We cooked together and chatted about nothing important. It was nice to just get back into a rhythm with her. When dinner was ready, we sat down to eat. When we were done, Lindsey took my hand and brought me into the living room to sit down.
“There’s a lot we need to talk about,” she said. “I know there are so many things I should have told you. Not just because it would have helped you to understand what was going on, but just because I want you to know me. Better than anybody else.”
“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want me to know,” I said. “It doesn’t matter. We’re here together right now, and that’s all I care about.”
“I still think you should know,” Lindsey said.
I listened as she told me about Grant and how they met. She was away from home for the first time, and even though it was only a few towns over from Charlotte, it felt like a different world. Meeting someone from her hometown felt like fate. It was like they were meant to meet, and she let that carry her into dating him.
The more she told me about how he treated her and the things he did during their relationship, the more the tension inside me built. I wanted to go back in time and punch Grant after every single time he disappointed, hurt, and upset her.
“I just don’t understand what you could have ever seen in him. Or why you stayed with him when he pulled shit like that,” I said.
Lindsey shrugged slightly. “He is very good at manipulation. He can convince you of just about anything. After every argument, or every time he did something that upset me, it kicked in. He would either fall all over himself apologizing and promising he would never do it again. Or he would somehow twist the situation around and make me feel bad. I don’t know how he managed it every time, but he could make me feel guilty when he was the one in the wrong.”
“Because, just like you said, he is very good at manipulation. The thing he has going for him is he’s not an outright horrible person. He’s not a great person by any stretch, but there are enough redeeming things about him that he can make them work for him. That’s what really pushed me over the edge,” I said.
Lindsey looked at me quizzically. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I was doing my best to handle everything,” I said. “I told myself you would open up to me when you were ready, or that I really didn’t need to know everything. I said I shouldn’t be envious of my brother and that your relationship with him was different and a good thing. But what really got me was seeing the way Grant was talking to you at the hospital and then at his house.”
“How was he talking to me?” Lindsey asked.
“Like he was trying to convince you to come back to him,” I said.
She scoffed and shook her head. “No. Grant and I are very over. We have been since before Remy was even born. He would have no reason to want to get back with me.”
“Except that you’re an amazing woman. You’re gorgeous and smart and funny. You care about people and go out of your way to make sure they feel special and acknowledged. But maybe most importantly, you want to take care of your son. Can you imagine an easier arrangement for him?”
“Arrangement?” Lindsey asked.
I was starting to feel like I had gone off the rails somewhere along the line.
“If he could get back with you, he would have an amazing wife who, in his mind, should feel grateful and honored to be chosen by him. And he would also have someone to take care of his son consistently on top of no longer having to deal with a custody or visitation agreement. And you know full well he would just go about his life exactly the way he was already. He just might try to be at least slightly more subtle about it.”
Lindsey nodded, her lips sticking out slightly as if she was thinking the idea through.
“You’re right. That’s exactly the way he would act. But I don’t understand why that got to you so much you felt like you had to be out of my life.”
“Because I can understand why you would give in to the manipulation and agree to be with him again. He comes from an extremely wealthy family. He’s successful and influential, regardless of how he got to that point in life. He would make sure all of your material needs and wants were taking care of. And, you would never have to worry about being away from Remy ever again. After I saw the way the two of you were interacting after Remy got hurt, I worried you were starting to have feelings for him again. Especially when he stood up to his parents,” I said.