Page 60 of Kept in the Dark

“No,” Hailey said through clenched teeth. “And why do you care, anyway? It’s not like you were sober enough to know what was going on.”

Hailey wasn’t going to be strong-armed into spilling her secret. She hadn’t done that to Sara. She had given her sister the space to open up when she felt comfortable. The fact that Sara was so adamant about Hailey being vulnerable with Trey irked her to the nth degree.

Sara glared at Hailey.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have-”

“If he has information that could clear my name then I want to know what it is.” Sara pointed at Hailey. “You’re the one who brought me the tape and told me to go to the cops with it. So, excuse me for getting annoyed with your little secret. Quit being so dramatic.”

Trey stood silently, watching the exchange. Another pedestrian walked around them, eyeing them curiously. Sara stomped away, leaving Hailey to deal with yet another mess.

“Where are you going?” Hailey yelled.

Sara didn’t answer and Hailey let her go.

Maybe that was for the best. Hailey wasn’t sure she could be around Sara without a fight breaking out. Hailey needed a break from Sara’s incessant miserable attitude.

Sweat beaded on Hailey’s hairline. The summer heat was beating down despite the impending rain clouds that were rolling in, causing the sky to darken.

She was hurt that Sara felt she was being dramatic. Maybe she was. But what she went through that night was traumatic in its own right, though maybe it paled in comparison to what Sara had been through.

Trey took Hailey’s hand. “Please tell me what happened to you. Not knowing is killing me.”

Hailey’s eyes filled with tears. She didn’t owe anyone an explanation of her trauma. She felt betrayed that he would ask her to tell him something she wanted to keep private.

“No. We’re not doing this, Trey.” She turned to walk away but he gently grabbed her arm, and she spun around. With fire in her eyes, she tore her arm from his grasp and began walking away.

“Hailey!” Trey called after her. She felt childish walking away and was both embarrassed and angry with her display of emotions. She wished she could turn them off like Sara did.

Trey finally caught up to her. “Talk to me. What happened to you?”

She spun to face him, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Why do you care? Because of your investigations? You never cared until now.”

Stunned, he stammered, “No. I mean, yes, but that’s not the only reason. I love you and clearly something awful happened to you.”

Hailey smiled angrily. “Oh, that’s priceless. You haven't given a damn about me since I left but now that I’m back, you’re somehow entitled to my secrets? I didn’t ask for your help because I wanted to rekindle things. Believe me, if I could do this on my own I would.”

She saw the hurt in his eyes as he said, “That’s not fair and you know it.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve done just fine without you for the last thirteen years so maybe I should plan to keep it that way. I don’t owe you anything, Trey. You broke things off with me, remember?” She was shaking now. Unable to contain her anger, she blurted out, “You’re the reason Ryan almost killed me that night!”

Trey froze.

Hailey covered her mouth, stunned by her own admission.

She hated that Ryan was still controlling her. After years of living in fear, she had found safety in having a choice to share her trauma. But now that choice was gone, along with any control she’d had over her emotions. She probably sounded like a lunatic to Trey, but no one understood how horrific that night had been and how traumatic it was to talk about.

It had been nearly ten years since she recounted that night. Her therapist tried to dig it out of her, but Hailey refused to talk about it. The woman didn’t prod too much, but kept reminding Hailey she couldn’t heal if she didn’t talk about it.

The only reason she divulged the information was because her nightmares had become so frequent she wasn’t sleeping. All she could see when she closed her eyes was her bloody body and Ryan’s evil smile as she looked up at him.

She never talked about it again and she hadn’t told anyone else since that day in therapy…until she told Sara. And Sara had betrayed her trust.

And now she’d have to relive it again.

Hailey beelined for a secluded bench tucked into the corner of the park. Trey followed close behind, confused by her actions. She sat down, thankful to be away from listening ears and prying eyes. Trey sat next to her, putting space between them.

In the distance, thunder echoed through the sky. The park was nearly empty, aside from two families that were playing. A little girl was swinging, her legs dangling as she tried to heave herself into the air. A little boy who looked to be the girl’s brother was chasing a lizard as their mother yelled at him to stop. The other family sat close by as two twin girls raced through the jungle gym, their shrieks of laughter ringing through the park.

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