“There’s nothing shameful about taking meds,” Alexa said. “Many people are on them for depression or anxiety. You took on too much. David said he wanted to cut back your schedule but you refused. He wanted to hire a wedding planner but you insisted on handling every detail yourself. Sometimes you have to ask for help.”
The blood rushed to her head and exploded. “Wait a minute. I don’t know what he’s been telling you but that’s not true. He kept asking me to pick up extra shifts at the hospital, not the other way around. And he told me over and over we didn’t need anyone else running our wedding, that we should do it ourselves.”
Alexa stared at her. “Honey, David called me for the name of a wedding planner. He tried to hire her but you said no. Don’t you remember the conversation we had at lunch? I told you to call her and you refused?”
She remembered. Except that morning, David told her he’d be disappointed if she gave over the wedding to a stranger. Asked if she was comfortable giving over her children to a nanny to raise—if that was the type of mother and wife she wanted to be. How had he manipulated the conversation so easily? By the time Alexa brought it up, she’d been determined to show him she could do it all on her own. Had he been spinning stories and lies about their relationship from the beginning? And if so, why?
She had to fix this and make them understand. “I don’t need meds. And he twists things. I started noticing a pattern of manipulation and a need for control in every part of my life. He began checking my phone, trying to keep me away from my friends. Do you know how many times I wanted to see Alexa, or come over for dinner, and he’d give me an excuse for why I couldn’t go?”
Her mother frowned. “Really? I always found the opposite. He called me once a week to check in with us, tell us about you and what you were both doing. He confided in your father about a month ago that he was trying to get you to leave the house more but you were having bouts of depression. Remember when I called you? Kept asking if you needed me to come over but you said you needed sleep?”
She’d asked David to have her parents over for dinner. It had been a rough night at the hospital so he’d lost his temper, asking why he wasn’t enough for her. Asking why they couldn’t enjoy a quiet dinner together instead of dragging everyone else into their relationship. By the time her mom had called, she’d been so upset she’d lied and said she needed sleep for an excuse. She’d always been protecting her dark secret with David, trying to keep people from learning the truth about their relationship.
Including herself.
The tangled web she’d gotten herself into was all her fault. Gen dragged in a breath. “Mom, I didn’t want you to know that David gave me a hard time when I asked if I could have you over for dinner. When you called, I was embarrassed at having to say no so I told you I was tired.”
“I see.”
No, she didn’t. In fact, Gen realized in a blinding lightbulb moment, her entire family didn’t believe her. Somehow David had convinced them he was the good guy and she needed help.
“If you were having these problems, why did you move forward? You had a big engagement party. Plenty of time to tell any of us your concerns with David,” her father said.
“I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t want to admit it. I was scared. We were living together, he’s my boss, and I felt trapped.”
“Trapped? Did he ever threaten you?” Jim asked.
“No. But I think he’s an abuser, Dad.”
Lance leaned forward. “Did he hit you? I’ll kill the son of a bitch.”
“No, he never hit me.”
Silence fell. Gina ducked her head. Alexa frowned, as if trying to figure out the puzzle. Izzy remained quiet, concentrating on her nails, as if afraid to give her opinion. Her parents looked confused.
Gen’s gaze connected with Wolfe’s.
Strength. He believed her. He knew. But this was her fight, her family, her truth. She needed to make them see the whole picture.
Gen opened her mouth.
The doorbell rang.
Jim stood up. “Good. We need to get to the bottom of this.”
“Dad, who’s at the door?”
His jaw tightened. “David. You have to understand how desperate he is to see you, Gen. He’s been a mess. Here every day since you left, going over everything he could have done wrong. The man loves you and you owe him an explanation.”
Panic bubbled up. She didn’t have time to gather her thoughts or prepare for the confrontation. Suddenly, David was in front of her, staring into her face, and she froze, unable to tear her gaze from his.