Page 44 of The Valiant Knight
“Is she going to be okay?” he asked, keeping his voice low so she didn’t hear them talking.
Tony sighed.
Normally, he’d say nothing, but Gabby would likely feel the need to tell Graham, so he didn’t think she was insane. So, he opted to clue the man in.
Tony definitely knew why she’d reacted that way, and he was pretty sure that Graham did too. He’d handled that like a pro, and for that, Tony was grateful.
“Eventually, she’ll be okay. Sad to say, but Gabs was married to an asshole, and he hurt her,” he said. “She’s trying to get over what he did to her, and it wasn’t an easy journey back to safe.”
Graham was worried.
That was what he suspected, but he didn’t want to be right.
Really.
“Should I go after her?” he asked. “You know, to make sure she’s okay?”
Tony shook his head.
“She just needs a little grace. We’re all klutzy at times,” he admitted. “She’ll be okay, and she’ll bounce back pretty quickly.”
That he hoped was true.
He was curious, so he asked.
“How long was she married?”
Again, the only reason he was going there was because he knew that Gabby would tell the man herself since she was very open about her past.
Talking about it had been part of the therapy.
“She was married to him for three years,” he said. “They dated, and got married rather young. He told her he wanted a family, and a life, but all he did was hurt her. We all offered to hunt him down and kill him, but she won’t let us. All she wants is to be away from him, and she insists that the best revenge is her moving on.”
She wasn’t wrong.
But he understood moving on was difficult.
It had been for him, and he hadn’t been abused. In fact, no one loved him more—until he didn’t.
So, he understood the pain she was living through.
“Well, if she needs anything, please don’t hesitate to ask,” he offered. “I hope she heals even more while she’s here.”
Tony hoped that too.
When they heard her coming, she was pulled back together and so much calmer.
Immediately, she apologized again like she’d done something wrong.
She.
Had.
Not.
Then, she explained.
Gabby knew she owed the man some sort of explanation.
