Page 85 of Whatever You Want

I wanted to hug her, shake her, fight for her, but she would never allow it. She didn’t want this life, no one did, but she didn’t know any other way.

“I made a promise to God. For better or for worse. I told you before. He’s not a perfect man, he’s sick. When he’s sober, he’s a completely different person. He can’t control what happens when he’s drinking.”

“I know you love him, but, Mom, you have to leave him. I’m afraid if you don’t there will be a day where I’ll be calling the morgue instead of the police. I need you. Your granddaughter needs you. Please. Let me help you.” She turned her head to the side and wiped her eyes. She knew what I was saying made sense; she just didn’t want to hear the truth.

Logan walked over and settled into the seat next to me. He placed his arms on the table. “I know this is uncomfortable, but Ava wouldn’t be pushing you so hard if she didn’t believe in you. I’ve seen this play out many times during my career.” He looked at her with sad eyes. “You’re a victim and regardless of what he says and does, you still love him. No one is judging you for that,” he explained gently. “But he’s an abuser, and he’s never going to stop hurting you, no matter how much you believe you can change him. You can’t.”

“But he loves me. I do things I know will set him off, so it’s my fault sometimes.” She dabbed at her eyes as Maria set a glass of water in front of her. “He told me no else will ever love me.”

Logan pursed his lips. “He wants you to believe that, because that’s his way of staying in control. He’s only manipulating you and taking advantage of your trust.” He floated his gaze to mine in silent warning. He had so much more experience dealing with this than I did. “Ava just wants to help you, but the choice to leave has to be yours. If you want, I can get you in touch with people who specialize in domestic violence. I know things look bleak and you’re scared, but there are a lot of great resources out there today.”

My mother looked around the room in a panic. “Where would I go?”

“You could stay with me,” I offered. I had a guest bedroom and plenty of room. She could stay with us as long as she needed to.

“No.” She shook her head. “He would find me and convince me to come back. It’s not safe for you to get in the middle of this.”

Logan looked at me. “I could set her up in a safe shelter.”

“She’s not going to a shelter,” I snapped. I knew he was trying to help, but she would be safe with me. I watched enough TV shows to know that those places weren’t always safe. Sometimes they could be worse. “There has to be another option.”

Logan flattened his lips together in irritation and sighed. “She needs to go somewhere that has the resources to help her. She has been psychologically and physically abused.” He turned back to my mother. “But the first step is pressing charges. You are not helping him by staying silent. You are only enabling him.”

“If I do press charges, he’ll only come looking for me.” She sat up straight and shot her gaze to mine. “It wouldn’t be safe for you and Madison. He already knows how you feel about him.”

My shoulders slumped forward. I understood what they were both saying. My house would be the first place he would check.

Logan peered at her from across the table. “I’m glad you’re thinking that far ahead, but we can’t do anything until you tell us what really happened.”

She shook her head, and my heart hurt for her when tears started running down her face. “You can’t arrest him unless I give a statement, correct?” She tried to sound strong, but I think she was just scared because she knew it was the right thing to do.

“You’re right. I can’t,” he confirmed, looking calm and composed. I appreciated his level-headed approach to ensure her safety. “I know you’re nervous, and that’s okay. But I give you my word, I will do everything in my power to make sure he never lays another hand on you again. However, I can’t do that if you don’t cooperate.”

A moment of silence passed. I could feel her mind shifting. Maybe the reality of her situation was finally catching up to her.

I wrung my hands in front of me, praying and hoping that this would be the last time we would be sitting in this kitchen. I wanted her away from this house, and as far away from Richard as she could get.

After what felt like forever, she finally looked up at me. “I’m sorry, Ava. I shouldn’t have waited this long. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to leave him before, but every time I’ve tried, he would do something to make me stay. He would buy me gifts and tell me he was sorry.” Her tears were flowing freely now. Maybe she would feel better once she got it all out. “If I do this, I’ll need to go someplace where he’ll never find me.”

Maria leaned forward in her chair and rested her arm on my mother’s leg. “You could stay with my sister, Angela, the one who lives in Orlando. Her husband just passed away a few months ago, so I know she would love the company.”

“Does Richard know about this sister?” I had to ask because we couldn’t take any chances.

Maria shook her head and smiled. “She loves living in Florida. She never comes to visit up north.”

I blew out a breath. Okay. This was a good start.

Logan turned to face my mother fully. “We are going to do everything we can to get you through this.” He weighed his next words carefully. “You’ve been dealing with a lot. A little time and space to heal will do you some good.”

She looked over to the officers standing off to the side and touched her face. “I’d like to give my statement now.”

A huge burst of relief left my lungs. “I’m so proud of you.”

Her eyes were glossy. “I never wanted to be a burden to you. I never wanted you to see me like this. I’m your mother. It’s my job to protect you. You shouldn’t have to worry about me.”

“You’re my family. You could never be a burden.”

Logan stood up from his chair and pulled the officers out of the room. My mother watched them for a minute before turning to me. “He’s a good man, Ava. You better hold on to that one.”

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