Prologue
Emery
One and a Half Years Ago
“Think you can run from me?” Luke thunders from downstairs. Glass shatters a beat before his voice echoes through the air again. “You’ll never escape me, you fucking bitch.”
Pulse throbbing in my ears, I enter my at-home office and glance around the room. Everything is too open, too exposed. With its removed doors, even the closet isn’t a safe place to hide.
“I saw the way you eye-fucked that guy across the restaurant,” he hollers, voice closer but still on the first floor. “You think that’s acceptable?” A loud thwack, thwack, thwack makes the wall rattle. “Cheating on me right in front of my face.”
I exit the office and quietly close the door before moving on to the next one. Linen closet—nope. Reaching the spare bedroom, I duck inside and take in the space. I could hide under the bed, but that is probably the first place he will look. My gaze sweeps to the closet seconds before I pad across the room and gingerly slide the door open. A handful of winter coats hang from the rack, a couple empty suitcases shoved to one side, neither of them enough to hide me.
My breath catches in my throat as my pulse booms from a hundred to a thousand. “How did I get here?” I whisper almost inaudibly.
I bolt from the spare room and silently close the door. As the latch clicks into place, the heavy thud of Luke’s boots pounds on the stairs. Shit.I dash across the hall for my bedroom—a room with countless places to hide but the first place Luke will look.
Slipping inside, I shut the door as quickly and noiselessly as possible then lock the handle. Eyes trained on the door, I tiptoe backward and pull my phone from my back pocket.
“Emery,” Luke singsongs, his tone that of a killer in a horror movie. “Make it easier on both of us and come out of your hidey-hole.” His voice louder and less of an echo now. “Own what you did, and we can move forward.”
I back into my walk-in closet, ease the door shut, move to the corner behind my floor-length dresses, and make myself small. Unlocking my phone, I tap the call icon, dial 911, and lift it to my ear with a shaky hand.
“9-1-1. This is a recorded line. Please state your emergency.”
“This is Emery Barron,” I whisper, my hand cupping my mouth and the phone mic. “My boyfriend is in my house and trying to hurt me.”
The clicking of a keyboard sounds through the line. “Are you in a safe space, Ms. Barron?” Concern laces their words as the key taps speed up.
“I locked my bedroom door and am in my closet.”
Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack.
“Emery!”
I jump and almost drop my phone.
The door across the hall hits the wall. “Get the fuck out here! I’m tired of your goddamn games.”
“Stay where you are, Ms. Barron. I have officers en route.” More clicks. “Stay on the line with me, no matter what.”
“Okay,” I mutter, my limbs violently shaking, my body cold. I close my eyes and try to zone out to calm my nerves. My thoughts automatically drift to the one place they always do when I need an ounce of peace.
Blake.
God, I miss him. The way he smiled at me all the time. His gentleness. How safe and loved I felt in his arms.
Blake would have never done this. He would have never gone from wonderful and caring to unhinged and maniacal in a heartbeat. No, he would have teased me if he caught me staring at another man. He would have made jokes for weeks but left it at that because he knew where my heart lay—with him, always with him.
The boom, boom, boom of fists on wood rattles my bones as Luke pounds on my bedroom door.
“I know you’re in here, you stupid cunt,” he shouts. “Open the fucking door!”
Drawing my legs as close to my chest as possible, I press my forehead to my knees and think of the last day Blake and I spent together.
“We’re almost there, Ms. Barron. Just hold on,” the dispatcher assures.
“’Kay.”
Fireworks paint the night sky blue, red and gold. Blake takes my hand and steers us through the crowd to the outskirts, a mischievous smirk on his face the entire time.
“What’re you up to, Blake Levens?” I give his hand a tug, and he tightens his hold. “You’ve got this whole I’ve-got-something-up-my-sleeve thing written all over your face.”
He flashes me a wide, toothy smile and winks. “Do I now?”
I roll my eyes then grin. “You’re ridiculous.”
Turning to face me, he walks backward with my hands in his. “I am, but that’s one of the reasons why you love me.”
Heat crawls up my neck to my cheeks at his words. No matter how many times I say or hear it, any time we exchange that four-letter word, I melt into a gooey puddle. Two and a half years together and an infinite number of I love yous shared, each time feels just as thrilling and special as the first.
I yank him into me until our lips meet. “You know me so well.”
Light dances in his eyes that has nothing to do with the fireworks shimmering overhead. I take a mental snapshot of this moment, promising to remember the way he is looking at me right now for the rest of my life.
We reach a bench under a tall evergreen, and he gestures for me to sit. As I take a seat, I expect him to do the same beside me. But he doesn’t. And when I glance up to meet his gaze, his smile is weak, nervous.
“Blake, what’s wro—”
He drops down in front of me and takes my hand in his.
My eyes widen as I roam his expression for a clue as to what’s happening. Is he… No. We are too young. But as the thought crosses my mind, he speaks up.
“Emery”—he swallows—“I have never felt so connected to another person the way I do you.” His thumb grazes my knuckles. “You make every day worthwhile. I love our adventures. I love how full you make my heart.” He rolls his lips between his teeth as he reaches into his pocket.
My heart batters my rib cage. Oh, my god. He is doing this.
As the grand finale of fireworks kicks off, Blake holds up the most precious piece of his heart between us. The rose gold band is dainty, delicate, with a round-cut turquoise surrounded by several small diamonds.
The perfect ring.
“Emery Alecia Barron, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
My vision blurs as I nod profusely. “Yes.” I sniffle as the first tears roll down my cheeks. “I’ll marry you, Blake.”
A wave of heartache ripples through my bones as I relive one of the best and worst days of my life. The backs of my eyes burn as I wheeze.
“They’re pulling up now, Ms. Barron. You’re safe,” the dispatcher says, startling me from the memory.
Outside my safe haven, the notable sound of wood splintering vibrates through my room as Luke relentlessly pounds and kicks my bedroom door.
“Officers are in the house, Ms. Barron. Stay on the line and I’ll tell you when it’s safe to come out.”
I nod, then remember she can’t see me. “Thank you.”
Shouts collide in the hallway as officers tell Luke to back away and get down on his knees. The abrupt lunatic Luke has turned into seems to think the cops’ presence is a joke and he says just as much. But when officers threaten to use the Taser, Luke really loses his mind.
“Fucking whore,” Luke bellows. “You called the damn cops.” A thunderous boom followed by the crack of wood tells me he finally hit the door hard enough to break it. “We could’ve settled this like normal couples. But nothing about you is normal, is it? You and your fancy fucking law degree decided to involve the police.” Another hard blow to the door before a notable thump shakes the floor.
“Hands behind your back,” a voice shouts.
Thwacks and thuds bleed through the closet walls as the police take Luke down. From the sounds of it, Luke is putting up one hell of a fight.
Where the hell did this side of him come from?
I mull over the past six months and search for clues as to when this side of Luke came about. Has he always been this way and I never saw it? Or did he suppress his barbaric nature because I never threatened our relationship with the possibility of leaving him?
Memory after memory, not a single moment stands out. Until tonight, Luke had been the perfect gentleman.
So what if I look at another man across the room? It is human nature to visually appreciate others. Doesn’t necessarily mean I will act on said appreciation and leave my current partner.
“This isn’t over, bitch!” Luke shouts, his voice slightly muffled. “This isn’t the end!”
Thumps sound as someone descends the stairs.
“Ms. Barron, I’ve confirmed the suspect has been detained by officers. It’s safe to come out.”
I take a deep breath, crawl out of my hiding spot, and tiptoe in the dark toward the door. Easing it open, I scan the bedroom and land on the door. The bottom center has a noticeable crack where Luke’s foot broke through.
“You still with me, Ms. Barron?”
“Yes,” I croak out. “I just…” I close my eyes and draw in a lungful of air. On the exhale, I continue. “Just needed a minute.”
“Officer Emerson is outside your room. Don’t want his presence to startle you.”
An ounce of strain eases from my chest. “Thank you.”
Reaching the door, I flip the lock and turn the handle. As I ease the door open, Travis Emerson fills my vision, his brows pinched together. Other than his thumb tapping the butt of his sidearm, he doesn’t move.
“Did he hurt you, Em?”
“Is that Officer Emerson?” the dispatcher asks.
I shake my head at Travis as I tell the dispatcher yes. Travis’s expression screws up. I point at the phone and clarify that it was Travis who spoke. The dispatcher offers me a good evening and disconnects the call.
“He didn’t hurt me, Travis.” I wrap my arms around my middle and hug myself. “Not physically, anyway.”
Stepping forward, he reaches for and cups my shoulders. “What happened, Em?”
Travis and I are friendly. We have been since childhood. But it’s not because we bonded in elementary school or over our love for the outdoors. We are both Seven—the town’s founding families—and were often in the same room together when our parents had meetings a few times a month. Our relationship isn’t forced; it just exists. And over the decades, we have been there for each other.
I relax my arms and sag on an exhale. “Wish I knew.”
He steps into me and wraps me in his arms. The hug is comforting, warm, like that of a protective sibling. “Walk me through tonight.”
I relay my evening out with Luke. How everything was normal, wonderful, the same as it had been for months until he noticed me staring at another man.
“He just flipped.”
Because I’d had a long day at the office, we had driven separately. I recall the rage in Luke’s eyes as we crossed the parking lot for our cars—me sprinting and him in slow, measured strides. His fury radiated off him in waves and was so unlike the man I knew him to be.
“One minute, he was the Luke I met months ago. The next, he was a totally different person.” A shiver rolls down my spine.
In my time as an attorney, I’ve seen many sides of people. Most of the darker, greedier personas come out when someone threatens to take away something the person deems important or valuable. It’s always shocking and disheartening to see. But death, money, and property do strange things to people.
Tonight was different, though.
Luke caught me staring at another man for less than ten seconds and it flicked a switch in his brain. In a flash, he became the man your parents warn you to stay away from.
“Well, he won’t hurt you again.” Travis steps back, holding me at arm’s length, his eyes locked on mine as he nods. “Let’s do a sweep of the house and note any damage or missing items.” He glances down at my feet. “Should put shoes on.”
As we assess every inch of the house, Travis offers to help me box up any of Luke’s belongings and take them to the police station. I relay Luke never left anything at my place because he said it would tarnish my perfect home.
At the time, I thought nothing of it. Maybe it was the first of many red flags I missed.
“Can you stay with family while everything gets sorted?”
I nod. “Yeah, it’s not a problem.”
“Did Luke have a key to the house?”
“No.” Another shiver rolls through me. “No key or alarm codes. He does have the property gate code, though.”
“Should change everything right away, including the locks. It may be overkill, but we’ll all sleep better.”
I wrap my arms tightly around his middle. “Thanks, Trav.”
He rocks us in place. “Any time. You’re my sister, Em. I’ll always want you safe.” He loosens his hold and steps back. “Go pack a bag. I need to take a few more pictures before we head out.” He rubs my arm. “I’ll wait downstairs.”
As I pack clothes and toiletries for a few days, my thoughts drift to Blake again. To my favorite memory, when he asked me to marry him.
For an hour, Fourth of July eight years ago was the best night of my life. Every minute after that hour for three years, I was numb, broken, and I channeled everything I had into my degree.
Time has yet to heal the Blake-sized gash in my heart. But I don’t want to be alone anymore.
Of all the men I’ve spent time with, Luke had been the kindest. Someone I started to picture a future with. But now, I see it was all a ruse. Luke is a vicious wolf in disguise. And because my newfound desperation to rediscover what I had with Blake with someone new clouded my judgment, I walked right into his barbed snare.
How naive of me.
I close my eyes and infinitesimally shake my head. Never again.
Yes, I want a love like the one I lost. But I’m a fool to think I will ever have it again. What I had with Blake was once in a lifetime.
It is time I own the truth. With Blake, I had my chance at true love. And now, it’s over. Now, it is time to accept what is and move on… alone.
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