The text message alert on Hanna's phone went off; she quickly grabbed it and placed it on the other side of her. It was from an anonymous sender.
No surprise there, she thought to herself.
Caleb reached out quickly for her phone but Hanna was faster. She grabbed it and shoved it in her purse causing Caleb to sigh deeply. "What is on that phone that is so bad that you have to hide it from me?" he asked, with a confused expression.
Hanna wanted Caleb to be able to trust her but she didn't want to involve him in this. "Can you just trust me when I say I'm not hiding anything?" she said, playing with her chicken and pasta.
Caleb breathed in and breathed out deeply. He took Hanna's hands. "I tell you everything Hanna…" he begun. "And I really didn't want to stoop to this…" he trailed off, as he grabbed his laptop. He opened the phone-tapping software on his computer and showed Hanna what he was about to do. "Why do I have to find out this way, Hanna? I'd rather hear it from you, please Hanna," he said softly, placing a hand to her face.
She hated keeping things from him but why was he having such a hard time understanding that she was trying to protect him. "I don't know what you're talking about," she lied plainly.
Caleb shook his head. "Enough pretending to be clueless, Hanna. Every time you get a text you practically jump out of your skin and you've been so edgy lately…" he trailed off as tears started to well in her eyes. "What's wrong, Hanna?"
Hanna sighed and lowered her head. "Don't you get it? That's the problem! EVERYTHING is wrong. God, Caleb, you are making this so hard. If knowing what these texts say is really what you want, then fine. Pass me the purse," she said, knowing she was defeated as he handed her the bag. She dug around at the bottom until she finally found it. The tears began to freely flow from her face as she opened her inbox.
Caleb felt awful now. He always wanted to know, just not this way. "Hanna, it's okay if you don't wanna…" he began but she cut him off.
"November 1, 2012 Hefty Hanna four by four, so fat can't fit through the door –A. November 9, 2012 Roses are red, Hanna's a whale. I know what you did, will Caleb visit you in jail?-A. December 1, 2012 Christmas is just around the corner, maybe you should ask for a new supply…" she stopped, it hurt to talk now. "A" was using her vulnerabilities against her, and even though she wasn't overweight anymore, it still hurt.
She mustered some courage and managed to say the last words. "Maybe you should ask for a new supply of Slim Quick," she finished, a pent up sob escaping her lips. "I don't feel safe anymore, Caleb," she said between sobs.
Caleb leaned his forehead down so that his forehead was touching hers. He placed his hands on both side of her face. "Listen to me, Hanna. You ARE safe, I will ALWAYS protect you," he said, taking her shaking body in his arms. Her tears began to soak through his shirt and he pressed his lips in her hair, his own tears wetting her hair. "This person, whoever it is, will never hurt you…not even over my dead body," he said and that was a promise.
Over my dead body, the words rang in her ears. As much as that meant to her, she sincerely hoped it wouldn't come to that.