I Won't Give Up on You by F. L. Jacob

can’t even listen to him. “Do you actually think I believe all this? You are so full of shit.”
    Not missing a beat he continued, “Once Rose was well enough to make sense, she told me Beverly and some men came to her apartment a few days after I took you. She said Beverly told the men to ‘take care of her’. They covered her head and beat her, then they sold her to someone. Her ‘master’ held her hostage in a concrete cell off of a basement. How she actually got to the hospital we still don’t know to this day. No one in the ER knew other than she’d been brought in by a Good Samaritan, and Rose didn’t remember anything. I got her set up in a private hospital when she was well enough physically to be transferred. They worked with her try to make her who she was years ago. She was scared of everything. She was just a shell of a woman. It was horrible watching her mentally breaking down.”
    Running my hands through my hair, I contemplate how this crazy story has to be true. He hasn’t stopped, and my questions haven’t thrown him. I lean on the bar again and cross my arms over my chest to continue listening.
    “Working with a private lawyer, so Beverly wouldn’t know, I got Rose set up with a new name and life. It took many years at that hospital for her to get back to somewhat normal. I would take regular trips to see her. We spent many years talking about you and what you’ve been up too. I took her pictures and videos of important events.”
    Seething through gritted teeth, “You knew for years that that Beverly was fucking with me. You left me with her. In her claws to do with as she pleased while you ran off.”
    “Caston, I wasn’t aware of all the fucked up things Beverly was doing to you. I lived with rose colored glasses on. I wanted to believe she loved you, like she loved Jon. That the sacrifices Rose and I made weren’t in vain. I can’t tell you how sorry I am. Please, believe me.”
    We are silent for quite some time. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. How could I ever forgive him? I thought I already had, but he was still lying to me then. Now that I know the real story…
    “Were you ever going to tell me?” I whisper under my breath as I scrub my hands over my face.
    “Marie and I… I mean Rose and I have talked it over many times, but we could never find a way to do it to ensure her safety from Beverly. Understand that since Beverly had Rose declared deceased through unlawful means if anyone found out Rose was alive, there would be legal consequences for everyone involved for defrauding the government. Not to mention, Beverly would most definitely make sure Rose was ‘taken care of’ this time. And Rose knew Beverly would include you, as well, this time. Her fear for your safety was the biggest factor. She wouldn’t risk you. When Beverly had Rose taken the last thing she told Rose was ‘I’ll have your son. He will love me as his mother, and James will love me for that. They will both forget you.’ We both thought that Beverly was satisfied by taking you away from Rose.
    “Anytime I broached the subject Mar—Rose would have a panic attack. Sometimes the attacks were so severe she would end up back in the hospital. She’s virtually a recluse; rarely going any further than her back yard. She has a live-in-companion to help take care of her. Rose is still merely a shell of the vibrant woman you remember, Cass, but she’s come so far from where she was. It’s killed both of us keeping this secret from you. I hoped the older you became she would be able to see you were safe, and she could be a part of your life. But her fear is deeply engrained. She hasn’t ever confided in me what happened to her, but she did allow her doctors to tell me some of her recollections. Cass, no one should ever have to be subjected to the things she was. Those memories were always in her mind. She could never consider something like that being done to you.