Page 101 of Chasing Shelter

“Do you think this could be Bradley?” I asked. His name felt like acid in my mouth, and saying it in Ellie’s safe space felt like sacrilege.

Ellie rolled her lips over her teeth. “It’s possible. Wouldn’t be the first time he had someone watch me.”

Everything in me stilled as I struggled for composure. “Explain.”

She tugged one of the pillows onto her lap, hugging it to her. “He gave me a driver in New York. Said it was so I’d be safe, but the driver kept tabs. Reported on my movements. And then there was the time I found photos of me, long-range ones, kind of like these”—she held up her phone—”in his office.”

“You confront him?”

Ellie shook her head. She looked so damn sad. “In hopes ofwhat? A big, ugly fight? It wouldn’t have changed anything.” She toyed with a tassel on the pillow. “I had my own little rebellions. Took the subway to work now and then. Left work through the back door and went to dinner with a friend.”

“How’d Bradley react to that?” I asked, scared of the answer.

“He was tense, but he never called me on it. The reins would just tighten a little.”

The ache in my jaw flared brighter. “Because he couldn’t admit what he was doing.”

“Not if he wanted to play the doting fiancé card,” Ellie muttered.

“Have you heard from him since you’ve been here?”

Ellie’s gaze shifted to the side, a telltale sign.

My gut twisted, but I slid a hand over hers, interlacing our fingers. “You want to talk this out with someone who isn’t me? I can have Beth or Laney come take a statement and?—”

“No,” Ellie said quickly, squeezing my fingers and dropping our hands from the pillow to her lap. “I just want to talk to you.”

I would’ve understood if she didn’t. Our relationship had slipped from casual acquaintance to…more. But it meant something that she felt comfortable telling me her story.

“Okay,” I said quietly. “You need to stop, just say the word.”

She nodded, her grip on my hand tightening. “He texted a lot. After what happened…”

“The breakup?” I knew it was so much more. The time he’d laid hands on Ellie.Hither.Markedher. I imagined it in a million different, devastating ways. Each one making the rage I was so at odds with pulse through me.

“After everything that happened,” she began, “it was like a roller coaster. Apologies. Explanations. Begging for forgiveness.”

“Then it would change,” I supplied. I knew the cycle of abuse, had seen it far too many times working the job I did.

“It would change,” Ellie echoed. “It became my fault. I’d put us in that position. The stress of what my father had done. Not being what Bradley needed. And then he’d go on the attack. Say awful things…”

Tears began to gather in her eyes, and my rage blazed brighter.I beat it back. “Hey.” I framed her face with my hands. “Nothing he said about you was true. Nothing.”

“I know that,” Ellie croaked. “I know they were all his projections. But when it happened this time, it was like I could see all the little patterns leading up to it. The ones I couldn’t see for so long. The ways he punished me if I didn’t do things the way he wanted. All my little rebellions came at a cost. It was never physical, but it hurt all the same.”

Ellie leaned into me, her forehead against mine. “Seeing Linc truly happy, coming to Sparrow Falls for those handful of days, it made me realize that Iwasn’thappy. I was living my life for everyone but me. But Arden made me see that maybe—just maybe—I could start over. Topple the damn board.”

“I’m so damn glad she did, Blaze.” I’d be forever grateful to my sister for that. For helping Ellie find her fight and hook into her bravery.

“When I ended it, and he hit me…it was like it woke me up, clued me in to everything else. Made me realize how I’d been allowing myself to be treated.”

My thumbs skimmed the apples of her cheeks, back and forth. “Not anymore. Look how fucking strong you are. You got out. Away. You’re starting this beautiful new life for yourself.”

I felt Ellie’s cheeks move under my hands, her mouth pulling into a smile. “You said the F-word, Chief.”

“Someone told me sometimes it’s okay.”

Ellie pulled back, that smile still on her face, even if it looked a little tired. “Don’t tell Nora. I don’t want her thinking I’m a bad influence.”

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