Handcuffed

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The walls were not soundproof.  But I figured that out not in the way I mentioned before to Luke.  Nope, I knew from the voices that seeped in through my door into my room.  I'm sorry, excuse me, I mean the guest room.  Because I didn't have a room.  I suppose it doesn't matter - and really hasn't from the moment I got home.  I would be gone.  And at this point, that would happen within the next couple minutes.  I was just waiting for them to go to bed for the night.  But from the words that I let erupt at dinner, sleep was postponed and an explanation for Luke was now occurring in their room - which was right next to my former room that shared a wall with them.  So I could hear it all - and I rolled my eyes at it privately while I sat and listened on the bed.

"Luke, I told you, you can't trust her or believe her like that," my oh so loving mother told her oblivious husband.  Her voice was muffled from where her words were coming from on the other side of the wall.  But really, that was for the best.  My ears would bleed if I heard her head on.  "You know she has that mental disability."

As I was listening, I laid back in the bed, getting comfortable a little more.  After five minutes of this so far, I now knew that they wouldn't be going to bed anytime soon and therefore, I wouldn't be leaving any time soon either.  I wouldn't risk going now when they were still awake.  I wouldn't dare take another risk again considering what happened the last time I did. 

"I just..." he paused in his quiet and faded voice, a voice so tired as of now, I could hear the bags under his eyes just growing.  "Clare, I understand that she technically is 'unstable' and the doctors say that she is insane but... I don't think she is insane.  I get that she misunderstands things - like your motives and purpose with her.  I know she is just imagining that you are doing bad things to her.  But the thing is... she believes it.  She really thinks you do those things to her, even though you don't.  And that is why she was trying to get me to believe you were a slut.  Because she thinks you beat and hurt her."

"But I don't!" I heard Clare defending quickly.  Along with the need for drugs, I had a big need to punch that bitch in the mouth.  Maybe that would shut her up.

Listening closely to what they were saying, I heard silence in the room next to me.  I was hoping Luke didn't believe that but I knew he did.  He would believe Clare over me for the fact that he needs to be faithful to his wife and even I can respect that to some extent. 

After a second, I heard Luke speak.  "I know, honey.  I do, but just because it's true that you don't do that to her, it doesn't mean that she believes she is insane.  She thinks this is really  happening to her.  Her mind is clouded somehow with thoughts that you do beat her.  And I can't blame her for talking back and fighting back if that's what she believes and that's what's going through her head.  Do you understand honey?"

Through the thin wall, I could hear that one of them took a step closer and from where Clare's voice was coming from, I knew it was her.  Just from them being on the other side of the wall, I could tell she stepped closer to Luke and most likely was trying to hug him.  I hope he didn't let her but from the following words, I knew he was in comfort for her.  Damn.

"I do.  I understand," she said over a cracked voice.  "It's just so hard sometimes.  But you should know that you can't trust her.  I love her and I want you to love her too but we can't trust her.  No matter how much we want to.  I want us to be a family," she said quietly.  Bullshit was all I could think.

"I want us to be a family too.  But Clare, we need to trust her - to some sort of extent.  Just because she is confused about you doesn't mean she is confused about anything else.  Because with everything else... she seems very sane.  It just seems like you are the only one that makes her unstable.  And I don't know why but that's just how it is."