She Belongs to Me (Rewritten Version)

Chapter Twenty One

Vincent:

The next twelve hours were some of the best I have ever experienced in my life. Emily kept her word about no longer fighting, and she almost seemed like she enjoyed being here. Deep down I knew it was only because she was plotting another escape attempt, but I would savor it for the time being.

We were eating breakfast at my small kitchen table when my cellphone rang. "Excuse me, love." I said, standing from my chair with a groan. I already knew it was Doctor Holt calling me for another virtual appointment, something I both dreaded and needed immensely. How would I be able to keep a straight fact with Emily here?

"Good morning, Doctor." I reluctantly answered the call, my eyes shifted back and forth from the screen to make sure Emily would stay silent.

The doctor was sitting in his modest office. I could see the picture of his lovely wife and daughter on the wall behind him, along with his framed degree.  "Good morning," He said back, "I'm glad you decided to talk with me. You're making progress."

"Really? Thank you for saying so."

"How are things going for you? Are you enjoying your break from school?"

"Yes, although things have been a bit chaotic."

Why in the hell did I say that?

"Oh," I could see him write something down in his notepad. "How so?"

"My girlfriend and I had another argument."

"May I ask what it was about?"

"She didn't like my cooking," That was the lame lie that tumbled from my mouth. "Umm...what I meant to say was, she was ungrateful after I did something very good for our relationship. It pissed me off, and I overreacted a little bit."

"What did you do?"

Oh, not much.  I punched her in the face, tied her up, and brought her to my house against her will.

"I broke up with her."

"Oh, that's too bad." He began writing something else down, until the sound of a plate shattering from my kitchen captured his attention.

My eyes fled the screen, and I saw Emily standing there with a fiery rage in her face. I could feel all the confidence drain from me like a bad meal flushing down the toilet. This was it. She was going to scream, and our relationship would perish.

"What was that?" Doctor Holt asked, trying to look past me for a clue. "Is everything okay, Vincent?"

"I-I..." I stared at Emily through pleading eyes, and she eventually folded her arms in front of her chest and stormed back into the kitchen.  My confidence returned, but only slightly.  "Sorry, it was my cat getting into mischief again.  Where were we?"

"You broke up with your girlfriend."

"Right, but only for a couple of days.  She came to her senses eventually.  Now we're happier than ever."

"Did you grab her at all during your argument?"

"No, I didn't lay a hand on her this time.  I took what you said to heart.  There's no need for me to put my hands on her to get my point across."

"And what is your point, Vincent?"

"What do you mean?"

"You seem to think everything is her fault.  Doesn't that sound very much like how your father treated your mother?"

That struck a nerve.  "Don't you ever compare me to that heartless lunatic.  Unlike him, I love my woman very much, and would do anything to protect her."