Page 242 of On a Fault Line

“I’m so sorry,” Donna says, patting me on the back to encourage me to continue.

“Then I crossed paths with your son Graham and started working security for him. But it wasn’t until I was under his employment and Penny got drugged that I realized just how bonded we are through our tragedies.”

“And you felt like avenging Penny was your way to find meaning to the senseless act that was done to you years prior?” Germain asks.

“Absolutely. And despite thinking that having Tanner behind bars was the end of it, Graham and Nic were shocked when Penny decided to visit her abuser in prison.”

“So they hired you to become her personal bodyguard and keep her out of trouble?” Donna asks.

“Yes,” I confirm. “My duties were shifted primarily to Penny.”

Donna nods, probably mentally piecing together all of the information of what she already suspected to what I’m currently revealing.

“During this time, Penny was using what I concluded was a psychological flooding technique to try to get over the hurdle she thought she was faced with when it came to relationships with men.”

“Oh dear,” Donna gasps. “She became a wild child, didn’t she?”

Careful not to reveal too much, I think over how I’m going to say my next words. “I think she thought that if she confronted her fears with men head-on, that she would magically get better. So, as I guarded her, I was bombarded with the realization that Penny was constantly putting herself in danger.”

“But she had you to watch out for her.”

“Yes. But I was trying to balance protecting Penny and giving her space to blossom and grow.”

Donna reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “I imagine she didn’t make it easy.”

“No,” I say with a chuckle. “Not at all.”

Germain clears his throat. “As a father of a daughter who is very much an adult, I had to weigh whether to give advice or give support. And I’m not sure I even did a good job at either of those things, looking back.”

I frown. “Penny loves you both. And as an outsider to the family, I value and admire your dedication to your children.”

“Thank you,” Donna mouths, overcome with emotion. She takes the tissue box her husband passes to her.

“During my time with your daughter, I tried my very best to keep things professional and provide Penny with the boundaries I thought she needed while she tried to cope with assimilating back into the real world. The problem was…it was me who didn’t respect the boundaries.”

“Okay…” Germain says, leaning forward as if to not miss a word.

“The more I was around Penny, the easier it was for me to see how amazing she is. And I fell for her.” I pause, expecting them to gasp or stand up from the table. But instead, Donna and Germain just look at me, silently encouraging me to continue. “I crossed the professional line in spite of both Graham and Nic, the men who trusted me to watch out for Penny, and I went behind their backs to pursue an intimate life with her instead.”

“Oh, Collins,” Donna says, “I can clearly see you feel bad about this.”

I nod eagerly. “I do. But I’m not sorry I fell in love with your daughter, ma’am. I’m just sorry that I didn’t give anyone in your family a chance to support the idea of us and instead kept it all a secret. I know I am older than Penny. I know that I don’t have my own family structure to bring into the relationship for balance. And I know that both Graham and Nic see me as a traitor who betrayed them rather than as a man worthy enough to provide for their sister. And for all of that”—I choke on the tears I’ve been holding back—“I am deeply and regretfully sorry. Truly, I am really sorry.”

Getting up from the table, Germain leaves the room quietly.

And I break down…for the first time in my life.

Scooting her chair closer, Donna places her arm around my shoulder. “I never once questioned your loyalty to our family. Never once. And I still don’t.”

The sound of the chair sliding against the floor causes me to look up. Germain Hoffman is back at the head of the table, looking thoughtfully at me. Then he places a folder onto the table.

“Open it,” he says.

And I do, revealing pictures taken last year when Penny entered Soulful Mind Therapy Center. Sitting in a wheelchair, unresponsive, is my princess.

Her head is slumped to the side. Unfocused and glassy, her eyes just stare at the floor.

It looks like Penny is doing nothing but just breathing and existing. She isn’t thriving and living.

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