“I had a job interview,” I lie again. “I didn’t get it.”
“You don’t need a job, Anna. I put enough money into our bank account for you to live on.”
“I know,” I say quietly. “Thank you.” It makes me sicker to be nice to a man I hate more than I’ve ever hated anything in my entire life.
Reggie runs a finger along my thigh and settles his hand on my knee. “I miss you. I can’t ever forgive myself for what I did to you, but I want the chance to put it right.”
“No, Reggie.” I keep my voice firm and I’m proud of how strong I sound. “Are you going to spend some time with your daughter?”
Reggie grips my chin between his thumb and index finger, and I wince when he forcibly turns my head to face him. “I love you. I want you and Malia to come home. You’ve made your point and I think I’ve been quite reasonable to sit by while you dragged me through the courts. That judge cost me a lot of money. It’s time for you to come home now.” He pushes his lips against mine and his tongue snakes into my mouth. I shove him hard in his chest and he releases me. “Shit, Anna. What’s the problem?” he asks.
I stand and step away from him. “The problem is that I don’t love you. We will never get back together. If you can’t make it to the contact centre in the future, then you’ll have to wait because I can’t meet you like this again.”
When Reggie stands too, my mind races with thoughts— run, yell, scream. Yet I don’t do any of those things because fear grips me, and when Reggie wraps his arm around me to turn me away from any onlookers, I close my eyes and prepare myself for the blow. His free hand goes to my throat. It isn’t a rushed, spur of the moment move. It’s slow and meticulous. His fingers splay out and he presses, adding pressure little by little until I’m gasping for breath. I rake at his arm to try and remove his hand, but it’s no use. He eases the pressure and I gasp right before he kisses me again. This time, he catches my lower lip in his teeth and bites until I taste the metallic tinge of blood. “I love the house. The garden is just how you like it,” he whispers against my lips. “A sun trap. You should fix the fence panel out back, though. What if Malia gets out?”
He smirks and then goes to Malia in the play area. I rush over to where Eva sits, and she removes her shades. “Are you bleeding?” she gasps. I nod and sit next to her. I find a tissue in my bag and press it to my lip, trying to blink away the tears that threaten to fall. “What the fuck happened? I was watching the whole time,” says Eva.
“He’s sneaky,” I mutter. “I should have listened to you. It was a bad idea to come.”
“Yah think?” she hisses. “Fuck, he’s crazy.”
My cell rings and I answer without checking the caller I.D. My eyes are fixed on Malia and Reggie. Riggs’ voice rumbles ‘Hello’ and I burst into tears. “Fuck, Anna, what’s going on?” he growls.
“I’m fine. Oh god, I’m so . . . ” I sniff. “Sorry . . . I don’t know . . . why I’m . . . crying,” I stutter.
“Are you hurt? Tell me where you are,” he demands, and I smile even though he can’t see me.
“Honestly, I’m fine. I think my nerves have caught up with me. Thank you for calling, though. It’s really sweet.”
“I ain’t ever been called sweet before,” he grumbles. “But I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Thank you. Maybe I’ll see you on the school run tomorrow?” I ask and I don’t bother to disguise the hope in my voice.
“Maybe,” he replies. “I gotta go. Take care, Anna.” The way he says my name in that deep voice sends my stomach into knots.
“Goodbye, Riggs.”
I disconnect the call and Eva stares at me open-mouthed. “Riggs has your number?”
“He heard me tell Malia about the contact visit and when I told him it wasn’t in the centre, he put my number in his cell. It was nice of him, no?”
“And then he called to check up on you? Wow.” Eva fans her face and pretends to faint dramatically.
“Stop,” I laugh, shoving her gently. “Our kids are friends, that’s all.”
I straighten up as Reggie approaches us with Malia in his arms. I hate the feeling of dread that comes over me whenever he’s near me. “Be a good girl for mommy,” he says, gently kissing her on the head and placing her on the ground. “Maybe I’ll come and see your new house,” he adds.
Malia smiles wide. “Can you, daddy? I’ll show you my bedroom. Mommy painted a princess on my wall.”
“Would that be okay with mommy?” asks Reggie, glancing at me with a smug smirk on his face. Malia watches me expectantly. He wants me to be the bad guy.
“We’ll see, sweetie,” I say. “But remember when we had that talk about daddy not living with us anymore?” I ask and she nods her head. “Well, until the judge tells us that it’s okay, daddy isn’t allowed to visit our house.” The smug smile vanishes from Reggie’s face. Maybe he thought I wouldn’t explain our new situation to Malia. I’m glad I’ve surprised him. “Now, kiss daddy goodbye. You can see him next Sunday at the contact centre.”
“It’s Friday night. A few drinks to celebrate your new job is a great idea,” says Eva and I roll my eyes. She turned up at my house dressed for
