Chapter 45
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
KAI
W hen Serena finishes her story, I jump up from my seat on the couch and begin pacing. My blood is boiling, anger like I’ve never known before coursing through me. I knew he was bad. I knew it, and I didn’t say anything. I assumed Serena would come to me if she ever felt unsafe in a relationship. An assumption I now want to kick my own ass for. Guilt swirls in my gut when I think of how many times I should have spoken up and told her about Dom but kept my mouth shut out of fear she wouldn’t believe me and it would ruin our friendship. It’s a risk I should have taken if it would’ve saved her from this hell.
“Kai, you look like a tiger pacing its cage. Sit down.” Serena looks up at me pleadingly, worry etched in her features like she’s afraid I’m going to pop off and go attack Dom right this second. Her fears aren’t unfounded. I want to kill the abusive, manipulative piece of shit.
“ReRe, how can you expect me to sit calmly after hearing how he raped you and tried to fucking baby trap you?”
Serena’s eyes go wide in shock, her mouth falling open like I slapped her.
“He…I—no…”
I can see the denial in her eyes. Before she can build a defense for the motherfucker I kneel down in front of her, hushing her with a finger to her lips. “Did you or did you not tell him no, and he pressured you into having sex anyway?” My voice is steadier than I feel—my body practically vibrating in anger—but I have to make her see this with reason.
She closes her eyes, takes in a deep breath, then nods.
“And did he or did he not ignore your concerns about having unprotected sex multiple times and keep pressuring you into having sex with him even if you were uncomfortable?”
Tears dance along Serena’s lashes, threatening to fall. Her lower lip trembles, and I move my hand to cup her cheek, holding her, letting her know I’ve got her now. “Yes.” Her response is a barely audible whisper. She collapses into my arms, the strength that was holding her together while she unloaded her burden finally leaving her.
“Shh, it’s okay, ReRe. I’ve got you.” I’m not sure how many times I have to remind her she’s not in this alone. Not anymore. But I won’t quit until it gets through to her.
After a long moment, Arianna clears her throat. I glance over at her and see her quietly wiping away her own silent tears. Her pain for Serena is palpable. She is almost as heartbroken for her as I am.
“So, how do we want to do this? I can take you to my hospital so we can do an official exam and report, but I’m not going to lie, it will be invasive and like reliving the trauma all over again, and I can’t promise anything will happen to Dom. It’s difficult enough to bring a regular abuser to justice, but one on the police force? The odds are against us, Reenie. He will know how to manipulate the system, and odds are charges won’t even be brought against him.” Arianna grasps Serena’s hand, looking her in the eye when she says her next words. “I’m only telling you this because I want you to be prepared to fight this battle. I will be there every step of the way, holding your hand.”
Arianna’s words are a gut punch. Logically I know she’s right. I’ve experienced how flawed the justice system is. I’ve seen how many police officers walk away from murder charges with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. I have thousands of photographs on my computer from protests highlighting this very real issue. But knowing Serena will probably be another statistic in a broken system makes me want to vomit.
“I…I don’t know what to do. He took everything from me. He’s paying for Mom’s care while the house sale is in escrow. I have no money, nowhere to go, he has my ID and my bank card and my car. He’s not going to let me go. Not without a fight.”
“That’s not entirely true.” I speak up, and Serena looks at me like I have two heads.
“What do you mean? You can’t seriously think Dom is just going to say ‘Oh, you’re right; we’re better off as friends, have a nice life’!”
Arianna nods, interjecting, “She’s right. A man doesn’t go through that level of manipulation just to gracefully step to the side. He’s very likely to escalate, and Serena is in danger.”
“No, what I mean is you have somewhere to go.”
“Kai, I can’t stay with you and your parents. I don’t want Dom setting his sights on your family.” Serena shakes her head in objection, but I cup her face in my hands, halting her protest.
“You can go back to your house.”
“Kai—”
“I bought it.” Serena’s eyes widen in surprise. I push on, seeing how she’s struggling to process the bomb I dropped on her. “I used my inheritance from Grams for the down payment, and my parents helped me buy it. You didn’t lose your house, Serena.”
Her mouth opens and closes a few times before she squeaks, “But why?”
“Because I know how important that house is to you, and I just…didn’t want you to lose it.” Serena’s brows furrow like she’s trying to work through a logic puzzle, so I confess what I’ve been holding back, hoping she will forgive me for not speaking up sooner.
“I knew Dom was bad news. He threatened me to stay away from you, but I thought he was just jealous of our relationship. Then I heard him talking to your mom one day about moving into a retirement home. I thought there would be time before he put his plans into motion, but after the shooting everything moved so fast. And after you turned me away at the hospital, I was worried you wouldn’t believe me about Dom, thinking I was being a bitch about losing to him. I’m sorry, Serena. I should’ve said something. I should’ve warned you.
“I just thought, maybe, if I bought the house and you realized Dom wasn’t the man for you, it would be one less loss you would have to experience.”