Page 45 of The Truth in My Lies (Secrets of Suburbi 1)

I couldn’t breathe. What kind of sick game was she playing with me? “I will never have his children. He’ll hurt them too. Just like he hurts me.”

She closed her notebook. “It’s clear that we’re not going to be having a serious conversation today.”

“Dr. Nash, please, you have to help me!”

“You want me to believe that your husband is abusing you? The same man that’s sitting in the waiting room worried sick about you? The one that deals with your moods like a saint? Come back next time with a better story. Or tell me the truth. For once in your life, stop lying to yourself and stop lying to me. All I want is to help you.”

I stood up. “Go to hell!”

She sighed. “I’m afraid we’ve run out of time. I’m going to double your dosage of anxiety and depression medicine. And next time, please call in advance if you’re going to miss an appointment. But I expect you to be here. And I expect you to tell me the truth so that I can help you.”

“You’ll be sorry. If I die, someone will find out the truth. And you’ll be so, so sorry that you didn’t listen.”

“That’s enough!” She shook her head like she was trying to clear it. Her eyes were like stones when she looked back at me. She slowly stood up and smoothed down her skirt. “Now if you would please sit in the waiting room, I need to have a word with your husband.”

“He’s lying to you.”

“We both know that isn’t true.”

“You can’t talk about this with him. You can’t tell him what I said. He’ll punish me.”

“He’s your custodian, Adeline. He needs to be aware of your progress.”

She said progress. But her tone screamed “lack of progress.”

“I don’t need a custodian. I can make my own decisions.”

“The state of Delaware thinks otherwise. Now, if you would, please go to the waiting room and send your husband in.”

I wasn’t crazy. He had hurt me. He’d been hurting me for years. And I didn’t need drugs. I didn’t need someone else to make decisions for me. I was going to go home and find my box and go to the police. They’d help me. And if not, I’d kill my husband. I’d hit him over the head with a shovel and use the same shovel to bury his grave in the backyard. I couldn’t wait for his lifeless eyes to stare back at me. He had made mine lifeless for so long.

I walked out into the waiting room and plastered a smile on my face. “She wants to talk to you.”

He folded up the magazine he had been reading and walked over to me. “Feeling better?” he asked with a smile that was probably as fake as mine.

“Oh, I’m smashing.” Right after I killed my husband I was going to kill Dr. Nash.

Chapter 23

I looked down at the bland piece of chicken on my plate. All I wanted to do was find that box. But he was breathing down my neck.

“Eat, Adeline.”

I glanced up at his face. It was odd. At one point, I thought I loved his smile. His eyes. His nose even. Now each feature made me feel nauseous. “Are you going to send me away?” I hated how pathetic I sounded. But he'd barely said a word since we left Dr. Nash’s. What had they talked about?

He finished chewing and set down his fork. “You’re acting like I want to. I never want to.”

“Then why do you threaten me with it?”

“Why do you continue to defy me?”

Because you don’t own me. I was done fighting with him. All I had to do was wait until he needed to leave to catch his flight. Whenever that was. He'd originally said he’d be stopping by for lunch. It was almost 3 o’clock. And I couldn’t force this food down my throat. “I’m sorry.”

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I can take some vacation time. I can…”

“No. That’s not necessary. You have to work. And I told you I’d take the pills.”

He stared at me, as if he was trying to gauge my honesty. “Then take them.”

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