Chapter 6: The Lie That Sounded Familiar
I didn't answer immediately.
I looked at Nadine.
She was watching me with wide eyes, her hands clasped tightly in her lap.
Terrell continued speaking.
“Mom? Are you listening?””
“Yes.””
“Good. Because I don't want you making a decision based on half a story.””
I walked toward the window.
“Then tell me the whole story.””
He sighed.
“She's been having emotional problems for months. You know that, right?””
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
The beginning of another familiar excuse.
“I'm listening,” I said.
“She gets upset over nothing. She cries. She twists conversations. Sometimes she bumps into things and then acts like I did something.””
I looked down at my phone.
“Are you saying you didn't hurt her?””
“I'm saying she's not telling you everything.””
“That's not an answer.””
He paused.
Then his voice sharpened.
“Mom, I know how this looks.””
“How does it look?””
“Like I'm some abusive husband.””
I heard Nadine take a shaky breath behind me.
“Terrell, I asked you a question.””
He exhaled loudly.
“I've never tried to hurt her.””
I looked at the bruises on Nadine's wrist.
“Then why does she protect her face when you raise your hand?””
Silence.
For several seconds, I thought the call had dropped.
Then he said, “Because she knows how to provoke me.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Terrell.””
“What?””
“Listen to what you just said.””
He became defensive.
“I'm not saying it's right. I'm saying she knows how to push me.””
I looked at the dark window.
My reflection stared back at me.
For a moment, I saw the younger version of myself.
Standing in a kitchen.
Holding a telephone.
Listening to a man explain why his anger was my responsibility.
I had spent years believing that if I learned the right words, I could prevent the next argument.
I had tried being quieter.
Kinder.
More patient.
More agreeable.
Nothing had worked because the problem had never been my failure to keep him happy.
The problem was his belief that he had the right to frighten me.
And now my son was repeating the same belief.
“Did you hurt her?”” I asked again.
Terrell's voice dropped.
“Mom, I love Nadine.””
“That isn't what I asked.””
“I provide for her. I take care of everything.””
“Does she feel safe with you?””
He didn't answer.
I heard a door slam somewhere on his end of the call.
Then he spoke.
“Where is she?””
“She's safe.””
“That's not what I asked.””
“I'm not giving you her location.””
His voice rose.
“You have no right to keep my wife from me.””
“I'm not keeping anyone from you.””
“Then put her on the phone.””
I turned toward Nadine.
She shook her head immediately.
I faced the window again.
“She doesn't want to speak to you right now.””
“Of course she doesn't. You've filled her head with nonsense.””
“Terrell, stop blaming me for her decisions.””
He laughed.
“That's rich, coming from you.””
I waited.
Then he said something that made my stomach turn.
“Dad would never have allowed you to interfere like this.””
I closed my eyes.
For years, that name had been a weapon in our family.
Sometimes Terrell used it to remind me that his father had been the authority in our home.
Sometimes he used it to dismiss my opinions.
And sometimes I let him.
Because I missed the man I had married, even though I had spent years being frightened of him.
But I wasn't going to let a dead man's shadow decide what happened to Nadine.
“Your father is not here,” I said.
Terrell went quiet.
“And even if he were, I would tell him the same thing.””
“You wouldn't dare.””
I almost smiled.
Not because I was fearless.
Because I had finally stopped confusing fear with obedience.
“I should have dared a long time ago.””
He hung up.
I lowered the phone.
Nadine was still sitting at the table.
“Was he angry?”” she asked.
“Yes.””
She looked down.
“I'm sorry.””
I walked over and sat beside her.
“You don't have to apologize for his reaction.””
She rubbed her hands together.
“Sometimes I think maybe I really do make him angry.””
I turned toward her.
“Sweetheart, people can disagree. They can become frustrated. They can even decide a marriage isn't working.””
I paused.
“But none of that gives someone permission to hurt or frighten another person.””
She nodded slowly.
Then she whispered, “I don't know how to leave.””
I took her hand.
“You don't have to figure out your entire future tonight.””
Her phone vibrated.
A message from Maya appeared.
I'm on my way. Keep the door locked. I'll call when I'm outside.
Nadine read it twice.
Then she looked at me.
“Can I stay with you until she gets here?””
“Of course.””
I stood and checked the locks.
The kitchen suddenly felt different.
The same chairs.
The same curtains.
The same family photographs.
But I couldn't look at the pictures without thinking about what had been happening outside their frames.
I returned to the table.
Nadine was scrolling through her messages again.
“Mrs. Laverne?””
“Yes?””
“There's something else.””
Her voice had become so quiet that I almost missed it.
“What is it?””
She turned the phone toward me.
It was a message from Terrell, sent three weeks earlier.
If my mother ever finds out what happens in this house, she'll take my side. She always protects her son.
I read it twice.
My chest tightened.
He hadn't just expected me to stay silent.
He had counted on it.
Nadine looked at me.
“He used to tell me you would never believe me.””
I slowly handed her phone back.
Then I heard a car pull up outside.
Headlights swept across the living room wall.
Nadine stood immediately.
“That's Maya.””
I went to the window.
A woman stepped out of a silver sedan and hurried toward the front porch.
But before I could reach the door, my own phone vibrated again.
A message from Terrell.
Mom, don't let her leave. You have no idea what she's planning.
I stared at the words.
Then another message appeared.
And before you make another mistake, ask her what happened the night Dad died.
My fingers went cold.
I turned toward Nadine.
She had seen the message.
The color drained from her face.
“What does he mean?”” I asked.
She looked toward the door, where her sister was waiting.
May you like
Then she whispered:
“Mrs. Laverne, there's something about your husband's death that Terrell doesn't know I found out.””
