Page 11 of Tusk's Fury

A relationship just isn’t in the cards—because of reasons beyond his control. And I understand that.

My hand drifts to my stomach as I imagine what our child will look like. I’m lucky to have this baby. A vivid reminder of the man I love. Even with my heart breaking, I can’t bring myself to regret what we had—or the life we created together.

Gathering up the test kits, I take them to my room and drop them into my purse. Then, I start going through my things, trying to decide what to take and what I can leave behind.

***

I spend all weekend boxing up my belongings, stacking them by the front door. Somehow, I manage to fit everything I need into my car.

Bright and early Monday morning, I call my employer and quit my job, telling them I have a family emergency out of state.

Dr. Greenberg calls back. He’s nicer than I deserve.

I haven’t been there long enough to disrupt their operations, so I’m not really leaving them in the lurch. Still, I feel bad for quitting so suddenly—but I don’t have a choice.

I’m a strong woman, but I can’t stay here and watch Tusk with his new family.

I can’t sit through a conversation where he tells me his kids are young, and their needs have to come first.

I already know that.

It just sucks in every conceivable way—because I thought I’d finally found my happily ever after in that man.

I let him into my heart far too fast.

That one’s on me. It’s my own fault that I’m hurting so badly.

And there’s nothing I can do to fix it. The only thing I can do is remove myself from the situation. Protect my child from feeling like an afterthought in their father’s life.

I don’t want my baby to grow up feeling like they’re on the outside looking in.

For their sake, I need to start over.

I know not telling Tusk he’s going to be a dad is bad, but if he is going to try and make a go of it with Gina again, he doesn’t need any more complications. It’s for the best all round that I just disappear.

When I’m finally ready to leave, I take my phone, place it under the tire of my car, and run over it a couple of times.

I’ve already bought a burner phone and transferred all my important information.

I even closed down all my social media accounts.

Destroying my phone is the last link to my old life.

Now, I just need to run like hell from my dark past—one more time.

Chapter 4

Tusk

Spending the weekend with my kids is wonderful. Spending it with my ex-wife? Not so much. Now it’s Monday and I’m free of her and I can get back to spending time with the woman I love. Truth be told, if it was just Gina, I’d have told her to fuck right off, but spending quality time with my kids means the world to me.

At first glance, having a family celebration for our youngest son’s birthday seemed like a good idea. In reality, it turned into a fucking disaster.

I don’t know how one ex-wife can be more trouble than four young children, but she sure as fuck was.

She started the day acting like we were getting back together—as if it was some kind of celebration of our reunion. I think because I met them at the clubhouse, she thought it was some fucking romantic gesture. But I chose to meet them there because I didn’t want them at the apartment complex where Brittany might see us. Not because she gets jealous, but because Gina can’t resist sticking the knife in. So I figured because Britt rarely spends time at the clubhouse and only goes there with me, we were safe. I wasn’t counting on Gina making such a big deal out of it.

I shut that shit down fast.

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