by Karen.

"Oh Rosalie. Why?" She wondered. Rosalie thought for a moment.

"It's a lot of things but I just feel insecure around him, always like I'm never enough. Recently an article came out about me that wasn't exactly flattering and I was so humiliated it kind of tipped me over the edge and I decided to leave." She explained. Karen nodded, thinking about where to go with this.

"Why was the article humiliating?" She asked.

"Well, it brought to the public's attention that I used to be a stripper" Karen was kind of shocked from her answer.

"You've never been embarrassed about that before." She pointed out. "In fact, you speak about that profession with pride every time you bring it up." Rosalie nodded.

"I know. I'm not ashamed of who I used to be but for Harry, it doesn't look good on him." Karen nodded, writing something down.

"Is that what he told you?" Rosalie shook her head.

"No but it's common sense. He's in the public eye and having it come out that he's dating someone that is a stripper. It's not exactly going to make him more popular." She pointed out.

"Why not? I thought you thought being a stripper wasn't anything shameful." Rosalie grew frustrated.

"It isn't but I am aware that there is a stigma around it and to be honest more times than none, the stereotype fits." She explained. Karen nodded.

"And how did Harry react to your departure?" She moved the conversation back to the point. Rosalie looked away which gave her her answer.

"Well, he wasn't thrilled but he'll thank me later." Karen stared at her for a moment but it wasn't her job to think she was insane, it was her job to talk her out of becoming insane.

"What makes you think that?" She pushed.

"He'll find a new girlfriend, maybe he already has who knows? Anyway, he'll realise it's much easier with someone who's not as damaging to his reputation." She said completely confidently.

"So the reputation was important to him, he made that clear did he?" Rosalie gave Karen a weird look.

"Well, no but everyone cares about their reputation and he literally has a whole team to make sure he looks good to the public." She explained, Karen nodded slowly.

"Do you think maybe Harry didn't care about what impact you had on his reputation. Maybe he cared about you too much for that to get in the way." She suggested but Rosalie shook her head.

"You can't just assume those things." She pointed out.

"You're right." Karen nodded. "But you said a few weeks ago he told you he loved you. That indicates that he likes every part of you despite the bad things" she pointed out. Rosalie went quiet. "Has he reached out to you since you broke up with him?" She asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yes." She mumbled.

"Have you responded?"

The question struck something in Rosalie. She had read every text Harry had sent her and listened to every voicemail. Some were just begging her to come back, they were heartbreaking sure but the last voicemail was the one that had made her want to bring him up in today's session. Rosalie knew she had hurt him but for him to still be nice to her afterwards was something she had never experienced before. She wanted to talk to him but she just wouldn't know what to say.