Page 30 of Redeemed

“Can I come up there with you?” Athelia asks gently, a box of tissues in her hand.

I nod. I can trust her.

She kicks off her shoes and crawls onto the mattress. Once I’m done blowing my nose and wiping at my tears, I scooch down the bed and let her wrap her arms around me.

“You’re safe,” she reminds me.

But I shake my head. My husband may not know where I am, but I see him everywhere now.

“How do you know which men you can trust?” I whisper. “How do you know who won’t hurt you?”

The question must strike her deep. Pain fills her eyes, followed by tears. “I… I don’t know. And I’m so sorry, Haven. I’m so sorry.”

. . .

I’m not sure how long it takes for me to calm down. Every time I think I’ve stopped crying, a new wave of sobs hits me out of nowhere. Athelia patiently soothes me through it all, telling me that Isaiah can’t get to me here. At some point, I begin to believe her.

Athelia and I stay wrapped up in bed until our stomachs are growling. Colton brings us food, and despite his best efforts to convince Athelia to let him inside, she refuses.

We sit up in bed and eat under the covers. Mildred—her stuffed cat—sits in between us. At some point in the last hour, I stopped crying, and my hands are only a little shaky now. Athelia helped reroute my focus to other things—mainly the new things I’ve experienced since coming here.

Athelia’s phone goes off, and she swears before answering it. “Professor Kammes, I’m so sorry. I—” With a grimace, she pauses. Then, “I lost track of time. My friend needed—” She winces. “No, sir. I’m sorry. Yes, I’ll be right there.”

I frown. Professor Kammes is Athelia’s professor and student advisor. They meet up way more often than I do with mine, and Athelia always seems oddly reluctant to go.

Ending the call, Athelia turns to me with an apologetic look on her face. “I have to go. I’m so sorry, Haven. Will you be okay alone?”

The thought terrifies me, and it must be evident on my face because Athelia glances at the door.

“Will you be okay if Colton comes in?”

My thoughts aren’t clouded with panic and fear anymore, so I say, “I think so.”

“You’re sure?”

I nod.

“All right. I’ll remind him that he needs to get the fuck out if you tell him to.” She moves to the door. “See you later, okay?”

“Athelia?”

She turns. “Yes?”

“Does he hurt you? Your advisor?”

The question hits her like a physical blow, making her whole body jerk on impact. She hesitates, blinking rapidly, before giving me a weak smile. “No. No, he… he doesn’t.”

I want to believe her, but as she reaches for the doorknob, her hand trembles.Lying only protects them,I want to say, because that’s what my therapist told me about Cornerstone. But maybe that’s not true.

Lying about Isaiah is what kept me safe. He would’ve been so much worse if I’d gone to my dad or Beckham, and it would’ve been for nothing, anyway. All they would’ve told me was that my husband had a deep understanding of God’s will. That if he was hitting me, it was because God needed him to discipline me.

Maybe it’s the same with Athelia. If she doesn’t think she can tell the truth, then I won’t try to force it out of her. Maybe someday she’ll be ready to open up.

Athelia has a brief, quiet conversation with Colton in the hallway, and then his body fills the doorframe. He hesitantly steps inside, and before he closes the door, I see the two boys from earlier outside.

“Why are they still here?” I ask.

Colton shrugs. “Said it looked like I needed a friend. They seem halfway decent.” He approaches cautiously, slowly. “How are you feeling?”

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