AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You weren’t an addict, you were undiagnosed and self-medicating,” she said sharply. “You put in the work, you sat here in my office, you killed your demons.”
“So you’re saying I spent fifteen years being friends with a man and I never really knew him? You think he gaslit me for a decade and a half?”
“I think that if you talked to other people who knew him, you might get a different story of who he was.”
I cleared my throat. “What does that mean?”
She hesitated, like she wasn’t sure if she should speak.
“Why did his wife leave him?”
“No one knew why Efa left,” I said.
“Divorce isn’t common in your organization. Efa risked a lot walking away and never returning and she gave up her only child.”
“She was a coward and she abandoned her daughter.”
The words sounded harsh coming from me and I regretted them. I could tell Gretchen didn’t like them either.
“You told me that your aunts were friends with Efa once,” Gretchen said carefully. “Maybe ask them if they know why she left. But I am warning you that you might not like what they have to say.”
“You seem confident their split was Edwin’s fault,” I shot back.
“You’re getting defensive,” she scolded. “I’ve worked with a lot of clients over the years and I’ve learned a thing or two. Edwin respected you, but you were his equal. Clara wasn’t and she was neglected.”
“Maybe he just wasn’t a good father.”
“Perhaps. Most women won’t talk publicly about the abuses done to them in private because there’s an unfortunate sense of shame about it. That goes for wives and daughters.”
I stared up at her, my mind whirling. I knew all of these things, but I’d never put the pieces together like that.
And now that Gretchen had, I realized I didn’t want to know the truth.
“My head’s kind of fucked right now.” I cleared my throat. “Can I think about this and we can talk more next week?”
“About talking with your aunts? Of course,” she said. “There’s no real reason to except for your own healing. Edwin is dead and he can’t hurt anyone anymore.”
“He may not have hurt anyone.”
“He may not have. Efa may have fallen in love with someone else or simply been overwhelmed by having a young child and never got support.”
“Edwin never hurt Clara,” I said slowly. “He was just a cunt. She told me.”
“Neglect is a form of abuse.”
“I know.”
Gretchen released another long sigh. There was a long silence and I rose and set aside my empty glass.
“I need to go home and face the music,” I said.
“Are you going to sleep with her tonight?”
“Sex or just sleeping?”
“Either.”
“I don’t know. We’ll see if she’ll have me.”
