Husband To Go

by S. C. Adams

  “You’re just nervous,” she scoffs. “Once it’s all done, you’ll be fine. I promise, and I should know. This is my fourth wedding.” She playfully swats my shoulder and tries to swivel back around, but I have a tight hold on her chair.

  “I’m not nervous. I’m not being dumb. I don’t want to marry you. We are done, do you hear? I can’t marry you, okay? I don’t even like you, come to think of it.” This is really cruel, but I’m worried that she won’t get the message any other way.

  “What is wrong with you?” she whines, balling her fists.

  “I’m breaking up with you,” is my simple reply. Now, tears are shimmering in her big baby blues.

  “But you can’t do that! We’re supposed to get married today. This isn’t fair!” she whines. Simultaneously, the waterworks start and I take a step back. Veronica is really putting on a show. Wails and howls fill the small chamber, and I’m tempted to cover my ears. She’s truly a gifted actress.

  “Come on, you know this is for the best. I mean, do you love me?”

  “Of course,” she blubbers while wringing her hands. I don’t believe her. This is just a business transaction, but I guess she’d say anything to get this wedding back on.

  “Okay, well, I don’t love you, and I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but better later than never. I’m realizing I can’t change my feelings, and I shouldn’t drag you down with me.”

  She blubbers more, trying to look pathetic.

  “Is there someone else?” she asks in a small voice.

  “Yes,” I answer. I’m surprised I told her the truth. Maybe it is better to be a good person.

  Her wails get louder, becoming ear-splitting shrieks of rage. There’s no way I’ll be able to comfort her. I need to close this chapter and get moving on the next part of my plan.

  “I’m going to head out. Take care of yourself, okay?”

  “Wait, don’t go!” There’s mascara running down her face, falling onto her dress in a mess of black smears. “I don’t mind a little infidelity. I mean, I’m no angel. Just don’t leave me. We can still be together,” she sniffles. “We’ll work it out, okay?”

  This whole thing disgusts me, even though five minutes ago, I was thinking along those same lines.

  “Goodbye, Veronica,” I say before turning and walking away for good.

  Exiting the venue, I feel relieved. Is that what happens when you call off something that was never meant to be? It’s like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders, and my head’s practically floating off into the clouds. The only problem is I still have no idea where Kylie is. I don’t even know where to start looking for her, come to think of it.

  The only thing I do know is that I’m ready to admit my feelings directly to her. I don’t want to screw around anymore. I want to treat this relationship with the respect it deserves: honorably, with a full heart, and a world of kindness. No more Mr. Bad Guy with bad habits. Kylie deserves the best, and I want to give her that.

  17

  Tanner

  Calling off my wedding is probably the best decision I’ve made in years. All my business acquisitions, all the money I’ve made, nothing compares to the fact that I have officially chosen Kylie, and un-chosen Veronica. Now, I just have to find my beautiful girl and tell her about the sea change that’s coming her way.

  As I get into my car, I’m smiling so much that I’m worried my mouth might fall off. This is crazy. I feel absolutely, positively giddy, and filled with hope about a future with the gorgeous woman.

  But where is Kylie? She hasn’t been responsive, and my attempts to elicit her location from Jane have fallen flat. This is going to call for some sleuthing.

  I decide to go home and get out of my tux, before heading over to Kylie’s apartment. At least I know where she lives. It’s close to her school, and she lives alone from what I’ve been able to gather.

  In about twenty minutes, I’m on her doorstep, pressing the doorbell like a crazed man. But there’s no answer. I was sure she’d be home. She talked about being a bookworm, so shouldn’t she be curled up on the couch with some novels? Evidently not.

  But then there are footsteps coming from inside.

  “Kylie, are you home? We need to talk. I have something to tell you.” I hope she isn’t ignoring me. I thought she might be happy that I finally called off the wedding. Did I wait too long? Was our last night together really our last one? It can’t be.

  The doorknob turns, and my heart pounds. I’m about to see the woman I’ve been obsessed with for what feels like forever, and we’ll finally be able to be together without anything holding us back.

  The door creaks open.

  “Hello?” A brunette stands at the entryway, looking annoyed. But this woman isn’t Kylie. She’s pretty, but not the one I want.

  “Hi, I’m looking for Kylie?”

  “Yeah, me too,” she gripes.

  The mystery girl turns around and goes back inside but leaves the door open. I guess that’s an invitation for me to follow her. I was pretty sure Kylie didn’t have a roommate because her apartment is a one bedroom, so I would have noticed if a second person lived here.

  “Uh, do you live here?” I ask.

  The girl plops on to the couch, throwing her feet up.

  “No, Kylie just gave me some spare keys for emergencies, and this sure feels like one,” she pauses. “Who are you, by the way?”

  I stare hard at her.

  “The name’s Tanner Logan.”

  Her eyes go wide.

  “Holy shit, that Tanner? Oh my god, I wasn’t sure I’d ever meet you.”

  I grimace. Clearly, Kylie’s shared some of our secrets.

  “And you are?” I ask with raised eyebrows.

  She crosses her arms across her chest with a smug smile.

  “I’m Andrea, one of Kylie’s friends. I’m here because I’ve been calling and calling, and she hasn’t answered. The last text I got was over a week ago. And it sounds like the last time anyone saw her was that night you two spent together.” That has me a little bit worried. Initially, I thought that Kylie was simply ignoring me, but now, it sounds like no one knows where she is.

  “So she’s missing?”

  Andrea shrugs.

  “I don’t know. I’ve been calling her, but she hasn’t been answering her phone. I talked to all of our friends, and no one has any updates. Now her cell’s going straight to voicemail so I think it’s dead. I don’t have any way to find her. Do you?”

  I take a deep breath.

  “I have some resources. Just give me a minute.” I pull out my phone and call an employee of mine. He’s someone who’s good at this kind of detective work. I give him a rundown of the situation and get Kylie’s number from Andrea.

  “Okay, sir. I’ll let you know if anything pops up,” my employee chirps. Good. I hang up and lower myself into the closest chair. I can’t believe this is happening. Now, my sweet girl is missing and this feels ominous.

  “Who did you call?” Andrea eyes me suspiciously.

  “An associate of mine who finds people and things for me. He’s good at it, so I’m sure he’ll come back with results.”

  “An associate, eh? Sounds shady,” she harrumphs, crossing her arms across her chest. I shake my head with sudden fatigue.

  “His name is Corey. It’s not that weird, and everything is above board. I promise you.”

  “Okay, Vito Corleone,” she smirks.

  I have a feeling that Andrea might not have the most favorable opinion of me, which is understandable. It’s nice to know that someone like her is supporting Kylie.

  Andrea begins to pace. Clearly, she’s antsy. I know she wants results, but they typically take time.

  “So, we just wait until this Corey person calls you or texts you? What then?

  I hold up a hand. “One step at a time. Yeah, he’ll text me in an hour letting me know Kylie’s whereabouts. And then we’ll go from there, okay? First things first.”

  A
ndrea shoots me another suspicious glance but at least she nods.

  “Okay.”

  We fall into a silence. I’m sure Andrea’s mind is racing because my mind is racing. I want to stay positive, and until I get that bad news, I won’t let myself get dragged down. Meanwhile, Andrea decides to make conversation.

  “So Tanner, what finally convinced you that Veronica is a she-devil?”

  Talk about hitting things on the head with no preparation.

  “I’m sorry?”

  She harrumphs.

  “I’m guessing you finally realized that you’re in love with Kylie, and that Veronica is a she-devil.” Andrea looks at me, waiting for an answer.

  “I guess you’re right, in a way. I broke off my engagement to my fiancée because there were little things that Veronica would do that got on my nerves. I can’t say it was any one thing that broke the camel’s back but when I found myself frantically looking for Kylie on my wedding day, I came to my senses.”

  Andrea sits up again, disbelief on her face.

  “So you waited until the day of the wedding to call it off? That’s so cold-blooded! But honestly, it’s what Veronica deserved.” She shrugs and lies back down. “Kylie hasn’t fully come to terms with how horrible her mom is because Veronica is all that she has. But I’m hoping she will soon, especially if you’re going to be a part of her life now. This has probably been all for the best.”

  I’m about to ask Andrea what she means by that, but my phone buzzes. I snatch it up and see it’s a message from Corey. Andrea is up and over by my side in seconds. With trembling fingers, I open the text.

  I was able to locate the subject. Please check your email. I sent all the necessary documents.

  Andrea whistles.

  “Wow, sounds like you were right about this Corey guy. He found Kylie in less than an hour.” That’s to be expected because I only hire the best. “Go to your email,” she presses.

  I open my email and click on the message Corey just sent me. There are attachments, and Andrea and I gasp as our eyes scan the documents.

  “Oh my god, who would do this to her?” she mumbles, stunned.

  I’m just as blown away. I didn’t know someone thought Kylie was so unhinged that she needed to be checked into a mental institution. It seems impossible, and yet the evidence is right here before us.

  “We have to go get her,” says Andrea in a rush. I wholeheartedly agree, but I think I need to do this on my own.

  “I’ll go get her,” is my grim growl.

  “By yourself?” her friend asks with surprise.

  I nod.

  “I think it’s for the best. There are things I need to tell her, and events I need to apologize for.” Andrea looks down at me, her eyes narrowing.

  “Okay, I’ll let you do this alone. All I ask is don’t fuck it up. If you do, you’ll have me to answer to.”

  I get up, urgency in my movements.

  “Thanks. I promise to get her back safe because clearly, she’s important to both of us.” The corollary remains unspoken. I don’t know what I’ll do if I can’t fix this mess I made. I don’t think I’ll be able to forgive myself if Kylie’s somehow in danger.

  Andrea narrows her eyes at me again.

  “I’m going to trust you this one time. Okay, Tanner. Go get our girl.”

  With that, I leave in a few sure strides. I’m going to need to find a way to approach this carefully because clearly, things have gone off the rails and I don’t want to scare Kylie away.

  But why is she at a mental institution? Who determined that she was so feeble-minded that she needed this kind of intervention? I get back into my car, but then reach for my phone. There was something weird about that last attachment. I open it once again, and my eyes scan the fine print.

  Oh shit. I’m going need to get to her fast because Kylie’s in serious danger, and it’s all my fault.

  18

  Kylie

  I’ve been at North Cross for a while now. The first period was really hard, knowing that my mom and Tanner were getting married. I woke up crying and could barely talk to my assigned psychiatrist.

  My doctor’s name is Fulton. He’s professional and nice and let me cry our entire first session. I explained to him what was going on and he seemed sympathetic.

  “It’s going to be fine, Kylie,” he soothed. “We need to work on your recovery, and it takes time. Baby steps.”

  I sniveled a bit in reply and started seeing him every day in order to figure out some way out of this mess. Our sessions have been helpful, but I don’t feel any closer to a resolution. In fact, I only feel more lost most days.

  I think about Tanner all the time, especially before I go to bed at night. It’s become a ritual to wrap my blanket as tightly as possible around my body. I never had a chance to cuddle with him, and this is my sad attempt imagining what it would it be like to have him with his arms wrapped around me. How sad.

  Plus, Dr. Fulton has said it’s important to establish routines, so I’ve been following a certain schedule each day to get myself into some kind of groove.

  The first step is untangling myself from my blanket cocoon. Then I make my bed and wait for one of the orderlies to let me out to have breakfast. It’s one of our many social times, where I interact with the other crazies here. They’re okay, to be honest. I probably come off as the craziest person of the bunch, come to think of it.

  There’s one girl in particular I’ve struck up a kind of kinship with. She’s quiet like me, always drawing something whenever I see her. Though it’s only been a short time, the two of us have gotten really close.

  “Hi Cheri.” She looks up from the napkin she’s doodling on and smiles.

  “Hi Kylie.”

  “What are you drawing?”

  “Um, a human sacrifice.” The first time I saw one of Cheri’s drawings, I was a little freaked out, but I’ve gotten used to them. They’re the reason she’s in here. Her parents started to get worried as her paintings got more and more disturbed.

  But I try not to judge the people here because I don’t know what led them to become the people they are today. And, just like them, I’m here to work on myself.

  “It looks nice. I wish I could draw as well as you.”

  “I’ll give you lessons, if we ever get out of here,” Cheri says in a low tone. She puts her drawing away and goes back to her breakfast. Today is oatmeal. “What are you doing with Dr. Fulton today?”

  I sigh.

  “He said he wanted to start a new treatment because he thinks talk therapy is moving a little too slow. I’m happy to do whatever if it means getting better faster.”

  Cheri drops her spoon into her bowl, causing the wet oats to splash up onto the table.

  “Hey,” I say. “Are you okay?”

  Cheri looks warily at me.

  “Yeah, did he say what he wanted to do?”

  I shake my head. “No, he promised to explain it all today.”

  “Oh, okay. Just, um, be careful. And don’t do something just because they tell you to,” she mumbles.

  “What?”

  “Never mind. I have to go.”

  With that, Cheri picks up her tray and speed walks away. I can’t figure out why she’s so jittery. I don’t have time to think about it though because it’s time for my therapy session.

  I’m escorted to Dr. Fulton’s office and he’s already there, waiting for me.

  “Kylie, please sit. We won’t be having our session here today. Remember I said there’s a new method I wanted to try? We need special equipment that’s kept in a dedicated room.”

  That sounds promising.

  “Sure, no problem. I’m all ears.”

  He nods.

  “Great, follow me. We’ll be meeting Jonathan and Skylar there. They’ll be helping me out today.”

  I’m somewhat excited to see what Dr. Fulton is going to have waiting for me because improvement in my mental state would be nice. We walk down to the basement and en
ter a room along the long hallway.

  Inside the orderlies Jonathan and Skylar are already waiting, fiddling with some kind of machine. I can’t even begin to fathom what it does, but it looks intense. It’s a giant grey cube that has all sorts of flashing lights on it, some red, some orange, and some yellow. It’s attached by a nest of wires to a reclining lounger.

  Dr. Fulton pats the leather covered chair.

  “So, this is where we’ll strap you in. Don’t worry, it’s just to ensure that you don’t fall out. It’s for safety. Next, we’ll put these electrodes on either side of your temple and it will send an electric current through your brain. What this is supposed to do is dampen those obsessive thoughts you’ve been having. It’s literally going to re-wire your mental circuitry, and help you develop new neural pathways. Does that sound good?”

  In fact, it doesn’t. It sounds potentially dangerous with a possibility that I might wake up an entirely different person. Maybe this is why Cheri looked so skittish when I mentioned my new treatment option.

  Dr. Fulton steps in to allay my fears.

  “I’m sure you’re feeling a little apprehensive, but trust me Kylie, you’ll be perfectly fine. Hopefully, even better after we’re done.

  How do I tell him that I don’t want to go through with this? But then, an image of Tanner flashes before me. He’s so handsome with that black hair and piercing blue eyes, but then he’s leaning forward to kiss my mother and there’s a wedding band on his left ring finger. Pain radiates from my heart, and I literally keel over a bit.

  “Okay,” is my faint assent. “Let’s do it.”

  The doctor directs me to get into the chair. They strap me in and place the electrodes on either side of my forehead.

  I see Jonathan flip a switch but nothing happens except for a low buzzing sound.

  “The machine is warming up,” Dr. Fulton explains. “You’ll feel heat, but you won’t get that current until we press another button.”

  I feel tingling on my forehead, and fear spikes in me. Is this a good idea? Should I really be doing this? Maybe Tanner didn’t get married to my mom. Or maybe they’re divorced already? A girl can hope, right?