Farrington-Gores: Discussing abuse

'Come in, they're in the kitchen.'

'Right.'

'Hi!'

'Hey.'

'Nalini, this is my sister-in-law Roxxi, and this is my friend Nyla. And this is Nalini, my girlfriend.'

'Hello. Nice to meet you both.'

'Take a seat.'

'So she's the one Vincent told us you had a crush on.'

'He told you that?!'

'He did. We should have told you, I know.'

'...Ah. So presumably the whole town knows now!'

'Maybe! It was a few days before you got together.'

'And he heard me telling Stanley. I should be more careful in the future!'

'Looks like it ended up being a good thing, though.'

'W-Well, I'd say so...'

'I would too.'

'Aww.'

'Heh, you two are lucky.'

'How are things over there?'

'Still his usual, horrible self. I was almost all set to go too, but... well. You know.'

'...I'm really sorry.'

'Thanks. I have the new place lined up and everything, but Tristan's struggling to leave the house, let alone move to another country.'

'That's no surprise. How are the rest of your kids holding up? If you don't mind my asking, that is.'

'Completely freaked out. Julius doesn't know any of the details, thank God, but he's confused.'

'Those poor fucking kids.'

'If there's anything else I can do, let me know.'

'Me too. I can have Julius over whenever you need it.'

'...Well, if you're the one to pick him up at the end.'

'Of course, that was a one-off. Thanks.'

'Are you okay, Nyla?'

'Oh, yeah! I'm fine.'

'Are you sure? Hey, did something happen?'

'Not really... It doesn't matter.'

'Yes it does.'

'Look, things are shit enough, I don't want to make it worse...'

'It's him doing that, not you. What did he do?'

'...Alright, he made a pass at me...'

'Oh, for fuck's sake. Ugh. I am so sorry, Nyla.'

'Well, I didn't want to make a fuss...'

'Sadly, that's the kind of thing he's relying on.'

'I agree, it's better to speak up.'

'You've been through so much though, it's insignificant at the side of everything else.'

'No, that's not true. Him targeting my friends is pretty fucking important. I can't apologise enough. I won't ever put you in that position again.'

'I don't blame you for it though.'

'...Ugh. I really want to suggest kicking him in the balls.'

'Or cutting them off. God, I am so over men. No offence, Edward. You're a good one.'

'None taken. Thank you.'

'Well, once your son is doing better and you're ready to leave, feel free to give me a call. If we can arrange something around my work hours, I don't mind helping you leave.'

'Oh, really? Thanks, I really appreciate that.'

'It's no problem. It's hard and damn scary to leave an abusive relationship, I've been there myself.'

'Oh God, I'm sorry...'

'It's fine. Long time ago.'

'I'm glad things are better for you now.'

'I'm sorry too, Nalini. But yeah... I just hope the kids aren't too traumatised.'

'It'll take some time I'd imagine, but professional psychiatric help will do everyone the world of good, I'm sure.'

'You're right.'

'Don't feel too bad. You're doing the right thing now. I know you've been doing your best to protect them.'

'Exactly. People like that, they mess with your head. They make you feel trapped.'

'And a person who feels trapped is easier to control. Though I must warn you that the time between planning to leave and actually doing is the most dangerous time in the relationship. Please be careful.'

'I'm really scared. If he finds out...'

'Perhaps you could give Tristan a gentle nudge. I know how horrendous he feels, but once he's safely abroad, he can continue his recovery in peace.'

'Just be careful of your phone calls and computer history, that sort of thing, if he's the type to snoop. Even if he's not, really.'

'Yeah... There's something else too. ...I've been having an affair.'

'Can't really say I blame you, being stuck with a cunt like that.'

'...She's right. Completely understandable.'

'Thanks. Stupid thing to do, I know.'

'You need to look after yourself too. If it's making you happy, why not? I wouldn't have done it, but then Austin accused me of cheating so often that I wouldn't have given him the satisfaction of being right. That, and I was petrified of him.'

'And really, if he can't be bothered to stay faithful, why should you? I wouldn't normally be so blasé about someone's marriage, but having seen and heard everything I have about Tate, he can - and should - go jump up his own ass.'

'Well said!'

'It seems terrible though, me spending time with her when I should be with the kids-'

'They need their independence too. Especially the triplets. There's no sixteen year old that wants to spend every waking moment with their mother, after all.'

'I guess you're right. Thanks. I'm really glad to have all your support.'

'You're welcome.'

'Nalini, was your ex like Tate? If that's okay to ask.'

'I think my problem with him was more the opposite. Tate doesn't give a fuck about anyone but himself, and my ex could not, would not leave me alone even if his life depended on it.'

'Oh dear. Sounds suffocating.'

'Worse than that, he went downright psychotic. I'm something of a misanthrope, and it was even worse around the time I met my ex-husband, so I hated him purely because he existed. That didn't, however, stop him from declaring his love for me on multiple occasions and going to more and more extreme lengths to get my attention. And naturally, when shit backfired and he started coming across as seriously unhinged, it was my fault for rejecting him.'

'Oh, lovely. Some people don't know how to take a hint.'

'Tell me about it. In an attempt to get me to trust him, he decided to blindly trust me first and gave me a sentimental necklace and said I could do what I wanted with it, so I gave it back. He went fucking mental.'

'What did he do...?'

'...Killed people.'

'Oh God!'

'Jesus...'

'...I know. He just had a complete psychotic breakdown, ruined God knows how many families with his fucking massacre, and still didn't leave me alone. He trapped me in a room with him at one point, and it ended up in him first saying that a heart "as cold as mine doesn't keep company alive" and ended in him pleading with me to give love a second chance. ...Which implies there was a first time.'

'That sounds so scary...'

'It was fucked up. I just gave up, in the end. He whined like a pitiful child about how he didn't want to be a rich and powerful man who'd never experienced love, so he goaded me into agreeing to try dating him. To be fair, I don't regret actually dating him. I mean, the relationship was a fucking farce right from the start, but I got my daughter from it. I just never should've accepted his proposal.'

'I know what you mean. I don't regret any of my kids. I love them all so much.'

'Me too. Feli was what got me to leave, so in a way she's the one who saved me.'

'My ex was pretty good with our daughter, surprisingly. I mean, you know, apart from being an absolute cunt to his wife. But he never abused her in any way, thank God.'

'That's one good thing, at least.'

'He was only ever physical with me when we were sparring, fortunately, since we both fought a lot. His abuse was mental, and he'd build me up to be this amazing woman he idolised, saying how he'd never loved another person like he did me one day, and then spitting insults later. My personal favourite was during when he said, and I quote, that nobody else would ever love my "charred body".'

'Poor you!'

'Wow. What a vile thing to say. Completely untrue, as well...'

'He knows how to make a girl special. I'll stop there, though. Honestly I could go on for quite some time detailing every nasty thing he did or said during our "relationship".'