Page 15 of Little Hidden Fears

Empathy was rooted in understanding what the other person was going through, often because the person had experienced some version of the same thing themselves.

I needed to know more.

“Did something happen in Noelle’s past that helped her bond with the women at the center?” I asked.

Dominic leaned back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other, going silent. If I were to coax an answer from him, I needed to try harder.

“I get the feeling you don’t want to talk to me about some things in Noelle’s past, and I understand,” I said. “She was everything to you, and from listening to what you’ve said about her today, it’s clear to me that protecting her, in the past and present, is a major priority to you.”

“You’re right. Protecting Noelle and Kiera means everything to me.”

“I understand your hesitation in sharing private things with me,” I said. “Whatever it is, if you trust me enough with it, I won’t share it with anyone else unless I have to do so. You have my word.”

He cleared his throat, once, then a second time. Then he began fidgeting, drumming his fingers on the table, sighing, shaking his head, no doubt thinking about what he wanted to say and what he didn’t. Or maybe not saying anything at all.

“Before, when you asked how we met, I didn’t want to talk about it because of the story behind it,” he said. “How we came together ... well, it’s bittersweet. Even so, it was the start of us, a light in a very dark time. It led to us dating, and then getting married. But before all that, there was a heaviness hanging over both of us, an experience we endured together, one I wish wouldn’t have happened the way it had.”

I may not have understood everything he was trying to say, but one thing was clear. Noelle had endured something heavy and dark, and he had helped her through it, and kept her secret—if, in fact, she had one.

“Whatever happened in the past, you can tell me,” I said.

“If she was still alive, I wouldn’t tell you, or anyone. Now that she’s passed away ... well, I still wouldn’t mention it to most people. Given you’re investigating her murder, I suppose I feelall right about sharing it with you. Though I don’t know how talking about it will help you with your case.”

“Sometimes the smallest thing ends up meaning the most.”

He nodded, exhaling a heavy breath. “In our sophomore year of high school, I was walking through the park one night, and I saw Noelle sitting inside her car. She was alone, and she was crying. We’d had a couple of classes together at school, but we didn’t know each other well at the time. Still, the look on her face gave me cause for concern.”

“What did you do?”

“I walked over and knocked on the driver’s-side window. She looked up at me, and I noticed her bottom lip was bleeding. There was also a bruise on her cheek. I thought she might have been in an accident at first, but I didn’t notice anything wrong with the car when I walked up. I asked her if she was okay.”

“What did she say?”

“Nothing at first. She just stared at me, so I asked a second time. She told me she didn’t want to talk about it, and she asked me to go away. Something inside me knew I needed to stay, so I did. I leaned against the car and stood there for a while, listening to her cry. Some time passed, and she seemed to calm down a little, so I started talking to her about anything that came to mind. I’d say it was a good hour before she relaxed enough to roll the window down.”

“What happened then?” I asked.

“The first thing I noticed was the dress she was wearing. It was light blue with big, white polka dots. I’ll never forget it. One of the sleeves was ripped, and it was then I thought someone may have assaulted her.”

I crossed one leg over the other. “Did you ask her about it?”

“I did.”

“What did she say?”

“She said she’d gotten into a fight with her boyfriend a few hours earlier, a kid we went to school with named Gabe Romero. He’d always had a temper on him, but I was still surprised he’d gotten angry enough to take it out on her. She admitted he’d gotten a little rough, and that’s all she would say.”

“Did you believe her?”

“Not one bit. Like I said before, we didn’t know each other well, so I didn’t feel right about pressing her to talk about it. She didn’t seem in the right mental state to drive, so I offered to get her home, and she accepted. When we pulled into the driveway, and we both got out of the car, she ran over to me, pulled me close, and threw her arms around me. She turned to head into the house, and I reached out, grabbing her hand. I don’t know why I did it. I just did. She turned back, and in that moment, all I wanted to do was to protect her. It was then I knew she was the woman for me.”

Even though their relationship began in a horrible way, it still was a beautiful beginning to their love story.

“Did Noelle ever tell you more about what happened that night with Gabe?” I asked.

“Not right away, not until she felt safe enough to share it with me. Gabe didn’t just rough her up because he was angry. He did it because that night he forced himself on her, pushing her to have sex. She did what she could to fend him off, inciting his anger. He hit her, and then he raped her.”

He. Raped. Her.

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