Page 4 of Mercy Lake

The high-pitched screech came to a halt as I concentrated on regaining my breath. “Don’t ever speak her name in front of me again. Better yet,youdon’t ever speak tomeagain. Don’t touch me, don’t look at me. From now on, you don’t exist.”

I could see the terror in his eyes, the fear setting in as he tried and failed to placate me. That new, unhinged version of his wife he had never met.

Welcome to my alter ego, asshole. The scorned, heartbroken wife who will fucking destroy you.Yet, he still harped on with his shit.

“You’re not leaving until we talk this out. I’m not losing you over this.”

Fed up, I decided if he wasn’t going to let me go, I would bulldoze straight through him. I shoved with all my might, pitching a hard shoulder into his torso.

Get the fuck out of my way.

And you know what that cheating bastard did? He thought he would restrain me, hold my wrists to prevent them from pummelling into his chest. When that started, I’m not sure, but it felt good. So I continued to throw hands—punching, slapping, scratching.

I tried to inflict the same pain that was festering in my veins, in the very marrow of my bones. Unbearable, crippling pain.

The assault didn’t stop until he was squeezing my wrists so hard they felt like they were going to fracture.

Our chests heaved as we shared breath.I’d rather be oxygen-deprived than share the same air as him. I’d rather my skin peel off than have his touch.

“You’re going to hurt yourself,” he said, his voice choked with sadness.

Leave. Escape.

I tried to twist out of his hold, but he wouldn’t relent. I wasn’t stupid. I knew how much his physical strength outweighed my own. Still, I couldn’t help but try. And for the first time since the newfound revelation, I stared him dead in the eyes and let him see the internal shift inside me.Watch, motherfucker, and see what you have done.

His fingers inadvertently tightened on my bruising wrists, and I whimpered. “Break them. Everything else I have, you broke.”

Owen stumbled back, dropping his hold immediately, horror freshly painted over his face.

“I will give you time. But we’re going to talk, Alexis. I’m going to fix this.”

I couldn’t deal with him much longer. I could feel the tether of my emotions pushing forward, wanting release. I had to get out before I broke down. Before I crumbled to the floor where I’d be unable to get back up.

I shut that shit down, packing all that hurt, all that useless feeling so far down to revisit another time.

Leave. Escape.

As if Owen could see the resolve hardening in place, he lost his composure. His voice cracked on a sob, and tears ran from his eyes as he instinctively reached for me.

His palms squeezed my cheeks as he dispersed kisses all over my face. Silently begging, pleading.

Each brush of contact reverent, each caress sealed with a vow—one he had already set on fire and burnt to ash.

And I felt nothing. I was an empty shell. Subjectively, I could feel his touch, but the neurons weren’t relaying to my brain. I couldn’t even feel his lips, not really. I just felt cold… So utterly cold.

After he naturally tapered off by laying one last kiss on my lips, Owen finished by looking deep into my eyes, searching for something he would no longer find.

Then, I gave him my reply.

“Your touch feels like poison,” I said. So matter-of-fact and genuine, the words made him wince backwards. Taking advantage of his distraction, I bolted for the door towards my freedom. “You will never see me again.”

I risked one last glance before my exit—one tiny token to take with me on the perilous journey ahead I’d found myself alone on.

Owen had crumbled to his knees, pulling at his hair, sobbing “please” over and over again.

Without another word, I walked out of our shared life—the life he had broken beyond repair.

Chapter 2

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