Black Rose

The Truth.

Trigger Warning: chapter contains abusive relationships and mention of suicide.

She paused, glancing across at me. After a moment, she shook her head. "I haven't been lying to you, Ophelia."

"Yes, you have. What you told me before, about Jackson, and about Blake. You've been lying to me." I said, frustrated.

She shook her head. "What I told you before, that was all true. At least in some ways."

"What about Amelie?" I asked bitterly. She let out a small sigh.

"I'll get there, I promise. Let me just explain." She said. "What I told you before was the truth. It just wasn't the whole truth."

She hesitated, and I shook my head.

"Gwen, I'm sick of the lies, and the half truths. Just give me a straight answer for once."

"Okay," she said. "I swear, I'm trying. Just... I don't know where to start."

I shook my head and took a deep breath.

"Start with your son. Who's the father?"

She looked hesitant and I sighed. "Gwen," I urged.

She gave in.

"When Blake and I started... seeing each other, there was a boy at school that was interested in me. One day, when I was feeling really confused about Blake, I opened up to him about it. I didn't tell him much, just that there was a guy that was interested in me but he was older than us and I didn't know how to feel."

"Right, because Blake was a fucking predator."

"Ophelia," she sighed. "He wasn't-"

"Just continue the story, Gwen," I interrupted, not wanting to go into her denial when she seemed to be really open with me for the first time possibly ever.

"Right, well," She said, "This boy, who I told about Blake, he got upset. He didn't think it was right that someone older was into someone younger, thought that it seemed wrong. I pushed him away, chalked it up to jealousy. I cut him off like the rest of my friends, because we couldn't risk them finding out the truth about Blake and I, and us not being able to see each other anymore."

Red flag, I thought. But instead of voicing this thought I just nodded, filing this away in the 'Blake is a masterful manipulator' folder I'd started creating in my brain.

"Anyway, fast forward a few years, and I was working as a secretary in Blake's company. Blake's father passed away, and he went to a bad place, so we weren't doing very well. And in the midst of all this, I run into that boy in a coffee shop in town," then, to make sure I knew who she was talking about, she clarified, "the boy from high school, that is."

I nodded. That much was pretty clear. Again, I don't voice my thoughts.

"We did the small talk thing, asked how we'd been since high school and all that, and then when he asked how I was going, I cracked," she stopped here, looking guilty and sad at the same time. After a few moments, she kept going. "It's just- well, life with Blake had just been so hard, and I had no one to talk to except him. So when I finally got the chance to let it out, I couldn't control it."

I felt like I wanted to console her, but I didn't know how. So I just let her keep going, listening and looking at her while she spoke so she knew I was.

"He invited me back to his place, some college dormitories down the street, to talk and vent in private. So I went, and he let me talk. One thing led to another and... I slept with him. Afterwards, I knew I should have felt guilty for cheating on Blake. But I mostly felt relieved. I got to let a little bit of my frustration out. So when the boy invited me over again on a Friday night, I took him up on the offer. Blake was out a lot because of events. Charity galas and birthday parties. He didn't let me come to them, even though I was almost twenty then. I was still too young, it wouldn't be a good look for him. So I could sneak out pretty easily without him knowing."