Page 84 of His Loving Wife

A wave of guilt passes through me at the thought that my expectations might have moved Andrew in this direction. I blink hard, shaking my head. “We have issues, Andrew, but this isn’t the way to sort through them!”

“I’m never going to be the husband and the father you need me to be.”

“You can. Prove it right now. Let us go.”

“I can’t.” A whisper. He looks away, as though the sight of us pains him. “It wasn’t supposed to be like this, you know. No one was supposed to be scared. We were supposed to make the most of these days together. Be happy. You weren’t supposed to find out about any of this until…”

Until it was too late. My mind finishes the sentence for him. That’s why he wanted me to join them on the boat. He wanted to kill us out there, not here in front of an angry Vincent and a dead man on the floor.

“This will all be over soon,” Vincent says. He walks past me, standing beside Andrew.

“What’s he talking about, Dad?” Noah asks. There’s a catch in his voice that makes my heart ache.

Andrew doesn’t answer him. He turns to Vincent instead. “You didn’t have to do that in front of them.” He motions to Dan on the floor. “This guy didn’t have any part of this.”

Vincent steps forward, places both hands on Andrew’s shoulders, like a well-versed teacher might react to their great apprentice. “Don’t lose focus now. We’re so close.” Vincent turns slowly. “Let’s take out the boat. Follow through with that ride with the family.”

“Are you crazy?” Willow asks.

“What about the storm?” Noah adds.

“There’s no storm that a strong family can’t weather together,” Vincent says.

“We’re not going anywhere with you,” I say defiantly, squeezing my children closer.

Vincent doesn’t say anything. He takes a long, deliberate look at Dan on the floor, his blood now pooling around the seal of the front door. He walks into the kitchen and puts his hand on the knife. He looks at me.

We don’t have a choice.

Chapter 46

Now

The wind has picked up substantially. The curtains follow us outside when Vincent orders us onto the back deck. The descending storm makes it feel like night. The pool lights have flicked on, the waves moving rapidly in aqua and white ripples. Rain splatters against my skin, producing chill bumps immediately.

“Where are we going?” Willow shouts above the wind.

“Follow me.” Andrew leads the way, guiding us down the dock to where the boat sits. Vincent follows behind us, the knife in his hands.

“I’m not going,” Willow says, planting her feet and refusing to move.

“Just keep walking, honey,” I say, refusing to make eye contact. I’m ashamed that I can’t think of anything better to tell her. I can’t think of a solid way out of this situation, not when we’ve all just seen what Vincent is capable of doing.

Noah puts his hand on the small of his sister’s back and pushes her forward.

“Is he going to hurt us?” Noah whispers.

“I don’t know.” It’s a heartbreaking answer to deliver. I don’t want it to be true, and yet I can’t deny the severity of this situation. The danger of this man Andrew has willingly brought into our lives. More tragically, I don’t know if theheNoah is referring to is Vincent or his father.

The water below the dock thrashes violently. Andrew looks back to Vincent, a silent question about whether to proceed.

“Go on,” Vincent says. Andrew steps on the boat, holding out his hands for Willow, then Noah, to follow.

“Please just stop this.” I turn to Vincent, offering a final plea.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this, you know, and you have more fault than you’re willing to admit. The plan was to make this as painless as possible. No one was supposed to have any fear.” Vincent looks back towards the house. “And as for that man lying dead in the kitchen, the blood is on your hands. So please, let’s not drag this out any longer.”

I look at him, then back at the house we’ve called home for the past two weeks. This was supposed to be our getaway, our chance to reconnect. Now, it’s very possible this is the scene of our last days together as a family.

---