Safer With You

S
A
F
ER
W
I
TH
Y
OU

By

Trisha
Ma
d
le
y

Copyright 2015. Trisha Madley

ISBN:
978-0-9966809-1-2

Cover Designers: Ebook Formatting Fairies

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. To obtain permission to excerpt portions of the text, please contact the author at trishamadley.com

All characters in this book are fiction and figments of the author’s imagination.

 
For Madison and Hayley

You Are My Sunshine

Chapter One

Nora

While chopping potatoes for beef stew, my cell phone chirps indicating a new message.

Be home late, don’t wait up.

“Damn him!” I shout to no one in particular.

I receive this text from my boyfriend, Luke, every day.

My hand bangs on the kitchen counter, “Stupid, stupid naïve Nora.”

I foolishly think that most people are like me…honest, thoughtful, and try to see the good in everyone, but I finally realize this simply is not true. I gave up my life to move here to Miami…and for what? So I could be his slave? Not anymore.

He doesn’t care about the rest of the house, or anything else, for that matter. Luke wants me to clean, cook, and do exactly what he says.

Luke comes from a traditional Italian family and has old world beliefs.
The woman stays home and takes care of the man.
I’ve put up with this mentality because I love him and want to marry him, but I’m tired of being alone and not appreciated.

I thought it was my job to support him in his career, and then he would see my dedication to him. Then we could get married. But the longer we are together, the less time we spend together…with no hint of a ring.

I walk out of the kitchen where I do my wifely duties of making a lovely meal. Of course, I’m not really his wife. This is my fault, why would he need to marry me when I’m already acting like a wife?

Luke told me he had to work late. I’ve believed this crap for a year now, and I’m at the end of my rope; I can’t take it anymore. Everything in his life is a big secret. I’m not allowed in his office because he has OCD and doesn’t want me to misplace something.

He usually arrives home around midnight, so I have at least a few hours before he should be home. I am convinced Luke’s a lying cheating bastard; it’s time to spy on his ass.

Trudging up the carpeted steps of the home I have grown to love, I enter the bedroom and start in the hamper; I dive into the pile of clothes and rummage through the pockets of every single item of clothing. Nothing. I move onto the dresser drawers and scour through every nook and cranny. Nothing.

No receipts, no strange papers, or weird stains on his clothes, and nothing on the stupid iPad he kept on charge. It has absolutely nothing on it.

Feeling frustrated, I make my way back downstairs to the one room that holds all of his secrets. His office. I stole the key the last time I cleaned it. I am only allowed to clean it when he is in the room. Again, he says it’s an “
OCD issue
.”
 

My heart hammers in my chest, and it feels like I’m going to pass out. Why does he have this effect on me? I’m not really scared of him; he has never given me a reason to be. Maybe it’s that I don’t want to end up alone? But I guess that has already happened.

Sliding the key into the lock, I twist open the door that reveals the same sight as always. A desk that holds a computer, phone, and a framed picture of us from when we first met at one of my parents’ rental properties. We look like a young couple in love. I place the photo back on the desk with a thud.

I continue scouring through the drawers. The top drawer holds pens, paperclips, staples, etc. The contents are a mess. A person with OCD would surely have his desk arranged neater.

As I move to the side drawer, I come across an old shoe box of mine that I remember throwing away. He gave me a fancy new pair of shoes for his Christmas event last year.
Weird.
As I pick up the box, I notice it’s empty.

Underneath, a black case reveals itself. Gently, I tug it from its snug fit; it’s heavier than I expect, and I place it on top of the desk with a thump.

Surprisingly, the case opens without a key. I gingerly run my finger over the Ruger .45 semi-automatic pistol. I only know the gun because my dad has one exactly like it. I know why he had one, since he was a police officer for twenty-five years. Luke has absolutely no reason to have a gun. He has never mentioned an interest in guns.

My hands are shaking, my stomach rolling, and a sweat breaks out across my forehead.
What the hell does he have a gun for?

Next, I pull from the case a cell phone, which sat on top of a large stack of one hundred dollar bills. I can’t stop my hands from trembling. Pushing aside the money, I notice a blurry picture of a woman. I can’t make out all the details, but she looks disheveled and scared.
What the fuck is he doing with these?
 

Gasping and placing my hand over my mouth, I slouch back into my chair.
Who is this girl? Why does Luke have this picture? What is he involved in?

Not wanting to think anymore, I remove everything from the case. The very last item contains a small bag filled with a white powdery substance.

“Holy shit!” I think I’m going to faint.

What do I do next? Who the hell is he? He’s a real estate agent, for God’s sake. He comes from a good family and his uncle is a senator. I once heard that his other uncle had been in jail, but Luke told me that is a lie.

Completely in shock, I place everything back, just as I found it. I don’t want him to know I’m snooping. I need to think of a way to confront him without him feeling attacked.

“What are you doing in here?”

My stomach drops at the sound of his voice. I take my gaze from the box and look into Luke’s cold eyes. “Um…dusting. How are you? I thought you would be gone longer?”

How had I managed that? I almost want to pat myself on the back for keeping it together until I hear his voice again.

“How did you get in here?” he asks, eerily calm.

I don’t have a chance to answer because he fires another question at me. “Did you find what you’re looking for?” His voice is deep and stern as he walks closer to me. He’s wearing his trademark dark suit, his dark blond hair is neatly styled, and his green eyes stare straight into mine. I feel a tear well up.

Never have I seen that look on his face before…his eyes narrow and glaring, his jaw clenched tight. For the first time since I met him, I am scared of him.

I say the first thing that comes to mind. “I…I thought I’d wash the curtains too.” I instantly want to zip my lips shut.

“How did you get in here? I keep this room locked.”

I lie, “You must have left it open…the door was open.”

Luke moves closer, grasping my chin and tugging it so that I come eye to eye with him.

“Did you find anything in my desk? No lies, Nora, what did you see?”

My throat is dry and my mouth doesn’t want to respond. I shake my head.

His hands wrap tightly around my upper arms. “What the fuck does that mean? Tell me the truth.”

Luke’s voice gets louder and his tone harsher than I have ever heard.

Finally, my mind starts functioning, explaining to my mouth it better open before things get worse. I reply, “Okay…Yes, yes, I opened your drawer.”

He squeezes my arms tighter.

“How did you find the key? What did you see?” He continues with more questions, but I’m not paying attention. All I can feel are the tips of his fingers digging into my skin. I need to calm him down.

“Answer me now!” he spits at me.

“I…I saw a gun and money. Please let go of me; you’re hurting me,” I plead.

“Did you see anything else?”

Shake my head again. “No…nothing else.”

Finally, he lets go, but he turns and walks away, hurrying up the stairs. Relieved, I need a minute, maybe an hour. I almost digest what he had just done to me when I hear a thud come from upstairs.

I leave his office, petrified at what I might find. I clumsily run up the steps, almost losing my balance. Finally reaching our bedroom, I throw the door open to see my suitcase open and my clothes thrown in it. Luke isn’t in the room. I tangle my hands in my hair, holding my head still. “What is going on?”

He appears from the bathroom. “What’s going on is, I’m done!” He throws some toiletries on top of my clothes. “You are leaving; I don’t care where you go. Go home to Mommy, I don’t care. Right now, I can’t deal with you.”

It all feels like a dream. My mind and my mouth won’t sync. I want to cry and scream, but nothing is working. Luke zips up my bag and grabs my coat, throwing it at me, but it drops to the ground. I am in no condition to react.

“You obviously don’t trust me, since you’re going through my things. I told you, I’m very private.”

“Why are you reacting like this? Why are you blaming me when you’re the one having an affair?” My voice grows calmer, but louder.

“An affair? Are you crazy? Do you think that’s what I’ve been doing while I’ve been working my ass off for you?” He runs his hands in frustration through his hair, causing the perfect strands to dangle in his eyes.

“Why wouldn’t I think that? You’re never here. And now you’re acting like a crazy person. If you’re not cheating, what are you doing with that case in your office?”

“Damn it, Nora! Take your clothes and car and get the hell out. Leave now before I call the cops and have you escorted off my property.”

He turns from me and walks out of the room, but not before his fist meets the wall, causing me to jump.

I slide down onto the bed. “What just happened?” I say to the ceiling.

Tears finally make their presence known, streaking down my face. I don’t even have the strength to brush them away. Besides, I don’t think they are going to stop. I have no idea what he’s gotten himself into, but I know the man that stood before me a few minutes ago was not my Luke.

I don’t want to leave. This is my house too. I don’t pay the mortgage, but it’s as much mine as his. I get up, ready to fight my case, when I see the picture of us on our nightstand. It was taken a few months ago at the Christmas Gala. We smile for the camera, but I felt anything but happy.
 

We were both miserable that night. Luke spent most of his time with Zack and other clients, while I sat by myself and felt completely uncomfortable. He got drunk by the night’s end, and I had to take care of him all night.

As I stare at the picture from the Christmas gala, wiping tears from my face, I realize that maybe this isn’t the life I want after all. In that moment, all of my fond memories of him are replaced by this new version of Luke.

Not wanting to be yelled at again, I stand up and take my luggage off the bed. I retreat down the stairs, but stop in the entryway.

Luke’s there, staring at a picture of us, taken when we first started dating. He looks somber and not the immaculate, put together man I know, or the angry man I’d just seen. His head turns to me.

“I remember what this felt like, who we were. We were so good together, but at this moment, we are far from these two people in this picture. I hope you don’t mention to anyone what you saw in that case. If the wrong person finds out…” Luke drops the picture frame and it shatters into pieces. Without a glance back, he walks into his office and slowly closes the door.

I want to scream at him and call him an asshole. But something is off. Why would he act so mean and tell me to leave, then be so sad? He isn’t making any sense.