Page 34 of I see you Beauty

“If my husband falls back into old patterns and gets violent with me, then yes, I see that as a bigger problem than a fight over the remote control,” I counter dryly.

A contemptuous snort leaves his mouth, and he shakes his head again in disbelief as if I’m the one who’s done something wrong as if we’re arguing about me and my misconduct!

“You’re exaggerating wildly. Yes, I made a mistake yesterday, but I’ve apologized, and that should be all right now.”

Stunned by his lack of insight, I look at him in disbelief. I’m horrified by his coldness.

“Giving me expensive flowers is no apology, Thomas! And either you take me and the situation at hand seriously now, or you can leave for good!” I retort with all the sternness I can muster.

Thomas’s facial expression slips once again. I’ve never spoken to him like this before.

“Are you kidding me? Since when do you set the conditions in our marriage?” he demands to know, standing threateningly before me.

I want to say something back, but I hear the front door open and a voice calling me. June. I don’t want her to see us arguing.

“I’ve made my point! And if you don’t want to lose face in front of your daughter, you should play by my rules now. Oh, and I’d apologize to her if I were you. After all, she is your daughter!” I hiss, as I don’t want June to overhear this conversation.

Thomas can only growl menacingly as June joins us in the kitchen.

“Here you are,” she greets us and gives me a little kiss to say hello.

She only glances at her father and unconsciously reinforces the threat I have just made with her calm demeanor toward him. She only looks at me, but suddenly, her eyes widen, and she gasps in shock.

“God, Mom. What happened?” she asks me, horrified at my reddened cheek.

I grab my cheek and feel like punching her father in the face for a moment. But then I decided against it because I didn’t want her to know about his other side. So I give her an amused smile and touch my forehead, lost in thought.

“Oh, nothing, dear. I’m a bit clumsy at the moment and didn’t see the door,” I explain with a laugh and dismiss it with a wave.

June eyes me suspiciously for a moment but then nods. I briefly glance at her father. He stands behind me, a little stiff. We both put him in his place for once—and it shows. That’s good. Maybe he’ll learn something from this after all…

“Would you like something to eat?” I ask her, taking my stern gaze off him.

‘No, thank you. I wanted to say goodbye. I’m going back to college today,” she replies meekly, but you can hear her disappointed undertone.

I give her father a pointed look, raising an eyebrow as he stands before us, speechless and with his jaw dropped. He quickly regains his composure when June casts him a sharp, disapproving glance for his apparent ignorance.

“You don’t have to do that. Stay for the weekend. Pumpkin… I’m sorry. I’m under a lot of stress at work, and then there’s the news that you don’t want to return to law school. It was a bit much all at once,” he tries to somewhat apologize to his daughter.

June looks at me uncertainly, but I nod at her. At least he’s apologized to her, and I don’t want her to hold a grudge against her father as long as it is a one-off slip-up. But I think Thomas has understood. At least he looks relieved when June approaches him, and he embraces her.

“How about you two go out for dinner and talk? You could tell your father about your plans, and maybe you can find a solution together that you can both manage.”

June grins ear to ear, looks up at her father, and waits to hear what he has to say.

“Sounds like a plan,” he replies, not with the same enthusiasm as June, but it’s a start.

“June, go to the car. I’ll be with you shortly. I need to talk to your mother,” Thomas instructs June, handing her the keys to his Mercedes.

She nods, gives me another kiss on the cheek, and disappears through the back door leading to the garage.

“This new behavior…” he begins darkly, grabbing me unexpectedly by my upper arm and pulling me close to him. “…I don’t like it, Cora! But to show you my goodwill, I’ll play your little game. When I return, I expect my wife back!”

After giving me another intense look, he pushes me hard against the kitchen island at my back and follows our daughter.

I gasp in pain and rub my back. I stand frozen for a long moment, not knowing what to do with my wild thoughts. Is he threatening me again? Does he not care at all about his behavior toward me?

Even after hours of distracting myself with cleaning the house, I can’t get his words out of my head. But at least I don’t have to deal with him today because June texted me they probably won’t be home until late since movies and bowling are now on the agenda.

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