AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Monosyllabic Pippi was back, Acheron thought, and his frown deepened. "Something's clearly wrong," he said gently, "but I can't help if you don't tell me about it."
But by then, the car had already reached the basement, and before he could ask Wickham to give them a moment alone, Pippi was already reaching for the door handle while she mumbled her thanks to the other man. She thanked Acheron as well, but he didn't miss the way she studiously avoided his gaze.
Pippi turned to watch the car drive out of the basement.Please don't leave. Please. Please. Please.But these words she also swallowed back, not wanting to force him to stay.
The sudden change in her behavior still nagged at Acheron, but his phone had started to buzz, and all thoughts of Pippi had to be set aside when he saw it was Wickham calling him.
"What is it?"
"She knows about Pippi."
Acheron stiffened. "What do you mean?" But even as he spoke, a part of him already knew.
"I'm not sure how. I've never let her leave the apartment, and she hasn't had any chance to get on the computer or hold a phone. But she knows."
Acheron remembered how hysterical Amelia had sounded over the phone earlier, demanding that he come to her now and even threatening to kill herself if he didn't show up. She hadn't mentioned anything about Pippi then, but that was just like her, with the way she always ignored what she didn't want to see. Physical pain she had learned to handle, never flinching or crying out, barely even blinking no matter how much the old man had beaten her.
But when it came to facing the truth, she became fragile and vulnerable, throwing tantrums or wallowing in self-pity to get her way, and when neither worked, she would numb herself with drugs until she felt nothing.
No matter how much he had begged her -fight for us, leave him and come away with me -
She had always said no.
I'm sorry.
I can't.
It's too late.
Even when time and time again other people would end up failing her, she would rather believe in everyone else but him.
Twenty-Two
THE FIRST TIME AMELIAcame to him, she had literally set fire to his library, sobbing hysterically as she told him that looking at all those books made her feel stupid. That it was like he himself had made her want to feel stupid.
The last time she came to him, she had thrashed his study, shredding contracts that had nearly cost him millions of dollars.
