“Talk to me,” I murmured.
“I met Wayne the day of the fire that killed my parents. He was one of the volunteer firefighters.”
I was shocked at her words, that she was going to tell me her story now. I hadn’t expected it, but I kept my voice calm.
“That’s Theo’s father?”
“Yes.”
I tightened my grip to let her know I was listening, but I remained silent. Whatever it was that made her open up now, I was grateful. I wanted to know her story. To understand her fears.
“I wasn’t in a good place. I felt lost. In shock. Wayne seemed so nice. He checked up on me, brought me dinner a few times, seemed to be a really decent guy. We started dating. Everyone told me how lucky I was—what a great guy he was.”
“I see.”
“I worked as an inventory control manager at a clothing warehouse. I liked what I did. I worked mostly on my own, checking stock and keeping track of items, replenishing as needed. We had various managers who decided which pieces were kept in stock at all times, which were specialty items, and sent me their lists. I had my own office, and most days, it was just me and the mounds of paperwork and numbers. I was off for a few weeks after the fire, and when I went back, I sort of kept to myself. I was always a bit of a loner, but it became obvious how much of one I was after—” she swallowed “—after the fire.”
“You were in mourning.”
“And depressed, I think.”
I held her closer. “Understandably.”
“Wayne was around more.” She shifted. “I lost myself, Stefano. It was as if I stopped thinking. I went through the motions every day, but I wasn’t there. Before I even realized it, a few months had passed and I was living with Wayne. Not long after that, he convinced me the commute to my job was too far, and I quit.”
“He wasn’t so great, was he?”
She shook her head and glanced at me in the dimness. “No. He was controlling, and he bullied me. He was thrilled when I let my friends drift away. I had no one but him. He dictated my every move. What I did. Where I went. And I gave him that control.”
“Did he lay hands on you, Tesoro?”
“Yes, but not so anyone could see. He liked to use words. Belittle me. He was cruel in many ways. The angrier he got, the more he hurt me.” She shivered as if a memory had frightened her. I held her closer.
“Six months into our relationship, I discovered I was pregnant with Theo. He used condoms, but they’d failed. He blamed me, of course.”
“So you weren’t happy about the pregnancy?”
“Strangely, I was. All I could think about was how much this baby would love me. Need me. Wayne backed off a little. I thought maybe we could make it work. The day Theo was born was one of the happiest of my life.”
“Then…” I encouraged, keeping my voice low.
“I was happy, but it seemed to set Wayne off. If people came over, he acted like a proud dad, but only when they were there. Otherwise, he ignored Theo. He never held him. He raged all the time about how little sleep he got. Theo was a colicky baby, and he did cry a lot, which annoyed Wayne. He never fed him or changed him. It was my job, he informed me. My fault I got pregnant, so my responsibility to look after the mistake.” She paused. “That’s what he called his son. A mistake. I sat up most nights rocking him so Wayne could sleep. And things just got worse.” She paused as if trying to find the right words. “When Theo was born, it was as if the fog I had been living in began to clear up. He was the most important thing in the world to me. I realized Wayne had no interest in being a father. He only wanted the image—to add to his already fake image of being a great guy.”
“What happened, Gabby?”
“I told Wayne the truth. I didn’t love him, and I didn’t think he loved me. I wasn’t happy, and he obviously didn’t want to be a family the way I did. I told him it would be best if I left.” She hesitated. “He shoved me so hard, I fell and hit my head.” She took my hand, letting me feel the raised skin under her hair.
“I woke up in the hospital. Alone.”
“Where was he?”
“Staying away. Theo was with a friend of his.”
“I don’t understand.”
“He couldn’t wake me up. He panicked and called his friend who lived down the street. He and his wife came. They called the ambulance, and she took Theo home with her. He told them and the paramedics he’d come home and found me on the floor.