Page 170 of The Dixon Rule

“It won’t.”

“You’re right. It won’t. And now we’re going to make sure it doesn’t happen to anybody else.”

“I’m sorry I waited so long to tell the police.”

“I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me.”

It’s hard to speak past the lump in my throat. “Because you think I’m so tough.”

Dad watches as I unlock my front door, an incredulous look on his face.

“You are tough, kiddo. Even after what this fucker did to you, you’re still the toughest person I know.” He trails inside after me, reaching for my hand to stop me from keeping my back to him. “Admitting that you’re weak sometimes doesn’t mean you’re not strong. It means you’re human.”

“I didn’t want you to think differently of me.”

“I would never think differently of you. You didn’t do anything wrong. You didn’t invite this. Despite what you tried to put in your report, you didn’t provoke this asshole. You were defending yourself, and his response was dangerously disproportionate. He left marks on you.” Dad spits out a low, growled curse.

I sigh. “Are we going to need to get a restraining order against you to keep you away from him?”

“Probably,” he says, deadly serious. “It’s requiring all my willpower not to go and gather up the squad. Drive over to his house and disappear him.”

“Disappearing people isn’t even a SWAT tactic. Stop being so extra.”

“It is when someone messes with your daughter.” He chuckles. “And if you think I’m being extra, wait until your stepmother hears what this psycho did. She’ll claw him up like a mama bear.”

I groan suddenly. “Oh no. I’ll have to tell Mom about this too, won’t I?” Panic sparks in my gut. “Can you do it for me?”

Reluctance digs into his forehead. “Di. I think you need to be the one—”

“Please?” I beg. “I can’t have this conversation with her. Not right now. I can’t handle it. Can you just fill her in and tell her I’ll talk to her about it when I’m ready?”

“If you really want me to do that, I will.” He lets out a breath. “But I need you to understand something. You can handle anything that life throws your way. You will always be the strongest person I know. Hell, way stronger than I am.”

“That’s not true.”

“I mean, I divorced your mother. You still have to keep dealing with her.”

I manage a laugh. “She’s not so bad.”

“She isn’t,” he agrees. “But I do know you put on a front when you’re with her because she brings out your insecurities. And then you put on this front with me, and with your brother, that nothing bothers you. But things are gonna bother you, and bad things are going to happen. They happen all the time, unfortunately. And it kills me that I can’t stop them from happening to you. You’re my entire life, you and Tommy.”

A vise of emotion squeezes my heart.

“But here’s the thing. Even though you’re strong and capable of taking care of yourself—and I truly believe in that—you also need to be strong enough to know when to ask for help.” His expression sharpens. “And when something like this happens? You fucking ask for help, Diana.”

I bite my lip so hard, I feel a sting. “Okay.”

We settle on the couch, and Dad runs me through what will likely happen with Percy. Basically, my role in this is over for the time being. Now it’s a matter for the detectives to investigate and then the courts to handle if the DA pursues the case.

After Dad leaves, I take a shower and reflect on this day from hell. It started off so promising too. Golfing with Shane and Blake, having a great time. And somehow it ended with me having to sit in a sterile interrogation room and share my humiliation with total strangers.

I rub my face, letting the shower spray beat into my forehead. Fuck. I need to start reframing the way I think about this, I know that, but it’s difficult not to view this as embarrassing.

I just need to keep reminding myself that what happened doesn’t make me weak or pathetic. I would never dream of looking at victims of domestic abuse and thinking, gee, they’re so pathetic. I would champion them until the death. So why can’t I do the same for myself?

Although this isn’t a new thought to me, for some reason it really takes root this time. No one deserves to be hit. No woman, no man, no child. An intimate partner should not be doing that to you, ex-boyfriend or not. It’s not right.

What Percy did was not right.

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