Page 78 of A Dove To Break

We all get out and walk inside. Brent talks to the receptionist before we are led into a waiting area. I pace around for a while before a man comes in.

“Hi. I am Dr. Shaffer,” he says. “Brently, you told me a little bit about what’s going on. Now, Vanessa is of sound mind. She is functioning, but she has severe CPTSD. She endured significant trauma, but she’s opened up entirely and doesn’t seem to understand that what she endured is abuse.”

“We just need for her to remember a location,” I say.

“She has her memories, but it’s a matter of her willingness to go against your father.”

“He’s not my father,” I snap, but close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I’ll talk to her.”

“Any advice off the record?” Brent asks.

“Well… She will never be able to be self-sustaining. She will always need help because she’s essentially been broken down so badly,” the doctor says. “If she were my mother and I were in your position… push her till she tells you. She’s already broken and in a permanent state of quiet cheerfulness. You can’t do anything worse than what she’s already experienced over the last thirty-five years.”

“Medically?” I ask.

“I’d advise that you seek alternative methods to obtain the information,” he says simply.

I look at Brent, and he is lost in thought. This is his mother. Hisrealmother. “We will see her,” Brent says simply. The doctor nods and waves us along to walk out of the room with him.

We go through an area that looks a lot like a common area before we step into a bedroom. It ispristine.“Hey, Momma,” I say carefully. She spins around, and as soon as she sees us, her eyes light up.

“Alania!” she says happily. “Brently! You came. Did your father come with…”

“No, Momma,” I say. “Come sit with us. We need to talk to you.”

“Is it about why I’m here? Your father won’t like me being away from home for so long,” she says as she walks over and sits with us in a small sitting area off on one side of her room.

“Momma, do you know this man?” I ask, pointing at Cian. “Last time you saw him, I was just a girl. You started taking care of me. Remember?”

“Hey, Vanessa,” Cian says softly. “Can I sit with you?”

“Uhm… my husband won’t like that,” she says, not making eye contact.

“I’ll sit across from you then,” he says. “Do you remember me, Vanessa?”

“Y-Yes,” Mom stammers. “Edward won’t like it if I'm talking to you alone. I’m not allowed…”

“Edward is in a lot of trouble, Vanessa,” Cian says gently. “Do you remember what he promised me?”

“That he’d take care of Alania,” Mom admits. “He did. She…”

“He raped me, Momma. The whole time,” I say. She looks at me with horror on her face.

“He wouldn’t…”

“I was six, Momma. He forced himself into my mouth. Do you remember when I broke my arm?” I ask.

“Yeah, but he loved…”

“I bit him, Momma. I was scared because I couldn’t breathe. He slapped me off the bed and I fell on my arm,” I say. “Every night, he would come to my room to hurt me. If I got in trouble, he’d tape my mouth shut or wait until no one was home so he could tie me to my bed and whip me.”

“Alania…”

“I know you didn’t know,” I say. “When I went to that school, he paid someone to kill me. Fredrico.” Mom flinches at his name, so I say it again. “Do you know Fredrico?”

“H-He… He’s a bad man,” she whispers. “You’ve got to stay away from him, baby.”

“He’s dead,” I tell her, sad at the way she relaxes. “He tried to kill me, but Adrian saved me. He’s the one I married.”