Page 1 of Moonlight & Matrimony
Prologue - Ivy
? Burning Down - Alex Warren
“Ican’t do this anymore, Austin. I’m leaving.”
“Like hell you are!” he growls, hands fisted at his sides. With as much confidence as I can muster, I straighten my spine and face the man who’s terrorized me for the last time, refusing to let him see me cower.
My eyes rake over his features — a face I once considered ruggedly handsome — from his slightly crooked nose, dark eyebrows, and stubble along his jaw, to the eyes that now hold nothing but cold indifference; I look at my husband and I feel nothing as numbness settles deep in my chest.
I’ve lived in fear of this man since Rylin was born — longer, if I’m being completely honest — and I can’t go on like this. It ends now; if not for me, then for my little girl. She deserves to grow up in a home free of the overwhelming fear and resentment that continues to plague this house. I never wanted any of this for her, and even on my best days, I feel like a total failure.
It wasn't always like this. There was a time when I truly thought I was in love, though I'm not sure Austin ever felt the same. Austin’s first and only love is himself — it just took me a while to realize it. I was blinded by pretty words and empty promises. Before I even understood what it meant, his love language came in the form of gaslighting and love bombing. After Rylin was born, things escalated far beyond anything I could’ve ever anticipated. He became distant and resentful. What should’ve been the happiest time of my life quickly devolved into a nightmare.
He’d play the doting father and husband in public, but in private, he was irritable and unstable. Eventually, we were discouraged from going out, keeping us secluded at the farm on the outskirts of Oak Ridge. He’d excuse our isolation with claims of concern for our safety — but I knew better. I didn’t truly realize the extent of his manipulations until I found a tracker on my SUV. He’d been watching my movements.
It wasn’t long before he started accusing me of having affairs. He would lash out any time I would so much as greet a server, or speak to another man in passing. The irony wasn’t lost on me — it didn’t take a scientist to figure out that he had been cheating on me with multiple women throughout our relationship. I might have been blinded by love for a time, but I wasn't ignorant of what was going on right under my nose. His friends and family turned a blind eye, often going so far as to blame me for his indiscretions.
“I’m sure you can find someone else to warm your bed,” I sneer with all the vitriol I can muster. I’m done being a doormat. It’s past time to bring back the old Ivy — the fighter, the survivor. Despite the damage, she’s still breathing.
“You’re right. You’re all used up and useless to me now, but I’ll be damned if you’re going to run off to whatever poor fucker you roped in with your lies.” His words have always been viciousand cutting — aimed precisely where he knew he could inflict the most damage. He takes a menacing step towards me, and I mirror his movement, not allowing him to close the distance.
“You’re delusional if you think I’m going to stay here and let you speak to me like that. I’m serious, Austin. I’m fucking done. You can reach me through my lawyer.” I toss a business card on the table, gathering what remains of my confidence.
The cold bite of winter air hits my face as I storm out the door with a crash, his furious voice calling after me as it slams against the frame. It takes all of my composure to hold back the angry tears that are threatening to spill. The gravel crunches underfoot as I approach my SUV, already loaded down with what little luggage I had time to pack, my sleeping 3-year-old tucked securely in the back seat.
As I’m frantically climbing into the driver’s seat, I see Austin striding down the driveway after me, a look of pure rage in his eyes.
Heart beating out of my chest, I quickly close the door and engage the locks. If it weren’t for the little girl in the back seat, this fear would be paralyzing, but I have no choice but to get away. I peel out of the driveway, inhaling a shaky breath and white-knuckling the steering wheel, hoping to maintain my composure until we’re safely on the road. His last words ring in my ears as I press my foot on the gas.“You’re gonna regret this, Ivy.”
I spent the last six months squirreling away as much money as I could. When the income from my art commissions fell short, I sold off things I knew Austin wouldn’t notice had gone missing. Eventually, I saved up enough money for a deposit, and first and last month’s rent. It was slim pickings, as far as rentals in Oak Ridge, but I knew I couldn’t leave the only place that ever felt like home. A few weeks ago, I found an adorable house forrent in a decent neighborhood. The landlord is a sweet little old lady and her husband — about as non-threatening as it gets.
Anticipation and fear laced every action and conversation as my departure loomed, waiting patiently for the right moment to escape. It was everything I could do to keep my emotions at bay for fear that they would give away my intentions. When the other shoe finally dropped, it forced me to make my move several days early.
My entire body trembles as I recall the moment that triggered my inevitable escape — Austin’s hulking figure lunging at me with a cast-iron skillet, red faced and rage-fueled as he swung, narrowly missing my face. In that moment, every horrifying inevitability hit me like a brick, and I knew it wouldn't be long before it escalated. I had to protect my daughter — with my last breath, if it came down to it.
My thoughts drift to my little girl and how differently this story could have ended if I didn’t get us out when I had the chance. Though we have a long road ahead of us, there’s a spark of hope the farther we get from the rundown farmhouse.
Rylin’s soft snores fill the silence as I pull into the driveway of the sage green Victorian we’ll now call home. Putting the SUV in park, I take my first breath of clean air in years.Welcome Home, Ry.
Chapter 1
Ivy
? From Eden - Hozier
“Motherfucker!”
I throw back the covers and slip on my flip-flops before snagging my glasses off the nightstand.
I’ve been listening to a constant stream of noise from next door for the past hour, and I can’t take it anymore. I don’t know who the fuck thinks it’s cool to wake up the entire neighborhood at 8 am, but they’re about to get an earful. That particular house had been on the market for over a year of blissful silence until two weeks ago when the sold sign appeared out front. I was hoping it would be filled by a sweet old lady, or maybe a nice couple with kids for Rylin to play with, but from what I can tell, it’s been purchased by a stampede of wild animals reenacting that one scene from Jumanji.
I walk up the cobblestone steps of the adorable two-story home that looks like it belongs to the set of a sitcom — the kind with the wholesome families who love big and laugh hard — not that I’d know what that’s like. I raise my fist to knock,but before it can make contact, a tall, dark-haired man appears where the door used to be. His piercing brown eyes skate over my body, and a not entirely unpleasant chill crawls up my spine. His full lips are outlined by a neatly cropped beard I’d love to feel between my thighs.Where the hell did that thought come from?
There’s something familiar about him, but I can’t quite place it. He has deliciously broad shoulders, and his dark blue henley hugs the contours of his chest in the most delicious way. There’s a tattoo on his right forearm, peeking out beneath his rolled-up sleeves, though I can’t quite make out its shape.
“Can I help you?” The gruff voice snaps me out of my shameless perusal, my eyes darting to his stupidly handsome face. He leans his shoulder on the door frame as he crosses his arms over his chest, giving me a mouthwatering view of his muscled forearms.
“Yeah, actually. You can. My 4-year-old is asleep and you’re being really loud.”
