by A. E. Radley
But it looked very likely that the bond they’d shared was seeping away as quickly as it had arrived.
It’s probably a good thing, Katie reminded herself. Verity deserves better than you. And you don’t want Mary back on the doorstep.
“But, as my dad always says, if you don’t see Dubai at least once in your life, have you ever really lived?” Deanna’s voice drifted back into Katie’s consciousness.
In other circumstances, one where she wasn’t trapped in Deanna’s car, Katie might respond to that with a few choice statements. Mainly questioning why on earth someone with a lesbian daughter would adore a country with such a terrible LGBT rights record.
But Katie had made her mind up long ago, about the time they arrived at the restaurant. She’d smile and nod her way through the evening, claim she’d had a nice time, and then never see Deanna again. It was the coward’s way out, but Katie didn’t have the strength in her to explain to Deanna why they were most definitely not well suited. She doubted that Deanna would be able to understand it either.
Slowly but surely, they made their way through the traffic and turned onto Park Avenue and then onto Woodlands Avenue. Deanna parked the car up outside the house and turned to Katie with a wolfish smile. Katie was about to thank her for a nice evening when Deanna leaned forward and planted a kiss right on her lips.
Katie’s mind went blank for a second. She didn’t want to shove Deanna off of her in an aggressive manner, but she certainly didn’t want to be kissing her either. She went stiff and quickly raised her hand to press Deanna away.
Deanna didn’t take the hint at first, and Katie increased the pressure. She leaned her head back, breaking the kiss.
“Umm. I’m not… quite ready for that,” Katie said.
She wanted to give Deanna a speech about consent and reading very obvious signals, but she was just too tired. Her day had been off kilter, not seeing Verity and then going on what was definitely the worst date she’d ever been on. All she wanted to do was get inside, have a hot shower, and go to bed.
“Sorry, I just thought we had a connection,” Deanna said, slowly sitting back in the driver’s seat and regarding Katie with a grin.
Katie couldn’t believe how dense this woman was. She sighed and tore her eyes away from Deanna and the expression that the waitress probably thought was alluring.
“I better go,” Katie said.
“When will I see you again?” Deanna asked.
Something seemed weird to Katie, something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on but that was starting to ring alarm bells. Her brain swam in treacle as she tried to piece things together and figure out what it was that was causing concern.
It was then that she recognised the beat-up old car parked in front of them.
“Chris,” she breathed.
“What?” Deanna asked.
“I don’t think we’re compatible,” Katie announced, suddenly finding her second wind now that she knew she was about to come face to face with her previous disastrous dating decisions. “Thanks for the evening, but I don’t think we’ll be doing this again.”
Katie pulled on the door handle and hoisted herself out of the car, not caring about her usual tentative steps.
“Fine, be like that!” Deanna shouted as Katie closed the car door.
She sped away, but Katie barely noticed as she was still staring at Chris’ car. She swallowed and slowly approached it, wondering how Chris had found her and what was about to happen next.
Katie peered in the side window and felt equal parts relief and panic to see that Chris wasn’t there. She hurried towards the house, looking around the small garden in the expectation that Chris would be sitting somewhere waiting for her.
There was no one in the garden, and Katie was really starting to panic. Realisation hit her, and she looked up at the lights on in Verity’s apartment.
“Shit,” she muttered.
31
A Rescue
Verity had never in her life been so happy to hear the doorbell. Of course, she’d heard of—and used—the ‘saved by the bell’ expression many times in her life, but this was the first time that she felt it with her heart and soul.
“Excuse me, I must get that.” She stood up.
“Ah, let them wait,” Chris objected. “We were having such a nice chat, weren’t we, V?”
Verity continued walking towards the stairwell, knowing this was her one and only chance at escape.
She laughed softly. “I better get it, they’ll only ring again.”
She was already halfway down the stairs when Chris replied, and so she didn’t hear what she said. Probably a suitable anecdote about not letting complete strangers into your apartment in case they started acting bizarrely and you found yourself unable to get rid of them.
She didn’t know what she had been thinking.
The doorbell sounded again as she reached the final step and opened the door.
Katie stood in the vestibule, breathless and panicked. Her cheeks were red, and her eyes were wide.
“Are you okay?” Katie asked without preamble.
“I am now you’re here,” Verity admitted. She stepped out of the apartment and closed the door a little to create a sound barrier. “Someone called Chris is up there. She said she knew you. She’s… acting very odd.”
Chris had been perfectly polite, and it had taken Verity a while to become concerned about her behaviour. It was after Verity had served tea that Chris had started to become intense, almost manic. She asked many questions and jumped from topic to topic like a lightning bolt skipping across the sky.
Verity had done her best to be cordial and turn the subject onto something safe, but Chris was uncontrollable. She asked about Katie, then Verity, then the area, then bizarrely moved on to religion, the death penalty, and other topics that could never be considered safe.
It hadn’t been long before Verity’s general nervousness had turned into outright fear. She had a very strange stranger in her apartment and no idea how to get rid of them. The one time she had tried to get up to get a glass of water, Chris had asked where she was going and encouraged her to sit back down. Verity hadn’t been sure if it was a threat, but she didn’t want to find out either.
“I’m so sorry she came here,” Katie whispered. She was biting her lip and looking at Verity’s door as if she was deciding what to do next.
“Who is she?” Verity asked, eager for more clarity on exactly what was going on.
Katie seemed to wake up at that and turned her attention back to Verity. “Are you sure you’re okay? Did she hurt you?”
Verity shook her head. “No, she’s… rather intense, but she didn’t do anything.”
Katie nodded in obvious relief. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out her house keys and put them in Verity’s hand.
“Go into my place,” she instructed.
Verity shook her head. “I don’t want to leave you alone with her.”
“I need to deal with this,” Katie said. “I ran away from her; I should have known she’d do something like this. I’ll deal with her. Don’t worry, I have plenty of experience.”
For some reason, that knowledge only worried Verity more.
However, the look on Katie’s face wasn’t one to be argued with, and Verity had no desire to see Chris again if she didn’t have to.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“I’m sure. Go.”
Verity hesitated a moment. She turned and slid the key into the lock, pausing to turn back to Katie. “If you’re not back in fifteen minutes, I’ll call the police.”
Katie gave her a nod and a small smile. “I’ll be fine. Put the kettle on.”
32
The Showdown
Katie waited for Verity to enter her apartment before turning and facing the long stairwell to the upper floor. She’d sounded a lot braver than she’d felt, buoyed by the knowledge that Verity was safe and well.
Chris was unpredicta
ble, and Katie had known in her heart that this showdown had to happen eventually. She just wished she could have kept Verity out of it.
She gripped the handrail and slowly made her way up the flight of stairs. It had been a long while since she’d tackled so many stairs at once, but the adrenaline pushed her up each step.
Her heart was slamming against the inside of her rib cage by the time she got to the top floor. She sucked in a quick breath before turning and looking into the apartment, the first time she had ever seen it.
Her eyes settled on Chris. Her ex was looking at books on a full-to-bursting bookshelf, a cocky grin on her face.
“You need to leave,” Katie said.
Chris looked up at her. “Where’s the posh bird?”
“She’s gone out for a while,” Katie said. “And now it’s time for you to go.”
Chris shook her head and sat down. A smug and satisfied smile crossed her face. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Katie walked farther into the apartment, trying to mask how winded she was and the limp she’d developed since the accident. She didn’t want Chris to know how weak she was.
“What happened to your face?” Chris asked.
“If you don’t go,” Katie said, “Verity will call the police.”
Chris brought her ankle up and rested it on her knee, sitting back in a picture of casualness. “When are you coming home?”
Ah, we’re doing it like this, Katie thought as she let out a breath. “We broke up, remember?”
“We break up every other week,” Chris replied. “You always come home.”
“Not this time. This was the end, remember?” Katie wondered if Chris did remember. Her gaze flickered around the room, and her ankle bounced relentlessly. There was a strong possibility that she was high on something.
“You were gone,” Chris said. “I got home, and you were just gone.”
“Do you blame me?”
Chris jumped to her feet and approached Katie. “I’ve had enough of this!”
Katie took a small step back but did her best to keep her expression passive. It wasn’t the first time she’d been on the receiving end of Chris’ explosive temper.
“You’re coming home!” Chris shouted.
Now that they were closer, Katie could see her eyes much more clearly. She could see that they were wide and danced with a mania that only came from drug usage. She shouldn’t have been surprised; Chris had been using most of her life and could definitely be considered a high-functioning addict.
While the drugs obviously affected her, she was still of her right mind. It was as if the drugs and Chris had formed an alliance, feeding off one another.
Katie’s mouth ran dry. She hated conflicted, hated Chris’ temper. She looked away from the wide, angry eyes and spotted a photograph on a side table. It was Verity with a very young Callum on her lap. She was holding him tight, pointing at the camera and smiling happily. The image was calm, controlled, and full of love.
“I’m not coming with you,” Katie said calmly, turning back to Chris. “I’m never, ever going to go anywhere with you.”
Chris stared at her, confusion hovering around the edges of her eyes.
Katie couldn’t blame her. Historically, Katie’s desire to avoid confrontation at all costs had meant she easily caved to shouting.
But no more.
“Don’t be stupid,” Chris said, her voice quieter this time but still with a dangerous edge.
“I’m not. My mind is made up. We’re over, Chris. We should have been over a long time ago. I can’t live like that anymore. I’ve moved on, and you should too.”
Katie folded her arms and stared Chris down. She drew as much strength as she could for the oncoming onslaught. She liked her new life; even when she was getting mugged things felt better than they had when she was with Chris.
While she’d known for weeks, possibly even months, that her relationship with Chris was impossible—and bad for her mental health—it was only recently that she had gathered the strength to fight back. Being aware of a bad situation and being able to do something about it were two very different things.
Chris got what she wanted through sweet talking or shouting. At the start of the relationship, it had been sweet talking, and over time it had changed to shouting, threats, blackmail, and manipulation. Even when Katie knew Chris’ tactics, she stayed.
And she hated herself for it.
She didn’t know how she had gathered enough strength to finally leave, but she was glad she had. There was no particular incident that had caused Katie to start her life over, just a build-up of little things.
Death by a thousand cuts was how she saw it.
Chris softened and nodded her head. “You’re right, I’ve been terrible. I should have been a better partner. You deserve the world, Katie.”
Katie blinked. She didn’t know if Chris’ acting abilities had gotten worse, or if she’d finally woken up from a haze and could see the blatant manipulation for what it was.
“We can work this out,” Chris continued, on a roll now that she assumed she was getting under Katie’s skin. “I’ll be better.”
Katie tore her gaze from Chris and looked at the photo of Verity again. The contrast was stark. Not just in age or physical build, but in manner. Chris was the height of manipulation. Verity was only interested in building Katie up, not tearing her down for her own purposes. Even when they were at odds, Katie would take Verity over Chris any day of the week.
Katie stepped around Chris and slowly walked around the apartment. She needed some time and breathing space to build up her strength before the next round of fighting began.
She’d never been in Verity’s apartment before and found the insight into her home life to be fascinating. The apartment was full-to-bursting, but not quite cluttered. Everything had a place. Books, CDs, knitting supplies, art supplies, and more filled the elegantly decorated space. It was Verity through and through.
Katie knew that she could have been beamed into the middle of the space and instantly known whose home it was, even without the family pictures that graced the furnishings.
She swallowed. Chris had used Verity to get to Katie. She’d frightened Verity and had probably pressed her for information. The thought caused anger to rise in Katie, more than she felt for the pathetic lowlife who had attacked her and taken her bike.
“The car’s outside. We can grab your stuff and start over, right now,” Chris offered.
Katie spun around. “Do you honestly think I’m stupid?”
Chris’ face fell. She’d obviously thought she was on the right path, Katie’s silence making her feel that she was buying into her words.
“What? No, I—”
“Get out.” Katie folded her arms and glared at Chris, summoning all the fury she felt at Chris pulling someone as pure and kind as Verity into their mess.
“Katie.” Chris held up placating hands.
“Shut up. Just… don’t. Okay? We’re over. Your manipulative crap isn’t going to work on me anymore. I’ve finally—finally—realised that I deserve more. It’s taken a long time, far too long.”
“But, babe—”
“No, Chris. This is it. The anger, the shouting, the lies, the sweet talking. It’s over. You can’t do that to me anymore. I’ve outgrown you. And now, you need to leave. I swear to god, if you don’t leave me alone, then I’ll call the police. And you know I have a lot to say.”
Chris swallowed visibly.
“You’re going to go now,” Katie instructed. “I’m going to walk you to your car. You’re going to get in it and go. And you are never, ever coming back here. Do you understand me?”
Chris looked like she was going to argue, but Katie held up a hand. “There’s only one answer now, Chris. Come on, let’s end this reasonably.”
Katie watched as realisation settled on Chris. It took a while to be processed, but eventually, Chris nodded. She walked over to the sofa and picked up her sunglasses and her
keys.
She looked at Katie and opened her mouth to speak.
“No,” Katie said. “There’s literally nothing I want to hear from you now. Or ever. Let’s go.”
Katie gestured for Chris to leave the apartment first. They made their way down the stairs, Katie holding onto the handrail tightly for stability as well as for emotional support. She may have sounded strong, but inside she was still in turmoil.
She knew all she needed to do was show Chris the smallest crack in her armour and Chris would pounce upon it.
They walked up the garden path and towards Chris’ car. Katie folded her arms and waited for Chris to get in. Chris opened the car door and got in, but before she closed it again, she looked up at Katie. “Look, Kat—”
“Go,” Katie instructed.
Chris nodded. She closed the door, and, a few moments later, Katie watched her drive away. Hopefully for good.
It was only then that she realised she was shaking. Not with fear but with adrenaline and relief. She’d finally done it. What she had been trying to do for longer than she could remember.
She’d been right. She would rebuild herself after the accident, stronger than before. It was just a shame that she nearly had to die to find that strength.
She turned back towards the house and walked up the path, seeing Verity waiting for her in the doorway to the downstairs apartment.
Oh, boy, she thought. This is going to take some explaining.
33
Explanations
Verity felt strange inviting Katie back into her own home but also very relieved that Chris had gone.
“I’m so sorry,” Katie said as she closed the front door behind her.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Verity told her seriously. “I’m just relieved you came home when you did and helped me. Honestly, I don’t know what I was thinking, letting a complete stranger into my home.”