hands coming up to grab my wrists. Shoving me away with such strength that I fall back onto the bed, he leans over me, not giving a damn that tears are stinging my eyes, his palms slamming down on the mattress on either side of my head.
“You’ll do this my way. I’m sick and fucking tired of waiting for you to figure it out yourself. If you don’t take those pills tonight, I’ll shove them down your damn throat. And I won’t feel bad about it, Adeline. This is what you need, and I’m not playing around anymore. I gave you a chance to make the decision yourself. Remember that.”
He shoves away, storms into the bathroom and slams the door so hard the walls shake.
Pushing up to sit on the side of the bed, I bury my face in my hands, fighting to stop the sobs rattling up my throat. The door opens again, the sound of the running shower becoming louder.
“And another thing. Put the camera away, and do the things I need you to do. The Nakamura contract is extremely important to me. You can’t afford to screw it up. Call Gloria and find out where she gets her hair cut. She knows what’s expected of a businessman’s wife. And deal with every other thing we need to keep the household running. You made those promises to me when we got married. Do your fucking job, and give up the bullshit interests you could afford to have when you were a child.”
Jerking my head up, I glare at him.
“You used to love those things about me. You met me when I was out taking shots. You approached me! Not the other way around. You supported me the entire time I prepared for my first show. Why now are you demanding I give it up?”
His lips thin, the steam from the shower rolling out from behind him. The ends of his brown hair curl with the moisture.
“It was charming then, but you were young. It’s not charming now.”
Turning, he slams the door again and leaves me to choke on the reality of married life.
Staring at his door as if my anger alone can knock it down, I feel the familiar thread of rebellion uncurl inside me. It would be so easy to walk away from this. So easy to pack it all up and go back to the house I still haven’t sold despite his demands I do so.
But that’s the old Adeline, right?
The very same girl who got herself in trouble every time she turned around.
Taking a steadying breath, I glance at my closet where the camera sits beckoning me forward.
I think of the man who will be waiting for me at the cemetery because I begged him to show.
I think of my husband. Of the man I made vows to on the day we got married.
How is it so easy for everything to spin out of control?
And what can I do to pull it back together again?
Pushing to my feet, I grab my phone and text Gloria to find out where I should go to deal with my hair. Then I text the caterer Grant likes to use to see what kind of menu should be arranged for a Japanese client.
Finished with that, I drop my phone to the table and stare at my closet again.
Grant’s exhausted. You can see it in his eyes. And maybe that’s why he’d lost his temper just now.
I know I can be difficult. Know it’s selfish to ask him to give up sleep so I won’t have to take those pills.
But no matter how badly I want to do what he asks me, I don’t want to become a walking zombie either.
My phone pings, and I glance at the screen to see Gloria’s name flash across it.
I check the message and text her back to make me an appointment as soon as possible.
Grant needs a wife, and that’s what I will give him.
The camera sits untouched while I get dressed and ready to go.
Ari
There have been times in recent years when I believed some ridiculous decision I made was the first indication I was losing my mind. All of those times were particularly true when it came to Adeline.
The stalking, obviously. Getting involved when it was the worst thing for me. Killing someone when it didn’t involve a hefty deposit in my bank account.
All dumb.
All inadvisable.
Stupid, if you want to put a more precise label on it. Actions without thought.
But none