Page 1 of Shattered
"You're a whore!"
Drew's insults shouldn't hurt anymore. It shouldn't stab at my chest like a dagger, and it definitely shouldn't make my eyes burn with unshed tears, and yet-
"You made me look like an idiot in front of my peers."
I could hear my heart beat in my chest as I watched Drew jerk the steering wheel of his slick sports car, throwing us into the lane of oncoming traffic. On any other night, I would have embraced death.
Not tonight.
"Everyone is laughing behind my back because my wife can't keep her hands off my partner-"
I closed my eyes while Drew continued to spew untruths.
"Drew," I said calmly even though my insides were twisting and turning. "I'm not having an affair with Officer Brooks. His mother died last week, and I offered him comfort in the form of a hug." A brief, one-second, hug.
"Right, and I suppose you think I'm stupid enough to believe you?"
There was no arguing with this man. That was why I kept my mouth shut. Peeking at the angry stranger behind the steering wheel, I felt the knot in my heart twist and twist. I'd loved him once. But that love had turned into fear soon after our fairytale wedding. And now, fear had made way for hate.
How sad. I hated my husband. Hated him for treating me like dirt. Actions he justified because when he'd met me, I'd been on the wrong the side of the law and hewasthe law.
There's more to live for now. I reminded myself as I turned my gaze to the darkness outside.
"You have a minute to get your ass out of this car and into the house." Drew's voice reverberated in the small cab of the now motionless vehicle. I'd been so busy with my musings that I hadn't noticed we were home.
Climbing out of the car, I took in our fancy two-story, brick mansion. What a joke. The outside looked so perfect with its white picket fence, and exquisite landscape, but the people inside were anything but perfect. I guess all of it was needed to keep up the illusion that we were a happily married couple.
Heavy feet carried me into the house, every step cementing my decision. A conclusion I hadn't reached in haste. The door slammed shut behind me and, instantly angry hands grabbed my hair and yanked my head back.
Sharp pains shot through my scalp, but I refused to make a sound. Drew loved it when I whimpered and cried—it just fueled his rage.
"You think I'm stupid, Sarah?" The warmth of his breath against my skin revolted me. What had once made my skin prickle with anticipation, now made my stomach churn with disgust.
"Answer me!" With one hard shove, I tumbled to the ground. On instinct my hands went to cover my stomach—Drew had taken so much from me already. He wasn't taking this.
"I don't know what you want me to say, Drew. I'm not sleeping with Officer Brooks." On my knees, I glanced over my shoulder, taking in the man I'd once loved. He was good looking by anyone's standards. Blonde hair, crisp blue eyes, and a heart-achingly beautiful smile.
It was that smile that had made me feel safe the day he'd arrested me for trespassing.
It was that smile that had stolen my heart when he'd visited me at the shelter.
It was that same smile that hid his true personality–the monster that only I got to see, unfortunately.
"Right-" Drew's fingers clamped around my upper arm as he pulled me to my feet. I held my breath, waiting for the impact of his palm against my cheek.
It never came.
Instead, Drew hauled me to the dining room. Rearranging two chairs to face each other, he pushed me into one and then sat down as well.
"Have it your way then, my dear Sarah." Each word dripped with acid. And whatever he had in store for me tonight, sent my heart on a terrifying gallop. Over the years I'd learned to handle it when Drew got physical, as much as it hurt, I still managed to go to another place.
But when he played games, fear gripped my chest and crippled me.
Drew reached behind him and soon a gun came into view—not his service weapon, this one was unregistered. He emptied the cylinder of all its bullets except one. With a grin of pure evil on his face, and nothing but malice in his eyes, he stared at me as his fingers spun the rounded metal again and again.
The loudclickof the cylinder snapping into place had my entire body jerking. With my palm pressed tightly against my belly, I prayed that this was not how I was going to die. For the first time in my life, I had something to live for.Someoneto live for.
"Let's try this again," Drew's voice was hard, and his face pulled into an excited expression. With a steady hand, he raised the revolver and aimed it at my head. "How long have you been screwing Brooks?"
