“Frankie!” I called out.
She looked up from where she was sitting with Cami and Maggie, her face lighting up when she saw me. But then her smile faded as she took in my expression.
“Mom?” she said, standing up. “What’s wrong?”
“We’re leaving,” I said, grabbing her hand.
“What? But—”
“Now, Frankie. We’re leaving now.”
Maggie stood up, concern written all over her face. “Kat, what happened?”
“I have to go,” I said, pulling Frankie toward the door.
“Mom, you’re scaring me,” Frankie whispered.
“It’s okay,” I lied. “Everything’s okay. We just need to go.”
I could hear Derek calling my name behind me, but I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t look at him. Couldn’t face him.
I pushed through the front door of the clubhouse, dragging Frankie with me. The cold air hit my face, but I barely felt it.
“Mom, what’s going on?” Frankie demanded as I fumbled with my keys.
“Get in the car,” I said.
“Not until you tell me what’s wrong!”
“Frankie, please,” I begged, my voice breaking. “Just get in the car.”
She must have heard something in my voice, the desperation, the fear, because she stopped arguing and climbed into the passenger seat.
I got behind the wheel, my hands shaking so badly I could barely get the key in the ignition. The engine roared to life, and I threw the car into reverse.
Derek burst out of the clubhouse just as I was backing out of the parking spot.
“Kat!” he shouted. “Please! Just let me explain!”
But I didn’t stop. I shifted into drive and pressed down on the gas, the tires kicking up gravel as I sped away from the clubhouse.
“Mom, what happened?” Frankie asked, her voice small and scared. “Did Derek do something?”
I couldn’t answer. My throat was too tight. My hands were shaking on the wheel, my knuckles white from gripping it so hard.
All I could think about was Derek’s face when he admitted it. When he said yes, he had hurt Sam.
And I’d let him touch me. Let him inside me. Let him make me feel safe when I should have been running.
“Mom,” Frankie said again, her voice breaking. “Please. You’re scaring me.”
“It’s okay,” I whispered, even though it wasn’t. Even though nothing was okay. “We’re okay.”
But as I drove away from the clubhouse, away from Derek, away from everything that had just happened, I knew it was a lie.
Nothing was okay.
And I had no idea if it ever would be again.
