Chapter 56

Renee’s POV

When it becomes apparent that I am trapped here, I nervously turn to Eric. He keeps his eyes ahead on the road, his jaw clenched tight, and his knuckles white, gripping the steering wheel.

You’re not getting out of this car,” Eric says through gritted teeth.

“You won’t get away with it,” I say in your shriek of fear. This time, Eric looks at me, his eyes wide with surprise.

“You think I’m going to kill you?” Eric says like that’s the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard.

I am too afraid to answer. So, I just shrug. Eric scoffs “Unbelievable,” he presses his foot harder down on the pedal and we zoom forward.

We pass by the landscape so quickly that everything becomes a blur, but soon enough, I recognize the area.

I begin to calm down when I see we are approaching home. Eric slows down just enough to cut the corner onto our driveway. He throws the car in park and unlocks the doors.

With a shaking hand, I open the door and step outside, meanwhile, Eric has already slammed the door shut and is stomping his way into the house.

I take a deep breath and try to study myself. I follow him into the house and as soon as the front door closes behind me, I open my mouth to calmly explain to him why I would like a divorce, but it’s at that same moment all his pent-up anger lashes out.

“A divorce!” He yells. “You do know I would take you to court for custody, I might even do that just for pursuing this idea,”

I’m not sure what comes over me, but the fear is gone and instead, I laugh. Eric reels back as if my reaction physically pushes him away.

“You think divorce is a crazy idea?” I wave my hand in the air to loosely summarize the point that I am trying to make. “Us being together is what is crazy.”

Eric steps in closer, closing the gap between us, but I refuse to back down. I lift my chin up so that we’re looking at each other eye to eye.

“We are supposed to be together and you know that,” Eric says, but I shake my head.

“That bond broke when Annie died,” I point out.

This time it’s Eric who laughs. Then wipes his mouth with his hand as if to pull his grin from his face. “Except Annie is not dead. She’s standing right here,”

I tilt my head to the side. “You really don’t get it, do you? I am not the same Annie you knew five years ago.”

Eric looks me up and down. “That much is evident, my Annie would never even consider dating anybody else. She was always loyal,”

It takes me a minute to realize he’s talking about Jasper. I roll my eyes. “Jasper and I never even really dated,” I explain. “I only pretended to date him so that he would leave me alone,” At the telling of my words, a weight that I didn’t realize Eric was carrying falls off his shoulders. He stands up a little bit straighter and his expression softens.

The look on his face causes me to put my defenses down. I didn’t realize the thought of me with someone else bothered him.

“You were with Mia,” I mention.

“Not ever like that,” Eric is quick to correct me. There’s a pause in our conversation as we both take in what the other has said.

Over the course of five years, even when Eric was under the impression that I was dead, and when I was under the belief that our bond was broken, we still never were with another person, we chose to still be loyal to one another.

A high-pitched squeal breaks through our silence and pierces my heart. Both Eric and I jolt at the sound which we realize is Debbie standing on the bottom step with tears streaming down her face.

“You guys are getting a divorce?” She asks. Eric closes his eyes and tosses his head back, and annoyed grunt escaping from him. He pinches the bridge of his nose. “I forgot that with the snow Debbie was brought home early by another parent while I went to go get you,”

While I do want a divorce, this is not how I wanted to break the news to Debbie. I know how much she loves living here and being around Eric.

I tuck a loose strand of hair behind my ear and fall to my knees so that I am at Debbie’s level. “Sometimes parents fight,” I tell Debbie. She wipes at the snot coming down her nose.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Debbie says. Smart girl.

I struggle with how to answer her question. Her lips began to quiver at my hesitation.

“No,” Eric answers for me. His voice is stern, and though Debbie was the one who asked the question I can tell he is directing his answer at me. “We are not getting a divorce and that is final,”

I seethe at his assumption that this is entirely up to him. Debbie on the other hand seems to collect herself at his reassurance. And once again, I am going to have to be the bad guy and break it to that Eric and I are indeed getting divorced.

In fact, his certainty and stubbornness only further convinces me divorce is the right option.

I put her small hand into mine and look lovingly into her eyes. “Why don’t you go upstairs and play while your father and I resolve our fight,” Debbie nods and then turns around to skip up the stairs.

I wait her until she makes it all the way to the top and disappears down the hallway to her newly decorated room.

When she is out of sight, I march back over to Eric grab his wrist, and pull him towards the living room away from the bottom of the stairs so that Debbie cannot hear us. We stand by the white brick fireplace that already has a fire crackling.

“Why would you tell her that?” I hiss at Eric, but the look on his face gives me pause. Half his lips turns up into a smirk and his eyes are looking at me like he’s hungry. My insides flash with heat.

“Why are you looking at me like that”

“I thought Annie was a perfect submissive, wife,” Eric says slowly as though he is contemplating each word that he speaks. “I didn’t know she had this attitude to her,” Eric likes his lips and I find myself staring at his tongue. And I want the next words roll off of his lips. “I like it,”

I managed to pull my eyes off of his mouth. Getting a hold of myself, I cross my arms over my chest. “Don’t get used to it,” I snap him and turn to walk away so that he can’t hear my heart beating in my chest like a drum.

I don’t like how he’s making me feel deep inside.

I manage to hike the flight of stairs, despite the soreness in my legs from already having run up several flights earlier.

I lock the door behind me and strip out of my white clothes, put on something dry and warm, and then flop onto the bed.

I think the idea of a divorce means that I will be able to be free to live my life, but the truth is how I feel right now- how I feel when I’m around Eric, I’ve never felt more alive. But that can’t be healthy.

I also don’t think Eric is bluffing when he says that he’ll take me to court for custody. There’s no doubt I would lose Debbie.

Staring up blankly at the ceiling fan spin in lazy circles I come to the realization that I have to find another way to make him leave me.