Chapter Sixteen #4
“Milly has Dissociative Identity Disorder. While some have internalized alters that they involuntarily switch between, her experience of her alters is them appearing as separate, external entities, much like imaginary friends. She remains conscious, whereas internalized alters she would experience amnesia and have moments where these alters surface, and she is almost put in the background of her own mind. While her alters are not literally separate people, the mind can externalize these different personality states. She is not necessarily having a psychotic hallucination, like someone with schizophrenia, but is experiencing a dissociative symptom where her internal world is projected outwards in a very vivid and compelling way. Because of the severity of her trauma, this externalized alter appears to her as her twin sister. These alters are called introjects for her. Right now, it is simply manifesting differently, and she is seeing it as herself.”
“That is fascinating,” Alania says. “What happens if it talks to her and she speaks back?”
“She’d be responding to auditory hallucinations. You might hear both ends of that exchange, but with Milly, you would likely just hear her side of it.”
“So this is stress-induced?” Dad asks.
“Yeah, she just needs time,” Grayson says. I force myself to look away and back down at my hand. Grayson gently turns my face to look at him and cups my cheek. “You’re okay, Milly.”
“I feel insane,” I admit tearfully.
“You are not insane, Milly. I promise,” he says. “What are you thinking in regard to Greg?”
“How did he die?” I ask. Grayson releases my face so I can look at Adrian.
“I sent a few people out to his and your mother’s home, and he was found hanging in the back bedroom,” he says.
“Furthest from the master?”
“Yeah,” he answers.
“That was my room,” I say. “It’s where Molly and Walter died, and me and Dad were shot.”
“Your mom is nowhere to be found, though, so that is concerning,” Adrian says.
“Did you tell them everything else?” I ask Grayson.
“Yeah,” he says. “Ace is going to come stay at the house with us. He opened up to Adrian about what your mom did to him, so she is on the hook for a lot.”
“So… what happens if Mom gets to me? Is that possible?”
“Honestly… I don’t know,” Adrian says.
“She would try and kill her,” Dad says. “I know Charlotte. If she is panicking, she is going to try and start covering things up. The only way to do that is to take out the one person that can connect her to everything. Now that she doesn’t have Greg to place blame on, she is spiraling.”
“Yeah,” Grayson says. “I think she is going to try something soon… Which reminds me… We are supposed to talk with Hope tonight at The Void.”
“Why?” Alania asks.
“Because I’m a jealous bitch who is convinced he will cheat on me because she is prettier,” I say bluntly.
“Hold on,” she says before leaving the office.
“What is she doing?” Grayson asks with a laugh.
“Causing a scene, probably,” Adrian says as he wraps my hand. “Alright, until the swelling goes down, the brace needs to stay off. So you need to be very careful and stop using it. If you pull those stitches out, you could cause permanent damage to your hand.”
“Damn. No double handjobs. Sorry, boys,” I say. Ace and Grayson chuckle.
“Girl, you have three men and three holes,” Adam chimes in.
“And a father in the room,” Dad says.
“And a Daddy,” Adam laughs. I smack him, and he dramatically grunts like I’ve hurt him. “Ow! You menace.”
“You lost me there,” Dad laughs.
“She calls me Daddy,” Grayson says.
“Oh,” Dad says. “Well… I’ll just be Dad… So we don’t get confused.”
“I’m going to sling myself off a bridge now,” I deadpan.
“Sweetheart, you can call him the muffin man, as long as he treats you well,” Dad says.
“The muffin man?” Adam asks.
“The one who lives on…” Ace chimes in.
“Shut up,” I laugh.
“See?” Grayson says. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Alright,” Alania says as she comes in with Hope behind her. “Say what you need to say, Grayson.”
“You are under an assumption that you have a place in my life and I will one day return to you,” Grayson says.
“This is causing Milly distress, and she is and always will be my priority. What you did Saturday night was disrespectful not only to me but also to the dynamic that she and I share. You knew she was watching, yet you put your hands on me anyway. It was wrong of me not to shut you down sooner, and I will make that up to Milly, because I do not want you. I always communicated that you were a placeholder and a way to de-stress and pass time.”
“Going forward,” Alania says. “If you ever put your hands on someone without their consent again, you will be removed from The Society. Your punishment for this will be enrollment in the submissive training course so you can learn basic respect for the dynamic. Stay away from Grayson, Adam, Ace, and Milly. When Ace and Milly are in class, you are not to speak to them for any reason. This will be communicated to all of the trainers, and you will be held accountable for it. Understand?”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Hope says with her head dropped from being scolded.
“Get out,” Alania says. When Hope leaves, she smiles at me. “Problem solved. And Grayson?”
“Yes?” Grayson says with a smirk.
“You ever betray the trust of your wife, and I find out about it, I’ll cut your dick off myself,” Alania says.
“When did you get so mean, Little Dove?” Adrian asks. “Damn.”
“She’s always been mean,” Brentley laughs.
“You shut up,” Alania laughs. “Now, go home and relax. If we find out anything else, we will call you. Make your appointments virtual for now. Ace, we can get Jax to come in and work with the class so you can be with them.”
“Are we getting quarantined or something?" Grayson asks with a frown.
“Yes, Grayson. I know better than anyone how horribly things can go if you let your guard down for even a second,” Alania says.
“If Mom is desperate… why not just lure her onto the property?” I ask.
Grayson goes to say something, but he stops when Alania glares at him. “What do you have in mind?”
“Make her think I am alone,” I say. “Find somewhere in the house that she can be easily trapped, but somewhere others can hide, so I am not actually alone.”
“The basement,” Grayson says with a heavy sigh. “For the record, I don’t like this.”
“Hey. Make her think he’s got you tied up down there,” Derek says.
“She’d probably try to play hero and gaslight her, to be honest.”
“I could call her and pretend I am asking for help and tell her I am alone. Last I talked to her, she thought I thought she was innocent,” I say. “She has no reason to think she is suspected of anything.”
“It could work,” Adrian says. “But what if she just comes in and shoots you?”
“She won’t,” Ace and I say simultaneously.
“She’s going to want to get her back under her thumb so she can use her,” Ace says.
“Okay. Go home and get the basement set up. We will come by, and then Milly can make the call,” Alania says.