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My husband was alive. He was alive and he shouldn’t be.
And now, he was refusing to die. The easiest thing he could’ve done, yet he refused.
As the car behind us gained speed, the bright headlights blinding me in the rearview, my stomach lurched. It couldn’t be him.
Instead, the driver slowed too, still following me closely despite the clear left lane.
I pulled into the driveway of the house I’d spent the last few decades of my life avoiding.
Her mom's place probably
I was disappointed—no, not a strong enough word—I was furious with myself for ever letting a man—a monster—control me. For ever letting him make me think my only choice was to do whatever it took to keep him in my life. For ever letting him believe I was something less than whole without him. I was a whole person before Peter. I could be whole again without him. I would be whole again without him.
Peter was never going to change. Joanna made me realize that. And, when he wouldn’t change, I had to. So, I had. And I would continue to. As soon as I’d cleaned up my mess.
For once, my wife would be my prey.
There are few things that appear stronger than a woman who seems put together.
Watch out for your brother and sister for me, okay? Call me if you need anything.” He nodded with a seriousness that made my stomach seize.
When the place you’re visiting hasn’t changed a bit, but you have. When you’re so different from who you were the last time you were there—be it a day or ten years ago—that nothing feels right or normal or familiar anymore.
“The neighbor.” I tilted my head in the direction he’d gone. “You didn’t think so?”
Matt is weird
apart. “We can handle it.” Dylan’s voice was low. He thought he was prepared for anything.
“Sometimes things just don’t work out. Sometimes people are more broken together than they could ever be apart.”
you should never stay in a situation where you don’t feel loved and respected.
facts
Then again, how well do we ever know the people in our lives? How well can you know your spouse? Was there anyone out there who could say they’d never been surprised or disappointed by the person they loved most? Surely, we weren’t the outliers. It was human nature. I had to believe everyone had parts of themselves they refused to display to anyone—the whispered motivations, internal desires, embarrassing decisions, and mortifying reasons behind actions we’d never dare reveal to anyone.
“I’ve given you thousands of chances. Years of chances. Eventually, it stops being your fault and starts being mine. I’ve enabled you and looked the other way for the sake of our family for far too long. But enough is enough. I deserve better. Your children deserve better.”
“Sometimes…even people who love each other aren’t meant to be together.
True
When he turned to face me, the smug grin on his face was enough to make me sick.
Piece of work
The driveway was lined with police cars and various official vehicles. My blood ran ice cold. No. “What did you do, Ainsley?” “The only thing I could do,” she whispered. When she met my eyes, there were tears in hers.
WHHHHHATTTTTT
It was a setup. She’d planned all of this. I was trapped. This was over. I swallowed, looking at her warily. “I’d rather you’d have killed me.”
Luckily for me, once again, I’d outsmarted her. I was getting good at that.
I lifted my phone, checking the screen as a tingle swept across the back of my neck. M I opened the message, my breathing slowing.
Bruh i knew matt was fishy
She’s in room 408. Wait for me… I have a plan.
Next to the bed, there were two plastic bags of snacks, a romance book Maisy would’ve never read, and two coloring books. Were these for the kids? I hadn’t seen them color in years…
In the trash can, there was a green box. What the… I picked it up cautiously. No. Hair dye?
This had to be for something else. Ainsley’s red hair was…part of her. It was special. Beautiful. It was one of my favorite things about her. How could she even consider changing it?
Escaping? Where the fuck did she think she was going?
A freezer. I pulled my hands away in a hurry and spun around, slamming into something. Someone.
me. I chose to believe I was the exception, but we’re never really the exception, are we? None of us.
I could see my future—a future with Peter. A future of fear.
The fixer in me was giving up. Shutting down. She was tired, angry, burned out.
Real
“I should’ve known better when I saw you on that dating app.
“He’s lost everything he cares about, Gina. His company, his marriage, his family. Peter may not be going to jail, but…there are worse things.”
“Ainsley, I know I have no right to tell you what to do, but as a medical professional, I feel like I need to insist that you go get checked out.
I thought he was a mechanic
“Peter must’ve called him on my phone. It’s the only thing that makes sense. He has my phone, and now suddenly, Dylan’s missing.”
I wonder if Peter set up the Matt texts to make it seem like shes having an affair
“Here. He’s…I think he’s been working with your mother.”
WHAT
When he looked at me, his eyes were cold and dead. Emotionless. It was like looking at a stranger. He hated me.
“Peter?” “No,” he said, standing up, both hands on the desk in front of him. “Burt Stover.”
Wtffffff
“Jim left quite a few useful things behind, didn’t he? Sedatives, fake identities…”
I knes those would come in handy
I pulled the syringe of sedative out—the last one I had.
“Sorry, honey. This bitch just won.”
