Page 57 of His Loving Wife

“I appreciate that. And I appreciate everything you’ve done for us since that night.”

“I want you and your family to know that even though I won’t be here, we’ll do everything within our power to make sure you feel safe.”

Her words were meant to be reassuring, but the way she said it gave Kate pause. She feared maybe what Detective Marsh was trying to say was there were lots of ways this could still go wrong. There were ways Paul could cheat the system. That maybe this nightmare they had been trying to forget wasn’t completely over.

That’s paranoia, she quickly told herself. She took a deep breath, looking around. She was enjoying a beautiful spring day, and Paul was locked behind bars. He could only get to her in her mind. Nowhere else.

“Thank you for telling me.”

Detective Marsh stared at her, unblinking, as though she was focusing on what she wanted to say next. “You’ve been through a lot, Kate. But you’ve come out on the other side. That’s what matters.” When Kate didn’t respond, she continued, “Paul can’t do anything to hurt you.”

Those words echoed in Kate’s head for hours after she left the coffee shop. That, and her bizarre sadness that Detective Marsh was leaving Hidden Oaks behind. She hadn’t known her before that night, and yet, the past year had brought them close together. She didn’t think any other detective could truly understand the terror she had felt that night, the lingering fears that followed her through her days. They weren’t there to witness it, like Detective Marsh was.

Still, maybe it was a good thing, Kate reckoned. She had to stop depending on others to give her fulfillment and peace. She had to start relying on herself. The sooner she could step away from this incident in her mind, the sooner she could get back to feeling the way she once did.

I sound like Dr. Sutton, Kate thought. She was now reiterating the same message her therapist conveyed during their weekly sessions. Where Andrew had done his best to block out the events of that night, with his drinking and his secrecy, Kate had become obsessed. She’d let the event consume her, much like Paul had been consumed with ideas about Kate and Willow. It wasn’t a comparison she wanted to make, but she couldn’t deny it, either.

Dr. Sutton believed Kate needed to distance herself from the case. Stop with the weekly check-ins and Google searches. She especially thought Kate’s meeting with Paul’s ex-wife was unhealthy; she insisted Kate didn’t need to be tracking down information about Paul, to fight fire with fire, in a sense. And yet, it didn’t feel like that to Kate. It felt like she was simply trying to understand the intentions of a madman. It felt like she was preparing herself for another attack, if there ever was one.

Dr. Sutton did approve of Kate’s self-defense classes. The weekly gym sessions boosted her confidence, made her feel more capable than she had nine short months ago, although she would now continue the classes without the guidance of Detective Marsh. Andrew also supported Kate’s classes, admitting in their last session he’d noticed a glow in his wife that he’d not seen since college. Kate had blushed when he said that.

As she was driving home, Kate tried not to think about where they had been as a family or where they were now. She tried to focus on the future, on all the opportunities to come.

Inside the house, Andrew was sitting in front of the computer in the family den. He had headphones on but took them off when he saw his wife approaching.

“Good day?”

“Yeah, it was. Have you talked with Detective Marsh recently?”

“No,” Andrew said. “Have you?”

“I met with her today. I thought maybe she would have reached out to you, too.” She waited, but Andrew didn’t respond. “She says we’ll be dealing with a different detective from now on.”

“Any particular reason why?”

“She’s moving away. Got a new a job.”

Andrew nodded and looked back at the computer. “Good for her.”

Kate wandered behind him, bending down to kiss his cheek. These small moments of intimacy had finally returned to their relationship, letting them both know they were moving in the right direction. Andrew rubbed his cheek against hers. She noted the familiar website on his screen.

Much like Kate had her gym classes, Dr. Sutton suggested that Andrew also find some type of outlet, a form of group therapy, perhaps. Despite his initial resistance, Andrew had warmed to the idea, although meeting with people in real life irked him. Hidden Oaks was too small. Everyone knew everyone else, and it was no secret to anyone what the Brooks family had experienced in the past year.

No, Andrew thought he would prefer a group where he could remain more anonymous. He thought he’d be able to better open up that way, and Kate agreed. Dr. Sutton had forwarded him a list of online support groups for men, and Andrew had been sampling them. Lately, the one called Second Chances soaked up the most of his time.

After the first week, Kate realized how someone like Andrew could benefit from this type of interaction. He had no siblings. While he remained close with his parents, there was always a barrier between them. For whatever problem Andrew encountered, their solution was prayer. Faith had been embedded in him when he was younger, and while it was still within him, it wasn’t as devout as it was with his parents. Prayer could do a lot of things, but it couldn’t protect them from people like Paul Gunter.

Here Kate was again, thinking about Paul like he was out to get her. Like he wasn’t killing time in a jail cell that very moment.

“I’m waiting for some of the guys to login for a quick video chat,” Andrew said, drowning out her thoughts. “Maybe when you get back from the store, we could grab dinner?”

“I’d like that.”

“Raj, good to see you again,” Andrew said to the screen, sliding the headphones on. Kate was invisible to him now, and while she should have stepped away and given him privacy, she couldn’t help but watch a few moments. Andrew’s smile raised high into his cheeks. The lines in his forehead seemed to smooth. His laugh was genuine and youthful. Second Chances was good for him. And it was good for a couple to acknowledge they couldn’t always be the answer for each other; sometimes answers exist elsewhere.

She left the room, wandering into the kitchen. She inspected the pantry and refrigerator, jotting down a quick list of essentials they’d need to make it through the rest of the week. It was only in the past couple of years Kate seemed to have these moments of quiet; now that Willow was driving, there were pockets throughout the day when she no longer had a child by her side. For a minute, she closed her eyes and envisioned what her life would be like with Andrew in the years to come, once both kids were out of the house. Empty nesters, but something about the thought made her feel fulfilled, not lonely.

Kate began gathering her things to go to the store. She walked back to the study, intending to knock on the door and let Andrew know she was headed out. She stopped when she heard a loud voice from the other side.

---