If you haven't already, please take the time to read the short author's note in the last chapter, it's kinda important to the story. Sorry for the time skip in this chapter btw. Hope you like :)
Almost two and a half weeks had passed and Imogen had managed to keep the horrible ordeal to herself. But the pressure of keeping a secret that big was taking its toll on her.
At night her sleep was riddled with nightmares, every time she closed her eyes she saw his face. Consequently, she got only a few hours of sleep at most. She covered the bags under her eyes with concealer as much as she could but people were starting to notice. She couldn't bring herself to eat anything;she skipped breakfast, lied to her friends at lunch and picked at her food during dinner with her mother. She was losing weight drastically but she didn't make any effort to change.
Her friends were starting to notice the change in her. In class her teachers commented on her lack of concentration and her grades were gradually slipping. In PE Dynasty noticed how Imogen's bones jutted out against her pale skin dangerously and how dizzy she got during any type of sports. Connor noticed how she flinched whenever he put his arm around her or tried to hug her. They all noticed how subdued she'd gotten, hardly ever taking part in their conversations and always 'forgetting' to put her hearing aids in.
They tried to ask her about it, but each and every time without fail she managed to change the subject. Nobody knew what was going on with her but they feared that if they left her any longer she'd get dangerously ill. They could only hope that they would find out the truth at some point.
Kevin Chalk was a smart boy. He always had been. He spent the first ten years of his holed up in his room away from his abusive and neglecting parents. It was throughout this solitude that Kevin discovered his love of books. He borrowed hundreds and hundreds of books from the local library over the years, learning everything he could about the big world around him. He analysed the mannerisms of everyone he saw, developing and understanding of all the good and bad things going on around him.
It was safe to say that Kevin was a genius, even as a child. So it didn't take him long to figure out the signs.
His only problem was confronting Imogen. It wasn't exactly the type of thing you could ask over text, but you couldn't exactly bring it into a conversation easily either. There was always the option of just blurting it out to her and hoping that she wouldn't get to upset.
Or he could tell Connor. He had a right to know, Imogen was his wife after all. He would know how to approach her. And Imogen would rather be comforted by Connor than Kevin obviously.
So it was decided. Tomorrow morning, before school started, he would tell Connor. No doubts or distractions could stop him. Imogen needed help, and she needed it fast.
I'm so sorry about this chapter. It didn't turn out at all like it was supposed to. I needed to get this sorted out before the important stuff starts to happen. I really do deeply apologise! I'll update tomorrow with a big chapter to make up for it! :)