“Yes,” she admits. “And when I tried to stop him, he held me tight and squeezed my throat.” She starts to cry, and I hug her tightly. I’m furious.
“How long has this been going on? The abuse.”
“Physical for a few months, psychological since we returned from our honeymoon.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Baby, what are you waiting for? Get a divorce.”
“Danny, marriage is forever. For good or bad, he’ll never let me go.”
“What if he becomes more violent? What if he gets to the point of...”
“Then I’ll wait for you in the afterlife. It hasn’t happened so far. I can handle him.”
“So far?” I repeat incredulously. “Baby, he must never, never know about us. If something happened to you, I’d go crazy.”
“He won’t find out.” She smiles at me, but it’s not a sincere smile. She’s afraid, and I’m exposing her to risks she doesn’t deserve. I’m just goddamn selfish.
I get lost in her eyes.
“Don’t do this, please,” she says.
I look at her curiously.
“Danny, I hear your thoughts from here, your guilt. Don’t do it. It’s not up to you to protect me.”
“Who, if not me, Hailey? Who could love you more than I do?”
Fuck, I really said it.
“Danny, don’t...”
I kiss her. I don’t want to hear her excuses. Not now.
I can’t be told it’s not like that for her. She would lie to herself and me.
You are mine, and you will always be, baby. Your soul belongs to me.For once, my brain and I agree.
She moves away slightly and looks at me. “Stop thinking. Your thoughts distract me.”
“You don’t even know what I was thinking.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m all ears.”
“You were thinking about the only thing about me that, in your opinion, belongs to you: my soul. But you also have my heart and my mind.”
“How?” I’m speechless.
“You’re an open book, Danny,” she whispers to me, mere centimeters from my lips. “And I can read you.”
I kiss her.
I kiss her with all the love I feel for her.
I kiss her with all the fear of not knowing where this thing will lead us.
I kiss her because she’s mine, even if only for a few moments.
