Page 79 of His Loving Wife

And there’s everything to fear here, I think. Vincent’s presence on our trip isn’t coincidental. Nothing about our lives in recent months has been a coincidence. It’s all been carefully orchestrated by Andrew, with the help of his friends, and I don’t want to stick around to find out the rest.

“We can’t do that.” This time Andrew’s voice is condescending and direct. “No keys. No phones. We’re stuck here.”

He’s reminding me there’s no escape. My chest rises and falls rapidly. I can feel a powerful wave trying to overwhelm me. There is danger in this room, swarming around my children and me. I have to find a way out of here. My eyes dart between Andrew and Vincent. I’m not sure how we can escape.

Then there’s a knock on the door.

Chapter 42

Andrew

The men from Second Chances provided a different type of brotherhood, a more united form of family. Even though he’d not met any of them in person, it was frightening how easy it was to connect. Sure, their specific situations were different, their catalysts were unique, but the feelings—those were all the same.

Cal Rogers had failed his family. As much as he tried to blame his employer for his problems, eventually he admitted he was the one at fault. He’d mishandled his responsibilities at work, lost large sums of money. All this led to his eventual firing, which was the ultimate failure. He’d let his family down. His wife, Daphne, hadn’t worked for the entirety of their marriage. Her greatest concerns revolved around whether they should landscape the front lawn or backyard first (in her mind, both would get done), and she prided herself on being the envy of her friends.

And their children were on the cusp of their own adulthood. Rose, her sweet sixteen approaching, would be needing a car soon. Their oldest, Zachary, was expecting a newer model to celebrate his acceptance into college. They had been begging him for a tour around Europe, prom dresses, sports equipment—all things that would be impossible to fund without Rogers’ almighty salary. How could he explain to his family, who had so blindly followed his lead throughout their lives, that he could no longer afford these things? That they might have to sell their home (Daphne’s true pride and joy) just to make ends meet? When he thought of the inevitable disappointments they’d face, the pious sneers they’d receive from former friends and neighbors, it sounded dramatic, but he’d very much rather die than put his family through that.

Trent’s dilemma was more typical. His marriage was falling apart, his wife making their fight for custody an increasing struggle, but, like Cal, he stood witness as the life he knew, the family he loved, slipped through his fingers.

The divorce wasn’t his fault. Stacey wouldn’t stop hounding him. She refused to be happy with their life. She always wanted more, bigger, better. Trent hadn’t grown up with much, just enough to let him know what really mattered in life. It wasn’t your address. It wasn’t how much money you had stashed away in a pension. It was family. Sure, Stacey was no longer in the picture. But his children? He couldn’t go on without them.

Yet, it seemed that Stacey’s new mission in life, now that she’d found a wealthier man and moved into a fancier neighborhood, was to eliminate Trent. She wanted to expel him. The worst part of it all was that she was winning this battle. Trent lacked education, an established career, the right connections. None of this had seemed to matter when Stacey agreed to marry him, back when she was begging him to knock her up and start playing house. Now that she had everything she wanted—all the things he couldn’t provide—she wanted to leave him in the dust. It just wasn’t fair.

Andrew listened to the men from Second Chances, connecting with some more than others. Perhaps what was most bizarre, what was really frightening, was how easy it was for him to relate to them. He hadn’t walked the same path as Trent or Cal or the others, and yet he shared their sense of loss. Like theirs, his life had spun out of his control, thrusting him onto a different, darker path, one that seemed impossible to navigate on his own.

In the depths of that darkness, Vincent seemed to represent a light. A different way of looking at their situations. A theory, which at first felt like an outrageous suggestion, which slowly started to make sense. Life had numbed them, he said. Their wives and their kids had dulled their senses. Generations were being watered down, losing the strength that once made them capable of protection and control. There was only one way to get that control back: seize it. Carpe that effing diem and stop feeling sorry for yourself. If you didn’t like how your life was unfolding, then damn well change it.

And if you didn’t like the people joining you on your journey, well, that was changeable, too. For some men, like Vincent, it was fitting to leave their families behind and start over.

For others, like Cal and Andrew, their bravest action would be to stand by their families until the end, protect them as they ventured into the dark.

Chapter 43

Now

Vincent and Andrew look at each other. For a long, horrible moment, I fear they’ve invited others over. We’re already at a disadvantage, the three of us obeying the dominating presence they hold over us. If more of their friends arrive, we may not have any hope at all.

Those thoughts scurry away when I recognize the look of confusion on their faces. Vincent and Andrew are as surprised to have a visitor as I am, which is a good sign.

There’s a second knock, this time louder. Vincent gives a subtle nod, and Andrew goes to the front door and answers it.

“Sorry to bother you…”

The voice outside sounds both familiar and strange. I stand quickly, before Vincent can stop me, and position myself behind Andrew. I immediately recognize the person standing on our front porch as Dan, the man from the restaurant. He’s wearing a dark raincoat with the hood over his head, droplets of rain sliding down the slick material.

“Hello, Dan,” I say, my voice deliberately cheerful. “Andrew, this is Jan’s husband. Remember me telling you about them?”

“Of course.” He tries to sound friendly, but I can hear his irritation. “I believe I met your wife the other night.”

“Yes, that’s actually why I wanted to stop by. I feel awful about the whole thing, our girls getting your daughter in trouble like that. I pass your place on my way home, and I thought I’d swing by and introduce myself. Apologize on behalf of my daughters.”

“It’s not a problem,” Andrew says.

“Kids will be kids. We understand that. We don’t blame you or your girls,” I say.

I have to think of a way to keep the conversation going. This could be my only opportunity to flee the house, or at least signal for help. I can’t tell Dan what’s actually going on here, not with Vincent so close to my children inside.

“I can promise you our girls don’t give us much trouble, and I’m sorry we brought Willow back to you in such a state.”

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