“Mommy, what do spiders eat?”
I smile at my youngest, Emily. She’s only five years old, but smart as hell. She always has been a curious one. I should be worried that she’s found a spider, but she won’t touch it without permission. I taught her that animals are living creatures that deserve the same respect as humans.
“Bugs and flies. Why?” I yell to her as I finish up the dishes.
I should have another hour before my husband gets home. Dread fills me at the idea, but I shake it away. I’m still here for them. I can’t stay much longer, though. I will need to take them and run before long.
Thankfully, I’ve already gotten a go bag together. That’s what they call it at the shelter. The same one I go to under the guise of helping the needy. He likes me to keep a positive image.
If only he weren’t such a monster.
“There’s one living under the bathroom cabinet,” she yells back.
I smile, shaking my head. She is always looking around and finding new things to interest her. You should see her library list. I let her pick out five books a week, but that’s not enough anymore. She is reading well above her grade level, but I have no idea how to keep her engaged if it’s not knowledge-related.
“Mom,” Tanner, my eight-year-old, comes into the kitchen, fear on his face.
All the humor disappears from my face.
“He’s home and looks angry,” he tells me.
I swallow hard.
“You know the drill. Keep your sister safe,” I tell him, hating how he nods as if this is normal.
To him, it is.
He has seen firsthand the damage his father can cause.
I listen as he corrals Emily upstairs. As he does, I hear the front door open. I flinch when he slams it shut, but I continue to do the dishes as if everything is okay.
“Hey, honey. How was your day?” I ask in my chipper voice as I hear him move down the hall.
He doesn’t say a word. That doesn’t bode well for me. It’s a bad day.
That’s the thing with Evan. On his good days, he is a loving father and husband. I can almost convince myself that he isn’t the monster I know him to be. He reverts back to the man I fell in love with ten years ago. The one who promised to treat me like a queen on our wedding day.
Unfortunately, that man doesn’t exist much anymore. As each day passes, the new one, this monster, takes his place.
I don’t say a word as he stalks toward me, grabbing my hair.
“Why do sluts always think they can do whatever they want and get away with it? I swear, one day I’m going to kill her.” He spits in my face.
I’m not the cause of his anger, but I am the target. I don’t dare utter a word.
I know who he is likely talking about. Recently, the partners at his firm promoted a female above him. On the day it happened, he came home ranting and raving about how they only gave her the position because she opens her legs for them. I don’t think that’s true, but I didn’t dare tell him that.
It didn’t save me that day, and it’s not going to save me today.
“I swear, all of you are useless. If it wasn’t for the fact that we need you to populate the earth, I’d say we should kill you all. It would make the world a better place.”
His hand in my hair tightens, making me wince, but I don’t dare make a noise. That would only piss him off more.
It’s the opening he was looking for. Evan won’t hit me out of nowhere. No, he makes sure there is some sort of slight that makes it my fault. It is always my fault.
“What? Do you agree with the bitch? I bet you do. All you whores stick together.”
He pushes me back, my hip hitting the kitchen counter, causing a burst of pain. I don’t dare cry out, though. Not that it stops him. He rushes me, slapping my face.
