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“Yes.”
“You’re Reverend Blane’s daughter?”
She smiled. “Yes. I’m not originally from here. He and my mother were never in a relationship. I actually didn’t find out they were related to me until…” Her mouth snapped shut. “If someone called you on my behalf, it was him. But I can’t pay you…”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. Whoever it was had payment delivered to my office earlier. The deposit for the retainer, at least. Tell me what happened.”
Her hands slid up and down her arms as she swallowed. I saw the detachment in her eyes as she stared into the distance. I knew that stare all too well.
“I snapped. Peter was perfect when we met five years ago. We got married and he turned into a monster. He cheated repeatedly and abused me mentally and emotionally. He was a fucking narcissist.” The bark of laughter she released was like a knife to my heart. “I tried to leave him over and over again but never could fully. He would beg me to stay, love bomb me, then start up with his bullshit all over again. This last time, he cheated and gave me something. I caught him in bed with another woman when I went to confront him and I just… snapped. At that moment, I felt like he would never do right by me. Never let me leave. Never leave me alone.” Her tears started to release. “I genuinely felt like I had no way out.” Her eyes found mine. “I’ve tried to leave him, I swear I have. But he loved me in this sick way of his and never planned to let me go.” Rem’s head dipped. “I accepted what he gave, so he had no reason to. I just… I couldn’t take it anymore. I was tired of him hurting me. I needed it to be over.”
“Do you have proof of the cheating and abuse?”
She nodded, wiping her tears. “Yes. I have pictures and videos of the women he’s cheated with. Apparently, he has someone pregnant but he was denying it. I also have text and videos of him abusing me… bringing me down to the point I believed him when he said I wasn’t shit without him and no one else would want me. He took care of me financially and I’d moved away from my family, so I didn’t have anyone else. I felt trapped. I know that’s no excuse to kill anyone but…” Her head shook as she sobbed. “I didn’t know what else to do.”
Every time I heard about a woman being treated horribly in the name of love, it made me all the more grateful for the safe, healthy love I experienced with Matt. Even if I never experienced it again, I would cherish the way he loved me for the rest of my life.
I promised Rem that I would work her case as best as I could before going to speak with the lead detective to figure out what evidence they had, if any, and why she hadn’t been processed yet. He told me that her father had called in a favor with the mayor to allow his daughter to not be taken downtown and processed just yet. Because she was facing a murder charge, there was a really good chance she wouldn’t have a bond, or it would be high. The woman her ex was with was their witness and the reason she’d been taken into custody. She knew all about Rem and fucked with her man any-damn-way. I’m surprised Rem didn’t put a bullet in her scandalous ass too.
Lewis may not have wanted her processed, but there was no point in trying to avoid the inevitable. The quicker she was processed, the quicker we could get her in front of a judge and out on bond. I was hoping because she had no criminal record that we could get the bond amount as low as possible. Regardless, Rem was going home soon, and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure that happened.
She would be the first person on the opposite end of the gun that I represented. Her being a victim of abuse was the only reason her story resonated with me. I’d seen the effects of abuse and cheating on women and how those situations could turn deadly. As much as I hated when a person pulled the trigger and ended someone else’s life, I hated a man abusing a woman just as much.
Thirteen
Jeremy
Maritza and I covered the facts about each other on a surface level yesterday in preparation for dinner with my parents today and I was glad we did. Every question they asked about her, they directed to me. Her age, her birthday, her parents’ names and occupations. It felt more like an interview than them trying to genuinely get to know her. I was cool with that. When my father asked to speak with me after dinner was over in his study, that’s when I started to get irritated.
I knew he was about to be on some bullshit because he massaged the hair on his chin with one hand on his belt as he paced. Standing in front of the door with my hands cupped in the center of me, I waited for what I was sure would be a quick conversation. Knowing Maritza’s past, I didn’t want her alone with Mom for too long. She couldn’t wait to have grandkids, and I didn’t want her saying or doing anything to trigger Maritza.
“Your mother is open to this. She’s warm. I’m suspicious.”
“About?”
“You and her. It’s suspicious to me that when you find out about your mother wanting you married before you become managing partner, you mysteriously are in a relationship.”
“Pops…”
“If the relationship is fake, I’m okay with that. My only concern is what she will do when this is over.”
“You haven’t known her long enough or been around us long enough to have an opinion on if my feelings for her are real.”
“Look, if they are, I’m happy for you. But if they aren’t, just let me in on it so I can help you. The last thing I need is for the truth to come out and for your mom to get hurt in the process.”
I chuckled, lifting my foot and placing it against the door. “Because that’s all you care about, right?”
Pops didn’t hesitate when he said, “Yeah, it is. My main concern is keeping her happy.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah.”
“I find it amusing that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to keep her happy when it comes down to hurting or denying others, not when it comes down to actually loving her and giving her what she needs from you.”
His pacing stopped and he frowned as he looked at me. “The fuck you just say to me?”
“You heard me, Pops. Mama was unhappy with you working like crazy so y’all separated. You gave her space, which is the opposite of what she wanted, just so you could continue to work. Then you fucked around and got another woman pregnant, which made it worse. Instead of you making changes or divorcing her, you made your child suffer and go without you. It’s been this way my whole fucking life. You make demands of everyone else for the sake of making her happy when all she’s ever wanted and needed to be happy was a healthy marriage with you.” I opened the door to leave. “You can talk all the shit you want about me, but don’t ever mention my relationship and its authenticity again.”
