Secrets and Lies | ✔️

Chapter 16 - Talia

Warning: Intimate scene ahead. 😍

Chapter 16 - Talia

It had been two days since Talia received the phone call from Laura Stevens informing her that Janice Cooper, a resident at the women's shelter, had returned to her abusive husband.

Why would she do that? It just doesn't make any sense, she wondered for the hundredth time as tears bubbled up inside of her. Janice is a smart woman, she should know he won't change. If only I had gotten through to her...

But all the "why's" and "if only's" in the world were not enough to undo what had already been done, Talia knew that from experience, she'd learned it the hard way. Janice, for whatever reason, had made her decision, now all she could do was accept it...and pray. And that's exactly what she'd been doing. Praying. A lot.

Still, she couldn't help but wonder, why did she go back? It was a complicated answer, one Talia would never understand. Many women who end up in an abusive relationship don't decide to leave until it's too late. But once it's too late.... Talia prayed that wouldn't be the case with Janice. With all the support that was available in this day and age, it was hard to believe there were women who still felt they had no where to turn. It just proves how strong the hold of an unhealthy relationship can be. Once you're caught in the web of abuse, it can be impossible to escape. The victims hide the hurt and stay, knowing their lives are in danger.

The most unsettling part is these tortured women become dependent on their abuser, the same way a child is dependent on the care of their parent. The women feel they must be with their tormentor in order to survive. And no person is immune. Abuse knows no race, no religion, no social status. Nothing can protect them from the cycle. Over time, they become so used to the injustice that it seems strange to them if the wrongdoings aren't taking place. They feel empty and lost without the constant throng of pain and suffering. Sadly, some victims grow to feel fulfilled by the agony, as hard as that is to imagine. But it was true. Talia had seen it, time and time again. Only she hadn't recognized it in herself while she was living it. It was a slow realization that came over the past three years of volunteering at the shelter and working with the women who so bravely shared their stories.  A traumatic bond is formed, the same way it forms for many prisoners of war, when the offender who is dehumanizing the victim also provides them with the necessities of life. The abuse becomes mistaken for love.

At the end of the day, the victim usually understands the situation is twisted, their misplaced security a blatant lie. Yet they still refuse to walk away.

Please let her be okay. Please let Janice be safe, Talia found herself reciting over and over. But there was a nagging buried deep inside of her, and it wouldn't let up. She felt genuine fear for the woman, an instinct she had come to trust, and only hoped she was wrong.

"And then after that, I flew to Mars and had lunch with the president."

Talia's eyebrows pinched together and she turned to her husband. "What?" she asked, rising from the depths of her thoughts, staring at Charlie who was sitting on the couch next to her.

Charlie chuckled lightly. "I was just trying to see if you were paying attention."

Talia felt a slow blush move over her cheeks. "Sorry, I guess I was distracted," she answered feebly.

"You've been distracted for the past couple of days." He ran his hand through her dark hair and let it rest on the nape of her neck, gently massaging away the tension. "Is everything alright?"

Sighing, Talia turned her blue eyes so they rested on his face. "Laura from the shelter called the other day. She said that one of the women I was working with went back to her husband."

Charlie's hand stilled and a look of unease flickered across his face. "I'm sorry," he said tightly. He was quiet for a moment, his dark eyes clouding over. "I don't know what to say."

She hadn't brought it up before, knowing it would only ignite feelings of helplessness. Charlie was particularly sensitive to her work at the shelter. Even though he hadn't known her when she was married to Steven, he felt a strange sort of guilt that he hadn't been there to protect her from the torment she went through. It wasn't a rational thought, Charlie admitted to understanding that, yet he still carried it with him, an unwavering burden.

She gave him a smile and brought her hand to his cheek. "You don't have to say anything." Talia spoke gently, feeling his muscles relax under the softness of her words. She shifted closer to him, the gap closing between them. "I love you...always and forever. You know that, right?"

Charlie's hand moved again along the curve of her neck, his grip just a little firmer than before. "I love you, too" he said, his voice suddenly husky. "Always and forever."

A shiver moved through her and she pushed aside thoughts of everything else. She concentrated on the feel of Charlie's skin opposite hers and the heat that now radiated between them. She wanted more. More of him. Every inch of him. Turning her face up, she brushed her lips to his. "I think Carter's down for the night," she said against his mouth. Talia felt Charlie's lips curl into a smile, the seriousness of their conversation melting away.

"What are you suggesting?" he asked, the ease back in his voice.

Talia wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him even closer. "I think maybe we should take advantage of the situation."

Before Charlie could answer, she grasped the edges of his shirt and brought it over his head in one fluid move. Her breath caught as she took him in, from the smooth muscles of his broad chest, taught and tanned from working shirtless in the sun, to the carve of his abs that tapered down to a narrow waist. With heavy-lidded eyes, he leaned in, his thumb tracing the outline of her bottom lip. Her pulse began to race, the same way it did every time he looked at her that way.

Charlie removed her shirt and shifted his head, drinking in the sight of her exposed skin. Talia felt her stomach stir underneath his intense scrutiny. Her body was slender, but it was much softer now after the birth of their child, an insecurity she occasionally wrestled with. But Charlie didn't seem to mind. He desired her the same as he always had, it was evident every time he looked at her, every time they were this close...

Their breathing became ragged and deep as each item of clothing slipped away. She closed her eyes, letting herself savor the touch of his index finger as it leisurely slid down the center of her chest, lower, lower until her body began to tremble. When his fingers worked their way back up, they teased her breasts until she squirmed with expectation. Gently, he planted kisses down her neck, feathering up and down with light strokes of his tongue. Talia's head rolled to the side, her long hair skimming the small of her back. Charlie grasped her hips in his hands, lifting her onto his lap. Raising his mouth from her shoulder, he captured her lips with his, moving so slowly, so teasingly, she felt dizzy with hunger. Urgently, Talia shifted, gasping slightly as their bodies finally connected. She moved with confident ease, understanding her husband's needs as clearly as she understood her own.

With their eyes locked, Charlie pushed a little deeper, nudging slowly, slowly...unraveling Talia from the inside out.

They took their time rocking as one, their lips and bodies joined in a heated embrace, until the swell of desire erupted into a fiery explosion, leaving both of them tired and sated.

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Hello, and welcome to Secrets and Lies! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this chapter. If you enjoyed it, I ask that you please leave a vote! I try to update every Friday.

Hope you don't think of this as a gratuitous sex scene! I feel it was needed to demonstrate the passion Talia and Charlie still have for each other, even after having a baby. Their bond is strong, and this is part of their love story. :)

This chapter is dedicated to writer @SarcasticNeonWolf! You can check out her paranormal story, Just a Poker Face, on her profile page!

Stay tuned, a chapter from Jackson is up next...he's closer than you think!

This week's shout-outs go to readers in Egypt, Romania, China, Kenya, Denmark and Oman. Thank you for reading! :)