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“Please, Juliet—”

“No. This is my business. You can’t come here and make a scene like this. I thought we’d talked about this. I thought you understood…”

Rachel retrieved her bag and walked back towards Juliet. “I’m sorry. I’ll call you. Maybe in a few days when things have calmed down.”

Rachel shot up the stairs leaving Juliet standing alone in the bar. She took her phone from her pants pocket, swallowing as she brought up Paige’s number. She didn’t know why Paige was the first person she thought of or why she was about to call her, but she did…only to be disappointed when it went to voicemail.

“Hi, it’s me. Juliet. I just wanted to apologise again for everything that’s happened since your shift started today. It seems I’m a little bit all over the place since you arrived to work here, and I don’t quite know what to do with myself. But that’s no excuse, and you putting me in my place was the right thing. Not many would willingly do that to me, so I appreciate it.” Juliet took a deep breath, pulling her hair over one shoulder as she paced the small bar. “Anyway, I have your tips here. I’ll keep hold of them until I see you again. Hopefully on Friday, but if I’ve complicated everything and you don’t want to return, I understand. Goodnight, Paige.”

With tears in her eyes, Juliet lowered her phone. She couldn’t be bothered to finish clearing away, so she turned out the light and moved into her office. She had no idea what to do with herself…but she had to figure it all out soon. Her life was up in the air.

Chapter 9

1000 TIMES

“Hello?” Paige answered a call from an unknown number, frowning when nobody spoke. “Hello?”

“I’ve had time to think,” A voice said, immediately recognisable. She should have known James would call from an unknown number. He’d done it before. “And if you want to fix us, you need to come home.”

“If I want to fix us?” Paige’s brows rose. Paige would usually keep James calm on a call, but she was tired of his never-ending complaints. When would he take the hint that she didn’t want to be with him anymore? Even if it wasn’t because of her sexuality, Paige didn’t want to be with a man like him. A man who beat her to control their relationship. “You’re not taking any responsibility then?”

“If you hadn’t decided you wanted to go on some fucking bar crawl around the UK, we wouldn’t be in this position, Paige.”

Paige looked out at the city, her mood beginning to dip now that James was on the line. She’d spent the morning getting some things together in her head, a little meditation to relieve the tension headache she felt coming on, and she’d felt much better for it. Until now.

“Don’t ignore me, Paige. You’re a fucking terrible wife.”

“Then why are you so desperate for me to come home?”

James scoffed. “Because if you think you’re going to make a laughingstock out of me, you’re wrong. You come home, you stay home, and we get on with our lives.”

“And when I walk through the door, what happens then? Another punch? A shove in the back? The old you fell over my foot again?”

“Those things happened one time. One time, Paige!” James roared down the phone, Paige’s heart rate soaring as he did. Those things may have only technically happened once, but that was because James hurt her in some other way the next time. “You make out like you’re some beaten wife, but you’re not. You just don’t know your place yet!”

Why did people keep talking about Paige’s place in their lives? Rachel, James, who next? Why couldn’t she just work and go home each day? Was it really that difficult to lead a simple life?

“You’ve no idea how much you hurt me, do you, James? I don’t want to be with you anymore.”

“Your mum would be so disappointed in how you’re behaving.”

Paige slumped against the wall in her living room. James had never used her mother in an argument before. “Yeah, well, she’s not here, so what does it matter?”

“IT FUCKING MATTERS!”

Paige brought the phone away from her ear as James screeched, his voice almost breaking.

“If you’re not home by the end of the month, I’m coming to get you. And I know exactly where you are, so if I were you, I’d do the right thing.”

“James, I want a divorce.” Saying those words had never felt so freeing, even if it was never going to happen. Paige’s heart ached to be free from him. “Please, can we do that?”

“You don’t want a divorce. You just need a firm hand and a reality check, love.” James ended the call, leaving Paige alone as she slid down the wall and brought her knees to her chest.

She’d never felt safe with him. And that was all Paige had ever wanted. To feel safe and loved by someone. She wanted to be held and told life would all work itself out. She wanted to smile and laugh and plan a future with someone. But more than anything, she wanted to feel respected. That was it. Respect from another human being who thought something of her.

Paige swallowed. She couldn’t go back to him; she wouldn’t survive.

A knock on the door had her wiping tears from her cheeks. She had called the maintenance company an hour ago because her shower was running hot and cold unexpectedly. Maybe having something to focus on, meaningless conversation while the workman fixed it, would be good for her.