Keep Me: A HERO Novella Read Online Free PDF

forms of punishment.”
    “Such as?”
    “Whenever I was disobedient or talked back . . . well, once I got locked in the basement for days. And sometimes my tantrums would end with sex.”
    “He sexually abused you.”
    “I guess.”
    “Did you instigate it?”
    “No.”
    “Did you want it?”
    “Not always.”
    “Did you say no?”
    “Sometimes.”
    “So, then, yes, that’s sexual abuse and rape. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that that can be a very difficult thing to overcome. You say you were in captivity for around thirteen weeks. How long did the abuse carry on?”
    “It started when I met him.”
    “And it ended when you left, I presume.”
    “No. I mean, at some point, it was no longer abuse.”
    “Pardon?”
    “There were times when it was consensual.”
    “I see. You began to enjoy it.”
    “Not just enjoy it. I wanted it. He’s a very good lover.”
    “Is?”
    “Was.”
    “Do you still see him?”
    My eyes move quickly around his office. “Can I get in trouble for that?”
    “No.”
    “Can he?”
    Dr. Adams shifts in his seat, then sets down his pen to steeple his hands over his mouth. “Cat, it’s not unheard of for a victim to fall in love with his or her captor. But now that you’re free of him, you might consider the fact that you’ve been manipulated. What you think is love may actually be an illusion your captor has constructed. You’re no longer bound to him, and if he’s threatening you to stay in the relationship, there are ways you and I can work through that. With or without police involvement.”
    “I know how it sounds, Doctor, but that isn’t the case. I want to be with him. We didn’t speak for three years after my captivity. When he walked back into my life, everything fell into place. I mean, it’s not that black and white, but . . . I missed him. I love him.”
    He nods. “I’m not judging you. I can see how that might happen, and three years is a long time to be apart. However, this is not the basis for a healthy relationship. The typical profile of an abductor is manipulative, deceitful, and sadistic. Would you say those words define him?”
    “I—no.”
    “You can be honest here. He can’t hear you, and you and I have doctor-patient confidentiality.”
    I smooth my hands over my thighs and refold them in my lap. “Yes. Yes, he can be those things. But he’s trying to be better.”
    “That’s a common response from women involved in abusive relationships. Try to extract yourself from the situation and look at it objectively. Can you do that?”
    “I can try.”
    “What do you see? Do you see a woman in love or a woman who’s been deceived into thinking she’s in love?”
    Dr. Adams glances at my hands. My nails are digging into my forearm, so I relax my grip. “I know how you think I should answer, but that’s just not us. He and I were apart for three years, yet we still came back to each other. Without him, I wasn’t whole. I was a shell. We’re different from others who’ve been through this.”
    “Cat, are you in a relationship with him now?”
    “Yes.”
    “And you love him?”
    “Yes.”
    “Does he love you?”
    “Yes.”
    “I believe we have our work cut out for us. Can I be frank with you?”
    I nod.
    “I want you to think about this until our next session: people have difficulty changing. He’s better now because he has something to lose. You. But that may not last. By kidnapping and abusing you both mentally and sexually, your self-worth has been damaged. Now you believe you’re not good enough for anyone else.”
    “That’s not true. I don’t think that.”
    “Please consider what I’m saying. This relationship may be more harmful than you realize. The hour is over, but we can pick this up next week.”
    I stand and shake his hand. When I open the door to the waiting room, Calvin is standing there wearing a solemn expression. His hair is messy, sprouting in different directions. Absentmindedly, he runs his