“Okay. One, two, three.” I press record, and Simon’s whole demeanor immediately changes. He’s the confident, in control life coach that his fans can’t get enough of, and I’m excited to see what he’s going to speak about.

“Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining me this week. As you may have noticed, I missed last week’s video, but I’m back this week with something that I think many of you will identify with. This week’s topic is How to know when your partner is manipulating you.

“I try to keep my personal life very separate from my professional life, but I’m also a human being, and I’ve experienced many of the same things that you have. This topic is one that I’ve been hesitant to talk about because it is so deeply personal, but someone whom I care about very much reminded me today that there is no shame in being human.”

He’s not looking into the lens now, but rather in my eyes. I’m stunned. I sit quietly and listen intently as he describes what it is to be in an intimate relationship with someone who betrays your trust by manipulating and hurting you. His face is passive, but his eyes are passionate.

“I know what it is to feel responsible for making a partner happy, and how defeating it is when nothing you ever do is good enough. To have your significant other threaten personal harm if they don’t get their way. It’s a helpless, horrible position to be in.

“And I’m here to tell you that it’s not normal, and it’s not okay. If you are being treated this way, by anyone in your life, whether it be a colleague, a boyfriend or girlfriend, a family member or friend, it is imperative that you draw the line in the sand and make it very clear that while you care about them, they may not manipulate you. Offer to help them find a counselor, and if they insist they don’t need help, perhaps it’s time to step away from the relationship, no matter how scary that may be.

“I want you to remember that no matter what, your physical and mental health are the most important thing. That is not being selfish; that is protecting yourself, so you can participate in healthy relationships. Cutting toxic people from your life is necessary for your own personal health and growth.

“I personally think a lot of us feel ashamed when we try so hard to help someone, only to have that help thrown back in our face or ignored altogether, and we are doing ourselves such a disservice in feeling that way. It’s important to speak up, and to talk to those closest to you so they can help you. No one who loves you will stand for you being manipulated or hurt, and you should not be ashamed to talk about it.”

He smiles kindly at the camera and I can feel tears in my eyes. Something tells me this is a huge step for Simon.

“Thank you for joining me this week.”

He nods and I stop the recording, and then take a long, deep breath. I don’t quite know what to say.

Simon scrubs his hands over his face.

“Please tell me that was okay because I don’t think I have it in me to do it again.”

“You did great,” I reply and clear my throat. “I think it was a beautiful message, and you were eloquent in your delivery.”

“I rehearsed it all day. I’ve never done that before.” He looks up at me, still across the table. “I still don’t know if I should air it.”

“Can I be brutally honest?”

“Always.”

“I think you’d be doing yourself and your fans a disservice by not airing it. If even one person sees that and recognizes herself and pulls out of an abusive situation, it will have been worth it. And I think that fans like it when they can see that you’re a human being. That you may know a lot of things, but you don’t know everything. We are all a work in progress.”

Without a word, he stands and walks around the table, then pulls me to my feet and into his arms. He hugs me tightly, rocking back and forth, his face buried in my hair.

“Thank you, Charly. You have no idea what you did for me today.”

“Simon, you already had all of this in you. I just talked you through it. I imagine I’m not the first to try.”

“No, but it was the first time I was willing to hear it,” he says, his voice muffled against my head. “You are a brilliant, gorgeous woman, and I’m so thankful that I found you.”

I cling onto him, enjoying the way he’s rocking us, settled against him. “I think I found you, remember?”

“Either way,” he says, a smile in his voice. “Thank you.”

Chapter Fifteen

~Charly~

“They’re here already,” I say to Simon as we walk into a restaurant just a few blocks away from my shop the next day. “Now you’ll have met everyone.”

“Rumor has it, Beau and Eli are the hardest to win over.”

“That rumor is probably true,” I reply and smile sweetly. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m not,” he says and kisses my forehead, just as we approach the table, earning glares from both of my brothers.

“Hi, guys, sorry we’re late.”

“You’re not,” Kate says. “We were early because your brothers wanted to have home court advantage.”

“You’re not supposed to tell them that,” Eli says to his wife with a scowl. “I’m Eli.”

“Simon,” Simon says, shaking Eli’s hand. “You must be Beau.”

“That’s right. I’m the oldest brother,” Beau says, and Kate and I both roll our eyes at the way my brothers puff out their chests and give Simon stern looks.