Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72126 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 240(@300wpm)
“He showed his true colors?”
“Yeah, you could say that,” she scoffed. “I’d never seen someone lose it like he did. It was like he turned into a completely different person, and when he hit me that first time, I really thought it was just a fluke. I told myself he was just tired or stressed out at work. But then, it happened again, and I wasn’t having it. I wasn’t going to have a man like that in our lives, so, I broke it off with him. That time, he really lost it and did a real number on me. He told me that it wasn’t over until he said it was over, and he would kill me if I tried to walk away.”
“Damn.”
“Yeah, it was pretty bad. To make matters worse, I had no one to turn to. I couldn’t call the police... He was the police. His partner and everyone on the force would’ve believed him over me. He would’ve made sure of that. I was stuck.”
“What about your family?”
“My mother was really young when she got pregnant with me, and after a couple of months, she pawned me off on my grandmother. Never really saw much of her after that. She didn’t come to the funeral when my grandmother died.”
“Damn. So, what did you do?”
“I did the only thing I could. I ran.” She shifted in the bed, making herself more comfortable as she added, “The first time, I just moved across town and changed my number. It was less than a month before he showed up at my door. That’s when the stalking started.”
Her tone was distant, almost detached, as she went on to explain, “He followed me to work and got my number there. He called a hundred times a day, and when that didn’t work, he cornered me and hurt me again. I was in the hospital for several days. When I got out, Frankie helped me find a place in Murfreesboro. I got a new job, and Toby changed schools. I thought it would be enough, but it was never enough. The guy was relentless.”
I knew she’d had a hard time with her asshole ex. Hell, that had been evident with all the bruises and the sprained wrist. But there was so much more to it. She’d done everything she could to get away from him, and I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt for blaming her for not doing more to protect Toby. She’d done all that she could and more.
“God, I’m such a fucking asshole.”
“What?” she gasped. “No.”
“That shit I said that night....” I shook my head. “I should’ve never blamed you. None of this has been your fault, and I should’ve never said otherwise or even thought otherwise.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.” I’d never been more wrong about a person, and it gutted me that I’d said the things I’d said. Hell, I couldn’t even look at her when I said, “Sometimes the past can sneak up on you and make you think things you have no business thinking.”
“Sounds like there’s a story there.”
“Yeah, a story for another day.”
“Okay.” Her tone grew soft as she said, “I still say you were right. I had my part to play in things. I’m the one who brought him into our lives. I should’ve picked up on the fact that something was up with him long before I introduced him to Toby.”
“Guys like him are really good at putting on a show.”
“Yeah, he was good at it. A regular charmer... until he wasn’t, and then, he was anything but. I just hate I didn’t see it sooner.”
Whitney’s voice started to fade, and her eyelids were starting to get heavy. She was exhausted and needed rest, so I told her, “It’s late. You should probably get some sleep.”
She nodded, then closed her eyes. It didn’t take long for the tension in her face to fade. Moments after, her breathing became slow and steady, and she drifted off to sleep. I could’ve gotten up and left. She would’ve never been the wiser, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave her—not after seeing how scared she was after that nightmare.
I wanted to stay there and make sure she didn’t have another one, so I eased my head back and propped it on the wall. As I sat there staring at her, I was struck by how beautiful she was. I’d always found her pretty—even with the black eye and busted lip, but at that moment, she looked at peace in a way I’d never seen her before—like an angel.
Her long, jet-black hair was down and splayed out on her pillow. It was a stark contrast against her pale skin, and it made me wonder if she’d dyed it when hiding from her ex—and if so, she might’ve been a lighter brown like her son. Her hazel eyes, which were usually filled with uncertainty, were now hidden behind her lashes, and the lines of worry and fear that haunted her features were now gone.