Torn (11 page)

KALISTA

R
evealing such a private story was both exhilarating and frightening. I’d never told anyone—besides the police, of course—about my relationship with the one man I could have seen myself in a long term relationship with.

“So…” she prompted, her nails tapping on the tabletop, waiting for me to speak again, her curiosity showing and making me nervous.

Oh, well…here goes nothing.

“I’ve come back because I had no other choice.” Nervously playing with my bracelet, I leaned back in my seat and tried to get comfortable. “His name was Max Kellison. He was one of the doctors, a pediatrician, at the hospital I worked for back in Vermont. Who would think a doctor who takes care of kids would be like that?” I asked, more to myself than anything.

Shaking my head, I cleared away the sudden urge to withdraw into myself, forging ahead with my story while I was still brave enough to tell her everything. “We often ran into each other, working all kinds of crazy hours sometimes. Thankfully, I had a wonderful babysitter to help me take care of Holden while I was working, and I worked quite a bit, doing my best to support the both of us. And we were doing just fine until…” I drifted off, averting my eyes from hers.

The memories of my situation were too much most times, blocking them out the best option for my sanity. But I needed to tell her what happened. I knew if I continued to let my anger, hurt and paranoia fester much longer, I would combust from the inside out. Plus, I trusted Jasmine whole-heartedly with my story.

Reaching across the table, her gentle hand covered mine, showing me with one simple gesture she was there for me. Taking a deep breath, I continued my tale of woe.

“We started dating and things escalated from there. He was pushing me to move in with him, but it was still so early in the relationship.
And while I cared for him, I was unsure. S
o I dragged my feet until I felt the time was right, which never came. A year into our relationship, he became more demanding, of not only what he expected of me but of my time, as well. We both worked long hours, so I felt guilty not being with Holden more, but I had to earn enough money to make sure we were taken care of. So, more often than not, I chose to spend time with my son, a decision which didn’t sit too well with him the longer we continued to see one another.

“One night, I decided to take Holden to eat at one of his favorite restaurants. When we were walking back to the car afterward, I spotted Max sitting across the street…watching us. My heart jumped into my throat when I saw him, the eerie look in his eye rather unnerving. As soon as I turned the car on, he called me. I asked him where he was and he lied, telling me he was still at the hospital. He obviously hadn’t realized I’d seen him. From that day forward, I was more on guard than ever before, slowly distancing myself from him. Each day that passed brought out more of his aggressive side, until one night everything culminated in a nasty argument.”

With my hands slightly trembling, I reached for my water, again wishing I’d ordered a glass of wine, or maybe a shot of something super strong. Thankfully, Jasmine was patient, knowing I needed a few extra seconds to collect myself, understanding and love laced in her eyes as she kept them trained on me.

“It’s okay, honey,” she whispered, patting my hand. “What happened next? You can tell me. I’m here for you. Always.”

Smiling, I forged ahead. “He’d come to my house late, waking me from a sound sleep. I’d told him earlier in the day I wasn’t available to get together, and he seemed okay with it, but him showing up proved the exact opposite. He banged on my door until I gave in and opened it. At that point, I wasn’t scared of him, although I knew I wanted to end things between us, so I stupidly let him inside my apartment. That niggling feeling in the pit of my stomach wasn’t enough for me to turn him away, although I should have. Anyway, after I let him in, he started in on me right away about never making time for him, ignoring his calls and even accusing me of seeing someone else.”

“When I asked him to leave, he refused, his voice becoming louder until he was shouting. Afraid for not only myself but for Holden, I walked toward him and put my hands on his chest, trying to push him toward the door to leave. But he had other ideas, gripping my arms and shoving me so hard I fell and hit my head on the edge of the coffee table. He continued to yell that he wasn’t going anywhere, that he would never let me leave him, and that we were going to be together forever. Because he sounded so irrational, I looked for signs that he’d been drinking, but he was stone-cold sober. There was a glazed look in his eyes I couldn’t quite place, though. I came to find out later he’d been abusing prescription drugs, but I never knew.

“When I’d finally scrambled to my feet, my hand holding the back of my head, I pleaded again for him to leave.” Blinking back the tears threatening to fall, I finished with, “Instead of taking off, he…he attacked me.”

Jasmine gasped, her hand flying to her mouth to stifle her reaction. “Oh, no, Kalista. I’m so sorry.” She leaned in closer to ask, “He didn’t…”

“No, thank God. He never forced himself on me, although he did mess me up pretty bad. Every time his fist made contact with a part of my body, the only thing he kept yelling was that he would never let me leave him.”

Watching her reaction really hit home how dire my situation had become. I knew it was bad. Hell, I fucking lived it, but seeing someone’s fear and concern written all over their face simply added to the dynamic of what had happened.

“The absolute worst part was when Holden came out of his room. We’d woken him up so he was a little groggy, but when he saw Max looming over me, he rushed forward and tried to tackle him. As soon as he made contact, Max whipped around, grabbed him and threw him across the room. I’d never been so scared before in my entire life, and it wasn’t for my safety. All I cared about was my son.”

Countless seconds of silence passed between us, me trying to calm my erratic heart, and Jasmine trying her best to digest everything I’d just laid at her feet.

Finally, she mustered, “So, what happened?” Her own hands were shaking. “Please tell me that bastard was arrested and thrown in jail.”

“Yes, he was. My neighbor heard the commotion and called the police.” My fingers flitted to my torso, protecting myself even though there was no need. “I ended up with a fractured rib, a split lip, countless bruises and a concussion. They charged him with domestic battery. I found out later he’d done it to a few women in the past, but the charges never stuck because the other women refused to press charges, probably too afraid of him.” Twirling my jewelry around my wrist over and over, I told her the end of my crazy, frightening story. “They sentenced him to a year in jail, and because I didn’t want to stick around when he was released, I decided to move. I gave my two weeks’ notice, packed up everything and came back home.”

Relief rushed over me from confiding in someone. I’d kept the story as well as all of my feelings locked deep inside for so long, it felt so good to get them out. Although Max couldn’t hurt me, I always feared the day he would be released. Would he forget about me and move on to some other unsuspecting victim, or would the time he spent locked up spur his obsession for me even more? Either way, I was far away from Vermont and hoping to start a new life. Or should I say, start over?

An hour later and we were both still fully engrossed in our conversation, the back and forth flowing just as easily as it had when we were younger and inseparable. Thankfully, we’d switched topics to those of a lighter nature, talking about our jobs, which I still had to secure, and our children.

At some point, I was so focused on what Jasmine was saying I almost missed the sight of someone walking through the front door. And it wasn’t just anyone. It was freaking Mike Hawkings. Of all people to saunter into the same restaurant where we chose to dine… What the hell were the chances? After our last encounter, running into him again was the last thing I needed. I was in no mood for another riot act.

I was so taken aback from seeing him again it took me a second to realize he was holding the door open behind him, waiting for someone else to follow him inside.

My heart slammed to a halt.
Who is coming in behind him?
Time stood still as I waited for the mystery person to appear. My palms started to sweat, my vision becoming a little blurry the longer I stared at him.

The man who walked in behind Mike was tall and blond.

It wasn’t Eli.

A rush of air propelled through my lips as my eyes focused back on my dear friend. I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath until it was pushed from my lungs in relief.

“Are you all right, Kalista?” she asked, leaning closer in worry.

“Yeah,” I confirmed. “I’m fine. It’s just…”

“Just what?”

“Mike just walked in. He’s
Him and his friend are
sitting over at the bar with a friend. I’m praying he doesn’t notice me, because talking to him again is not high on my list of things to do anytime soon.”

Jasmine whipped her head around so fast I thought she was going to break her neck. “Mike Hawkings is here? Shit,” she exclaimed. “I haven’t seen him since graduation night, when we….” A quick blush painted her cheeks as she continued to locate him.

“Oh, yeah.” I laughed, reaching across the table and slapping her hand. “I forgot you got down and dirty with the man-whore of our class.” Mike was quite the popular guy in high school, no doubt carrying that status into adulthood. He really was very handsome, and charming when he wasn’t chastising me.
      

Once she’d finally seen him, she slumped forward and sighed. “He’s still hot,” she affirmed, lost in drinking every bit of him in. It was as if she was committing him to memory the way she stared at him.

Tapping the table, I asked, “Hey, aren’t you married, woman?”

“Yeah, but I’m not dead.” Finally, after a very long minute, she turned her attention back to me, a huge smile spread wide on her lovely face. She opened her mouth to speak but snapped it shut, frowning at my sudden change in expression.

“Damnit!” I gritted. “He saw us. Shit. Shit. Shit.” Fidgeting in my seat, I tried my best to remain calm and look as much at ease as I could, but I was dying, praying he took pity on me and stayed away.

Fat chance.

With every step he took toward our table, I silently begged our waiter to bring our check, so we would have a valid excuse for rushing out and not engaging him in conversation. But our waiter was nowhere to be found.
Damn him.

Jasmine turned her head to watch him approach, a smile mirrored on his handsome face as his eyes raked over her, his sole focus on her and not me. Thank God for small favors. Finally, he was standing next to her, and it was then he decided to pay me some attention, glancing back and forth between the two of us.

He seemed in a better mood this time around, so I relaxed a little, all while still being on guard for anything to come flying out of his mouth.

“Ladies,” he greeted. “So nice to see you.” Leaning down, he pressed a lingering kiss to Jasmine’s cheek, brushing a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear as he righted himself.

Then it was my turn.

“Kalista, so nice to see you again. And so soon.” His lips turned up mischievously, and I wasn’t quite sure why. His eyes goaded me, but the last thing I wanted to do was get into an argument with him again.

“Mike,” I returned, short and sweet, talking myself out of fleeing the restaurant right then.

Uneasy silence surrounded all three of us, none of us knowing quite what to say next. Mike’s eyes bore holes into me, cocking a brow as he waited for me to speak. But I never did.
He’s the one who came over here.

Finally, he got the hint and took a step away from the table. “Well, I guess I better get back to my friend.” Turning toward Jasmine once more, he professed, “So nice to see you again, Jasmine.” Flicking his eyes to me then, he smiled before saying, “Kalista.” He only spoke the one word but he said so much more when he uttered my name, really packing a punch. I knew the only reason he’d approached us was to intimidate me, or fluster me so badly he’d drive me out of there. He had no intention of sitting down and chatting it up with the two of us, driving down memory lane and all that happy horse shit.

Yeah, he’s still upset with me.
His anger toward me was still brewing very close to the surface. I was happy he left before the urge to tell me off again took over.

“Oh, my God! He’s still so fine,” she whispered as she blushed bright pink. I glanced down at her hands and she was spinning her wedding ring around her finger, silently reminding herself she was married, I was sure. When she caught me watching, she smirked and repeated, “Not dead.”

We shared a laugh while we waited for the bill. There was no way I was sticking around for Mike to change his mind and waltz his fine ass back over to us.

Plus, I didn’t want to risk running into Eli, his friend no doubt having called him to tell him where I was.