Vera couldn't stop the tears from falling. She reached out to touch some of the scars on Casey's chest instinctively, her heart torn in two at the thought of whatever might have caused this.
"Oh, Casey…what HAPPENED to you?"
Panic flashed across his face and he shot up once again, backing away from her. "N-nothing! Thish ish nothing."
It absolutely was not nothing! Both from how bad it was and how freaked out he was by her seeing it. She couldn't let it go this time. She needed answers.
"That isn't nothing!" Vera sobbed as she threw her arms around him. "Why did you feel like you had to hide this from me? I'm not judging you for it! I'm just heartbroken about whatever did this to you."
Casey didn't hug her back for several moments, completely frozen before whispering, "You're not?"
"No! Of course not! I love you. I hate seeing you be hurt but that's all."
He crushed her to his chest and burst into tears himself, sobbing her name repeatedly into her neck. He was in no state to tell her what actually happened.
Vera wasn't sure how long they cried on each other. Getting to the shop early to get some work done before it opened definitely wouldn't be happening but that was fine. This was more important. The man she loved had finally been vulnerable with her.
When he finally spoke, he let go of her to turn around, his tone absolutely miserable. That was when she saw something even more horrifying. Three words carved into his back.
"M-my shister did this. She always said blood is love. She was all I had so I thought…I thought it was normal. She's the reason I have such a hard time at the farmhouse. The b-barn…that's where she blade me—made me—bleed. That's why I had to get rid of it. Blood isn't love though. I know that now. YOU are, Vera. Love is you."
Casey's voice was stronger by the end of that. Vera could tell how much he meant what he said about her.
And she was crying again. Hearing that after seeing what he had been through before because of so-called love…after how traumatized he was from getting into a more serious relationship with her…it was the strongest declaration of love he could give her.
She hugged him tightly from behind, burying her face in his neck. She couldn't say anything for a few minutes.
"I'm glad you know that now. I'll always love you, Casey. Nothing could ever change that."
Casey gently squeezed her arms as they were around him. "I'll always love you too."
Vera believed that after what he just said. She was the very embodiment of love to him now. She showed him what it was supposed to be like. Oh, Casey!
They were both wrecks but still had to get ready for the day. He headed home to get changed and she cried some more but had to clean her face as best she could. She couldn't even imagine how many times his sister must have hurt him for him to have so many scars.
When he got out of bed, she was able to see them all over his legs too. Only his hands, feet, neck, and face were spared. Though now she had to wonder about his bangs…
Vera wondered how Kane tied into all of this too. Was he another one of their sister's victims? He couldn't be another perpetrator for Casey to live with him…could he? It was a bad topic but she had to ask once Casey got to the shop. There weren't any customers around yet.
"Casey, I really don't want to pry but I'm worried about your safety. Kane wasn't a part of what your sister did, was he?" she asked hesitantly.
He shook his head. "No. We were both her victims. He always looked out for me since I'm such an anxious wreck. He's abrasive since he doesn't like taking care of me but that's all. I didn't want you to meet him because of that but it shouldn't be a problem now. You can come over after work if you want. I told him that you know before I came here."
Ah. That explained a lot.
Vera couldn't deny being apprehensive but Kane was important to Casey. Honestly, this meeting should have happened already. It was weird not to meet your boyfriend's brother after dating for months when they were roommates.
"Good idea."
That was the more important issue. She could leave her curiosity about his bangs be. She didn't want to upset him more than he already had been.
They both tiredly made it through the day before she headed to his apartment for the first time. He had never wanted her to go there because of Kane. Since that wasn't an issue anymore, she hoped they would be able to get along.
Casey called out to his twin once they were inside, halfway through taking his shoes off. "Kane! Vera's here! You better play nice."
"She wanted to meet you."
"What are you talking about? She's fine."
Casey turned and frowned when he saw the horrified look on Vera's face. "What's wrong?"
What was wrong? The fact that he was talking to no one. She had seen proof of horrific abuse this morning. Had it made him hallucinate? Invent someone who could help him get through it?
It took a moment to find her voice. She didn't want to scare him but he needed help. More than she could give. "Casey…we should sit down."
Casey was still frowning but did as Vera said, holding her hands as he sat next to her on the couch. "What is it?"
"We're the only two people here. I'm really sorry to tell you this but Kane isn't real."
His expression went from confused to just as horrified as hers must have been as he tried to deny it, looking at nothing and talking to the figment of his imagination. Then he muttered "No, no, no, no, no" while clutching his head.
Vera didn't know what she was supposed to do. Her boyfriend was in the middle of a mental health crisis so all she could think of was calling 911. This was out of her hands now. She had to get him professional help. They should be able to put him on the right medication to make him stop hallucinating, right?