CHAPTER 110: TRUST

"Raphael, what is going on? Where is Daniel? He was supposed to be with Abigail tonight," Bennett demanded for answers from his son immediately.

His voice was calm yet commanding, and that made me aware that we better have some answers for them. Raphael tightened his arm around my back as if to reassure me that he’s got this. That was when I realized that he was about to tell our parents about the truth of what had just happened earlier in the evening.

"Daniel," Raphael began explaining.

"It was nothing! As I said, nothing happened," I blurted out loudly, cutting Raphael off before he could tell our parents anything. Both my mother and Bennett turned to look at me with a mix of confusion and disbelief on their faces.

"Listen, it was just a misunderstanding," I said quickly, before forcing a shaky smile. "Daniel and I just didn’t really hit it off. So, we decided to just go our separate ways. There’s nothing for you to worry about, really," I continued explaining. My words didn’t seem to ease their concern, and I had to admit that I didn’t find myself convincing.

"Abigail," Raphael called my name with a warning in his tone.

"I said it was nothing," I said firmly as I stared deeply into his eyes. I pleaded with him with my eyes to just let it go, but his expression only darkened as he pressed his lips into a thin line.

"No, I am not going to let this go," Raphael said without pausing to think. His voice was slow and filled with determination. He turned back to face our parents as if he had nothing to fear. "Abigail doesn’t need to feel ashamed for what happened because she’s the victim. If there’s anyone who needs to feel ashamed, it’s the perpetrator, and that is that bastard Daniel," Raphael declared boldly.

"Raphael, please don’t..." I pleaded softly.

"Daniel tried to sexually harass her. I don’t even want to imagine what might have happened if I didn’t turn up to save her," Raphael said bluntly.

His words cut through the tension in the air like a sharp blade. The cat was out of the bag and, as expected, my mother was both shocked and terrified. Her eyes widened as her hand flew to her mouth, while at the same time Bennett’s face turned red with apparent anger.

"What!" Bennett exclaimed loudly, his voice booming through the entryway. "Is this true?" Bennett asked his son again for confirmation.

"I walked in on him cornering her, it was pretty obvious what was going on," Raphael replied, his tone as cold as ice.

"That bastard put his hands on her without her consent," Raphael surmised, thankfully without going into any details.

My mother glanced from Raphael back to me as her eyes implored me to explain. "Abby, is this true?" my mother asked. I nodded reluctantly, there was a lump in my throat that prevented me from speaking at first.

"It’s okay. Nothing really happened, I mean Raphael was there to help me before anything could happen," I replied while stuttering.

"What did you do to him?" Bennett asked Raphael, as if catching on to what I was saying. Raphael simply shrugged his shoulders as if it was no big deal before smiling sheepishly.

"What did you do to him?" Bennett repeated his question once more.

"I taught him a little lesson to make sure that he would keep his hands to himself," Raphael replied.

"You beat him up? How bad?" Bennett asked. To my surprise, although Bennett looked concerned, he didn’t seem angry at what Raphael had done. If anything, Bennett seemed slightly amused by the fact that his son had beat up Daniel.

"He’s still alive, if that’s what you’re asking," Raphael replied before looking away, signaling that he wasn’t willing to disclose any more details.

"Well, Daniel is the son of one of my oldest friends. This is going to be a little messy," Bennett said without much emotion in his tone.

"Your relationships are your own problem. What we should care about is Abigail’s safety," Raphael said sharply. The boldness of his words made my chest feel tight with emotions. I noticed that Raphael was standing up for me, and it gave me joy and confidence that he cared about me. Bennett simply nodded his head a few times in agreement before showing me a reassuring smile.

"Thank you for saving me," I whispered softly. Raphael turned to smile at me, and for a moment it felt like this entire nightmare had come to an end. I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to thank him, so I decided to thank him right away.

"There’s no need for thanks," he replied simply.

Before either of our parents could say any more, Raphael took a step forward as if he wanted to protect me behind him. "I think that Abigail’s had enough for one night. She should rest. I’ll take her to her room," Raphael said to bring our conversation to a close.

"I guess you’re right. Try to get some sleep, sweetheart," my mother said gently. However, the look that she gave me told me that she needed more details and that she wanted to talk more after I’ve had my rest.

"Mom, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine and this isn’t your fault," I told my mother gently, because I knew that she must be blaming herself for trying so hard to get me together with Daniel. My mother simply nodded her head, and it hurt me so badly to see her sad.

...

My bedroom and my soft bed felt so welcoming. After taking a short shower and changing, I lay on the bed feeling so exhausted. Raphael sat in the chair next to my bed and held my hand delicately in his own. His thumbs slowly brushed slow circles over my knuckles, and it felt unbelievably comforting. I never thought that there would be a day that I could feel so completely at ease when I was alone with Raphael. However, in that moment, I felt like I could trust him and I could leave my life in his hands.

–To be continued...