Home, Finally, Without Him

landed in

n my painting. When I stepped out into the arrivals hall, I saw Liam immediately. He stood

, brilliant smile that always ma

shielding me from the jostling people. He smelled clean, li

ing my face in his chest. The fabri

ok tired. Let' s get you home." He took my suitcase with one hand and w

m turned on the heat, and warm air blasted my cold face. He put a hand on my knee, his thumb rub

ther passenger seat, my foot

earring, a delicate gold hoop wi

ine. I neve

stared at the earring, the way it caught the dim light from the dashboard. It

Liam asked, his

cked it up, holding it in the palm of my

n the center console. The scr

e call go to voicemail, but a moment later, it buzzed again with a text message. He quickly tapped

kay?" I asked

A bit much, sometimes." He tried to smile again, but it didn' t reach his eyes. "Hey, I' m starving. Why don'

ing to get

to call

ve. I just sat there, the earring pressing into my palm, u

oice still smooth, but wit

go into the bakery. I just stood under the awning, the rain splashing at m

atmosphere felt differen

g good?" he asked, f

showed him the earr

nd, I saw panic in his eyes. But he recovered

Chloe' s. She must

," I said. It w

t it then." His explanation was smooth, too smooth. He reached over and took the

love compartment as if

things, not the first time he' d had a "new assistant." After our daughter, Lily, was born, the discoveries had become more frequent. A hotel receipt. A text message seen over h

e, empty house, he foll

, coming up behind me as I put my pur

, the doo

to reveal a young woman standing on our porch, holding a small, wrapped

as C

ight and cheerful. She completely ignored me standing a few feet away

good time," Liam said,

nally looked at me, her eyes sweeping over me in a quick, dismissi

t, that she was the one from the text. I kn

pped. "Chloe,

we were talking about. The one you said you and your ex-girlfriend used to love." She looked directly at me when she said "ex

and I had listened to on our first date. He had told me the story

of fury. He grabbed Ch

ing her arm away. She gave me one last tri

her. The silence in the hous

familiar, manipulative gentleness. "Ava, she' s crazy. S

elieve him.

to our bedroom. He followed me, grab

rom me," he hissed,

he was too strong. He sp

face close to mine. "You' re my wif

love or passion. It was about possession. It was about erasing wha

way, my whole body

cruel, ugly sneer twi

mpt. "The struggling artist I pulled out of the gutter? Don' t forget who pa

e stood there for a moment, looking down at me with pure disdain, bef

hallway, the echo of his

-