Page 44 of The Truth in My Lies (Secrets of Suburbi 1)

“I have records. You’ve brought this up numerous times to distract yourself from your past.”

“That’s not…” I pinched my fingers on the bridge of my nose. It wasn’t true. I had never opened up to anyone about this before. “You’re lying.”

She leaned forward. “Do you need me to show you the records?” She flipped to another page. “April 17th, you said that your husband had caused bruising on your left thigh. You claimed to have all of the evidence in a box under your bed.” She flipped to another page.

No. I shook my head.

“January 23rd, you said your husband had broken your elbow. And that you had all the evidence in a box under your bed.”

No, no, no! “I never told you that!”

She flipped some more pages. “You first started mentioning this box right after you lost your baby. The first time you mentioned it, I went to your house, Adeline. We looked under your bed together…”

“Stop lying! You’ve never been to my house. I’d remember if you’d been to my house.”

“I have been to your house. I’ve looked for the box under your bed, just where you said it would be. It wasn’t there. The box doesn’t exist. You just mentioned that you’ve been having trouble with your memory. You admitted it yourself.”

“Not about this, Dr. Nash. I have the evidence. There’s photos…”

“I know.” Her voice was falsely soothing. Everything about her was fake. “And you always mention the box when you’re hiding from your past or something real is currently bothering you. Something completely unrelated to your husband. Is something bothering you Adeline? Have you done something wrong?”

I’ve been seeing Ben behind my husband’s back. “No.”

“Nothing at all? Nothing that would cause you extra stress?”

I hated her face and her stupid soothing voice. She was judging me. It was like she knew I had kissed another man. Wanted someone that wasn’t my husband. “I sit at home all day doing nothing. What stress?”

“This is important. We need to know what’s causing your outbursts. Please talk to me. Stress can make your medicine not as effective. Can’t you think of anything that may have altered your stress levels?”

“I’m not crazy. You’re saying that I’m crazy. I hav

en’t done anything wrong.”

“I never said you were crazy. But I know you’re making up the box. I know it has nothing to do with your husband. You’re hiding something.”

“The only thing I’ve been hiding is the fact that my husband hurts me.”

“Your husband loves you. I’ve never seen a more devoted spouse.”

I pulled my cardigan off my shoulder to show her the bruising.

She pushed the box of tissues toward me. “Your husband told me about your accident. You fell on your run, yes?”

“And hurt my ankle. But he did this to me.” I pointed to my shoulder. “He pushed me into a wall. He’s been hurting me for so long. And I couldn’t tell anyone. There was too much at stake. But I’m tired.” I’m so tired. “I need someone to help me. He needs to be behind bars. It’s the only way to keep everyone safe.”

She jotted something into her notebook. “Usually when we talk about this, something else is bothering you. You create this issue in your head to hide from the truth. What’s really bothering you, Adeline?”

Usually when we talk about this? Screw her notes. We had never talked about this. Not once. I’d remember. I know I’d remember. The room was stifling. I was finding it hard to breathe. “I’m not…this is the truth. Aren’t you going to call the police? Or something?”

“Does this have to do with you starting to take birth control? I thought you two were trying to have a baby. You’ve so badly wanted a child. What made you start taking those pills?”

“My husband is a monster.”

“You’ve had fertility issues in the past. Neither one of you is to blame for that. He’s not a monster. And neither are you. You’re human. Humans aren’t perfect. I know that’s what you strive for…”

“I’m not blaming him for our lack of fertility. That’s not what this is about!”

“You lost your baby, Adeline. But that was six years ago. You can try again now. It’s safe to try again now.”

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