Secrets and Lies | ✔️

Chapter 10 - Talia

"Of course, I know you would have, Talia. I'm just grasping at straws here. I really thought we were getting through to her, you know? It's just so hard when you lose one..." she said, her voice trailing off.

Janice Cooper wasn't the first woman to pack up and leave the shelter, running home to the abusive  husband who had forced her to escape in the first place, and Lord knows she wouldn't be the last. Years of being mistreated and having their confidence broken down was not easy to repair - Talia knew that first hand. Every day was a struggle. But slowly - if you allowed yourself - you left that sad, lonely life behind and moved on. It was heartbreaking when they weren't able to break through to the frightened women at the shelter. When they weren't able to convince them that they deserved more than what their significant others would have them believe.

"You never know, Laura," Talia began hopefully, "maybe Janice will return. Once she's home and realizes the abuse will never end, maybe she'll turn around and come right back to us. We just have to pray we made a difference. We have to hope she's strong enough to want more for herself. Unfortunately, that's all we can do."

She heard Laura sigh deeply on the other end of the phone. "I know you're right," she said, sounding defeated. "I was just hoping you might be able to tell me something more. Give me an idea of why she would go back to that monster."

"Laura, I know you've never been in an abusive relationship before. You chose to work in this field in honor of your mother who was a survivor, and I commend you for that. But unless you have walked in those shoes, you'll never quite understand how it feels. Women who are in those types of relationships are broken, in more ways than one. The men strip them of every ounce of respect they've ever had for themselves. There are multiple layers to the trauma they have endured. The wounds go so deep..."

"I know, I know... I'm just - I'm just really disappointed. Look, I'm sorry to have bothered you on your day off. I'll let you get back to that beautiful family of yours."

"It's okay, Laura, really. Thank you for calling and letting me know about Janice. If you hear anything more, please let me know."

They said their goodbyes and hung up, but the despair that had settled in Talia's stomach didn't go away, if anything it only grew. She knew they would never hear from Janice again, and the thought made her feel sick inside. If only there was something more she could have done for —  But her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone, this time from an unknown number.

"Hello?"

"Hello," came a soft southern voice she didn't recognize. The voice belonged to a man who sounded older than herself. "Is this Mrs. Wilson?"

"Yes, this is Talia. May I help you?"

"Hello, ma'am. This is Jackson Levitt, your new renter."

"Mr. Levitt, of course! It's good to hear from you. How are you?"

"I'm good, thank you for asking, ma'am. I just wanted to let you know that I've left Louisiana and I should arrive in Florida in a few days, or so. I'm stopping in Georgia first for a quick visit with my parents. They live with my sister and her husband, bless their souls. They're getting up there in age and I try to visit them whenever I can. I just wanted to let you know my plans. I look forward to meeting you, Mrs. Wilson."

Talia smiled. There was something so sweet about a soft-spoken southern accent. Something genuine and charming. "Please, call me Talia. We look forward to meeting you too, Mr. Levitt - my husband and I, I mean. It'll be nice to finally put a face with the name."

"Well, if we're going to be on a first name basis," he chuckled, "then I insist you call me Jackson. After all, we will be neighbors."

"Yes, I guess we will be. It's been awhile since we've had neighbors."

"I promise, you and your husband won't even know I'm there. I'll be as quiet as a church mouse, scout's honor."

Talia heard him chuckle again on the other end of the line and knew immediately she would like him. He was so friendly and easygoing the few times they had spoken on the phone, and so far it had been a pleasure doing business with him. He had even sent a check covering the first three months of his rental contract in advance, paying one month more than what the contract had requested. 

"You drive safely, Mr. - I mean, Jackson. We'll see you when you get here."

"Thank you, Talia, and I promise, you won't regret renting this house to me."

Such an odd thing to say. "Of course not. We'll see you soon."

After they hung up, Talia sat in the chair, rocking slowly back and forth. It would be strange to have someone living next door to them. Thankfully, Jackson Levitt sounded like a decent man, she only hoped everything went smoothly.

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Hello, and thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, I ask that you please leave a vote/comment.

This chapter is dedicated to reader and writer, RoseBlosson79. You can check out her story, Carpe Diem - Seize the Day My Love, by clicking on her profile! Thank you Rose for your support. And THANK YOU to all of the different countries reading my work - Canada, India, United Kingdom, South Africa and the Philippines, just to name a few!

Next up is Conrad's POV! Are you ready? ;)