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Luke curses under his breath and rushes to cut Harper off before she can make it into the kitchen. There’s not much blood, but there’s some, and if I were him, I’d want to shield her from it too. Hopefully with her show on and the door only slightly ajar, she didn’t hear much of what just happened.
I get to work cleaning the floor with the rag while Luke escorts Harper back to the game room, hurrying like it’s my blood, like I’m embarrassed it’s there in the first place. In normal circumstances, I can’t stand the sight of blood, but these aren’t normal circumstances. I don’t even feel like I’m in my body. I’m cleaning and mopping, starting from the sink and going all the way to the front door like I’m on autopilot. I even check the front porch and hose that off too.
All evidence of David is gone soon enough, but I’m still rattled.
I hear the telltale signs of Luke helping Harper get ready for bed. I could so easily be lulled by the quiet cadence of his voice as he reads her a bedtime story, and because of it I can’t stay in the house another second. I go upstairs and yank off my apron and clothes, swap into running gear, and head out. It’s dark and I’m being stupid running along the road, but I stick to the grass as much as possible. I make it all the way down to the deserted beach and I stand on the shoreline, listening to the sound of the waves crashing in. Their heavy presence is a welcome reprieve. I feel as insignificant as I am. A speck. Dust.
The wind whips my hair and I feel David’s breath on the back of my neck…the counter biting into my hips as he presses closer to me…
It could have been worse isn’t a soothing thought.
The waves are so loud, relentless, angry. It’s like they rage on my behalf. I open my mouth to scream like I should have screamed at David, and I still can’t. It’s only a silent cry that escapes.
I run as fast as I can back to the house, but I still feel weak when I open the door and quietly pad inside. Luke’s sitting at the kitchen table with his head in his hands, staring down at his phone.
I don’t think he hears me come in, but he looks up and relief floods his face. He stands, the chair screeching back, and I realize he must have been worried about me. His hair is mussed up from his hands. His eyes are still wide and a little wild.
“Where’d you go? I went to your room. I thought…”
I give him time to finish, but he doesn’t. He just shakes his head.
“I went down to the beach. I just wanted to run for a bit…wanted to clear my head.”
“Did it work?”
“No.”
I walk over to fill a glass with water and find the sink is empty and clean. In fact, the entire kitchen has been restored to its factory setting.
It doesn’t make me feel better. I can’t look at him as I fill my glass.
“I’m sorry to have left that mess. I was planning to come home and get to it right away.”
“Chloe?” His voice is gentle, like he’s trying to coax a baby bird into trusting him.
I peer back at him over my shoulder.
“Are you all right?”
“He didn’t hurt me at all,” I say with emphasis. “And to clarify, it was not like he insinuated. I was not flirting with him or anything.”
I didn’t want it.
“Of course. I know that.” Luke looks like he’s found some new font of fury. “He shouldn’t have touched you. No matter what.”
“No, I know that. Only, I don’t want to be overly dramatic. He barely put his hands on me.”
Luke’s mouth pulls into a tight line and his hands turn into fists. For a second, I think he might hit something, but then he lets his arms fall back limp at his sides like he’s utterly defeated.
That makes two of us.
I turn toward him fully, take a sip of my water, and then stare down at my glass as I ask the question I’ve been worried about since David left.
“Is he going to do all that? Everything he threatened you with?”
“No, he won’t. I have a team of lawyers backing me—he doesn’t want this to end up in court. And he’s too chickenshit to run to the press. He must realize it’s his word against ours.”
He says ours like we’re a team.
Guilt hangs heavy around my neck.
“I’m appreciative that you stepped in when you did. And though I usually wouldn’t condone violence, well, I won’t lie and say I wasn’t glad you punched him like that. God, I wish I could have been the one to do it.” My shoulders sag. “I had the chance. He wasn’t being that forceful. I just froze…”
