Perfect Liar: A Dark Romance Thriller (Beautiful Ashes Book 1)

by Dori Lavelle

  I’ve been holding my anger back, pressing it down, stifling it, but she just keeps on pushing. When I finally explode, she doesn’t see it coming. I don’t even realize what I’m doing until I feel the palm of my hand smarting from the sharp contact with her cheek.

  The way she’s looking at me now, with terror in her eyes, makes me feel alive and powerful. Hopefully I have taught her a lesson she will never forget.

  “You will not touch me again.” She presses a shaking hand to her cheek. “This is not what I signed up for.”

  “So, you want a divorce?” I ask, my temples throbbing with renewed rage. “Is that what you’re telling me?”

  “I spent my life avoiding men who are intimidated by my success, men who derive power from controlling women. Now that you’ve proven yourself to be a monster who thinks it’s okay to beat a woman, yes, Hunter, I want a divorce.” I watch as tears trickle down her cheeks before she turns to walk away. “I’m going to pack my bags.”

  “Yes, sweetheart. Pack your bags. We’re going to Europe tonight.”

  When she leaves the kitchen, I notice her phone on the counter. A new message has come in.

  Hunter seemed normal to me. I didn’t notice anything different. He clearly loves you. Hope you guys can make up.

  Love you.

  Karen

  That’s right. I fucking love her. That’s why I’m never letting her go. Ever.

  Chapter Nine

  Bree

  My entire body is shaking as I pull clothes from hangers and drop them into the suitcase at my feet.

  He’s coming. I can hear his footfalls thundering on the stairs. I need to hurry before he hurts me more than he already has. I’m still reeling from the shock of the discovery that my husband is a different man from the one I married and promised to love forever.

  He has crossed a line, so I have to get myself out of this suddenly toxic situation. I need to be alone, to think about what to do next.

  Spending one more night in this house is not an option. My skin crawls at the thought of sharing a bed with him again, knowing that he wants to take away something so important for me, my power. How dare he beat me?

  My fingers tighten around a red silk blouse before I release it to fall into the suitcase. I want to cry for what Hunter has taken from me in only a few hours, but crying in front of him would make him stronger.

  They say before a marriage breaks down, there are usually signs. Maybe that’s true of other people. But Hunter was so good at fooling me into feeling safe and supported with him. Because he lived a lie, so did I, without even knowing it.

  If I had known what kind of man he was, that he was looking for a woman to stay at home and serve him instead of building a career, I would never have married him. I don’t care how strong my emotions for him were. I don’t care how incredible sex with him was. If only I could turn back the clock and make different choices. But it’s too late now. What happened, happened. I made my bed, but I refuse to lie in it.

  I heave the suitcase from the floor and drop it on the bed.

  The door to the bedroom opens and I hold my breath. I’m terrified, but I’ll not show it.

  Without turning to look at him, I step into the walk-in closet and come out with more clothes for work. While his gaze bores into me, I fold the clothes one by one on the bed, then lower them into the suitcase, forcing my hands not to shake. Showing him my fear is dangerous.

  “You’re really doing this?” he asks, a thread of warning in his voice, different from the warm and gentle one I fell in love with.

  “What do you expect me to do? You made it more than clear that I’m not the kind of wife you need.” I turn around slowly, holding on to the skirt in my hand, my nails digging into the material.

  “Is it so hard to put our marriage first?” He takes a step farther into the room but he doesn’t approach me. “Your career is really more important than us?”

  “I have worked hard, Hunter.” I grit my teeth. “I worked damn hard to get to where I am. I can’t believe you want me to give all that up.”

  “You think the solution is to walk away from me?”

  “Yes,” I say in a sharp tone. “You’re giving me no choice. You don’t want the kind of woman I am, and I definitely don’t want the kind of man you are.” I turn my back on him to continue packing. “I need time, Hunter. I need time to think.”

  Instead of saying anything more, he charges out of the room and I exhale. I thought he would attack me.

  Not long after I hear him take the lift downstairs, the sound of something breaking reaches my ears. Maybe he’s in the kitchen throwing glasses and plates against the wall. His anger drives me to keep going, to get out of this house before things escalate even more.

  My heart pulsing in my throat, I zip up the suitcase and wheel it out of the room.

  As soon as the lift jolts to a halt downstairs, I wheel my stuff to the front door. Things are still breaking in the kitchen. I don’t care if he breaks every damn thing in this house. I won’t let him break me.

  My hand reaches for the doorknob and twists. When it doesn’t budge, a wave of fear washes over me.

  The bastard locked the door and removed my key from the small table by the door where I normally keep it.

  He thinks he can keep me here by force.

  A bitter laugh spills from my lips, then I pull myself together and march to the kitchen, anger burning the back of my throat.

  The first thing I notice when I enter the kitchen is that one of the kitchen cabinets, where we keep the glasses, is almost empty and there’s broken glass all over the floor.

  “Give me the key, Hunter. I’m leaving.” I tighten my fists. “You can’t make me stay against my will. If you don’t let me out of this house, I’ll call the cops. I’m not joking.”

  “You’re not going anywhere.” He throws another glass against the wall. I jump away from the flying shards of glass before I get cut. I wish I had dodged Hunter as fast before he hurt me.

  “Fine, I’ll call the cops then.” I reach into my purse to pull out my phone, but it’s not there. Shit.

  The moment I notice it on the kitchen counter, he grabs it and throws it against the wall before coming to plant himself in front of me. I take a step back, but he grabs my wrist so tight it makes me wince.

  “Let me go,” I say in a low voice, doing my best to insert as much confidence as I can, but I’m terrified of the stranger in front of me.

  “We’re married, till death do us part, remember?” He brings his face so close to mine that drops of spit sprinkle my skin when he speaks. “You can’t leave me. I won’t let you.”

  I snatch my wrist from his grip and stumble back. As soon as I catch myself from falling, I remember the spare key in the drawer by the door. Why didn’t I think of it before?

  “Goodbye, Hunter. I’ll come back for the rest of my stuff.” Tears burn my eyes, but I still refuse to cry in front of him, to give him more power than he already thinks he has.

  I spin around and walk out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind me. Then I run. I don’t look back, even when I hear him open the kitchen door again.

  “Don’t be an ungrateful bitch,” he shouts.

  Ignoring him, I open the drawer and grab the key. Thank God he forgot about it.

  By the time he comes to the front door, I’m already outside, rushing to my car.

  He watches me from the doorstep as I get behind the wheel and lock the doors. I’m surprised he’s not chasing after me.

  A knot pulses painfully in my stomach as I start the car and pull away so fast the tires scream.

  I don’t even know where I’m going as I distance myself from him and the place I thought was my safe haven. He’s no longer a part of my future.

  It’s hard for me to see where I’m going. Even as I try to blink them away, my tears are blinding me. I see the lights, I see the night, I see the other cars, but at the same time, I don’t see anything. Everything is blurred, lik
e my world and my future.

  I drive along a quiet street for a while, unsure where to go. I feel bruised and terrified.

  When I start to cry so hard that it’s impossible for me to drive without endangering myself and others, I stop the car at the side of the road and lean my forehead against the steering wheel, drawing in deep, ragged breaths as my tears fall onto leather.

  The oxygen floods my lungs, but it doesn’t do enough to calm my nerves.

  I want to call Karen or Vivian, to tell them what happened, but I’m ashamed. For the first time in my life, I now get how abused women keep quiet for so long. The shame is real, the pain is real, the disappointment is so freaking real. I was so sure about this marriage. I hate the idea of people telling me they told me so.

  But I won’t be the kind of woman who goes back to the lion’s den to suffer the same blows day after day. He will never lay a hand on me again.

  I lift my head from the wet steering wheel and lift up my chin. Then I start the car again and drive to a hotel only a few minutes away from the Denzel & Co. office building. Tonight, I’ll give myself permission to grieve my short marriage. Tomorrow, I’ll figure out what happens next.

  I check myself into the hotel for only two nights and take the lift to the third floor. In the safety of my suite, I drop my suitcase on the floor by the door and kick off my shoes. Then I stumble to the room and throw myself onto the bed, curling up into a fetal position, my arms around my middle, my eyes closed tight.

  I don’t even bother to switch on the light. The darkness is protecting me right now, wrapping itself around me like a cloak.

  I stay in one position for a long time, maybe an hour, begging sleep to take me, but it refuses. My mind is too busy replaying the events of the evening, images of the new version of Hunter torturing me.

  I’m grateful I managed to get away without him stopping me.

  The house is huge and I could have slept in a separate bedroom, but I couldn’t stand being under the same roof as him, not anymore. I also know that he would have tried to force himself into my room.

  It’s over. I made a mistake and now it’s time to deal with the consequences.

  Finally, sleep welcomes me into its arms, making me forget my nightmares for a few hours.

  In the morning, for a few seconds, I think I’m inside my bed at the house Hunter and I shared, until I open my eyes and see a foreign crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The cotton sheets also feel different against my skin, not as smooth as our satin sheets back home.

  I rub sleep from my sore and swollen eyes. I don’t remember myself actively crying in the night, but I must have because when I look at myself in the bathroom mirror, I’m shocked to see that my eyes are red with dark bags underneath.

  I consider calling in sick at work, but I can’t allow my personal problems to get into the way of my job. I refuse to give Hunter what he wants.

  Determined to continue living my life, to forget the mistake I made, I cover the bags under my eyes with concealer, dress in one of my power suits, and pull my hair into a sleek ponytail at the back of my neck. Then I walk out of the room to face the world with my head held high.

  “Mrs. Tyler,” the older woman at reception calls when I walk by. She waves me over.

  “We have a package for you.” She reaches under the counter and brings out a box covered in silver wrapping paper with a matching silver ribbon. It’s rectangular in shape and heavy.

  My heart freezes. What if Hunter followed me here? It has to be from him.

  No one else knows I moved out of my house.

  I don’t open the package until I’m inside the car. I push back the wrapping paper to reveal a book. When I read the title, my stomach clenches.

  The Perfect Housewife’s Bible

  It’s not over. He won’t let me go easily. The truth hits me like heavy bricks falling on top of me, crushing me.

  He still thinks he’ll get what he wants, that I’ll return to him and spend the rest of my life serving him.

  Chewing the inside of my cheek, I flip open the hard cover to read the message I know he wrote inside.

  Till death do us part. Xoxo H.

  I toss the book onto the passenger’s seat and grab my head with both hands.

  I feel so stupid for rushing into a marriage without giving it enough thought, for allowing him to blindfold me with his smooth words and romantic gestures. I was too blind to see the person he really was. I failed to read between the lines.

  Many people say alarm bells should be going off when somebody insists on getting married right away. I’m a lawyer, for goodness’ sake; finding evidence is my job. But I failed when it came to Hunter.

  Panting, I plant my hands around the wheel and pull out of my parking spot.

  On my way to work, I glance in the rearview mirror and the hairs at the nape of my neck rise. Behind me is a car that resembles Hunter’s white Volvo. Is it really him following me?

  I’m shaking with fear as I drive faster. Once I arrive at the office, I no longer see the car behind me. Was it really there or did I imagine it? It’s not farfetched to think he stalked me last night. That’s how he knew where I was so he could drop off the book.

  What if this is just the beginning? What if he’s much more dangerous than I could ever imagine?

  Chapter Ten

  Karen opens the door before I ring the bell. I’m in a daze when she gathers me into her arms, then takes me inside her home.

  “What’s going on?” she asks once we’re both on the couch.

  “I truly don’t know where to start.”

  I bend forward and rest my sweaty forehead on my knees, focusing on my breath.

  “Honey, did something happen after I left yesterday?” Karen rubs my back gently.

  “So much happened.” I raise my head again, my lips tainted by a bitter smile. “I don’t know him. He’s really a different person.”

  Karen pushes a hand through her bob, disturbing the smoothness. “That’s what you said yesterday, but to be honest, he seemed the same to me.”

  “That’s because he was acting. He doesn’t only behave differently. His looks have also changed.” I grip my knees with my hands. “The color of his eyes has changed. I found out that he has been wearing contact lenses since the day we met. He put them back in when you came over.”

  “That’s strange. Why would he feel the need to hide his real eye color?”

  “I think it’s because his real eye color is kind of unusual, scary somehow. I don’t know how to explain it.” I shiver inwardly when I remember his evil eyes boring through me. “Anyway, when he saw you, he acted like the loving husband he used to be. But when you left, things escalated.”

  Karen’s expression darkens. “Did he hurt you?”

  I ache to tell her everything Hunter did, but my shame keeps me from doing it. I’m not yet ready to reveal that my husband beat me. “He did hurt me. He hurt my heart. He lied to me by making me believe he accepted me the way I am, that he supported my career.”

  “I can’t believe he asked you to give up everything you worked so hard for. That’s insane.” Karen pushes herself to her feet. “Should I get you something to drink?”

  I shake my head. “No, thanks,” I say, even though I barely ate or drank anything all day. “I left him last night. I slept at a hotel.”

  “Why would you do that?” Karen sinks back down next to me. “Why didn’t you come straight here?”

  “I don’t know. I wanted to be alone.” I knead my aching shoulder. “I wanted to stay another night, but something happened.” I chew a corner of my nail, a nervous habit I thought I left in my childhood.

  Karen says nothing as she waits for me to continue. She has always been a great listener, supportive even when she doesn’t say a word.

  “When I went back to the hotel after work, I found a single white rose at my door.” I already told Karen over the phone about the book he left at reception this morning. “I couldn’t sta
y there tonight. I’m scared.”

  Karen shoots to her feet and starts pacing. “Are you sure we shouldn’t go to the cops?”

  “I was there on the way here. They pretty much said there’s nothing they can do since there’s not enough evidence that he’s dangerous.”

  “They’re full of shit.” Karen drops back into her seat. “Do they want him to kill you before they do their fucking jobs?”

  A shower of dread chills my spine. “You really think...I don’t—”

  Karen puts an arm around my shoulders. “I shouldn’t have said that. You’re safe here. I’ll be the one killing the bastard if he comes near you again.”

  I laugh in spite of myself. “You’d really kill for me?”

  “You’re my friend. If the fucker comes near you, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

  “That means so much to me.” I lean my head on her shoulder. “I feel so stupid for marrying him.”

  “Don’t you dare blame yourself. You were in love. You thought he was the one. Hell, we thought he was the one. He fooled us all.”

  “I should have listened when you guys told me it was too soon. I should have waited a few more months.”

  Karen pulls away from me, grabs my shoulders, and turns me to face her. “I need you to stop this. You did what you thought was right at the time.”

  “You’re right.” I force a smile. “Do you think I can stay here for a few days?”

  “What kind of question is that? Of course you can. Stay as long as you like. I have plenty of space and you’re my friend.” Karen’s face grows serious. “Honey, I know you’re against guns, but I think you need to get one.”

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  “Not at all.” Karen crosses her arms. “If the cops can’t protect you, you should do everything you can to protect yourself.”

  Holding a gun in my hand is a scary thought and shooting someone is even scarier. I shake my head. “Don’t worry, I bought a few cans of pepper spray.”