Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 401(@200wpm)___ 321(@250wpm)___ 267(@300wpm)
23
CELINE
Elias calls to say he's outside my building, hours after he left to find Travis. When he knocks on the door, I ask Dornan to open it. I'm exhausted and rung out. The tears I've shed have left my face blotchy and my eyes so swollen I can barely see.
Dornan and Elias have a rapid, hushed conversation that I can't really hear. When Elias enters the room, he makes a beeline for me, squatting next to my bed so he's closer to my level, reaching out to touch my face. "Celine. Don't cry."
I curl up so I'm facing away from him, not wanting him to see my face in this state.
"Did you find Travis?" I ask.
"Yeah. He was at home."
"And."
"He's going."
"You couldn't convince him to stay?"
Elias's hand moves down my arm in a soothing stroke. "I couldn't. He's too fearful, even though the chance that it's his kid is almost nothing, in my opinion."
The lump in my throat burns like the surface of the sun.
Dornan sits at the end of my bed, resting his hand on my foot, and Elias pats my arm. "What happened with the video?"
"We watched it again," Dornan says. "It's definitely Eddie, and he must have posted it."
"That fucking asshole… I'm going to tear off his balls and make him eat them."
"I feel the same." Dornan's voice matches Elias's growl. "But it's not going to help Celine."
"But it'll make me feel better."
"We need to do this right. We need to get the police involved. We need to contact the website that's hosting this video to let them know she didn't give permission for it to be shared. Celine needs to tell her parents."
"I don't want to." The prospect of telling my mom and dad fills me with dread. Mom will be angry that I've gotten myself into this situation and that it's taking the focus from her misery over the divorce. Dad will probably not have time to deal with it and not really want to. He's barely interested in my life. He won't want to deal with something so embarrassing and mortifying.
"What about Marie?"
I turn to Elias, swiping my hand over my face. "She has enough on her plate with Lonie and Aiden's mom."
"She's your sister… She'd want to know what you're going through."
I could speak to Marie, even just to get her perspective on what I should do. Half of me is worried that reporting this to the police will only make the situation between me and Eddie spiral more out of control. Who knows what other videos he might have made of me without my knowledge.
I also can't deal with the prospect of Marie watching the video.
"I'm going to have to deal with this myself," I say it firmly, hoping they'll both understand that arguing for something different is pointless.
"You're not going to be alone in this." Dornan is firm, and he looks to Elias to make sure he's in agreement.
"We'll be with you all the way."
Tears burn in my throat and trickle down my face. I hide in my hands as my shoulders shudder with stifled sobs. Elias cups my chin in his palm and tips my face up. "This isn't like you, Celine. You're a fighter. Don't play Eddie's games. Don't let him win. You need to face this with your head held high and know that we'll be here to support you while you do it."
I blink, startled at his fierceness and the way my tears dry with his words. He's right. This isn't like me. So, I fucked someone, and they were enough of a jerk to put it on the internet. I'm not the first, and I definitely won't be the last. Eddie isn't going to win. He's done something illegal, and he's going to pay for it, but only if I'm strong enough to report it.
"I'll go to the police," I say, my determination hardening every word. "Fuck Eddie. He thinks he can humiliate me. Let's see how much he likes being taken away in handcuffs."
"That's my girl." Dornan smiles, proud of my resolve.
Elias rises from his squat position, straightening his legs with relief. "Do you want to go now?"
I shake my head. "Tomorrow," I say. "After our classes are done."
Sliding my feet over the edge of the mattress, I stand to find a tissue so that I can blow my nose. I strip off my sweater, feeling hot and gross. Dornan finds his phone. "I'm going to message Ellie and let her know what you've decided."
"Sure."
As he begins typing, Elias's phone rings. It's the first time I've ever heard his phone make a noise in all the time we've spent together. He pulls it out of his pocket and looks at it but doesn't answer it. When it stops, he pushes it back into his pocket. Then it starts to ring again. "Aren't you going to answer it?"