She leaves, but the door is still left open. Before I can get up to close it, Max enters his office. “You okay, man? Marissa looked pretty pissed.”
“Yeah,” I say, walking from behind his desk and sitting on the nearby couch. I run my fingers through my hair and sigh. “How did my life get so damn complicated? What did I do to deserve this? My karma is fucked.”
Max goes and sits down at his desk, shaking his head. “I wouldn’t want to walk a day in your shoes; that’s for sure.” He leans back in his chair and begins rocking casually. “You sure you’re up to getting back to work so soon?”
“Yeah, I need to. I have another person to be responsible for.”
Max rolls his eyes. “Whatever, Christopher Davenport. I don’t think you’re exactly hurting for money.”
“You know I don’t touch that money,” I say as I sigh. “But I’m getting tempted to. I’m struggling to find a place for Ember and me to buy. At least a place that doesn’t require me to touch the trust.”
“If you need some time off, just let me know. I think the fact that you were held captive in a basement by a serial killer earns you some personal days.”
I chuckle, trying to shake off my bad mood.
“Marissa isn’t handling Ember well, is she?” he asks.
“I don’t blame her for feeling the way she does,” I say. “But I can’t change what happened.”
“Do you want to? Change it?”
I pause to consider the question. “Actually, no. I mean, it’s not like I wanted to be married. I may have never gotten married. But now that I have Ember, I don’t want to change it. I know that might seem crazy, but it feels like we belong. Like we were meant to be.”
“I get it,” Max says with a nod. “When do I get to meet this girl?”
“Soon,” I reply. “I’ve been really careful not to throw too much at her. The media insanity really made things tougher to get acclimated than I wanted. I mean, the girl hasn’t ever lived. She’s been locked up in a ghost town her entire life. So many things that you and I take for granted is all new for her. I forget that sometimes and am reminded when I see her wide eyes take something in for the first time.”
“I can’t imagine what’s that like. What about you? Did all of that fuck with your head? PTSD and stuff? Nightmares?”
I pause before answering. Part of me wants to lie and tell him all is fine, but I’ve always been straightforward with Max. “I have nightmares. Not as many as Ember does, but I still dream about Richard, the cellar, and the acid pits. The couple I watched die still haunts me. I’ve gotten a therapist to help Ember and me work through it. He says it will take some time, and I know that. It fucking sucks sometimes, though. I wish I could speed up time so the healing could be done with.”
“I’m not worried about you. You’re one of the strongest motherfuckers I know. But do you ever worry about Ember? I mean… I can’t imagine how someone can bounce back after what she’s been through.”
“She’s getting stronger day by day. I worry about her… maybe too much. But she has a fighting spirit.”
“Did that Richard fucker… rape her?” He cringes the minute he asks the question. “Sorry… that may be too personal.”
“He’s a sick fucker, but no, he didn’t rape her. When we had sex on our wedding night, she was a virgin. Although the asshole forced all that to happen, so yes, rape in its own way.”
“Sorry, man. Jesus, it’s really unbelievable.”
“And yet Ember is the most loving and open woman I’ve ever met. She’s broken in many ways, which is understandable, but she doesn’t hold back on her feelings. She’s free with them. It’s refreshing to have someone who doesn’t play all the mind games or manipulate. It’s not in her makeup. She’s genuine and true. I’m in awe every day with how she looks at things. She doesn’t see herself as a victim, which I find admirable.”
“You look healthier,” Max says. “I expected you to be a waif of a man, beaten, and scarred.”
“I am healthier. My life is back on track. I have focus now. That, and I’m done drinking and popping pills nonstop. I like being sober. Fucked up that something like being hit upside the head by a killer had to do it for me, but regardless, it’s one of the good things that came from this nightmare.”
Max looks at his computer and types on his keyboard. “Okay, well, I emailed you your schedule for the next month. It’s full. So if you ever feel it’s too much, you just tell me. Don’t feel you have to stress you or Ember out over it. I can find substitutes.”