Page 49 of Dibs
I roll my eyes and nod. “Girl, I know. He’s barely let me eat a piece of bacon in a decade. The little things grow into big things eventually, until you don’t recognize yourself anymore. And he’s incredibly controlling.”
Quinn bites her lip. “He’s already got the baby named, and I hate the ones he’s picked out. Sean’s acting like it’s his choice.”
“Quinn, it’s not you. It’s him. This is just who he is. He’s only happy when he’s in control and controlling you entirely, if you do exactly what he wants you to do. Nobody can keep that up forever. You lose yourself, and that’s never worth it. Look. I know he’s charming, and I don’t blame you for being charmed, but I want you to think about your baby and open your eyes before it’s too late. Listen to the way he talks to you, pay attention to how he treats you. You’ve got to have an inkling that something about him isn’t right. He cheated on me with you, and he’ll cheat on you too.”
Quinn sniffles, shaking her head. “I-I thought I was crazy! Like, he was so charming, so good for me before I got pregnant, and now he’s like…” Quinn gasps for breath, wiping her cheeks. “Never happy! Nothing I do is good enough for him. He comes with me to the doctor’s appointments and smiles, but there’s like, nothing happy behind his eyes. I don’t even know if he truly wants this baby.”
Quinn sniffles and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. Then she stands up straight and widens her eyes. “I shouldn’t be telling you this. I don’t even know your name!”
I hold out my hand. “I’m Aspyn Beckett Ambrose. I’m sorry we’re meeting this way.”
She shakes my hand, albeit reluctantly.
“I didn’t know, I promise. I have no idea what to say other than I’m so, so sorry. Ugh, I should’ve seen the signs, especially when he never wanted to take me home. There were all sorts of red flags, but I just ignored them. Now that the baby is almost here, I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.” I see the fear in her brown eyes and soften my expression.
“It’s not your fault, Quinn. Like I said, he’s an expert liar, and he fooled me for a long time. I’m far better off now without him, but I don’t want his next victim to be you.”
Quinn sighs. “I didn’t move in with him, but I’m supposed to next week. The baby is due in early January, and I thought it would be good if he moved in to help take care of me after?—”
I interrupt. “He won’t. He’ll find any excuse or say he’s on call, and he’ll leave you to do all the work. Do you have family? A support system?”
“I have two sisters in the area. My mother lives an hour away. She wants to come stay for a while after Vincent is born, but Sean is really against it.”
I sigh loudly. “Listen, that’s just what he does. It’s there in the narcissistic abuse handbook, Quinn. He tries to separate you from your support system, so you totally rely on him. He’ll make snide comments about them and point out their faults. He’s not a nice guy. Sean is good at first, and he does well in a crowd or at a party like this one, but in the moments when you really need him, he won’t rise to the occasion.”
Watching Quinn’s face, I see my comments hit her hard. Probably because she has already observed some of that behavior and has been reluctant to acknowledge it, as she wants Sean to be a good guy. She still has hope.
“He says nasty things about my mother and sister. They’ve been perfectly nice to him. What a dick.” Quinn’s voice spews venom now, and she asks, “What now? I can’t pretend everything is fine.”
“Why don’t you go stay with your mom or sister? Let them take care of you.” I feel genuine concern for the woman standing in front of me, hurting over the same man who hurt me so much in the past ten years. I want a different outcome for her than ten wasted years.
Quinn suddenly smiles. “My sister Jill has a whole guest house she’s offered me. My lease is up January 1st, which is why I was going to move in with Sean. I felt uneasy about it, though, and you just confirmed all my worries.”
I let out a sigh of relief. “Thank gods. I am sorry to be the one to dissolve your illusions. I had no intention of talking to you at all, much less telling you all these things you don’t want to hear when you’re so far along, but I’m glad you can see the red flags I couldn’t at nineteen. And hey, Quinn? Thanks for hearing me out.”
Quinn reaches up and puts her hand on my shoulder. “You’re a kid at nineteen. All you see are green flags. Don’t blame yourself. It wasn’t your fault, no matter how much you blame yourself.”
“Hey, let me see your phone,” I tell her. When she hands it over, I input my contact info into it and hand it back to her. “There’s my number. If you need to talk, well, I’m a therapist and would be happy to listen. I harbor no ill will toward you, and I truly wish you and Vincent the best.”
I’m surprised when she throws her arms around me and hugs me close.
“What the fuck are you telling her?” Sean’s voice demands from behind me as I let go of Quinn and step away.
“Scared I might be telling her the truth? I’m going to get back to the party and my husband. Thanks for cheating and setting me free, Sean. I gotta tell you, I’ve never been happier in my life, and you’re the one who made it possible. Goodnight, Quinn.”
I look at her over my shoulder, spotting fresh tears on her cheeks as Sean rants at her. Nausea invades my stomach as I realize what he’s doing: love bombing her, saying all the right words, convincing her I’m crazy. He’ll go into overdrive trying to keep her, to pacify her. He’ll call me “histrionic,” always one for big words.
Letting out a heavy sigh, I return to the party, finding Deacon amongst friends in the game room where I’d left him. When he spots me walking toward him, he holds out his arms and I fall into them.
“I told her the truth. Gave her my number. She already sees the red flags,” I tell my husband.
“That was big of you, baby.” Deacon kisses my temple.
“It was the right thing to do. He doesn’t deserve her.”
“That’s why I love you. You know the right thing to do, and you do it without hesitating.” Deacon kisses my forehead, and my friends swarm me with congratulations for our sneaky wedding ceremony.
Finally, I pull up a short video of the event, and everyone huddles around it, grinning as they watch us say traditional vows.
