"Harry.. I really just.. It doesn't matter." I said. "It does to me. I want to know who hurt you. It wasn't Ryan, because he's in jail. So who did this? Was it Andrew?" He asked, and I shook my head..
"You remember when you came over to my house and Jackson was there?" I asked, and he nodded. "He was really pissed, and I thought he was just going to get over it. But, he didn't." I explained.
"Is that all he did or is there more?" He asked. I ran a hand through my hair, not answering him. "Where?" He questioned. "Harry.. Can we not do this? Please? It doesn't matter." I stated. "Ok, well is this what you weren't telling me before?" He asked, and I avoiding meeting his gaze. "Damn it, Brynn. Just tell me." He said.
I didn't respond, knowing he would be really annoying about it. "Brynn." He stated, and I glanced up at him. "Please." He said. I sighed, shaking my head.
"Why are you being like this again? Before, you were talking to me and telling me stuff." He commented, and I hesitated. "I quit my therapy." I finally admitted. "Brynn.. Are you serious? Why? You did it for five years.." He trailed off, seeming confused. I shrugged. "You made progress. Why did you quit?" He asked.. I sighed, looking at him.
"Jackson.. He's been visiting Ryan in prison, and I guess Ryan's telling him stuff..." I bit my lip, not wanting to tell him. I didn't really trust him. When Jackson found me a few days ago, he spent a few hours here and really screwed with my head.. The next day I called my therapist and told her I was done...
"Brynn, what did he do?" He questioned, his tone gentle. "I don't want to talk about it, Harry." I said, shoving my hands through my hair, my mind becoming overwhelmed.
I checked the time on my phone. It was a little past 7:30PM.. "I'm going to shower." I stated. "Did you want us to leave?" He asked. I sighed, knowing it would take a few hours for the train, and then they'd have to fly back to London..
"No, it's fine. You can stay, um.. You can sleep on the sofa. Put Grace in here." I said, and he nodded, studying my face. "Brynn." He commented, and I looked at him. "What else did he do to you?" He asked, and I hesitated, not wanting to show him..
I sighed, pulling the leather jacket off, revealing the extensive bruising on my arms and collarbones.
"Oh my god." He whispered, walking over. I took a few steps back, but ended up trapped against a wall. He stopped where he was. "Sorry." He murmured, studying my arms from a distance. "Um.. Did he.." He didn't finish his sentence. "Just say it." I said. He glanced over at the bed. "No." I answered, and he nodded, seeming to relax a little..
"And.. Ryan told him to do this to you?" He asked. I nodded. "I can't escape it, Harry.. It's like.. Abuse just follows me everywhere I go." I commented, finally shutting down and sliding down the wall, putting my head against my knees. He walked over, sitting next to me and gently putting his arms around me.
I leaned into his hold, which instantly caused pain in my ribs. I sighed, relaxing a little. The pain was good. It was a sign that I was still okay, and that it was possible to recover from this.. I could still feel things, and even though it was pain, all that mattered was that I could still feel it...
We sat like that for a few minutes.. "I'm going to shower." I commented, and felt him nod. He didn't let go of me though, keeping his arms around me. "Harry." I said. "I don't want to.. You're changing again, Brynn.. I just want you to stay how you were before you quit your therapy. I need you. Grace needs you." He explained.
"I can't put her in danger. Ryan will tell him to go after you, and then Grace.. I have to distance myself again." I replied. "Did he tell you that?" He asked. "Not directly. But, he's following Ryan's instructions. And Ryan doesn't want me anywhere near you." I explained.
"I can't lose you again." He commented, and I shook my head, standing up. He reluctantly let go of me, and I went into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind me...
I took a long shower, pulling the towel around me and walking out. Grace was asleep on my bed, and I grabbed a change of clothes, going back into the bathroom.. I put on a black sports bra and a pair of lounge shorts, and walked back out. I jumped, seeing a figure standing in the door, then relaxed, seeing it was just Harry. "Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you." He said. "What'd you need?" I asked.
"I was gonna see if maybe I could shower." He replied quietly. I shrugged, motioning to the bathroom. "Thanks." He said, briefly glancing over all the bruises. "Are you okay?" He asked, and I looked over at Grace. Her eyes were closed, and she was curled up in the middle of the bed.
I nodded, looking back over at him. I jumped again, seeing he was right in front of me, and flinched when he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around my waist. I was tense, my mind going back to Jackson beating me just a few days ago.
"Why aren't you mad at me for faking my death and lying to you about it?" I asked quietly, and he pulled back, his fingers dragging against my skin.
"I was, at first. Because that's a really shitty thing to do, and honestly pretty selfish. But.. I think I'm just glad you're here now, and I don't want to waste any time hating you, because I spent a lot of time blaming myself for your death, and then missing you a lot. And, I don't want to do that again. I'd spend every second with you if I could." He explained, meeting my gaze.
I sighed, shaking my head, not able to wrap my head around someone saying those things to me. "Alright, well you can go shower." I said, and he nodded, walking around me and going into the bathroom.. I got some water, and then went and climbed into bed. Grace rolled over, opening her eyes. "Daddy loves you." She said quietly, looking up at me. I shook my head. "Come here." I said, getting under the covers. She moved closer to me, and I wrapped my arms around her.
It only took her a few seconds to fall back asleep, and I shut my eyes, feeling the exhaustion from today hit me....
