Page 8 of Entangled
It was likely he was saving my punishment for later tonight when we were alone. He kept up the nice husband and happy marriage charade up in front of people, but behind closed doors he was a much darker man.
After he became a monster, and showed the true darkness of his soul, he would always remain a monster in my mind, and I would always be his unwilling victim.
It made me think about the first time he showed the darkest parts of himself over something so simple.
We were at dinner one night at one of the fanciest restaurants in Providence not long after the deal between Jude and Lilah had been finalized and we were celebrating in a sense.
Jude was celebrating the woman he’d bought, and I was celebrating being free for the first time since my father died, and that some old man hadn’t won. Although I teased him like he was since he was a couple years older than I was.
I had confided this to Jude like a fool and how I was so happy for this new stepping stone of my life. How I hoped we could be happy together and tell this crazy story to our grandchildren one day of how we’d met.
I felt like we talked for hours from the appetizer until the dessert, when his first red flag showed, and I made the mistake of brushing it off.
Our waiter was a younger man, similar to my age from what I could tell, and had been shamelessly flirting with me since he introduced himself.
I brushed it off and smiled politely and at first Jude did his best to ignore him, but each time the waiter came to the table, I could tell his patience was becoming thinner and thinner.
“Can I get you something for dessert, gorgeous?” He asked, and before I had the chance to respond, Jude slammed his hand on the table, practically silencing the entire restaurant.
“Flirt with my wife again, and I’ll cut your tongue out,” Jude hissed in a low tone, and a shrill of terror ran down my spine at his words and the seriousness of his tone. From the fire in his eyes, I knew he was serious about his threat and would hurt this man and not blink an eye.
I should have listened to my gut during that first instance and walked away while I could.
Because the next morning, that same waiter showed up on the news, missing and presumed dead.
For fuck’s sake.
It was wintertime in Providence, and freezing balls outside while I waited for Jude to pull up. He’d texted me ten minutes ago that he was five minutes away, but here I was, still waiting. I knew if I even took a step back towards the house, he’d roll up and see me changing course, and it’d be my strike four for the day.
I’d carefully packed our bags, making sure everything was in there that he may need. I’d been packing for him long enough that I don’t think there was anything that I could forget.
When you’re married and have known someone for so long, it’s normal to know their tells, their little flaws, and the way they like things.
But I didn’t memorize everything about Jude out of love.
I did it out of survival.
I could write an entire book on all the things Jude had smacked me around for.
Forgetting about his toothbrush.
Turning the thermostat up in the dead of winter.
Making eye contact with one of our drivers.
I’m pretty sure that same driver was floating in one of the rivers since I never saw him again after that day. There’s no such thing as just plain getting fired in this world. It’s either kill or be killed.
I didn’t want to know how many people had died at the hands of my husband because of me.
I never knew there was such rage within a person before. I never thought this would be my life. And you never do either. You never think “hey, I’m going to be forced into a marriage with an abusive, narcissistic asshole!”
This was not the life I imagined for myself. Not in a million damn years.
Insanely bright headlights from a black Audi blinded me, signaling the arrival of my dear husband. I grabbed our bags, ready to put them in the car, when he turned off the engine and got out.
“Change of plans. Randy is going to drive us to the airstrip and we’re going to take the jet,” Jude barked, loosening his tie as he walked towards the front door to wait alongside me.
Bad day at the office?
