29
I invited the man to take a seat before I started to tell him all about Daniel and me, starting from the beginning. I told them how I met him while in high school and fell in love with him. He seemed nice while we were dating, but things went south from our wedding day. It was hard to say the words, but I married a monster who raped me, knowing I had never been with a man.
I tried to do what I supposed was expected of me, but his violence seemed to escalate, no matter what I did. He managed to convince people nothing was wrong when they suspected things weren’t so perfect…
Everything… of course, I left out many of the nastiest details, like when he kicked me repeatedly, while I was on the floor, or how he belted my back until I was nothing but a bloody mess or the countless times he raped me, even though I begged him not to. No one needed to hear that, and I doubted it would make a difference.
During the whole process, I kept my eyes locked on the detective. I couldn’t see Jayden’s face and watch how he was reacting to the whole story. I wasn’t ready for that.
“When did you leave him?”
“Right after New Year’s Eve. My mother had died a few weeks before Christmas, and I guess losing her fueled my need to escape. I gathered as much money as I could, which wasn’t easy since I had no access to his bank accounts or credit cards,” I explained. “I had to steal one of his cards and take as much cash I could from it before he blocked it.”
“What happened then?”
“I jumped on the first bus out of New York, and I have been on the running ever since.”
“Did he ever come close to finding you?” the man asked, his expression as dark as my story.
“Yes… a few weeks ago. I was living in a small town, not far from Pendleton, and I was working as a dishwasher. My boss asked for my social security number, and I explained my situation to him,” I told him, wriggling my hands. “He convinced me Daniel wouldn’t be able to track it, that I deserved to have health insurance and all the benefits from a legal job.”
“I’m guessing he was wrong.”
I nodded. “I should have known better. Tracking people is what Daniel does for a living. He showed up a few days after I was registered as an employee.”
“What happened then?” the detective asked.
“We were arguing, just outside the restaurant, and the owner heard us and came out to see what was going on. Daniel got distracted, and I was able to run away and jump into a truck leaving town.”
“When you say ‘arguing,’ you mean he was beating you, right?” the detective deduced.
“Yes… the truck driver noticed my bruises and agreed to take me away. Daniel stopped the truck and told him I was a mentally ill person, that I needed my meds, but Brett didn’t believe him and assured him he hadn't seen me.”
“How did you get to Seattle?”
“Brett took me to Portland, and I took a bus from there. He lent me some money. Once I got to Seattle, I tried looking for a job with no luck. Soon I ran out of money, so I had no place to stay. I kept looking for work, but I was surprised by the snowstorm. I needed to get in out of the cold, but the homeless’ shelters were packed. It was then when I met Mr. Wells.”
The detective nodded. “How did your husband he find you here?”
“He told me he had seen pictures of me at the art show I went a few days ago. I hadn't seen the pictures, or I would have left immediately. When I did, it was too late. He was already in town,” I explained.
“Did you ever confide on Mr. Wells about the whole story?” the detective asked.
I bit my lower lip and took a deep breath before I answered that. “No, I didn’t. I wanted to keep my past where it belonged – the past. But it caught up with me. The moment I saw Daniel at the gala, I knew it was a matter of time for him to capture me again.”
“Why didn’t you leave town?”
“I knew he would be watching every road, train station, bus station, and airport in town. Laying low until he gave up was my best option,” I explained.
“Did he take you to the cabin right after he captured you?”
“As far as I know, yes. He knocked me out, and when I came to, we were only minutes away from the cabin. He kept me on the car trunk the whole ride there.”
“Is he responsible for all the bruises and wounds you suffered?” the detective asked.
“Yes, he is… we were alone at the cabin.”
“Did he threaten your life in any way?” the man asked, with a grim frown.
