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She’s been so damn brave the last three weeks. Dealing with the pain of her injuries, the visits from the police, forcing her to relive that awful day again and again, the nightmares…
I wish I could shield her from everything. But some of this journey she has to travel on her own, as much as I hate it.
I can hold her after a nightmare, comfort her on a bad day, buy her flowers or jewelry or order her eggplant parm from her favorite Italian restaurant. When her wrist hurts, I can commiserate with her, just like she does when I’m in pain.
But I can’t take away the memories. Or the fear she’ll never forget.
After one particularly bad nightmare, when she woke up covered in sweat and screaming, I choked out, “I’m so sorry, Charlie. It’s my fault. This is all my fault.”
She immediately stopped crying and whacked me on the arm, frowning at me. “It’s not your fault. At all. No one had any idea. It sucked, but it wasn’t your fault. So, I don’t want to hear you say that again.”
She’s not the only one having nightmares. I’ve woken up convinced Charlie is gone, that someone took her again. Or that we never found her, and she’s still missing, tortured and terrified and wondering why I never came for her.
So we’re both getting counseling. Charlie has had four sessions so far, two of them with me joining her, and she says they’re really helping—not just with the abduction, but the terrible betrayal by her sister, the deception by Morgan, and the cold-hearted way her parents shut her out, refusing to believe her.
And even after the truth came out, they still found a way to hurt her.
Once the story about Charlie and her sisters hit the news, her mother called, screeching at Charlie about making yet another scene.
Her mother's high-pitched voice burst across the phone, loud enough for me to hear it. "Why couldn't you have just made an effort with Caroline? Then none of this would have happened!"
Thin-lipped, her features strained, Charlie started to defend herself, but stopped abruptly. Grabbing my hand and squeezing tightly, she told her horrible mother, "No. I'm done with this. I did nothing wrong. Nothing."
Voice growing stronger, she continued, "I didn't do anything wrong in high school, when I didn't want to follow the path you set out for me. I didn't do anything wrong when I chose to go to law school. And it definitely wasn't my fault that Caroline had those fake videos made of me. That she turned my life upside down."
As her mother sputtered down the line, Charlie set her jaw and pushed on. "I was abducted because of Caroline and Morgan and Father's refusal to accept his responsibilities. As my mother, you should be supporting me. But you're not, and I've finally realized you never will. So I'm done. Done. Don't call me, and don't expect me to reach out again."
"Charlotte!" her mother snapped. "How dare you—"
"Goodbye."
And with the tap of a button, Charlie ended the call and turned to me. I was scared she'd burst into tears or break down, but instead, she smiled. "I'm done with her. With all of them. And I feel so much lighter now."
I gathered her into my arms and pressed kisses to the top of her head. "I'm so proud of you."
I’m incredibly proud of Charlie.
But most days, I still can’t wrap my head around what those people did to her. How terribly they treated her. But she has me to protect her now, and the rest of the Blade and Arrow family. Charlie will never feel alone again.
“Why are you frowning?” Charlie pats me on the leg, voice lilting up with concern.
I glance away from the road quickly, meeting her gaze. “I’m not. I was just thinking.”
“It looked like a frown. Is something wrong?”
“Really. I promise. Nothing’s wrong.” A sign announces the exit for Saratoga Springs is coming up in one mile, so I signal and move into the far right lane. “Are you still okay with coming here?”
Charlie hesitates, and my gut twists. Maybe this is a bad idea.
“I am,” she says, after a few seconds. “I’m really okay with it. Going back to Saratoga, I think it’s a good thing. When I left, it felt like I was running away. Which I was; I had to, but this time when we leave, it’s on my own terms.”
Pulling off the highway, I merge onto Route 9, my heart thumping as we get closer to our destination. Now that the traffic has slowed, and fewer cars are on the road, I can give more attention to Charlie. “Do you miss it here?”
She turns toward me, her brow furrowing for a moment. “Some things. I like it downtown when it’s not horse racing season, and it’s just the locals here. Walking through Congress Park, stopping in the stores, grabbing a bite at one of the restaurants… Although…” Her lips twist. “I didn’t do much of that at the end.”
“I’m sorry.” Reaching over, I take her hand, cupping it in mine. “I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”
“It’s okay.” She flips her hand over, twining her fingers with mine. “It’s not the place that has bad memories. I’m working on remembering that. I don’t want to be afraid to go out in Sleepy Hollow, just because of what happened.”
