AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Stalking over to the patio door, I pull back one of the long vertical blinds. Sure enough there’s a man in the backyard, walking the perimeter.
Sighing, I drop the blind and let it swing back into place.
Hanging out back there and getting some sun is completely out of the question.
I couldn’t relax with a stranger staring at me.
Walking back to the playpen, I watch Abel play for a few minutes. Watch him shove toys into his mouth then discard them on the floor.
But as much as I love my child, it grows boring after a while.
Pacing again, I try to fight the urge to run. To escape before Jude comes home and I have to face him.
Face my lie.
But it itches under my skin.
Growing stronger the longer I try to ignore it.
“Fuck it,” I mutter under my breath.
With nothing else to do, I start poking around the house. Pulling open drawers and opening cabinets, I try to get a feel for Jude.
But most of the drawers and cabinets are empty. There’s no trace anything was ever in them.
The only things I stumble across are a couple of folded up extra blankets and remotes that go with the TV.
How long has Jude lived here?I wonder. Did he just move in?
The whole situation becoming weirder by the second, I open the door to the broom closet and hit the jackpot.
“Hallelujah!” I nearly shout.
I should have guessed Jude would have a stroller stashed somewhere. He has everything else.
Grabbing the handle, I carefully wheel the folded-up stroller out of the closet.
“Do you want to go for a walk?” I ask Abel.
He bangs the two blocks he’s holding together and blows spit bubbles.
I smile at him. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
The stroller is so big and bulky, I have to lean it against the wall to open the front door.
Once I have the door swung open wide, I carefully maneuver the stroller down the front stoop.
Then I spend a couple of minutes trying to figure out how to unfold the damn thing.
Finding two hooks near the handle, I undo them and the stroller pops open.
The men in the SUV tense, watching me through the windshield.
Pressing down the brake on the back wheels, I give them a little wave and go back inside to grab Abel.
I can only guess what they’re thinking.
Jude said nothing about me not being able to walk around the neighborhood.
