Page 53 of Mind Maze

“It made me feel crazy,” I tell him, voice trembling. “The lies screwed my head up, Bas.”

He swipes his palm over his face. “I’m so sorry. So fucking sorry. I see how wrong it is now.”

My throat aches with emotion, but I’m all cried out from yesterday.

“Tell me what happened. How did you find out?”

His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, unable to meet my eyes. “One day everything was fine with Vivienne. We were planning a trip to the beach. And then…” He grows quiet for a moment. “There was shouting in the middle of the night. Dad was yelling. I’d never heard him yell like that before.”

Despite my father being a prick, my heart hurts knowing how upsetting it would’ve been discovering someone you’d trusted was doing such horrible things to your baby girl under your own roof.

“They woke me up,” Bastian reveals. “I crept out of my room to listen. Dad was in her room, throwing her things into bags while she sat on the bed sobbing.” He frowns. “She was always so put together—wore heels, makeup, had nice hair and nails. But that night? She was a wreck.”

“Was she caught in the act?” I ask, bottom lip quivering.

He tilts his head, studying me as if he’s shocked I can’t remember such a horrific event. Dad paid good money so Iwouldforget.

“From the bits and pieces of what I heard him saying to her, yes. He’d been saying she was acting strangely and something told him to check on her.” Bastian swallows hard again and looks down at his knuckles. “She said something about how she was shocked he’d hit her. He called her a pedophile who deserved it.”

“He hit her?” I ask in surprise.

“Oh yeah.” He shakes his head at the memory. “Not just a slap either. Clocked her in the head. She was already bruising under her eye by the time I saw her.”

“Where was I?”

“Well,” he says sadly, “that was my question as well. As soon as I realized what had happened, I rushed to your room. At first, I couldn’t find you, but then I found you hidden beneath your dolls and stuffies in your closet.”

I shiver at his words, eyes boring into him so he’ll continue.

“You were mumbling about the monster and you…” He bites on his fist as tears form. “You were naked.”

Tears fill my eyes. So much for being cried out. “Then what?”

“I pulled you out of there, got you dressed in new pajamas, and then took you to my room where you’d be safe.” He sighs heavily. “Dad continued to yell at her and then…”

“She was gone.”

“Yeah, she was gone. Dad came into my room, checked on the two of us, and then left.”

“At what point did he decide making me forget was the answer?”

Bastian meets my stare with a grim one of his own. “I guess after he took you to a therapist. I’m not sure what was said, but Dad said you were going to need something a lot more intensive if you were ever to forget Vivienne and what she’d done.”

In a way, I’m happy I didn’t have to know her all those years after until now.

“Apparently, it worked,” I mutter. “I forgot until…”

Until Theo kidnapped me and I became Caius’s problem. They didn’t keep me on my medication. Plus, they screwed with my head that opened a can of worms rather than whatever desired outcome the Crownes had hoped for.

“We never saw Vivienne again,” Bastian says firmly. “Dad had no idea where she’d gone to. I know he was worried she might come back and try to steal you. You were never to be left alone with anyone but either one of us. I think that’s part of why he was so worried about you going off to college.”

The thought of Dad being worried is too strange of a concept to consider.

“She pretended not to know me,” I say harshly. “I’d felt afraid of her upon meeting her. I had a feeling something bad was going on with her, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.” More tears flood my eyes. “She did those terrible things to Kaitlyn too.”

My brother hangs his head in shame. “I’m sorry, Romy. So sorry that happened to you.”

“Well, what’s done is done,” I grumble. “I remember now and know you both tried to keep it from me. It makes me wonder what else in my life is a lie.”

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