Page 89 of See You There
“How was it your fault? You were a kid.”
The memory of her grandmother’s recrimination rained like acid on her brain. Dahlia swiped at her eyes with her free hand. “Scott asked me to marry him, and I said yes. He had a job, and his parents gave us a trailer on their property while we got on our feet. I worked at the gas station. It sounds bleak, but we were happy for a while. I missed my brothers and sisters, but there was nothing I could do for them. Other than Brian, I knew they were safe and being fed.”
“Do you still talk to your siblings?”
Dahlia shook her head. “Not really. Brian didn’t want me to see him like that, and I haven’t been able to track down Holly or Stephanie since they went into care. I talk to Hannah a couple of times a year. Our lives are so different now, and she resents me for running away. When I spoke to her earlier, I hoped…”
The slow stroke of Luke’s thumb across her palm was soothing. Dahlia had locked these memories away for so long, fought to keep them hidden. It was strange to hear them out loud. But somehownot strangefor Luke to be the one she finally confided in.
“How did you get from a gas station to starring in a major film?”
Luke didn’t sound like he was disgusted. He sounded… curious.
“I’d always dreamed of being an actress. It boils down to—I was lucky. Scott believed in me. He filmed me doing monologues or skits for YouTube, and we’d send them off to various agents around the country.” Her mouth turned down. “I’m sure you can imagine how successfulthatwas. We were saving money to go to LA. But like I said, Scott had his own demons. He lost everything we’d put aside in a card game one night.
“That might have been the end of my dream. I was convinced it was a sign from the universe telling me to grow up. But Scott’s mother reminded him she had a cousin in New York—Victor. We sent him my tapes, and to my shock, he wanted to meet me.
“Victor flew out to Ohio and had me run a couple of scenes. He said I had potential, but impressed on me how it would take a lot of work. I was completely dazzled. I knew nothing of the world beyond our town.
“In my mind, Victor was this fancy New York agent who was going to make it all happen.” Dahlia snorted. “He said he’d pay for us to live until I was earning. That included the bills for acting classes, dental work, and a complete makeover. It was like a dream come true. When Victor put a contract in front of me and told me it was standard, I signed it. In hindsight, Scott’s mom must have been part of crafting it because Victor wouldn’t have cut Scott into my earnings out of the goodness of his heart.
“My mother-in-law didn’t like that her daughter-in-law was going to be getting the spotlight instead of her precious baby boy. Because of my family history, she never thought I was good enough for him.”
“What did Scott do? The contract called him a consultant.”
Dahlia laughed. “He drove me to appointments. We only had one car at the time.”
“When did you split up?”
Dahlia looked out at the night sky, lit by millions of stars over the pitch-black landscape. “Victor moved us first to New York. We were there about six months. He bought me clothes… The whole makeover deal. I took acting workshops—I loved those! I’d finally found people like me. I learned so much, gained so much confidence in my ability.” Dahlia smiled at the memory. “Looking back, I realize Victor didn’t give it nearly enough time. He was impatient. Victor is still impatient.
“After six months, Victor decided we’d have better luck in Los Angeles. Scott was only working part time in New York, because he said he needed to be available for me in case I needed a ride for an audition. It was New York.” Dahlia rolled her eyes.
“I could have easily taken the subway. As much as Scott was thrilled he no longer had to worry about money, he resented I was the one getting the attention. His gambling problem got worse. We shared an apartment with Victor, and even he was sick of it.
“After we moved to Los Angeles, things went from bad to worse. Scott got really drunk and jealous at an industry party Victor had gotten us tickets to. Victor forbid him from going to any more parties. After that, Victor stopped introducing me as being married to his cousin.
“Scott couldn’t handle it. Los Angeles wasn’t like New York. You need a car to do anything, and Victor said the car needed to be available to get me to auditions. One night Scott and I were fighting—at that point, if we were in the same room we were fighting. I resented him as much as he resented me. He punched me.”
Luke froze, but Dahlia just shook her head at the memory. “Victor wouldn’t have cared, except it left a bruise on my face,and I couldn’t go to the auditions he had lined up for the next day.”
“He abused you?” The muscle in Luke’s jaw was ticking at a frantic rate.
“I wasn’t a victim.” Dahlia’s voice was sharp. “I gave as good as I got. It was just a terrible toxic environment. Scott and I both grew up in households where slaps were normal. Victor told him he had to leave. I never saw Scott again.”
“Never?”
“We spoke on the phone and texted every couple of months for a while. Scott would beg for me to take him back. I was asking for a divorce, even back then, but he refused. Scott wouldn’t tell me where he was, and I didn’t know what to do.”
Luke frowned in disbelief.
“I know it sounds silly, but I was so grateful he was gone that it wasn’t worth it to follow through. Having the paperwork to end the marriage didn’t seem as important as everything else. Besides, the contract I signed meant I had to pay Scott regardless of if we were married or not. With him gone, my life was easier. I started booking jobs, and my life changed.”
“Couldn’t you have forced the issue? Cut off the payments if he wouldn’t sign? Scott couldn’t claim to still be consulting if you didn’t know where he was.”
Dahlia lifted a shoulder. “I trusted Victor. He said not to worry about it, so I didn’t. Remember when I said I was young and stupid… Victor controlled my finances. He convinced me that if we made Scott mad, he would make real trouble for me.”
“What was he going to do? You wouldn’t be the first person in Hollywood with a first marriage behind them.”
