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It doesn’t take long for the guy to show up, and I’m back in our room, sitting next to Kylie on the bed ten minutes later.

We turn on an old movie we loved when we were kids, and the rest of the night is spent joking around as if nothing awkward happened at all.

She keeps looking at her phone, frowning every time she doesn’t find what she’s looking for.

“Are you expecting a call?” I finally ask.

Kylie bites the inside of her lip. “I guess, yeah. Is it weird that we’ve been gone all day and I haven’t heard a single thing from Chris? He’d normally be home by now, so you’d think he’d have at least texted to ask where I am.”

“Maybe. It might be good that he hasn’t noticed or cared enough to ask.”

“Why?”

“If we can get you settled in Pine Creek Falls before he notices, it’ll be harder for him to make you come back.”

“I’d love to say he can’t make me do anything, but I think he has a lot more power over me than I ever thought.” The look of shame on her face has indignation rising in my chest.

“That’s because he’s an asshole willing to take advantage of the person who loves him most. Do not take the blame for his failings as a husband.” My words are harsher than I intended, but they seem to get through to her.

Her shoulders drop, and she nods. “Honestly, I’m kind of glad he hasn’t noticed. I don’t think I have it in me to talk to him right now.”

“I don’t blame you. Maybe we’ll have time to talk to Holt about serving him divorce papers before Chris can throw a tantrum.” Holt is one of my best friends and the only lawyer I’d trust to handle this thing between Kylie and Chris. His firm in Pine Creek Falls does a little bit of every kind of law since he’s one of the few good lawyers around.

“I didn’t think about asking Holt for help. That would make things so much easier. I wouldn’t have to worry about Chris’s law firm taking me to task because I had to hire someone I could afford instead of someone I trust.”

“And you know Holt won’t back down from a fight.”

Kylie leans her head on my shoulder. “True. Thanks for thinking of that.”

I wrap an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer into my chest. “I’d do anything for you.”

CHAPTER 8

Kylie

How Grayson is still standing upright is a mystery.

I wasn’t the one driving for almost two days straight after taking a red-eye, and I’m dragging. It feels good to be home though. Grayson’s house is dark but so familiar it’s like being wrapped in a hug.

I decided staying with him would be a better option than going to Mom’s. She’d ask a million questions I don’t have the energy to answer right now.

“Is London staying the night with your parents?” I ask as we walk inside the house.

“Yeah, I figured I’ll go pick her up tomorrow afternoon.”

“Does that mean we can sleep in tomorrow? I’m so tired of moving, it’s not even funny.”

Gray snorts. “You betcha.”

He gets me set up in his guest bedroom before going to his room for the night. The silence surrounds me, and for some reason, it’s just now hitting me how far my world has turned upside down.

I rub my belly as thoughts of what will come next plague me.

The constant rotation of holy shit, what have I done and maybe I can finally find happiness is exhausting, and yet the thoughts won’t stop long enough to let me sleep.

I left my husband of over ten years.

And the longer I analyze those years, the more I realize they’ve been some of the hardest of my life. It wasn’t just losing our babies, though that was devastating enough on its own. I put my all into making our marriage work. I gave up on my dreams because Chris made his seem more important to achieve first. And looking back now, I can see every red flag that should have made me run. I was too stubborn to acknowledge what was staring me right in the face.