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“You don’t want me,” I say. “You want toownme, but I’m not your toy anymore. You broke me. Why not throw me away? Just let us live our lives and leave us the fuck alone. Keep your money, keep everything, I’ll sign the divorce papers under whatever terms you want. Just—”
Devin’s laugh cuts me off. “And what, you’ll run back to Prince Charming with my son? How fucking ironic would it be for you to run toward the same life you’re runningawayfrom.”
He shakes his head. “I’ve spoiled you so much you’re delusional about who you are. You were street trash when I picked you up, and I gave you the life of an esteemed woman. You would be nothing without me.”
“Colter is nothing like you,” I snarl. “And you’re wrong, Devin. I’m so much more than your pitiful wife.” I jut my chin out and stare him in the eyes. “Being with you is like being a bird with clipped wings. But without you,” now it’s my turn to laugh in mockery. “Without you I can fly so damn high.”
His face twists in disgust, and he grabs my broken hand. I recoil and groan, my teeth sinking into my cheeks.
Someone knocks on the door, and then it opens. Devin lets go of me and turns toward a scrawny man in black slacks and a blue polo. The tag on his shirt says ‘manager’.
“You can’t be in here,” he says, not quite as tough as I imagine he intended.
Devin nods and takes my good hand. “My apologies. My wife wasn’t feeling well, and I came to check on her.” Devin grins and shrugs. “We’re expecting.”
The manager’s narrowed eyes don’t let up, and he shifts his gaze between Devin and me. He doesn’t buy the lie.
“You still can’t be in here.”
Devin nods profusely and tugs me along with him to the door.
“Of course. We were just leaving.” Devin steps around the man and as I pass, the manager looks me questioningly in the eyes. As if I could confirm the obvious. As if it would do me any good. I frown and say nothing. I’m so disappointed in the world, in the unfairness of it all. All the evidence I could have against Devin would get me nowhere.
Zeke is fidgeting nervously in the booth, and Devin must give him a look behind me because he jumps up and walks in front of us out the main door. Zeke is the first one in the car, and when we pull out of the lot, it’s just like old times. No one says anything. No one so much as acknowledges that anything happened. I tuck my broken hand beside me, out of sight from Zeke and try to ignore the pain.
“It’s late,” I say when we get back on the road. “Zeke’s tired. He’s been in the car all day.”
Devin tenses but doesn’t lash out. He isn’t used to me questioning him, and I don’t suspect he ever will be.
“We have another hour to go.”
I shift in the seat and squint at him. “Where are we going?”
He glances at me with a smirk. “A friend of my PI has a place for us to stay tonight. We’ll be dropping his car off too, so I hope you weren’t expecting a friend of yours to get anywhere with the plates.”
His PI’s car. That’s who was following me weeks ago. Of course Devin wouldn’t be doing the dirty work himself.
I wasn’t expecting Colter to get anywhere with the plates to this car. I don’t expect Colter to get anywhere at all. As far as Colter knows, Zeke and I are safe on a bus to nowhere.
I stare out the window and let silent tears fall.
I don’t expect anything… but I don’t dare lose hope.