It didn’t work.
“Then one day, he came home drunk and horny. Which wasn’t unusual, but that night, I was really sick with the flu. It was the first time I ever said no to him.”
My stomach drops through the floor at the rest of the memory. At the way he grabbed me and said he didn’t care, that he’d just bend me over real quick. At the way I got really scared and pulled away, and for a split second, I thought he might force it anyway. And even though he passed out on the couch instead, I still spent the night shell-shocked and trembling.
Nico doesn’t need to know that part.
I force my mind back to the present. “I guess after that, he decided I wasn’t worth the effort anymore. He stopped paying attention to me completely.” I pause for a deep breath, still unable to look at Nico. “And then he started to come home smelling like perfume.”
Looking back, I ignored the signs for way too long. Subconsciously, I knew he was cheating on me, but a younger Scarlett wouldn’t let herself believe it.
Not when she was doing everything a woman was supposed to do for her husband.
“The day I found another woman’s underwear in his pants pocket, I knew my marriage was over,” I say in a small voice. “I knew it would only get worse from there.”
For a moment, I’m thrown back to the memory of that night. To the way I froze in horror and realization. To the way I panicked and ran to my parents’ house, desiring consolation from my mother. To the way she waved me off and said this is just what men do.
To the way she looked me up and down and said maybe he did it because it looked like I’d put on weight.
I thought that would be the worst part of the day, but the feeling of being shooed from my childhood home and realizing the only other place I could go was my adulterous husband’shouse was somehow worse. I felt so utterly alone, and I had no idea what to do about it. I had no friends, no other family, and I was completely tied to my husband.
I’m snapped out of my thoughts when Nico stops at the foot of the bed, wincing and rubbing his forehead.
“Okay, in full transparency, I’m trying very hard not to ask Lucas to find this piece of shit predator so I can put him six feet under. So, in the spirit of fighting that urge, please tell me you left him immediately and are no longer married.”
“Well, actually, you might laugh at this?—”
“I can guarantee I won’t.”
Sighing, I crawl to the end of the bed so I can reach for Nico’s hand and pull him toward me. “Yes, I left him immediately. And no, I haven’t seen or heard from him since.” More for myself than him, after a moment, I add, “My parents, either.”
Sometimes I wonder about never hearing from my parents. I don’t know what I expected their reaction to be about me leaving, but I expectedsomekind of communication in three years. Maybe that was just my childish hope, though. Maybe by running off, I embarrassed them to the point of wanting to disown me.
Nico drops onto the bed with a pained exhale. “Fuck, baby. I’m sorry. I mean, I’m not, because they suck, but…” He looks down where his thumb traces over the back of my hand. “I would’ve chased you,” he adds quietly.
My chest warms at that, the smallest smile touching my lips. I believe him.
The moment lightened, Nico asks curiously, “So, what exactly is the funny part?”
I huff a laugh. “The funny part is that when I went home and started to angrily dig for more signs of his cheating, I found a marriage license in his office. But it wasn’t my name that was on it.”
Nico’s brow furrows. “He was married before?”
“Not just that. When I got curious and looked up the woman’s name, I found out that she had filed for divorce. And that it was still ongoing, which meanttheywere still married.”
His confusion grows. “Can you be married to two people at once?”
I shake my head. “No. Which meant thatmymarriage wasn’t legitimate. I guess he faked the ceremony and paperwork for my sake and hid the fact that he had a wife from a neighboring state.” I look down at our hands and shrug. “Not great for my trust issues, but it did make my escape easier.”
Nico mutters something that gets lost in his hand dragging down his face. “Christ. I have no idea how to process this.”
I can’t bring myself to look at him as I say, “I get it. It’s a crazy story. But…hopefully you can see now why I don’t trust easily.”
Nico lets out a snort. “After that? I wouldn’t blame you if you never trusted the male species again.” But then his expression softens, and he shifts closer. “Thank you for sharing that with me. I know how big of a deal that was for you.” He leans forward to cup my cheek and touch his forehead to mine. “Thank you for trusting me,” he whispers.
And despite everything in my life that’s taught me to be cautious—a childhood with people I’m not sure ever loved me and a marriage to a husband who only wanted me for superficial reasons—somehow, it feels right to trust Nico.
THIRTY-ONE
