BLACKHOUSE [H.S.]

Forty-Seven

TW: discussion of sexual assault

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Chapter song:

nameless by Stevie Howie

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Three missed calls.

I missed three calls from Margaret.

I couldn't call her back from Katie's for fear of what Margaret would say. I only just told her about Caroline; I'm not ready for her to see that grief-stricken part of me yet, to see the person that I become when I'm forced to confront the demons of my past.

The look on her face when I left devastated me, but I couldn't stay. I had to get out of there.

My heart is thudding in my chest like a drum as I watch the elevator pass each floor to my flat. I look down at my phone for what feels like the thousandth time, the words on the screen now seeming to blur together.

Hi honey. I hope you're alright. Please call me when you see this; it's important xx

I haven't spoken to Caroline's mum since I left England. Her message is just another reminder of all of the promises I've broken. A promise to speak with her regularly, a promise to never forget about her, for Caroline's sake.

But how could I keep that promise when Caroline was exactly who I was running away from?

The elevator dings when it reaches my floor, and the second the doors slide open, I take off down the hall towards my flat. My shaky hands fumble with my key, and it takes a few tries to finally get it in the lock. I shove my way inside, not bothering to kick off my shoes after I close the door and stumble into my living room.

My body feels numb as anxiety tightens around my chest, and I have to take a few steadying breaths before I click on Margaret's name to call her back.

After a few rings, that familiar, comforting voice filters through the speaker.

"Oh, Harry," she says, softly. I don't remember the last time I spoke to her, and I can't help but let my shoulders sag when I hear the voice of the woman who has been like a second mum to me. "How are you, sweetheart?"

I swallow harshly as tears sting my eyes, and pinch the bridge of my nose. "I'm- I'm good," I choke out. "How are you? Is everything alright?"

The other line is silent for a moment, the only sound being my shallow breaths. "He's been arrested," she finally whispers. My eyes widen, and I nearly drop my phone from the sudden shock.

He.

Caroline's assailant. The man who broke my best friend irreparably, who took her from me. He's finally been arrested.