Page 164 of The Man Upstairs

Chapter Forty

Rosie

I thoughtI’d be waiting a lot longer, sitting on the stairs, just out of view of the corridor. I didn’t want to be with Mum and Tom, I wanted to be here, ready for whatever was coming.

What ended up coming was Julian’s brother, fighting back sobs with his hand clutching the banister as he stumbled down towards me.

He didn’t see me at first, but when he did, he stopped dead in his tracks. I looked up at the tower of him, rising to my feet.

“You’re leaving already?” I asked, stating the obvious.

“Yes, I am. If you have any sense, you’ll stay the fuck away from him. My brother is a very sick man. I’m sorry for what he did to you.”

He carried on walking, but I put a hand on his shoulder as he tried to pass me by.

“Please, give me a second. Julian didn’t do anything to me, I swear, other than love me.”

Michael’s eyes were like my boyfriend’s. Beautiful in stunning green. He had the same arch of his brows. The same salt and pepper in his hair.

“Is that what he tells you? He’s fucked up. Please don’t listen to him. He’s done this plenty of times before.”

I shook my head, my hand still on his shoulder.

“No, he hasn’t. He hasn’t done this before. Not like he has with me.”

“Poor girl,” he said. “I hope you have a family that will talk some sense into you when they find out.”

“They already know. My mum knows Julian. She likes him, actually. It took her a while to accept us being together, sure, but she realises it now. He wasn’tafter me, he didn’tpursue me, he isn’tusing me.”

“Hardly hearts and kisses, I imagine. More like truss you up and enact his filth on you. He probably films it, too.”

Still, I didn’t let go of his shoulder. I held firm.

“There are more hearts and kisses than you could possibly know. Filth has nothing to do with it.”

His jaw gritted. “Filth haseverythingto do with it. It always has done. He most likely hasn’t told you the half of what he did, believe me.”

He pulled away from me at that, and took another step down, but I dashed forward, blocking his path on the stairs.

“He’s told me everything. About every girl, about how it all started, about the things he did, and the things he wanted to do, and how he kept it hidden.”

“Right, yes. And you’re still visiting him? You must need as much therapy as he does. Stay away from him, please.”

I didn’t move out of the way.

“I’m notvisitinghim. I live with him.”

“You’re living with him? Jesus Christ he really has gone and done it this time. He’s fucked you over big time and you’re…”

“I’m what?”

He looked me in the eye. “Young. Impressionable.”

“Yeah, yeah, the vulnerable innocent. He hasn’t fucked me over. I’m there because I want to be.Iwas the one who approachedhim. Iwas the one who seducedhim.”

Michael’s jaw was still gritted, firm.

“No doubt he built you up to it. Compliments, playing suave. I know how charming he can be.”