Page 18 of Healed in the Alpha's Embrace
“Of course, sweetie.” I ruffled his black hair affectionately as we walked to the back door. His eyes, so similar to George’s in color, held none of the calculating cruelty. Instead, they brimmed with innocence and curiosity. “You like spending time with Sam, don’t you?”
Roland nodded and smiled. He showed me a small remote control transponder he’d been tinkering with for days now. “Grandpa Sam’s teaching me how to build a remote control car. When it’s working, he’s going to show me how to drive it.”
We strolled to Sam’s house, basking in the sun’s warmth. The silence between us wasn’t awkward, but rather filled with things left unsaid. I wondered if Roland was aware of the fear that had been my constant companion, and if he could feel the gradual easing of tension as George’s hold on our lives slowly weakened.
We stopped in front of Sam’s place, and Roland’s smile widened a fraction. “Grandpa Sam!”
“Hey, champ!” Sam greeted him with open arms. I watched them for a moment, the tension in my shoulder easing slightly. Roland seemed lighter around Sam.
“Be good, okay?” I called out as Roland walked into Sam’s house.
He turned to wave at me, his face lit up with pure childlike joy. I jogged back to Heather’s and got into the waiting car.
“Shopping center next,” Heather stated, watching me closely.
“Right.” The word came out flat. Thinking about George had brought him to the forefront of my mind. Shopping felt like such a mundane activity, yet nothing was mundane anymore. Not when every move might lead me back into a nightmare.
The shopping center buzzed with the noise of people milling around, lost in their own worlds. I envied them. I wished I could have that kind of normalcy again.
As we stepped into a sports store, my eyes widened at the array of clothing. There was so much. I touched a tank top, trying to ground myself in the moment instead of thinking about the past.
“Zoey?” Heather’s voice lanced through the fog in my mind. “You okay?”
I blinked, feeling the world tilt slightly. My hand trembled against the cool material. “Yeah, just... a lot of choices.”
“Try this one,” Heather said, holding up a lavender spandex top with a plunging neckline. “The color is perfect for you. It’ll make your eyes pop.”
I hesitated, the fabric slipping through my fingers like water. It was more revealing than what I was comfortable with. The sudden image of George’s sneer sent a tremor through me, and my hands started shaking uncontrollably.
“Zoey? What’s wrong?”
I tried to speak, but the words got tangled up with the memories. “George,” I managed to choke out before my whole body was taken over with tremors.
“Hey, it’s okay.” Heather pulled me into her arms. “He can’t hurt you here. You’re safe, I promise.”
I nodded, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly until the tightness in my chest loosened slightly at her touch.
“You can’t keep living like this, Zoey. Have you thought about talking to someone? A therapist, maybe?” Heather asked gently, still holding me, shielding me from other customers.
A part of me wanted to resist, to insist I was capable of handling this alone. But the impact of George’s gaslighting and the magnitude of my fears was becoming overwhelming.Perhaps seeing a therapist was the best route to take to reclaim my identity.
“I’ll look into it,” I said.
“Good.” She squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. “Let’s find something that makes you feel strong and comfortable, okay?”
“Okay.”
After browsing through the store for a while, we made our purchases and left. My stomach was still in knots, and the idea of eating nauseated me, but Heather insisted we grab a light lunch in town.
“We need to fuel our bodies,” she told me, “but it should be something light. Anything heavy won’t be good for you before exercise.”
We went to a small café, where Heather ordered us grilled salmon with mixed greens, avocado, and a light vinaigrette. She continued talking throughout the meal, providing a lively account of the people around us. She and Sam knew everyone in Boldercrest, and she introduced me to anyone who approached our table to say hi to her. Heather’s constant chatter kept my anxiety at bay, and to my surprise, my appetite returned. We stayed at the café, sipping iced tea and talking, until it was time for the self-defense class.
We walked to the gym to warm up. The girl at the reception desk greeted us with a friendly smile and directed us to the ladies’ changing rooms. I was relieved to discover individual cubicles. Being surrounded by these beautiful women who clearly weren’t strangers to the gym was enough to make anyone feel inadequate, and I had enough of my own struggles to navigate without adding to them.
I stepped into the gym, immediately feeling out of place. “Are we here to work out or for a fashion show?” I murmured to Heather, tugging at the hem of my oversized T-shirt.
My clothes draped loosely over my body, so different from the other women clad in skintight spandex that left little to the imagination. I didn’t know shorts could be that short without being considered underwear. Arms, legs, and midriffs exposed, they chatted amongst themselves, their laughter echoing off the walls, all so confident and carefree.
