“Thanks,” I whispered.
“I have a meeting this morning, but thought I’d fix us some breakfast first.” He plated the eggs and carried them over to the table.
“Thanks.” I slowly sat and stared at the plate. I was afraid to eat them. What if he did something to them? What if this was a trick?
“I know I don’t cook much, but they can’t be that bad.” He shrugged as he scooped a giant bite into his mouth. I watched, wide-eyed, as he slowly chewed and swallowed. “If you don’t want them, I’ll eat them.” He motioned to my untouched plate.
“Oh, I want them.” I stared at my plate. “They were a little hot.” I went with a logical excuse.
We sat there eating in silence as I wracked my brain for why he was doing this. Warren never did anything nice, and this had to mean something else. It couldn’t just be breakfast.
“I have a business dinner scheduled for tonight. I was thinking I could just have it here.” There it was, the catch. “I won’t have to be out late this way.”
“Ok,” I mumbled. I knew I didn’t have a choice. He wasn’t asking, he was telling. By doing this, he was making sure I didn’t leave the house today. It would take me all day to clean everything to his liking, and cook a meal that he approved of. The fact that he dirtied half the stuff in the kitchen to cook eggs insured that I’d be preparing all day.
“Sorry about all the mess.” He smiled, but it wasn’t a smile. It was a warning. “See you tonight.” He wiped his mouth, tossed the napkin on the table, and left me there.
I surveyed the mess as I finished eating. There was a sink full of dishes, and several pots that were dirty. Dirt was tracked in on the floor as if he’d walked around the yard a few times first. The stove had splatters all over it. Warren knew how to pick up after himself, he just always chose not to. Honestly, it wouldn’t bother me so much if I thought it was accidental, but this was done with purpose.
He put on the act of being nice just to draw me in. I let my guard down, and boom, he drops the hammer. By the time I’m ready for tonight, I won’t even be able to enjoy it. I’ll be exhausted, but he’ll force me to smile and play the loving wife as he lies to his clients in our own house.
Today just might be the push that I need, the push to leave.
Chapter 4
Brooke
I’ve been scrubbing this house from top to bottom all day. I’ve had a ham cooking in the oven for most of the afternoon, and I’ve been hoping that this is good enough to get me through the night. Warren has always put on a show in front of our friends, but it’s after it’s all over that things change. The last time he had a business dinner, it ended with a beating. I only hope that this one is different.
It was around five when Warren came home. He was whistling when he stepped through the door. I knew that it was a warning. Whenever he wanted to appear relaxed, he would whistle. You could tell by the pitch if he was angry or satisfied with what he found. I was trying to change into something he’d find presentable, but my nerves held me captive. His heavy footsteps made it easy to tell where he was.
He ambled around the living room, then into the kitchen. I could hear the oven door open and close. His whistling made a sound of approval. He moved to the dining room, then I heard him on the stairs. As he climbed them, my heart raced and my muscles tightened. I stood in front of the full-length mirror, appraising myself. I still had a small bruise on my forehead, but other than that, I looked pretty normal. The soft cotton dress stretched across my belly before hanging loosely to the ground. It was a deep burgundy with a plunging neckline.
“Everyone will be here in an hour.” Warren leaned his shoulder against the door frame to our bedroom.
“Ok.” I nodded. “I’m ready.”
“Good.” It was all he said. He stared at me for a moment, and then walked away. No compliment, no ‘thanks for getting everything ready’, no anything. I don’t know why I expected things to be different, I guess it just hurt that he didn’t care. oooooooo
Our guests arrived right when Warren said they would. He ushered them into the living room and offered everyone a drink. They sat and talked while I put the finishing touches on dinner. My back ached from bending over, and my feet were swollen from standing all day.
By the time I was bringing everything to the dining room, Warren and our guests were coming in to sit down. He thanked all of them for coming. “It makes things so much easier for us to have the meeting here. Brooke’s pregnancy has been hard, and she needs to be able to rest more. It’s easier on her to be home rather than in a stuffy restaurant.” He smiled at me, and I nodded. I knew I needed to agree with him even though it was a line of bullshit. If they’d gone to a restaurant, he wouldn’t have taken me. He’d have had me stay home and order take out. I never attended these events unless they were in our home.
“Everything smells and looks delicious.” One of the gentlemen smiled at me.
“I can’t believe you did all this, at seven months
