18
“Thank you,” was all I could think to say to him. “That…thank you.”
“I’m sorry I remind you of your ex.”
“Andy was abusive. Not at first, but after a while. He was older than me, like you are. He was the kind of man who everyone liked, again like you. He was charming and friendly and easy to be around. But he was only like that to get what he wanted.”
“Elise, you don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to.”
“When we started dating,” I continued, “we kept it quiet because he was in grad school and I was an undergrad. After a while, we moved in together because he said we didn’t see each other enough. I wasn’t taking his class, so it wasn’t a big deal, but it was just one move he made to control me.”
I took a breath and went to the couch. I pulled a pillow onto my lap and hugg
