PROLOGUE
The soundof the garage lowering alarmed me. My eyes popped open as I lie in bed, listening for the engine of Dewayne’s Corvette to sound in the distance. The roaring confirmed my suspicions. He had taken off for the night.
I sprang up despite the achiness in my body. From the very top of my head to the bottom of my feet, I experienced unfathomable pain from constant blows to the body. Suffering through the agony, I pushed through the bedroom we shared, headed for the closet. Inside, I stretched to reach the suitcases at the very top of it.
“Urgh!” Groaning, I folded from discomfort.
My rib cage felt as if it had been set ablaze. Lifting my shirt, I examined the discoloration. With flared nostrils, I mustered the strength to push through.
“I’m sorry,” I admitted, remembering to show myself the grace I deserved. Beating myself down wouldn’t rectify the situation, building myself up would.
My spiked adrenaline forced me to continue moving instead of dwelling on the results of Dewayne’s latest episode. I jumped once, and then again, finally catching the suitcase handle and dragging it down with me. Pain soared through my body as I repeated my actions, pulling down the second suitcase. The third was in the room just down the hall where my children slept peacefully.
I unzipped the largest suitcase and began stuffing it with the necessities, leaving anything that wasn’t of value to me or my children where it was. Within three minutes, the suitcase was filled to the brim with undergarments, the twenty-five pairs of leggings I owned, a few pairs of jeans, all the t-shirts that would fit, two shirts suitable for interviews, a few dresses, a pair of tennis shoes, sandals, and the large envelope that housed all the important documents for the girls and I.
Feeling accomplished, I plopped down on the suitcase and ran the zipper from one side to the other. Simultaneously, my cellphone buzzed on the floor next to me. My breathing halted as I leaned over, prayerful Dewayne’s number wasn’t displayed on the screen. Lyric’s contact replacing the image of his allowed me to continue breathing without flaw.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey. Just calling back to check on you and see if you made your final decision.”
“I’m tired, Lyric. It’s as final now as it was when I said it earlier. I’m exhausted,” I choked, trying my hardest not to crack. There was work to be done.
“Say no more. How can I help?”
“Just be waiting for the girls and I when we get there. Lyric, I have nothing.”
“You have your girls, Ever. You have everything you need. Don’t let that stop you.”
“I promise… It won’t.”
“Good.”
“What time will you arrive?”
“Around eight, possibly earlier.”
“You already have the tickets?”
“Yes. I got them about twenty minutes ago.”
“OK. I won’t hold you up. Do you need a Carriage or anything to get you to the station?”
“Yes. Please. We can be ready in ten minutes but I really want to waste as little time as possible. I won’t have time to call you back.”
“I got it, babe. Ten minutes, the car will be waiting.”
“Lyric.”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you when you arrive.”
“OK.”
I ended the call, popping right up and heading for the girls’ room, lugging the suitcases behind me. Before exiting the bedroom, I made sure to grab my cell charger, the iPads, and the chargers they’d been on all night in preparation for this moment. The strength of a mother was the only justifiable explanation for the power to push through the achiness throughout my frame. Every step I made was harder than the one before.
