Page 314 of The Professor's Wife

When I looked down at him, he was writhing in pain. His eyes weren’t on me. He was already lost to the inevitable outcome that stretched before him. He was terrified. I’d never seen Oliver truly frightened before. It didn’t surprise me that he felt it now, and it was for himself.

“You’re going to die alone,” I told him. “I’m going back inside and I’m going to wait. Then I’m going to leave. I’m going to start my life again. Without you. I’m going to have the best fucking life. I’m going to live, and it won’t just be for myself. I’m going to live for all the lives you cut short. I’m going to live for June. Goodbye, Mr. Black.”

His groans burst out of him. “Daisy…” It took enormous effort for him to speak. Even then, the word came out slurred. “P…l…eeeee…se.”

I shook my head down at him. “There is no mercy here. There is only you and Death. If it’s mercy you seek, ask Him for it.”

CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE

He died after the sun went down. His last breaths were taken when the light died over the horizon. I wanted him to think he was alone, but I was there, taking it all in, needing to see it for myself.

I crept to him slowly and knelt beside his immobile form. His eyes were wide open, unmoving. His face was still wet from tears. He had dug his fingers into the earth, his cheek pressed into his shoulder, seeking comfort that didn’t come. His hair stirred when the gentle wind swept through the grounds. Nothing else moved.

Death was a lonely experience, but it was made worse when you left the world behind knowing nobody would mourn you. I told myself to forget him after this moment. To leave him here, in this place, where he belonged.

But it still hurt sharper than a blade, hotter than fire, and colder than ice. It hurt in a way that pierced the entire soul, so wholly, not a shred of it was left untouched.

Because as I was letting him go, I had to let my former self go. The gentle girl with the hopeful heart. I shed tears, but I was selfish because they were forme. I didn’t really say goodbye to Oliver at that moment. I said goodbye to the Daisy I had been.

I looked up at the stars, and then I smiled. “Welcome out of the cave, my friend. It’s a bit colder out here, but the stars are just beautiful.”

Tears slid down my face. “I love you, June.”

Then I walked out of there, barefoot, in nothing but my nightgown. Weak and covered in blood and bruises, I didn’t stop walking. I stared up at the stars, thanking them for their company.

They would lead me where I needed to go.

I’d been walking for what felt like hours. After I’d made it out of the dirt trails, asphalt greeted me beneath my feet. I walked up a steep, unending hill, and then down and then up again. Not a single car passed by, a hint that I was more painfully far from civilization than I realized.

I passed a few signs, though, pointing to Ammonite Falls, and then I sort of knew where I was going.

Another hour later, and there was a scattering of homes on large plots of land. I could have gone to one of them and banged on a door, but I didn’t want to raise alarms. I had to see this through. I was the wife who left the professor; therefore, I needed to appear unremarkable.

Not a good start, though. I was aware my nightgown was filthy. I had washed the blood from my face and cleaned the dirt from my neck at the cabin, but the bruising remained if you looked long enough. I was also barefoot.

Still.

It wouldn’t matter. Not when I saw the lights of a pub down the road. It looked like a star to me, all blinking lights. I moved to it, aching everywhere, determined to seek shelter. The placewould be buzzing. Hopefully most patrons would be too drunk to notice, plus there were pockets around the entrance that were dimly lit.

I approached, wincing as my bare feet stepped over the stones scattered across the parking lot. I breathed deeply through the pain and paused in my step as the entrance burst open and a laughing couple stepped out. I pressed myself into one of the dark pockets by the dumpster, wrapping my arms tightly around my chest. They didn’t notice me, but the entrance door was left ajar, and music filtered out of it.

I shut my eyes, relaxing my body against the brick wall as a deep voice carried through the open doorway.

I stilled. The song was about being guided through fear and finding your way toward the light. June used to love it. As the singer’s voice moved through me, it felt like she was right there beside me.

I broke apart.

My body wracked with sobs. Emotion erupted out of me. Even saying goodbye to my former self didn’t fill me with the freedom I felt in this very moment. I felt the words run over me, felt the relief and surrender in the core of me.

It’s over. It’s over. It’s truly over. He can’t hurt us anymore.

But there was still one more thing I needed to do before I could truly believe it.

The landline phone hung on the wall and was attached to a cord. Beside it was a taped piece of paper with various numbers for taxi services. I picked up the phone and put it to my ear. I dialed a number that wasn’t a taxi and waited there, in the front room of the pub, for the rings to sound.

All the while, my heart was beating in my throat. I held my breath, terrified I was too late. That Oliver had known where to strike before bringing me to the cabin.

“Hello,” a voice said.