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Chuck shook his head. “Nope. Bout two-thirds at the most. Plus, some was spilled on the floor.” He pointed at a wet patch.
“Good. It’s unlikely the alcohol poisoning will be fatal.”
“A-alcohol poisoning?”
“Don’t worry,” Trent said, “any time we drink booze, we’re technically alcohol-poisoned. The body can process only so much of it at a time, and if you have too much at once, you crash out. That’s what happened here. She won’t have any permanent damage. But it will be several hours before she wakes up properly. And she’s going to have the hangover from hell.”
“Shouldn’t we take her to a hospital?”
“Too far away.”
“Too far away?” said Boris anxiously. “That seems like a liability.”
“That’s why Takis is taking on a doctor and nursing team,” Chuck explained. “Glad you’re taking an interest.”
“I’mnottaking an interest.“ There was a sudden shift in Boris’ voice. It was as though Chuck had accused him of something horrendous.
“Well, alright then.”
“Look at her,” Boris said, pointing down at Millie on the floor. “She almost died, because the perverted crap you freaks do here has warped her mind.”
Trent looked up at him. “Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious! She felt so… violated by this place that she tried to kill herself!”
Anger burned in Chuck again, righteous and pure. But he wasn’t going to lose his temper, not this time.
“Boris,” he said, controlling his rage behind clenched teeth. “I’m gonna say this once. Millie didnotfeel violated by this place. I need to be frank with you, man. This is gonna sound rude, but I don’t mean it rudely. Listen. You don’t know what’s been going on in your daughter’s life.”
He could see Boris bristle as he made this accusation.
“She doesn’t need to be made to feel bad for the mistakes she’s made in the past,” Chuck continued. “She doesn’t need anyone judging her, making her feel small. You know why she did this to herself?”
“You tell me, Freud.”
Chuck shrugged. “Because she loves you.”
Boris scoffed. “I don’t think this is an act of love.”
“She loves you so much, and she cares so deeply about the way you feel about her, that she can’t stand to know how much you look down on her.”
Boris let this sink in. “That’s bullshit.”
“It’s true. Imagine how it must feel to have someone you love call you a pervert. A failure. Lazy. She can’t cope with it.”
“I’m not going to stand here and be told off by some… some…”
“Pervert? Predator? Anything else?”
Boris’ eyes flashed with anger, and he stepped forward. For a wild moment, it looked as though he was about to hit Chuck. But then, he stepped back. “I knew this trip was a mistake,” Boris said. “I don’t need this in my life. It’s too much.”
Then, within minutes, he was gone.
*
When Millie woke, the pain was almost as bad as the shame she felt. The room was spinning and her head was pounding. It felt like a truckload of hungover elephants were having a pillow fight inside her skull.
But then, her eyes focused, and she saw Chuck. He was standing by the doorway to the room, watching her.
