“Yes. I was in the living room. I heard something in the backyard but didn’t think anything of it. The next thing I knew, Liam, my ex-husband, was running toward me from the kitchen. I immediately went into shock,”shesaid.
“He was supposed to beinjail.”
“Right,” she said. “So it took me a few seconds to react. I jumped off the couch but he was already behind me. He had a knife. He made the scar onmyback.”
“How did you get away?” heasked.
“I fought. God, the place looked like a war zone.” She pictured the broken vases, shattered picture frames, and holes in thewalls.
Drew stood in the same spot as if rooted to it. He hadn’t made a move in herdirection.
“In the end, my mom came home,” she said. “That’s what stopped him. She took one look and called the police. Then she yelled for me. Liam turned and ran. It only took five minutes for the cops to arrive, but they were too late. He’d escaped, but not before telling me that he’d hunt me to the edges of the earth. I believed him. I stillbelievehim.”
“When was the last time you saw him?” heasked.
“That day. It’s been a little overayear.”
“But you’re convinced he’s stillhuntingyou?”
“I know he is,”shesaid.
“Then you’ve knowingly put my family in danger,”hesaid.
“No, no,” she said frantically. “There’s no way he can find me here. I’m careful. That’s why I have so many driver’slicenses.”
“What you’re doing is illegal. Why don’t you go to the cops?” heasked.
“I did. I filed a report. But if they couldn’t do their job when he was already in jail, then how can I expect them to helpmenow?”
His eyebrows knittedtogether.
“I didn’t know what to do. I just ran and I haven’t stopped running,” she said. “But after a year, I’m tired. I’m tired ofrunning.”
“That’s why you went online to find a new husband? I’d think that after what you’ve been through, you wouldn’t ever want to get married again,”hesaid.
“I needed a place to stay. I figured that a ranch in Montana was far enough from a big city that he’d never find me,”shesaid.
“What about your daughter? Were you going to spring that on me after we got married?” heasked.
“I don’t know. I didn’t thinkthatfar.”
“I don’t know if I can believe you,” he said softly. “I want to. God help me, I do. But…all I have is your word and you’ve already lied to me in a hundreddifferentways.”
She stood and wrapped the blanket around her before crossing to where hestood.
“I’m still the same woman you were gettingtoknow.”
“I need to think.” He ran a hand through his hair. “If what you sayistrue…”
“Itis.”
“I need to think,” herepeated.
He quickly pulled on his clothes. As he walked toward the door, he shook his head. He opened it, then paused. Without turning to face her, he spoke in an angry tone. “What’s your name…yourrealname?”
“Cindy.”
* * *
