Page 19 of Your Sharpest Edge
Dark black streaks marred her face as she cried.
I shook my head. “It’s okay,” I whispered.
Part of this was my fault. I pushed her to confess something when she wasn’t ready.
“No. It’s not.” Her shoulders slumped forward.
“Come on,” I said, looking down the hallway, not wanting Dirks to come out and see her like this. “Come inside.”
Not that I was doing anything wrong, but I didn’t want us caught in the hallway together while she was crying, especially after seeing that bruise. I knew the kind of damage her husband could inflict, and the last thing I wanted was to make things worse for her.
She nodded and walked back to my apartment. I trailed behind her as she slowly but deliberately walked to my kitchen, where she placed the container on the countertop and then turned toward me.
“Yesterday, what I said was so mean,” she finally murmured, her voice less shaky than it was earlier.
“It was,” I agreed.
She nodded along, likely waiting to see what I was going to say next, but the ball was in her court. If she wanted to talk about what I saw or the way she acted, then I needed to give her the space to do so.
Growing up, I watched my mom endure so much pain, pretending everything was fine while my dad cheated, and it tore me apart. I’d catch glimpses of her crying in the kitchen, wiping away her tears before anyone else could see. Seeing Anastasia struggle with her marriage brought all of that back, hitting a little too close to home. I couldn’t push her or force her to open up—I’d learned the hard way that people need to come to terms with things in their own time. As much as I wanted to reach outand protect her, I stayed back, letting her have the space to feel what she needed to, just like I’d done for my mother.
“I meant—” She sighed, her hands trembling as they rested on the container she was holding.
Every instinct I had wanted to reach out, to tell her it was okay, to offer her some kind of comfort. But I held back. We were just friends, and I had to respect that. If this were Dirks, I wouldn’t be leaning in to hug him, so I reminded myself to give her the space she needed, even if every fiber of my being wanted to close the distance.
“I don’t want to justify what I was saying, but my marriage is?—”
I held up a hand, stopping her. “Your marriage and your dynamic is yours to keep. If you feel, at any point, you’re unsafe, as your friend, I’ll help you, but I need you to be the one to reach out. Dimitri is my teammate. You are...”
The corners of her lips twisted into the slightest smile, but there was nothing genuine behind her eyes. They looked lost and empty. “A friend still, I hope?”
I nodded. “Of course.”
I paused for a second before adding, “Listen, I’ve never really had any friends. I never really get close to anyone. Hockey is all I know, and my teammates are there, but I never get close to anyone. But I like spending time with you. I want you to know I’m trying here, too.”
“I don’t have any friends here either, so it feels nice to have each other.”
I nodded in agreement.
“About your parents,” she began softly. “I’m truly sorry. I should have never used them to hurt you. I was embarrassed and ashamed of my bruise and wanted you to feel the same pain I did.”
“But we can’t let that happen anymore,” I said, gesturing between us. “It doesn’t move our friendship forward.”
She nodded. “I know. I know. I’m so sorry.”
“Are you okay?” I asked her softly. I needed to know, once more, if she was safe.
I needed her to tell me and wanted to see if she would tell me what really happened. I could help.
She reached forward and quickly clasped her hands in front of her body. I shuffled in place for a few minutes while waiting for her response.
“I just fell.”
“Into a fridge?” I confirmed.
“Yeah . . . Or at practice. I can’t remember.”
It pains me that she continued to lie for him, even though we both knew the truth. I had to stick to my word. What they did in their marriage was on them. It’s possible that it was something sexual. Clearly Dimitri was a horny fucking asshole who cheated on his wife, so maybe he had a large... appetite.
