“Do you really think you can help me find a way to be free of Caleb?”
“I do,” he answered honestly. “Actually, I already have a couple of ideas. But, before we talk about that, I need to know as much about your marriage as you can tell me.”
Charlie’s shoulders fell again. He could tell she didn’t really want to talk about her husband, but the number one rule in combat is know your enemy.
“Okay,” she finally agreed quietly. “I’ll tell you what I know, but can we go out on the deck for this conversation? I know it doesn’t make any sense, but I think it’ll be easier to talk about him if I’m not so closed in.”
“Whatever you want.”
Derek followed her outside. With a throw from inside wrapped protectively around her, she sat in one of the chairs and gave him a glimpse of what her life with Caleb had been like.
“At first, he seemed so perfect. He said and did all the right things. It was almost as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.”
“When did things start to change?”
“It was subtle, at first. Little things, like acting jealous if I mentioned your or Eric’s name. It even seemed to bother him when I would talk about your parents. I’m pretty sure he was jealous of them, too.”
“He was jealous of my folks? Why?”
“Because they were everything his parents weren’t. His mom was, wellis, a socialite, and his dad is a retired, high-profile corporate attorney. According to Caleb, nothing he ever did growing up was good enough for them. To hear him talk, he never measured up to their standards. It’s why he went to law school. He thought if he became a successful enough attorney, his dad would be proud.”
“Let me guess. Still not good enough?”
“No. I’ve only been around his father a few times over the years, but there’s just something off about him. Aside from Caleb, that man is the coldest, most uncaring person I’ve ever met.”
Derek thought for a moment. “Doesn’t excuse Caleb’s behavior, but I’d say it definitely contributed to his controlling personality.”
“I agree. He couldn’t control how his parents viewed him, so he took control of every other aspect of his life. Including me.”
She took a sip of her wine, her gaze settling somewhere near the horizon. “Things progressed little by little that first year. If we were at a business dinner with him and his associates, I was allowed to talk to the wives, but only the men if they spoke to me first. If I tried to ask questions or initiate a conversation with any of them, he’d chew me out once we got back home.” Charlie’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “I was flirting, he’d say. Or I had looked at one of the men in an inappropriate way.”
Derek watched her shake her head, the disbelief that her own husband would treat her that way obvious.
Though he hated thinking about it, he asked, “When did the physical abuse start?”
“About a year after we were married. We’d attended a charity event his firm was sponsoring. It was black tie, so of course, I’d worn a formal gown. When he first saw me in it, he’d approved. Said I looked like a vision.”
Charlie stopped again, her throat working overtime in order for her to continue.
“Toward the end of the evening, he left me alone to go talk business with two of the senior partners. I didn’t feel like making small talk with the rest of the wives, so I went to the open bar and ordered a drink. While I was waiting, a new lawyer from his firm came up beside me, and we struck up a conversation. It was nothing inappropriate at all, but Caleb saw us laughing together from across the room.”
Derek reached over and took her hand in his. “What did he do?”
“He acted perfectly fine the rest of the night and even in the car on the drive home. I didn’t know anything was wrong until we got back into our apartment.”
She drew in a deep, shaky breath making Derek not want to hear the rest.
“I went in first,” she continued on. “He shut and locked the door behind me. I remember saying something about my feet hurting. I took off my high heels and set them on the floor, and when I turned around, he punched me.”
His hand inadvertently squeezed hers a little harder, but he kept quiet.
“I just laid there, crying and holding my jaw. It wasn’t until Caleb started yelling at me and calling me a whore that I even realized what had just happened.”
Derek clenched his teeth, willing himself not to go off about the asshole. “Then, what?”
Charlie looked down at their joined hands, tears falling into her lap. “He hit me a few more times and then left me there, just like in the hotel. I woke up the next morning to find he’d had several dozen roses delivered and had arranged them all around the apartment.” Her mouth curled into a contemptuous smile. “Fell all over himself apologizing. Swore he’d never do anything like that again.” She turned to Derek, the pain still fresh in her damp eyes. “For a while, I actually bought it. I’d thinkthiswould be the time he means it. The crazy thing is, I think he did, at first. Then, it happened again. And again.”
Charlie tore her hand from his, stood from the chair, and made her way down the wooden steps. Though he hated to, Derek let her go.
