Chapter 28
“I come in peace,” he smirked, holding his hands up. “I just wanted to talk to you.”
I felt like running, or throwing up, or both. But I didn’t do anything. I just stood there, watching him. He was dressed in an expensive-looking gray wool coat, thrown over one of his black business suits. His hair was trimmed perfectly and he was clean shaven. He didn’t look angry, or sad, or anything. He wore his usual confident demeanor.
“Listen,” he said, putting his hands in his pockets, “I get the message. We are over. But that means we have some official paperwork to take care of. I brought the divorce documents, and I thought we might go over them and get them signed tomorrow night over dinner. I’ll fax them right over to the lawyers, and that will be that. You can be done with me.”
I was stunned. He had never been this reasonable in the past. It was always about his way, and getting what he wanted out of me. And he shouldn’t have even been there. I’d filled out that restraining order. Just being on the front porch was a violation of it. His look made me suspicious, but I did want to get the divorce.
“Fine,” I said, “But we have to meet someplace public.”
“Zach’s Steakhouse, 6:00?”
I nodded, starting to close the door.
His hand reached out and stopped it with a bang, “And let’s keep this between you and me, okay, sugar? Happy New Year, Emily.”
His hand slid off the door and he straightened out his coat and turned around, walking down the street to a limo that was waiting for him. I slammed the door and double locked it.
I then went back into the living room to join everyone again. My mind was blank. I felt like a zombie, drained of all my energy. I picked up my cold glass of champagne and downed the whole thing in one big gulp.
“Who was at the door?” Margaret asked.
“No one,” I said stiffly.
She raised an eyebrow at me, “Okay. Well, John was just getting ready to tell us some exciting news. John?”
“Kiuchi is going to come and visit from next week until Valentine’s Day. She will be staying with her family in the area, but we will get to go on real dates together.”
“That’s wonderful, darling,” said Margaret, clapping her hands together.
“And, Sarah and Emily, I want you guys to go on a double date with us,” he added.
“Yeah, okay. That sounds fun,” I said, staring off at the wall. How did he find me? Was I in danger?
“I agree,” she said, “It would be nice to go on an actual date in public together.”
I wanted to smile, but I was still numb from the shock of seeing Hector. So, instead I asked, “Is there any more champagne?”
I had two more glasses before the party ended. When Sarah got all bundled up to leave, I was too terrified to follow her outside.
“I think I’m going to stay here tonight,” I explained, “I start work here tomorrow, and so I think it would be best to sleep here. Plus I had a lot to drink, and I kind of just want to go lay down.”
“Oh, alright. Well, don’t hide away from me for too long,” she smiled, leaving a kiss on my cheek.
As soon as she left, I crawled up the stairs, and down the hall to the pink room. I laid on top of the covers, and stared at the ceiling all night. My mind just flashed images across my eyes of my past with Hector, and it kept replaying what had just happened at the door. I felt like I was in some sort of waking nightmare. Somehow, he had found me.
The next day went really fast. Margaret had me going through paperwork and finalizing payment information for a group of guys who would be our guests the following week for some sort of 21st birthday event. Once I had finished all the paperwork for each of the guests and filed it all away, it was already 5 o’clock.
To get ready for dinner, I put on a cream turtleneck and a pair of jeans, and I brushed my hair out. I didn’t put on makeup, or perfume, or anything that might have made him think that I was trying to win him back. This is going to be easy…I told myself…Just go, sign the papers, and you will never have to see him again.
I really wanted to tell Margaret where I was going when she asked. I hated hiding stuff from her, especially after all she had done for me. But I didn’t want to make her worry any more than she needed to. It was just a dinner.
I took an Uber to the restaurant, and walked in with as much confidence as I could muster. The restaurant was decorated in casual wood benches with laminated menus and animal heads of all different kinds hanging on the walls. Hector was sitting in the back corner, drinking some sort of alcohol, and there was an empty place already set across from him. With shaky legs, I crossed the restaurant and took my seat.
Chapter 29
“Ah, Emily, so glad you made it,” he said, picking up his menu and looking over it, “You know, I never go to such cheap restaurants, but I thought this would be the ideal place for us to meet. I like steak, and apparently, you want to live out in the country with a bunch of nobody’s.”
And there he was, the condescending man that was, at least for a little while longer, my husband.
“Did you bring the paperwork?” I asked sipping my water.
“I did,” he said, putting down his menu, “But there are a few things I want to go over before we sign.”
“Are you guys ready to order?” asked the waiter. He definitely looked more like a greasy bodybuilder than a waiter, though.
“Yes,” answered Hector, “I will have an 8oz T-bone steak. Rare. With mashed potatoes. And she will have the garden salad with the fat-free Italian dressing.”
“Got it. Should be out in just a few minutes,” the waiter said, taking our menus.
I sighed, irritated that he would order that for me. “Why couldn’t you just let me order my own food? Maybe I wanted steak, too.”
“You are still my wife. You gotta keep that figure slim for me,” he winked.
“Not for long,” I hissed.
“Speaking of that,” he said, taking a casual sip of his drink with one hand. His other hand was hidden in his lap. And then, I heard the click of a gun cock from under our table.
He leaned towards me, “Let’s get something straight. The only reason I am going to divorce you, is because I don’t want to be married to a pathetic bitch like you. You embarrassed me, and you don’t appreciate anything I’ve ever given you.
“If I find out that you are doing this to leave me for someone else, I swear to God, I will kill you both. If you go to the police, you are dead. You really thought some piece of paper could keep me away from you? You obviously have no idea who I am.”
It was impossible to breathe and I had to squeeze my hands together until there was almost no blood left in them to keep them from shaking. I started to get dizzy like I was going to pass out, so I took a few deep breaths to try and calm down, but even those were painful.
I heard another click and the moving of cloth, as he put the gun away and brought both hands back into view, placing a briefcase on the table and opening it. He pulled out a stack of papers and passed them to me.
“Basically it says I get everything and you get nothing. You can look it over if you want, but if you want to change anything, you will need to get a lawyer of your own,” he explained passing me a pen.
He was right. It basically stated that he was going to have possession of the house, the cars, the investment funds, all the furniture, and all the money with the exception of any money I had in cash or any personal accounts that I had. There were yellow tabs where I was supposed to sign, and with trembling hands, I did.
“Good,” he said, “And now that we have everything cleared up, we can eat,” he said, taking the paperwork and putting it away again.
The waiter dropped off our food a few minutes later, and Hector scarfed his down. I barely touched mine. I wasn’t hungry, and I felt like I’d swallowed a knife.
“So that’s it?” I asked, “Are we divorced?”
“Well, I have to fax these over tonight
. They should have them turned in sometime next week, and then there is a 30 day waiting period for it to be finalized. You will receive a confirmation letter in the mail.”
“Okay,” I answered. But I was definitely not okay. I had to be married to Hector for another month.
“And speaking of 30 days,” he said, wiping the blood from his steak off his mouth with a paper napkin, “I’ll be staying here in town, just to be sure that everything goes smoothly.”
“What about work?” I asked, trying to sound casual about it.
“I’ve made arrangements for while I’m away. I won’t be needing to leave any time soon.”
I nodded slowly, taking another small bite of salad, and trying to process my new situation. What was I going to tell Sarah?
“Here is the check, whenever you are ready,” said the waiter, dropping off a paper receipt at the edge of our table.
“I’ll get it,” said Hector, snatching it up, “You are probably running pretty low on funds by now.” He opened his wallet and threw down far too much cash, then slipped on his gray coat. “Tik, tok.”
In just a few long strides he was out of the restaurant. My stomach churned, and I ran to the bathroom, heaving up everything I had eaten, and gasping for air.
One month. I had to survive for one month under the watchful guard of Hector Jacobson. A man with wealth, power, and a gun.
Chapter 30
I had to break up with Sarah. At least, that was the only option I could think of. I had to protect her from him. I wanted so badly to go to the cops, but for all I knew, he had paid them off or something. I felt so helpless.
I knocked on Sarah’s door, and she answered in her pajamas.
“Hi, Emily,” she yawned, “You here to stay the night again?”
“No. I need to get my things.”
“You look sick. Is everything okay?”
“No,” I answered, tears stinging my eyes, “I can’t see you anymore. Not for the next month.”
“Like, you will be too busy? Or you don’t want to see me?”
“I want to, I just…I can’t explain it right now. I can’t tell you any more than that. I can’t be with you.”
“Okay, I’m sorry,” she said stepping aside, “You can go get your things.”
I rushed by her and gathered up all of my clothes, my toothbrush, and everything that was mine as quickly as I could. I stuffed it all into my suitcase, and walked back out the front door.
“Emily?” Sarah called after me. Her voice cracked, “Can we still be friends?”
I wanted to keep Sarah out of his line of sight completely. But on the other hand, I knew I couldn’t just leave her like that. Leaving her wasn’t my choice, it was just something I had to do.
“Yes, I suppose so,” I answered, not turning around, “We can’t spend a lot of time together, though. Not right now. But, I promise, I’ll explain it all next month. I’m sorry.”
There was a heavy silence for just a moment, and then I heard her door click shut, and my heart shattered into a million little pieces as I walked away, back to the B&B.
The next couple weeks passed in a blur. John was out with Kiuchi a lot of the time, and so I picked up the slack at the B&B. We had a few people coming in and out to stay in the area for various events and family occasions. I kept as busy as I could, but I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about Sarah. I refused to leave the B&B, though. I didn’t want run in Hector.
One night, when John came home from a date with Kiuchi, he stopped in the kitchen where I was doing the dishes, and he took my hand. He looked at me with piercing eyes.
“Emily, I need to talk to you.”
I turned off the water and dried my hands on a towel, “Sure, whatsup?”
“You haven’t gone to see Sarah at all since New Year’s, and this morning I saw her in town and she looked really depressed. What happened?”
“We are taking a little break for a few weeks while I get myself together,” I shrugged, turning back to the dishes.
“Emily,” he urged, catching my arm with his hand, “She trusts you. I trust you. Please, what’s going on? You’ve been acting funny for over two weeks.”
“I can tell you after Valentine’s Day,” I said plainly.
“Fine,” he huffed, “Does this mean no double date?”
My heart sank at the idea. I really wanted to see Sarah again, and if we were in a group, maybe it wouldn’t look like a date. But I didn’t want to put her in danger. “I can go with Sarah as friends.”
“Well, then it really isn’t a double date, is it?”
“I just…I can’t be seen with her in public. Not right now.”
“Well, then, why don’t we have it here? Would you be okay with seeing her here?” he asked, practically begging.
“I don’t know. I guess? I’d like the chance to talk with her,” I shrugged, looking down at the floor.
“Great! Let’s do it this Friday night. I have so much to tell you guys, but I want us all together,” he smiled, patting me on the back and leaving the kitchen.
I finished up the dishes and went up to my room to destress a bit. I still hadn’t started creating a piece for the art show yet, but I still had some supplies tucked away from when I had been taking Sarah’s class.
I pulled out my sketchbook and flipped it to a clean white sheet of paper. My pencil was a little dull, but I’d forgotten to get a sharpener, so I just tried to start the outline of something.
At first, I started to try and draw some sort of flower bouquet, but all it made me want to do was give flowers to Sarah. And so, I erased it and tried to draw a picture of a beach, but all I could think of was Sarah and I at the beach together.
I tore the paper to shreds, and put my pencil and sketchpad away. Sarah helped inspire me to do art again, so I decided that I wanted to do a portrait of Sarah, my Valentine, for the Valentine’s Art Show. But I was going to need her to model for it.
Chapter 31
That Friday I was a ball of nerves. I had seen Hector, stalking me at the grocery store, the day before when Margaret had sent me to pick up some ingredients for her recipes I’d been avoiding going out for her, but I knew she needed help, so it was hard to turn her down. Hector didn’t directly look at me in the store. He simply walked down every aisle I was in, pretending to look at items, and disappeared when I went to the checkout counter. He was watching me, and it made me paranoid.
A part of me wanted cancel the night with everyone. I knew that I was putting them in danger, even if it was just a dinner at the B&B. But I really wanted to see Sarah again. Even if I couldn’t touch her, I could still be near her.
I put on a little black dress and did my makeup like it was a date, including red lipstick. I even put waves in my hair with some of John’s gel that he let me borrow. John and Kiuchi were also dressed up. But I felt a little foolish when Sarah arrived.
“Oh, I didn’t know it was a formal event. I thought we were just friends hanging out and having dinner,” she explained, her cheeks blushing. She was dressed in one of her hoodies and a pair of jeans. “Maybe I should go home.”
“No, you look beautiful,” I said, “You know what? Let me go and change. I’ll be right back.”
I darted upstairs and wiped off my makeup and threw on my skinny jeans and a pink long-sleeve t-shirt. I grabbed my sketchpad and pencil on my way back downstairs so I could ask her about doing a portrait.
John had been cooking most of the afternoon. He had made all of us a spaghetti dinner with garlic bread and salad, and it looked like it came from a fine restaurant. Sarah sat awkwardly beside me at dinner, and she didn’t look at me once. John and Kiuchi, on the other hand, were living in their own little world, spending the first half of the meal giggling and whispering back and forth to each other.
Eventually, John looked up at me, and his smile faded. He took a sip of his wine and tried to start a conversation. “So, um, Emily, do you have anything cool planned in the next few weeks?”
“Model? I’m not much of a model,” she shrugged, taking another bite of her garlic bread.
“I really wanted to make a piece that represented Valentine’s Day. I thought of you,” I explained.
“Yeah, I guess friends are kind of part of Valentine’s Day. At least, that’s what I teach my students. Sure, I’ll model for you. When do you want to hang out?”
“I’ve got my stuff right here,” I said, pulling out my sketchpad and pencil from beside me, “I was hoping to get the base sketch done tonight.”
“Um, okay. How do you want me?”
“Just the way you are,” I smiled, taking the pencil and starting to shape her face on the page.
She smiled too, took a sip of red wine, and then turned to face me, running her hands through her curls.
“Glad to see you two hanging out again,” said John.
“Me too,” I said, trying not to blush while I was sketching Sarah’s bright eyes. “So, Kiuchi, how are enjoying your visit?”
“Very good,” she answered with a little giggle, “John is so nice.”
Kiuchi was short and petite with long dark hair. Her eyes were deep and dark, and she always had a bouncy energy about her, even though she came across as a bit shy. She was always dressed in bright floral blouses with slacks and heels, and I wondered what she did for work that always had her dressed so nicely.
“Kiuchi and I actually have some news that we wanted to share with you guys. It’s kind of why we wanted this dinner,” said John, straightening himself up and giving Kiuchi a wink, “You want to tell them, honey?”
“We are engaged!” Kiuchi squealed, showing us her hand which now held a small single diamond on a gold band.
“Oh, wow! Congratulations. That is so wonderful,” I exclaimed, and I stood to get up and hug them both.
Maple Creek Page 11
