Page 58 of The Doctor's Twins

“Oh, Peyton. I’m so sorry,” he said and cupped my face with his hand. “Son of a bitch. Forgive me for asking a stupid question, but why didn’t you try and leave sooner?”

“I couldn’t. He threatened to kill me or hurt my folks if I ever tried. So, I stayed.”

Ben’s face turned pink. I could tell that he was trying to keep his rage in check.

“Go on.”

“This is where the story takes an ugly turn. Up until this point, I was Mateo’s occasional punching bag, but things quickly spiraled out of control. I fell pregnant.”

I swallowed at the memory of losing my baby, but I refused to give Mateo any more of my tears.

“Mateo was furious. He told me to get rid of our child, but I refused. I dug in my heels and went to see the gynecologist. If I thought my life was bad before, I soon learned that my nightmare had only just started.”

“I don’t understand. There was nothing wrong with your baby,” Ben said.

“No, but there was something very wrong with its father. The gynecologist told me something that my husband had neglected to mention. You see, Mateo had been married before. Not once, but twice. Apparently, I was wife number three.”

“You’re kidding! Why wouldn’t he say anything?”

“Oh, don’t worry, it will make perfect sense very soon. Mateo kept it a secret from me because his previous two wives were missing.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I mean, they had vanished off the face of the earth.”

“What did he say about that?”

“It wasn’t what he said, but what he did when I confronted him with the truth.”

“He threw you down the stairs,” Ben said in a monotone.

“Bingo. He came home drunk, and I was stupid enough to take him on. I could have handled it better, in hindsight, but I was so mad I couldn’t help myself. So, Mateo threw me down the basement stairs and killed my child.”

“Fucking monster! I’m so sorry, Peyton. What a nightmare.”

“It wasn’t over.”

I stopped talking and looked away. I was about to tell Ben the whole truth and I wasn't sure I was making the right decision.

“Please, go on, Peyton. You can trust me.”

Ben took my hands and held them between his. His skin was warm, and the gesture tucked at my heart. Could I trust this man with the whole truth? I cared for him and the thought of not being able to be my true self with him was a bridge too far.

“I found something in the basement that scared me into action. I knew that I would have to get away from Mateo or I would die.”

“What was it?”

“I found the missing women.”

It looked like someone had slapped Ben in the face because he flinched at that revelation.

“Mateo murdered his wives, Ben. I found their dismembered bodies in freezers in the basement.”

“Oh, God!”

“That was when I escaped. It wasn’t easy, but I did it. Tonight, when you were chasing after me, I was sure I was about to die. I was convinced that Mateo had found me. I thought the gig was up, Ben.”

“Fuck,” he whispered. “I can’t believe it. I’m truly sorry, Peyton. I wish you had told me sooner.”

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