28. Memory Lane

"Want to tell me more about this Gerald guy? How did you meet him?" Ansel asked after Elisa had calmed down.

"It's a long and unpleasant story," she said. "I wouldn't want to bore you with it."

"And I don't have to go to the office tomorrow, and it's your day off. That means we have all night," Ansel took her hand and squeezed it. He wanted to know more about her for some reason, even though he promised himself not to care. Saving her from that criminal woke up a protective instinct he didn't even know he possessed.

"You won't look at me the same," Elisa whispered. She never wanted to tell anyone about Gerald. Not even Audre when she grows up. In fact, she was willing to hide his identity. That was the only way to protect her from him. She didn't want anyone to know all the dumb decisions she made and how he destroyed her life in a year. He broke her down bit by bit. She couldn't even look at herself in the mirror at the time.

She knew once Ansel hear