Page 23 of Better Than Expected

While Hannah on a personal level was more than glad – ecstatic, relieved, unburdened – by her lack of face time with Michael for months, it was the precarious situation of having a child with the man. Because Abbie always felt every canceled plan and lack of action to spend time with her.

Her disbelieving snort incensed him even more, as the vein in his forehead started to pound. “I don’t know what the fuck you think you’re doing, but Caroline Parker is spending too much time with my daughter. I thought, if I let this run its course, you’ll get this shit out of your system and–”

“Mom!” Abbie called from the top of the stairs, and Hannah deliberately pushed against Michael’s shoulder to create space between them and push a smile onto her face at her daughter.

“Hi, honey. Why don’t you get your bag and we’ll go home? I have your favorite mac and cheese ready to have with the ham tonight.”

Abbie nodded and scrambled off to her room. Hannah found that it was disturbingly easy to slip on the smile and fake-light voice for Abbie, in ways she hadn’t had to do since they’d left this home. It used to be so simple, so second-nature to do it… maybe that was why it felt so disturbing now.

Because now she really knew how not normal that was.

She took a deep breath and turned back around, and she could see that the fact that she had physically pushed passed Michael had not only made him angrier, but shocked him, too. It shocked her a little as well.

She would have never done that during their marriage.

With the way his fists clenched and shook, she could see he was close to his boiling point. This?

This would have undoubtedly been the time she backed down in any fight when they’d been together, no matter what it was about.

“Hannah, I swear to god, you’d better listen to what I’m fucking telling you.” He reached out and clamped his hand around her wrist, the hold tight and edging past uncomfortable into painful.

And that? Incensed her, now, in a way that it would have terrified her, before.

Drawing herself up to stand as tall as she could, she stared him in the eye. “You have no right to tell me what to do. Never again. I spent ten years listening to you, but that portion of our lives is over now.” With a grimace, she wrenched her arm out of his grip. “And if you ever put your hands on me again, you will regret it.” The strength filled her now, filled her enough to say the words that bubbled right up: “Trust me; I have a really good lawyer.”

The fact that she’d shocked him beyond action and words as Abbie came running down the stairs, zipping up her jacket as she went, gave Hannah a satisfaction she didn’t think she’d ever felt before.

She wasn’t sure, but she thought his blood might actually be boiling, as she opened the door for Abbie as her daughter said goodbye to Michael over her shoulder. Hannah didn’t share the sentiment, and shut the large oak door that had always felt so much like a cage door locking her in a prison, behind her.

No matter what the future held? This was the past.

May 21 – This Year

“Ohmy god,” the words left Hannah on a whimper.

“Shh,” Caroline shushed against her neck, before she slid her tongue all the way up to Hannah’s ear. She nipped at her earlobe and slid her hand to grasp at Hannah’s thigh, just under the hem of her graduation robe. “We have to be quiet.”

She slid her hand up, taking the hem of Hannah’s dress with her.

“We shouldn’t be doing this here,” she panted out as she threw her head back against the door, pressing herself closer to Caroline in spite of her words.

Her cap had been on the ground as of two minutes ago, when they’d crashed through the door of the classroom.

It had all started because Caroline, Abbie, and Robyn had met up with her in the near-empty building where most of her classes were located, to get pictures of her in her cap and gown while she was on campus.

She’d felt embarrassed at their enthused insistence but had posed nonetheless.

Then, when she’d said she had to go inside to get her purse where she’d left it after one last congratulatory meeting with her professor, Caroline had offered to accompany her, while Robyn and Abbie headed the next block over to Fenway Park to nab their seats for the commencement ceremony.

As soon as they’d entered the empty classroom, Caroline had been on her.

Hands grasping at her hips, mouth hot on Hannah’s, as she’d pushed her up against the wall and was just so hungry for her.

“Do you want to stop?” Caroline asked, her fingers pausing just before they slid to Hannah’s inner-thigh.

And even though she knew they should for a multitude of reasons – anyone could walk by, she had to be at the commencement ceremony in less than a half hour, Abbie and Robyn were there waiting for Caroline already, they were in a classroom – Hannah blinked open her eyes and looked at Caroline.

Those eyes that were dark with absolute want, but the question was earnest. Hannah could say no, now or at any other point, and Caroline would stop.

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