Page 96 of Cruel Embers
Ethan gave me an email of the therapist he uses, and so I started by sending an enquiry. It's been a few days; I’m waiting for a response.
My phone rings an unknown number, and I answer, thinking they might be contacting me, but I should only be so lucky.
“Nathan, did you block my number?”
I grind my jaw, ready to hang up, but then I stop, realising that I need some closure.
“Yes, I did, Naomi. You lied, again.”
She lets out an audible sigh. “What do you mean?”
Clenching my fist, I pace up and down. “About your husband abusing you.”
“What?” I can hear the hesitation in her voice.
“I went to see Christopher.”
Silence fills the line, and I wonder if she’s hung up, but when I pull away the phone to look at the screen, the call is still connected, so I wait.
“We broke up. I was going to tell you. We can be together now.”
Yeah, fuck no.
“It was never an option, Naomi. Listen, because of you, someone I love was hurt. You need help, but it will not be at my expense.”
“What do you mean? Someone you love? Are you seeing someone?”
Incredulous. From everything I said, that's all she’s fixated on.
“It’s none of your business and never will be. And if you try to call me again or try and track me down, I will seek legal advice, Naomi.”
She sputters something unintelligible down the line, but I’m already over it. Now that Christopher is pressing charges against her, she has enough to deal with. Maybe it will lead to her getting the help she needs. Who knows.
“Bye, Naomi.” Before she can reply, I end the call, feeling a little lighter than before.
I then spend the next few hours looking at estate agents. My friend comes back in a fortnight, and I’ve been putting it off long enough.
But what I find surprising is how every property I view, I wonder if Violet would like it.
Even though I have no idea where we stand now, she needed me, and I left. Even after she told me she loved me, I left.
Me: Lottie, I need your help.
This isn’t about me. I mean, it is, but it's also about Violet, and she deserves better, and I need to start now.
Lottie: ??
Actions speak louder than words, but in this case, I call Lottie because I don’t have the energy to put it in a message.
Just as I hang up, there’s a knock at the door.
Pulling it open, I find Ethan, Henry, and Olly outside the threshold.
“Man, have you heard of a shower,” H says as he brushes past me.
“Or a comb,” Ethan adds.
“Deodorant wouldn’t go amiss,” Olly says, his violet eyes that match his sisters’ shining with mirth.
