Page 1 of Finding Gwen

Chapter One

Gwen

“Honestly, what was the point of even hiring a nanny?” my boss screamed. She had been going on and on for the last thirty minutes about how I could never do my job correctly. Her voice was now background noise as I debated whether or not this would be the last straw. I loved being a nanny, and unfortunately, dealing with parents came with the territory.

“Mrs. Watson, I’m going to have to ask you to stop raising your voice at me,” I calmly interrupted, finally able to get a word in. “I would be happy to have a conversation about your expectations if you are willing to do so calmly.” Maybe she would be willing to talk like adults…

“Stop raising my voice?” Her question was laced with sarcasm and hatred. “How hard is it to do your fucking job? Are you stupid?” Nope, nevermind. I had no idea what had put her in a bad mood today, but it no longer mattered. It was time for me to take my leave.

“I believe this is no longer a good fit for either of us.” Her eyes grew big, and she opened her mouth as if to say something, but I continued. “Consider this my formal resignation. I quit, effective immediately.” Gathering my stuff, I made my way toward the front door.

“Gwen, do not walk away from me! Gwen!” I closed the door behind me, not daring to give that woman the satisfaction of looking back.

Not my circus, not my monkeys.

After making it home, I didn’t immediately get out of my car. Instead, I screamed. I had been with that family for over six months, keeping shit from falling apart at every twist and turn. Why did they think it was okay to treat me like garbage? My knuckles tightened around the steering wheel, turning a bright shade of white as the wail finally subsided. Taking a deep breath, I let go, stretching my fingers before turning off the car.

I had parked on the street even though the driveway was empty because my fiancé preferred the driveway to himself. Matt was a car enthusiast, and his red Jeep was priceless to him. I left him to it whenever possible. It was never worth the headache to try convincing him the driveway was more than big enough for both of our cars. Walking up the sidewalk, I hoped I could relax for a few before I needed to start on chores. Bad day or not, Matt would expect dinner to be ready when he got home.

As I made my way inside, a shiver ran up my spine. All the lights were on, the couch pillows were tossed onto the floor, and one of the kitchen stools was knocked over. A loud thump came from the back of the house. Panic washed over me. Had someone broken in? The front door had been locked, but there was still the back door. Setting my bag by the front door, I crept to the closet and grabbed the old baseball bat that my dad gave me when I got my first apartment. I had laughed when he gave it to me, but now, I silently thanked him. The smarter move would’ve probably been to call the police instead of going after whoever had broken into my house, but I was still drunk on rage from this morning. I was ready to start swinging.

Creeping down the hallway, the steady thumping coming from the bedroom gradually grew in volume. As I got closer to the door, grunting joined the commotion. Gripping the bat a little tighter, I reached for the doorknob to the bedroom and began turning it, when a high-pitched moan froze me in my tracks.

“Oh, fuck! Yes, Matt! Yes!”

No, he couldn’t be… I wanted to be wrong, but the sight that awaited me when I opened the door had my stomach flipping. My fiancé was at the end of the bed with his pants around his ankles and his dick buried in some random brunette, doggy style.

“What the actual fuck?” My voice sounded muffled through the ringing in my ears. Matt immediately froze, his head whipping sideways to face me.

“Gwen! This isn’t–We’re not—” He pulled out, trying to take a step, but tripping on his pants. I turned away and stomped back down the hall.

A loud thud sounded from the bedroom, followed by an even louder, “Fuck!” I could only assume Matt fell, and I hoped that he flattened his dick in the process. “Wait, Gwen!”

I heard him trying to get his pants up, his belt clanking as he struggled. Standing at the edge of the living room, I closed my eyes, taking a minute to breathe. Overwhelmed didn’t even begin to describe how I felt at that moment. Rage surged like electricity through my veins, biting at my skin.

His hand on my shoulder had my eyes flying open. Repulsed by his touch, I pulled away, turning to face him. The bat in my hand raised, pointing it at Matt, who flinched slightly as it brushed past his legs. “Do not touch me,” I snapped.

Matt didn’t move, anger flashing across his features. “Gwen—”

“I don’t want to hear your fucking excuses, Matt!” I yelled, twisting to walk away. Before I could take a step, the air left my lungs as I slammed harshly against the wall, Matt’s forearm pinned against my chest. The bat fell from my hand as I clawed at him. My screams to get off of me were cut off by a harsh slap to my cheek. Tears instantly swelled in my eyes. My vision blurred and the last two years of abuse rushed to the surface.

“Lazy bitch… Fucking useless…” Matt always let his opinion be known. The constant yelling most nights had my nerves on edge.

I kept telling myself it could be worse, so I defended him. Then it did. Bruises covered my upper arm from being grabbed too hard, and the first time he slapped me…

But Matt had apologized, bringing home a bouquet of roses like he always did after we fought. He convinced me I was the problem, and I believed him.

Maybe this was my fault, too…

No.

I don’t know when he had stepped away from me, but when I blinked away the tears pooling in the corners of my eyes, he was standing against the opposite wall. “Gwen, I’m–” I put up my hands, his voice trailing off. Bending down, I picked up the discarded bat while glancing at Matt.

“Don’t follow me.” My voice was shaky and barely above a whisper, but I refused to cry in front of him. Flinging open the front door, I grabbed my bag and let the door slam shut behind me. My feet sunk into the grass as I ran across the lawn to my car, quickly throwing my bag and the bat into my passenger seat as I climbed inside and started it up. Driving away, my destination was unknown, but when I came to the end of the street, a familiar car caught my eye.

That fucking asshole…

He knew I would have spotted his car in the driveway and hid it. I pulled up behind the red Jeep and the stupid sticker on the back window confirmed what I thought—it was Matt’s.

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