The Perfect Husband (12 page)

“Isobel? Are you still there?”

She gulped and did her best to answer him.
“Y-yes, I’m still here. Sorry, Ben just fell off the slippery dip.
I was helping him to get up. What were you saying?”

“I was telling you Mason Alexander’s working
at the hospital. He’s a pediatrician. I thought you might have run
into him.”

“N-no, I can’t say that I have, but that
doesn’t mean anything. I only work three shifts a week.”

“Yeah, well, anyway, I invited him out for a
drink. We might have him over for dinner soon.”

Her heart thumped so loudly, she was sure
Nigel could hear it, even over the phone. Once again, she forced
out a suitable reply.

“That sounds nice, Nigel. I’m sorry to cut
things short, but Sophie needs help to get off the swing. I’ll
speak to you later.”

Before he could respond, she ended the call.
She tossed the phone away like it was suddenly red hot and gulped
in mouthfuls of air. Sweat popped out on her forehead and her hands
started to shake. She knew enough about medical issues to recognize
that she was about to go into shock.

He knew about Mason.
It was only a
matter of time before Nigel connected the dots. She couldn’t go
through with this. She couldn’t leave him and she couldn’t put
Mason in danger. The thought of what awaited her upon Nigel’s
arrival home that night disgusted her, but knowing how he’d react
if he found her gone, filled her with abject terror. He was sick in
the head. He was unstable. There was no telling what he might
do.

If she turned the Magna around now, she
could still make it back home in plenty of time to unpack and put
things back where they belonged. She’d call Senior Constable Rogers
and tell him not to apply for the AVO. Nigel wouldn’t be any the
wiser. She’d be safe from his wrath, at least for a little
while.

The new phone in her handbag beeped again
and she remembered it had gone off before. She tugged it out of her
handbag. There were two new messages from Mason.

Hope u like the flowers. I remembered how
much u like lilies. I bought them early this morning.

Tears flooded Isobel’s eyes. She shook her
head, overwhelmed with emotion. It had been a long time since
someone had shown her that much kindness. She couldn’t remember the
last time Nigel had. Mason hadn’t seen her for the best part of a
decade and he treated her better than the man she’d given the last
nine years of her life. With trembling fingers, she scrolled to the
next message.

Hey there, call me. Text me. Let me know ur
OK. Please, Belle. I need 2 know ur safe.

Safe. That’s how she felt when she was with
Mason. The feeling was so foreign, she had barely recognized it and
though it was lovely she had no idea if she could trust it. Trust
him.
After all, she barely knew him.

“Mom, why are we stopped?”

Isobel glanced at Ben and then at Sophie,
who’d fallen asleep in her car seat. Her children trusted her to
keep them safe. If she stayed with Nigel, neither their safety nor
hers could be guaranteed. Each day would be fraught with more
danger and uncertainty and fear.

It wasn’t right for them to live like this.
They were too young to understand it now, but there would come a
time when they did and they’d wonder why she’d put them through it.
And they’d be right to wonder. With a surge of determination, she
composed a reply to Mason.

Got away a little later than I thought, but
all now on track. Will text u when I arrive at ur place. Thx again
4 letting us stay. PS. Thx 4 the flowers. UR right. Lilies r my
favorite.

Before she could change her mind, she
pressed ‘send.’ Feeling lighter than she had for a long time, she
switched on her indicator and pulled back out into the traffic.

Dear Diary,

There isn’t one piece of me that isn’t
broken. My mind, body and soul have been obliterated into the
ether, lost in a vast darkness, unrecognizable and forever gone.
Yes, I am lost.

There are days when I cling to anything
around me to ensure my survival: my work, my children…Mason. What a
burden I must be to them…

It’s my husband’s fault. He did this to me!
He gave me dreams and then he snatched them away with so much
gleeful maliciousness, the memory leaves me fighting for breath. I
have no doubt that if he ever finds me, he will kill me. I am
intimately acquainted with his wrath, and its fury is beyond
anything I can ever hope to survive…

* * *

Nigel sped through the final intersection
and swung his car into their street. Despite his best efforts, he
hadn’t made it home early. Not that it mattered too much. Isobel
would be sure to have the kids in bed by now. She might even be in
the bedroom waiting for him like he’d asked, dressed from head to
toe in black leather.

He hadn’t been lying to Mason when he’d
bragged how good she was to fuck. Her tits and ass were as perky as
they’d been in high school, although she was a little skinnier than
he liked. He wished women didn’t get so hung up on the pictures
they saw in those glossy magazines. He’d always preferred his women
with a little more meat on their bones.

He swung into the driveway and frowned. The
house was in darkness. Okay, so it wasn’t exactly dark outside, but
dusk was approaching fast. He’d have thought the dimness warranted
at least a light or two. Shrugging off his disquiet, he climbed out
of his shiny red Porsche Boxster Cabriolet and headed into the
house.

Deepening darkness greeted him. He peered
through the dimness, more and more bemused. Perhaps she’d surprised
him, after all, and was even now spreadeagled across their bed,
waiting for him. The thought propelled him forward and he strode
down the darkened hallway and into their bedroom. Flicking on the
light, he stared at the bed. It was empty.

Anger stirred in his gut.
Where the fuck
was she?
And where were the kids?

His long legs ate up the short distance to
the bedroom shared by his children. Once again, he found another
empty room. He returned to the kitchen and opened the internal door
that connected it with the garage. Her car was gone.

Perplexed, he shook his head and tried to
think where she might be. She obviously had the kids with her.
Perhaps she’d gone to the shops to pick up something she’d
forgotten? She knew how cross he got with her when she called him
on his way home and expected him to do it. If she couldn’t get
organized in all the time she had over the course of the day, it
was her problem.

He went over to the stove and put his hand
over the burners. They were all cold. Next, he opened the door of
the fridge. The usual assortment of items crowded the shelves.
There was nothing that looked like it had been prepared for
dinner.

He went back into his bedroom and flung open
the doors to the closet. Isobel’s clothes still hung neatly from
their hangers, but upon closer inspection, he noticed some of the
hangers were empty. His anger rose. He tore into their bathroom and
ripped open the door on the cabinet. The empty shelves stared back
at him.

Toothbrush, hairbrush, perfume—all missing.
Even her contraceptive pills were gone. He dashed into the second
bathroom, the one that the children used. Once again, the place
where they kept their toothbrushes was empty.

She was gone. And she’d taken his kids.

Rage like he’d never known tore through him.
He screamed like a man possessed. He burned so hot it felt like he
was going to combust from the inside out. He only had one thought:
There was no way in hell she was going to get away with this. She
was his wife and he’d never let her go. The bitch would learn the
meaning of
’til death do us part
.

He snatched the phone out of his pocket and
hit her number. The call dialed out and eventually went through to
voicemail. He screamed down the phone.

“You filthy slut! You ungrateful bitch! You
fucking whore! Get yourself and my kids back here
now!
I’m
going to kill you, Isobel. I’m going to fucking
kill
you!”

He vented some more, gasping with rage and
disbelief. A sob tore from his throat. He hurled the phone across
the room and it landed with a thud against the wall. He spun on his
heel and upended lamps; he smashed pictures across the door. Glass
flew every which way, some of it getting caught up in his hair.
With his head in his hands, he slowly sank to the floor. He rocked
back and forth, his sobs coming faster and harder. His breath was
harsh in his ears.
It was happening all over again…

The woman he loved had abandoned him. Just
like his mother.

* * *

Isobel stood outside on Mason’s balcony,
soaking in the red and orange and purple hues of the sunset. From
inside the apartment, she heard her phone ring. Her old phone. It
was a little after seven. It had to be Nigel. Terror surged through
her.
He was home.
She was sure of it. And he’d worked out
she was gone. Frozen with fear, she let the call go through to
voicemail.

The sun’s dying rays sparkled like diamonds.
It was so beautiful and so surreal after the torturous morning
hours. She breathed in and out slowly and made a concentrated
effort to relax. The scent of the heavily perfumed oriental lilies
which stood in a vase on the table wafted in the air. She was still
touched over Mason’s thoughtfulness.

Ben and Sophie were settled into one of the
spare rooms, watching cartoons. She’d found a tin of soup and some
crackers in Mason’s pantry and had prepared them a simple dinner.
Earlier, they’d had ham and tomato sandwiches for lunch. She was
sure Mason wouldn’t mind that she’d helped herself to his food.
She’d replace anything they used.

Senior Constable Rogers had called a few
hours earlier with an update on the AVO. He was pleased to report
the court had made an order in her favor. It was anticipated a copy
of it would be served on her husband sometime the next day. She
didn’t have to imagine his response. She’d been on the receiving
end of his fury too many times to guess at the way he’d react. She
was only relieved she’d managed to escape when she had.

Her thoughts returned to the recent phone
call. Knowing she had to get it over with, she stepped back inside
the living room and picked up her cell. With shaking hands, she
dialed into her mailbox. Holding the phone up to her ear like it
was a poisonous snake, she listened to Nigel raging at her and
flinched.

The succinct threats that followed weakened
her knees. With a cry, she slid down the wall to the tiled floor.
Sobbing now, she held one hand up to her mouth while she listened
right to the end, unable to help herself. Even now, he controlled
her.

Though it was irrational, and she knew Nigel
was at home, she cringed and cried harder when a key turned in the
lock. From the corner of her eye, she saw Mason appear, but still
couldn’t stop the tears. He frowned in concern. She saw the
questions in his eyes, but she was beyond making a coherent
response. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and took the phone
from her hand.

He held it up to his ear and his frown
turned ferocious. With a curse, he tossed the phone away and
squatted down beside her. Gently, he pulled her to her feet. A
moment later, she was held close against his chest. Instinctively,
she tensed, but his breath was warm and comforting against her
skin. Gradually, she relaxed.

“
Shh, shh
, Belle; don’t cry, honey.
It’s going to be all right.”

She lifted her head and stared at him, her
face awash with tears. “It-it’s not going to be all right.” She
hiccupped. “Nothing’s ever going to be all right again. I’m sorry.
I should never have come here. I should never have dragged you into
this.”

“Don’t do this to yourself, sweetheart. And
for your information, you didn’t drag me into anything. I offered,
which means I’m more than happy to help. Now, I’m taking your
phone. You won’t ever have to listen to that kind of rubbish again.
I’ll give it to the officer we spoke to last night. He can keep it
as evidence in case Nigel wants to defend himself against the
AVO.”

Fear and uncertainty flooded through her.
“You mean he can ask the court to reverse their decision?”

“Yes. I did a little research online last
night, but don’t worry, if he does choose to take issue with the
order, the police prosecutor will present any evidence you have
against Nigel and I’m certain they’ll continue to see things your
way. Especially after they listen to
this
.”

She looked at the phone where it now lay on
the sofa and gave a shaky nod. “Take it and give it to the police.
Let’s hope we never need to use it.” She listened to her words and
wished they brought comfort, but she was still a bundle of fear. In
spite of Mason’s reassurances, she’d never forget the fury in
Nigel’s voice—or that he’d threatened to find her and kill her.

* * *

Mason led Isobel over to the couch and drew
her back gently into his arms. In an effort to ease the tension
that still held her body in a tight grip, he stroked his hand up
and down her back, hoping to comfort her, wanting to ease her
pain.

Her breaths came in short, sharp gasps and
tears slid down her cheeks. He could hear the television and
children’s voices coming from the direction of one of the spare
bedrooms and hoped for now that they’d stay where they were. Their
mother didn’t need the added strain of having to put on a brave
face for her kids. He wasn’t sure what explanation she’d given them
for being in his house, but now wasn’t the time for them to see
their mother like this or ask their questions.

Her gasps turned into full blown sobs and a
moment later, she buried her head against his chest. She cried like
her heart was broken. The sound of it moved him way down deep
inside. How anyone could be expected to endure the kind of pain she
had was beyond him. Fresh anger surged through him at the thought
of her husband and all that he’d done. Mason had seen the doubt in
her eyes and prayed that Belle had the strength to overcome her
fear and come through this intact.