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On instinct, I reached out and pulled him into a fierce hug. There was no resistance from him this time. He buried his head in my shoulder and shuddered a ragged rhythm against me, silently weeping. I held him until the shudders subsided.
Neil lifted his head, his eyes rimmed red. “I’m sorry for laying this on you and getting overly sentimental.”
“You don’t have to say sorry.”
He wiped his face. “I’ve never told anyone that before.”
My breath caught, the magnitude of his trust in me sinking in. “Thank you for telling me. That wasn’t an easy thing to say.”
“We all have our demons.”
“Yes.” I thought of my own father, a barrage of memories flickering before my eyes. “We do.” My voice was faint.
Neil’s phone dinged. He didn’t check it. “Is there something you want to say?” he asked.
Just like him, there were parts of my history I hadn’t shared with anyone, not even my closest friends. It was easier to exist with them bottled up, locked away where they couldn’t hurt me, or worse, be judged. But with Neil… I felt safe. “I… I do have something I want to say.” Where to even begin? I took a shaky breath. “It’s just… difficult.”
Neil’s eyes held mine, a silent reassurance that he was there, he was listening, and he would understand. It gave me the strength to continue.
“My father was also abusive.”
The sheer look of utter pain on Neil’s face was heart-rending. “Oh, Milly…”
“Not in the same way as yours,” I felt the need to clarify. “He was never violent.”
“But he still hurt you?”
I shook my head, the gesture more of a reflection of my internal struggle than a denial. “I don’t know. I didn’t even consider it to be abuse until after he died. He killed himself.”
“I’m so sorry.”
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “The counsellor I saw said my dad had neglected me. I was so angry, I walked out of the session. But looking back… he was right.” The memories surfaced, sharp and painful, of a childhood spent navigating loneliness and responsibility beyond my years. “Ever since my mum died when I was just a little kid, my dad was depressed, and he did the bare minimum to raise me. I basically had to do everything by myself. Cook, clean, get myself where I needed to go… Maybe he was doing his best, but it wasn’t good enough.” The tears I’d held back for so long spilled over, hot tracks down my cheeks. “I know it sounds stupid. It’s nowhere near the same level as what you went through?—”
Neil took my hand in his. “It’s not stupid. Not at all. He didn’t look after you the way he should have. Yes, that was abusive. You deserved better.”
Just hearing him acknowledge my trauma felt cathartic. It wasn’t all in my head, or an overreaction as I’d sometimes feared. “Thank you, Neil. I really needed to hear that.” I wiped the tears from my eyes.
“I think we both got something off our chest today. I’m glad we had this talk.”
“Me too.”
Neil let my hand go like he’d only just realised he had been holding it. The warmth of him lingered like an imprint.
“You and your mother—what happened? Did you get away from your dad?” I asked.
Neil nodded. “We escaped when I was twelve, and I’ve never heard from him since. I don’t even know if he’s alive or dead. Nor do I care.”
Just then, an eruption of squeaks rang out. Both of us turned to see Archie sprawled on his back, gleefully gnawing on one of his new toys—a squeaky pizza slice.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the absurd juxtaposition of Archie’s joy and the seriousness of the situation. Neil chuckled too, the hearty sound warming me up from the inside.
“Looks like that pizza slice is his new favourite toy,” I said.
“Speaking of pizza…” Neil checked his phone. “It’s ready. I’ll go pick it up. You just stay here and look after Archie, okay? I’ll be back in a minute.”
While Neil was gone, I played with Archie until he got drowsy, then I coaxed him into his dog bed. He circled a few times before flopping down with a contented sigh. I stroked his back until his eyes drifted shut, feeling grateful he was here and not cooped up in a cage at the shelter. I knew Neil would provide him with all the love and care in the world.
By the time Neil returned with two pizza boxes stacked in his arms, Archie was fast asleep.
