If only Millie could go back in time and warn the naïve woman who’d been so full of hope.
Caleb didn’t react to the photo.
She took a breath and kept going. “I know you probably hear this all the time, but he swept me off my feet at first. He was charming. Attentive. He filled spaces in my life I didn’t even realize were empty.”
“And then?”
“Everything was a whirlwind. We were inseparable. Six months after we met, he proposed, and I said yes.” She didn’t mention that she’d met Garrick while she was rebounding and still nursing her broken heart after Caleb had broken up with her.
If she’d been in a better state of mind, maybe she would have done things differently.
It wasn’t Caleb’s fault. But the situation with him certainly hadn’t helped either.
“The first couple of months of marriage were perfect.” She paused, her fingers curling together in her lap. “Then I started to see the cracks.”
“What do you mean?” Caleb went still.
“I was cooking dinner one night, and I accidentally ruined one of our pots. Burned it, and I knew it wouldn’t be usable again. When Garrick realized what I did, he got angry. Not just annoyed—he was absolutely furious.”
She paused, the memory pressing close, and shame filling her.
“I didn’t know what to do. I told myself he was having a bad day. Everyone has bad days, right? I should give him some grace—because there would be times in my life when I also needed grace.” Her mouth curved, humorless. “He apologized later that night and said all the right things. I believed him. Thought he was sincere.”
She lifted her eyes to Caleb. His gaze had gone hard, like something inside him had locked into place.
She recognize the look. It was all determination and conviction.
At one time, she’d admired those attributes.
But not after he’d broken her heart. Then they began to feel more like a liability.
“Then it happened again. And again, not just with the pots but with anything that didn’t fit in Garrick’s idea of perfection, including how towels were folded or how tight the bedsheets were. It escalated from yelling to . . .” The words caught in her throat. “Something much more painful.”
Caleb didn’t interrupt, but his gaze turned stormy.
“Three years into our marriage, I finally realized I had to leave.” She paused. “I realized Garrick was never going to change for the better. That he would lie about anything to get what he wanted, and his apologies were nothing but another way to manipulate me into staying. But when I had that realization, I also recognized I didn’t have anywhere to go or anyone to turn to. I have no close family. No friends who wouldn’t be easy for him to find.”
“You don’t have to keep going.” Caleb’s words came out low and soft. “I know this is probably a lot for you.”
“No, I need to get this out.” Millie swallowed hard. “I ended up at the hospital after he got mad at me for not making the bed properly. He shoved me to the floor and began to kick me repeatedly. Broke two ribs.”
Caleb’s gaze hardened, and Millie knew he was having a hard time hearing this. But he said nothing, just waited for her to continue.
“A nurse noticed the pattern of my injuries. She didn’t push me for information. She just . . . asked if I had somewhere safe to go. I told her I’d thought about maybe going to a women’s shelter, but I couldn’t possibly leave my dog behind. She told me about a place in the mountains that took in women and their pets.”
Biscuit shifted at her feet, almost as if he knew she was talking about him.
“I wasn’t sure what I should do. My confidence had worn down, and I questioned every choice I made. I went back home knowing something had to change. So I started making plans. Stowing cash away. When Garrick when out of town on a trip, I moved out. I had enough money saved to rent an apartment. I hired a lawyer. Told Garrick if he tried to get me back, I had evidence that I’d make public and everyone would know what a monster he truly was.”
“That’s bold.”
She nodded. “It was. And for a while, it worked. He gave me space. He signed the divorce papers. I thought things were really going to change.”
Caleb’s gaze darkened. “I take it there’s a ‘but’ in there.”
She frowned and continued. “Unfortunately, there was. I went on my computer one day and discovered all the evidence I had against him had been deleted. That’s when I knew I was in trouble. I didn’t have any leverage to hold against him.”
She drew in a shaky breath, taking a moment to compose herself before continuing.
