AllFreeNovel
Share Us
On that thought, I decided that the next time one of the ladies mentioned going out, I would agree to do it. Besides, I was getting as big as a house and needed a few more clothes. And since I was getting paid each week, I needed to start buying the necessities I needed for my baby.
I also still had some of the money I'd managed to hide over the years before I escaped my husband. When your every move is monitored it isn’t easy. My time, the money, and the people allowed to come in contact with me were all managed by Thad. But there happened to be one thing he didn’t check that I lucked out on.
He never asked for the grocery receipt.
The routine and that one oversight let me stash away a few dollars at a time, allowing me to escape after five long years with the monster, when I finally got up the means and courage to run. Thad thought I was beneath him—I was to do everything for him and follow anything he said. Clean, cook, go grocery shopping, while he never helped or appreciated it at all. He wouldn’t allow me to work, have friends, or go places without him.
I was under close supervision.
But when it was time to go to the store, he would drive me and wait in the car. It was the one place he wasn’t breathing down my neck besides when he was working. He underestimated me then. I clipped coupons, I bought on sale, and I looked for brands that were cheaper. He handed me cash, I came out with a load of groceries and still handed him money back, so he never questioned me. Little did he know I didn’t hand him all the cash back and that little bit every time got put away for a rainy day.
That day had finally come.
I wasn’t as dumb as Thad thought I was.
And maybe, just maybe, one day I would be free of him for good.
* * *
I didn’t realizeI'd have to be brave so quickly.
No sooner than my mind had been made up to accept the lady's invitation, Alley walked into the building. The woman was gorgeous with her jet-black hair, bright blue eyes, and the air of confidence that surrounded her. It just intensified her beauty seeing the baby snuggled against the front of her in a wrap.
As she came forward, that confidence that rolled off her in waves, was nowhere to be seen within me.Be strong, be kind, be brave,I heard my mother’s voice say in my head.
“Hey girl, are you ready for that shopping trip yet?” Alley chirped happily. From what I could tell with a nice husband, a new baby girl, and the friends she had, the woman had many things to be happy about and it shined like rays of sunlight from every pore of her body.
I took a deep breath in and let it out, then rubbed the ring around my neck for strength. “Sure, I would like that.”
When her eyes went wide in shock, I almost burst out laughing. I guess she hadn’t been expecting me to finally say yes. After the shock wore off, her face split into a big smile.
“Excellent, I can check the girl’s schedules and call you.”
“Oh, I don’t have a phone,” I mumbled, feeling silly once again for not having the things so many had. Since Thad never let me go anywhere alone, he certainly didn’t deem it necessary for me to have a cell phone. And before him, I couldn’t afford one.
“Yes you do,” a deep masculine voice cut in from behind me. I knew exactly who it belonged to since chill bumps broke out along my skin.
I turned to find Kace standing behind me and our gazes locked instantly.
“I will leave you two alone. I need to go talk to Braxton.”
Lost in his stare, Alley’s words didn’t really register until I heard her retreating steps. And yet our eyes still hadn’t left one another’s.
It felt just like the first time I walked into the building and my gaze had initially landed on his. Was it possible to be drawn to someone you didn’t even know and had just met? The feeling was confusing, but I didn’t want to let it go.
Stepping a little closer, Kace held out the item in his hand for me to take. “This is for you,” he said.
I glanced down at the phone and without taking it, I looked back up at him with a puzzled look on my face.
“Teal, take the phone.”
“Why are you giving me a phone?” My voice sounded perplexed to my own ears.
It felt odd to be the recipient of any gifts and yet they had given me two. Nobody had given me things just to be nice. Not since my mother anyway. Thad gave me gifts, but that was only at the very beginning when we first met. Then later, it was only after a beating or a slash of his tongue as a tool to grovel and apologize. But he wasn’t sorry and he never changed.
So I wasn’t good at receiving presents. What did they mean? Did someone want something from me or should I expect something bad to come my way? Although I didn’t think so with this group of people. They had already given me something and hadn’t asked for a thing in return, harmed me, or pushed me to go shopping, just asked nicely if I was ready.
“It is a company phone and you work for us so you need a phone. It’s paid for throughNo Surrender.”He took one more step toward me to push it closer, but still didn’t crowd right into my personal space.
