Secrets and Lies | ✔️

Chapter 10 - Talia

Ch10 - Talia

Talia stood up from the rocker and carried Carter to her room, gently laying her down in the crib Charlie had made. She looked around the nursery and a ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Charlie had made every piece of furniture in that room. He really was a very talented woodworker. He loved working on projects and making things for their home, and she couldn't be more proud that he'd decided to start a new business. She knew how much he enjoyed designing and building, and how much he missed the career he had given up in Georgia to move back home to Florida after Emily had died.

They knew starting an architectural design company in the spare room of their home would be a bumpy ride until things took off, which was more one reason why she'd gotten Charlie to agree to rent out the house next door. But it would all pay off in the end when Charlie was back working in the field he loved.

Looking down at Carter fast asleep in the crib, Talia ran her fingers gingerly over her soft, blonde curls. Every thing she and Charlie did now, every move they made, was for that baby girl. To make sure her future was secure.

When she walked out of the nursery, Talia could hear her cell ringing on the counter-top in the kitchen. She picked up the phone and saw it was Laura Stevens, the woman who ran the domestic abuse shelter she volunteered at. "Good morning, Laura" she said into the receiver. She wasn't scheduled to come in that day, and it was awfully early in the morning for her boss to be calling. "Is everything okay?"

"Talia. Good morning, dear. I'm sorry to be calling so early. We've had a rough start so far, I'm afraid." Laura spoke in a rushed manner, just as she always did, but this time her voice was tinged with agitation and she sounded out of breath. "Janice Cooper was gone this morning when I came in. Left in the middle of the night without saying a word. The girls found a goodbye letter laying on her bed when they woke up. Three women sharing the same room and no one heard a sound - can you believe it? Her note said she was going back to her husband. I really thought we were making progress with her. Did Janice say anything to you the last time you were here? You know, something that might explain why she would want to go back to John?"

Talia sighed and felt the familiar swirl of anxiety in the pit of her stomach. Janice Cooper had been one of the women staying at Healing Hearts. She was in her early forties, several years older than Talia, but the two had formed a tight bond during the past few months - or so Talia had thought. When Janice had found herself on the doorstep of the shelter, seeking an escape from her abusive husband John, Talia had taken a special interest in her, having seen so many similarities in herself. Janice was closed off and timid, exactly how she had been when she'd first arrived in Florida. She still had bruises in various stages of healing, just as most of the women did when they'd found Healing Hearts. But there had been something about Janice that tugged at Talia's emotions... She'd really hoped she would be a success story.

As shocking as Janice's decision to leave might seem to some, Talia understood what she was going through. When you lived under the thumb of a man hell-bent on being in total control, you started to believe that he deserved to be in control. You started to believe the horrible things he would say, the way he would demean you on a daily basis. You grew to understand you couldn't live without him and his guidance, no matter how awful he might be. They were all lies, of course, but when you were living that life the truth could be difficult to see. Yes, Talia knew exactly how Janice felt.

She sunk into the seat of the wooden rocker and closed her eyes. "No, Laura. Janice didn't say anything unusual to me. Nothing that would make me think she was going to leave, anyway. If she had I would have come to you or Rebecca right away," Talia finally said, referring to the psychologist that worked with the women at the shelter.