Chapter 25: My Nice-Guy-Radar Is Faulty

Taylor

I meet Jorge’s eyes. In them I see his worry John physically abused me.

“No, I feared he might, but he never crossed that line.” I reach for his hand, grasping it between my two, and I continue, “I returned from a trip to Washington D.C. with my students. I found women in bed with him. The apartment was a disaster. Drugs, used condoms, and trash were everywhere. That’s when I threw him out and changed the locks.” Jorge squeezes my hands. “We were over the minute I moved us to Chicago. He found work in a bar. He partied too much. He stayed out, sometimes overnight. We were two roommates, nothing more. It wasn’t a healthy relationship. I did what I had to, to protect myself. I should have found the strength to end it years ago. I just couldn’t bear the thought of being alone.”

“But you were alone,” Jorge points out. “You cut ties with friends; you never went out, you worked, and cowered at home alone.”

Ouch! The truth hurts.

“I thought he was finally out of my life.” I whisper.

“