Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
Ethan
I sat on the edge of my bed and read her text message. She forgave me but still hated me, and I deserved it. When I saw her walking down the street as I exited the restaurant, I couldn’t help but smile because that was what she did to me. Nobody had that kind of power or control over me. Dr. Perry was right. I could feel the control over my emotions and feelings slipping away, and it scared the fuck out of me. She wanted to forget she had ever met me, and after reading that, I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart.
The next morning, I got up from my desk and walked outside my office on my way to the tech department when I noticed Holly wasn’t at her desk.
“Lucy, where’s Holly?” I asked.
“She’s in the bathroom. She’s not feeling well.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Morning sickness.”
I sighed as I rolled my eyes and headed to the tech department.
“Well?” I asked Rob as I approached his office.
“You gave us three days, Ethan. It’s only been two.”
“Do you have anything at all?” I asked with irritation.
“We’re making some progress. We’ll update you tomorrow once we have more. By the way, I’ll have the demo glasses ready for you tomorrow.”
“Have you tested it out yet?”
“No. We thought we’d let you do the honors.” He smiled.
“Wise decision.”
Walking back to my office, I noticed Holly still wasn’t at her desk.
“Lucy, where’s Holly this time?”
“She’s back in the bathroom.”
Turning around, I went to the women’s bathroom and opened the door.
“Holly, are you in here?” I asked.
“Yes, Mr. Klein.”
“It seems to me that you spend more time here than you do at your desk, and now I see this as a problem. You assured me that there wouldn’t be a problem.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” She emerged from the stall, wiping her mouth with a piece of toilet paper.
I stood there shaking my head and stared at the paleness of her face. “Just clean yourself up and get back to work.”
I arrived home that night at seven-thirty, poured myself a drink, and waited for Dr. Perry to arrive. I stood in front of the painting I purchased, which was still wrapped up and leaning against my wall. As I removed the brown wrapping, I stared at it as I sipped on my drink. Aubrey wasn’t the only one who lived in a world of darkness. But I was not so sure that she did. She had found things that put light in her life, regardless of whether she could see or not.
The doorbell rang, and Dr. Perry was standing there when I walked over and opened it.
“Good evening, Ethan. Are you ready for our session?”
“Hello, Dr. Perry. Yes. Please come in.”
I led her to the living room and had her take a seat in my black leather chair while I sat on the couch.
“May I get you something to drink?”
“No. I’m good. So tell me how the past couple of days have been. Did you reach out to Aubrey?”
“I actually saw her last night. I had just finished with a dinner meeting, and as I was leaving the restaurant, I saw her walking down the street.”
“And?”
“I stopped in front of her, and I apologized for the things I said that night, and I told her that I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“How did she respond?”
“She accepted my apology and then got away from me as fast as she could. I sent her a text message and told her how beautiful she looked. She responded by telling me never to call her again and that it’s time she forgot she ever met me.”
“Do you blame her?” Dr. Perry asked.
“Not really.”
“Aubrey is now protecting herself like you’re protecting you. And you can’t blame her for that.”
“I know.”
“What happened with Sophia was long ago, and I thought you were healing from it. After our last session, you told me you accepted the fact that it wasn’t your fault, and then I never saw you again.”
“Because the nightmares stopped. After two years, they finally stopped.”
“Do you know why they stopped?” she asked.
“Not really.”
“Because you successfully buried all your emotions and feelings. You became numb, not letting anyone ever get close to you. Unknowingly, you let your guard down with Aubrey. Something about her touched you, and it touched you enough to follow her to Shakespeare Garden that Saturday morning. Maybe it’s time, Ethan, to start living life again as it should be. You’ve suffered and endured enough pain over the past nine years. Sophia had problems way before she met you. You swooped in and tried to save her, but you couldn’t. What happened was not your fault. She was already in an altered state of mind from the drugs. It’s time you let go.”
I watched as she glanced over at the painting.
“What a lovely painting.” She got up from her chair and walked over to it. “Who painted it?”
I walked over and stood next to her.
“Aubrey’s best friend, Penelope. It was her art exhibition at the gallery the night I met Aubrey. She told me something that night while we were talking about the painting. This was before I knew she was blind. She asked me what I saw when I looked at it. So, I described the painting to her, and then she asked me what it meant to me. I told her I didn’t know, and then she spoke these words: ‘Even in a world of darkness, you will always see light.’”
“Is the woman in the painting Aubrey?” she asked as she glanced over at me.
“Yes.”
“Why did you buy this painting, Ethan?”
“I don’t know.” I looked down.
“I think you do. Our time is up.” She grabbed her purse and headed towards the door. “Call my office and schedule an appointment for next week. I think weekly sessions, for now, would be a good idea.”
“I will. And thank you for coming here tonight.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good night, Ethan.”
“You too, Dr. Perry.”