Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 80969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80969 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 405(@200wpm)___ 324(@250wpm)___ 270(@300wpm)
Neil has never allowed me to have friends.
But I needed someone, and Mrs. Ford is amazing. She lives in the house three doors down.
She’s in her late seventies and the sweetest lady you’ve ever met.
We became friendly when I was out, tending the front garden, and she would stop to chat.
One day, she invited me in for a slice of homemade cake and a cup of coffee, and after that, we were friends.
After a time, she noticed the bruises. She never commented on them. But we both knew that she knew my husband was beating me.
When I found out I was pregnant, I broke down and told her what was happening. How I needed to get out, but I didn’t know how.
She knew I couldn’t call the cops on Neil. And there was no way she could hide me there.
The only way was to disappear.
That was when she left the room and gave me the best gift I’d ever received. She gave me her granddaughter’s identity card and birth certificate. She told me to take it. Change my name and disappear.
I finally had a way out.
She offered me money, too, but I couldn’t take it.
I knew another way to get money anyway.
I hugged her tight. Thanked her.
And that was the start of how I was able to disappear.
I will thank Carrie Ford every day for the gift of her name.
Mrs. Ford and I said our good-byes yesterday. I’m going to miss her so much.
I walk quickly in the direction of the bus depot.
I’m jumping at every passing car and noise I hear, terrified that one of those cars is going to be Neil.
You’re okay. He’s in the city.
But what if one of his buddies is in a patrol car and sees me?
My fast walk becomes a jog.
Calm down. You’re making yourself look more conspicuous.
I slow my jog back down to a fast walk.
Ten minutes later, without being seen, I reach the bus depot.
You’re almost there. Nearly free.
Stopping outside the door to the bus depot, I pull the brim of my baseball cap down, shading my eyes, needing to cover my face. There are CCTV cameras inside the depot. Cameras that Neil will be able to get access to if he figures out how I left town and tries to find out which bus I left on. Also, I need to hide the red swelling on my cheek. It’d make me a little more memorable if he questioned the ticket cashiers, which is the last thing I want. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that I can do about my split lip.
Through the glass door of the depot, I can see the electronic board detailing all of the upcoming bus departure times.
The next bus leaving is in fifteen minutes, going to a place called Canyon Lake in Texas.
Texas is hot.
I hate the heat. Being fair-skinned means I fry like chicken in the sun.
Neil knows this. So, he would never think that I would go to Texas.
It’s perfect.
Keeping my head down, I take a deep breath, pull open the door, and walk inside the busy depot.
I walk quickly but calmly to an open counter. I purchase a one-way ticket to Canyon Lake, paying in cash.
Taking my ticket, I leave the depot and head for where the bus is waiting to take me far away from here.
Seeing a trash can, I stop.
I stare down at my left hand. My wedding ring.
A barrage of memories runs through my mind.
Our first date. The first time we had sex. Our wedding day.
The first time he hit me. The first time he raped me. The first time he choked me so badly that I passed out.
I pull my wedding ring off and drop it in the trash.
Then, I walk to the bus without a backward glance and climb on it. Trying to act normal, like I’m not running from my abusive husband and using the identification of a dead woman. I show the driver my ticket. He asks to see my ID card.
Swallowing nervously, I get it from my bag and hand it to him. He gives it a quick glance and hands it back to me.
And that’s it.
I’ve done it.
I make my way down the aisle and sit down in a window seat, toward the back, putting my duffel at my feet.
And I let out a deep breath. My heart is racing in my chest.
I did it.
I’m on the bus that’s going to take me to my freedom.
I keep expecting Neil to appear and drag me off the bus.
But he never does appear.
And the door closes on the bus, and it pulls out of the depot.
Taking me to my new life.
Carrie
I step off the bus into the bright sunshine and take in my new surroundings.
So, this is Canyon Lake.
My new home.
Our new home.
I press my hand to my flat stomach. “You hear that?” I whisper to the baby, leaning my head down. “We’re home. We’re safe.”