Page 106 of Tank’s Weakness

“The tape,” I rasp.

He nods. “That was me.”

“Why? Why would you post something like that? I would understand if you did it because you wanted to shame me, but I don’t understand why you did it when you still want to be with me. Why would you want others to see me like that?” I ask, my voice shaking.

“I did it to remind you of your place. To remind you of who’s in charge. You might be able to push him around and call the shots, but not with me. I’m the head of our household, and you needed to be reminded that I’m the one who holds the cards.”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out, and before I can say anything, he speaks again.

“What you two did, you know it’s not natural, right? I support you wanting to work and make your own money and whatnot, but that’s where it ends. A man is the one who’s supposed to lead his home. The one who says when and how things happen. Not the woman. Now, I let you have your fun, let you work it out of your system, but that’s over now. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” I say automatically, quietly.

I knew he had a sexist streak, but I never knew how deep it ran. Over time he’s made little comments here and there, but he’s never outright said anything as bad as this.

And to think, he’s the one who slept with his female boss to try and get a promotion, only to quit.

The audacity.

I want to shout. To scream at him that he’s a fucking fool. To tell him that I always had to fake it with him. That never, not one time, did he ever put my needs and desires ahead of his. That sex with him was boring, and I never once wanted it to last longer than the five, maybe ten minutes, that it would take for him to get off. I wish I could tell him that a woman lying flat on her back with nothing else to do does nothing, and it’s not fun or pleasant.

But I bite my tongue.

I need to keep him calm, not rile him up.

I never thought he would be capable of hurting me, let alone abducting me, but clearly I was wrong. I underestimated him when I shouldn’t have.

Buy yourself time. Tank knows you’re gone.

“So you said we are leaving, starting over somewhere else. Did you really quit your job for me?” I ask.

“I quit. They tried to call me in for insubordination. Said that my performance was lacking.” He scoffs. “They said that I was fired, but I quit before they could. I won’t have that on my record. Not when I didn’t do anything wrong.”

I want to laugh. I really do. They finally realized how big of a piece of shit he is.

Maybe they caught wind of the police investigation I have going on against him. That would make sense. It would look bad if a paralegal were being investigated for stalking.

“Smart. Do you have a place in mind?” I ask, nodding as if it makes sense.

“I figured we can move west. I have an interview in Las Vegas, and I think the firm would be a good fit. Besides, they aren’t as judgmental out there as they are here. Once everything falls into place work wise, we can start working toward our future.”

Our future. The hypothetical marriage and babies.

Just the thought of being married to him or having his children makes me sick.

“You sound like you have a list made. Like you have it all figured out,” I murmur.

He looks at me as if I’m crazy. “Of course I do. We need to do things in order. We can’t deviate from the order. I love you, but you know that reputation and appearances mean a lot to me.”

“Of course.”

He walks over to me, and I force myself to hold still.

“You know, as much as I love your natural hair, I was thinking that maybe it’s time for a change,” he says as he touches my hair.

“What did you have in mind?” I ask, heart racing.

His eyes light up. “I was thinking blonde. Maybe get some extensions so it looks longer and fuller. I also was thinking lip filler would make your lips really pop where your top lip is smaller than the bottom.”