Page 26 of Ruined By Protection
I didn't ask what she meant. I didn't care. All that mattered was my escape.
The plane hits turbulence, jolting me back to the present. My hands grip the armrests, knuckles white. It's nothing compared to the storm I left behind.
Last night. God, last night.
Elliott came home in one of his moods. I'd learned to read the signs—the tight jaw, the precise way he hung his coat, the silence that wasn't really silent, merely a countdown to explosion.
I'd done everything right. Dinner was gourmet. The house spotless. I wore the dress he liked. I was the perfect, pretty doll he'd married.
But it wasn't enough. It never was.
I take another sip of water, letting the cool liquid soothe my raw throat. The bruise on my cheekbone throbs beneath the makeup, a constant reminder of what I'm running from.
It wasn't always like this. Or maybe it was and I just couldn't see it.
Elliott was charming at first—attentive in ways no man had ever been. He noticed everything: my favorite flowers, how I took my coffee, which earrings I wore most often. I thought it was romantic, the way his eyes followed me across a room, how he always seemed to know where I was and who I was talking to.
"I just want to take care of you," he'd say, his fingers brushing my hair back. "Let me handle everything."
And I did. God help me, I did.
It started small. He'd frown when I wore certain outfits. "That color doesn't flatter you, sweetheart," he'd say, voice gentle but eyes hard. Soon, clothes I liked would mysteriously disappear from my closet, replaced by things he'd chosen.
My phone started acting strangely six months into our marriage. Battery draining fast, apps opening on their own. When I mentioned getting a new one, Elliott insisted on handling it. "I know people in tech," he said. "Let me take care of it for you."
The new phone worked perfectly—and I never questioned why he needed my passwords.
The businessman beside me shifts and I flinch automatically. The reaction is instinctive now—a Pavlovian response to sudden movement. I hate that my husband has taken even this from me: the ability to exist in the world without fear.
I think about the cameras he installed throughout our house. "For security," he'd explained, kissing my forehead. "I need to know you're safe when I travel." It seemed reasonable at the time. He was protecting me. Loving me.
I didn't realize he watched the footage. Every second of it. Every day.
"Why did the pool guy stay for forty-five minutes on Tuesday?" he asked casually over dinner one night. "The pool only takes thirty minutes to clean."
My stomach had dropped. "He was explaining the new chemical system."
Elliott's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Next time don't invite him inside for water. It sends the wrong message."
I hadn't invited him in. The pool guy had asked to use the bathroom. But I knew better than to correct Elliott when that look was in his eyes.
The flight attendant passes again and I press myself smaller against the window. My thoughts drift to my friends—or the absence of them. One by one they fell away after my marriage. Elliott always had reasons: Lisa was jealous of our happiness, Jen was a bad influence.
Each time he'd comfort me through the ‘necessary’ distancing. "You have me," he'd whisper. "I'm all you need."
I trace the edge of my wedding ring, the diamond catching light from the sun beyond the airplane window. Elliott always said it was flawless, just like I needed to be for him. Perfect. Controlled.His.
The truth is that Elliott doesn't love me. He loves owning me. Possessing me. Controlling every aspect of my existence.
And the most terrifying part? He thinks that is love. In his twisted mind, the obsessive control is how he shows he cares.
CHAPTER 8
Matteo
The sleek black Escalade cuts through morning traffic like a shark through water. I drum my fingers against my thigh, watching the city blur past the window. The leather seat beneath me is butter-soft, the car's interior smelling of Italian cologne and new leather, but none of it improves my mood.
"You're quiet today, Matteo." Noah's voice breaks through my thoughts. His eyes flick to me briefly before returning to the road.
