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Prologue
“Ineed you to go with me tomorrow night to my boss’s house for a dinner party,” Tanner Carter said to his wife, Liz.
“I can’t,” she said. “I’ve got to work. You know that.”
She worked third shift as a nurse and had for years. That was how she’d met Tanner. When he’d come into the ER one night hurt, having been in an accident.
“Yeah, but call in,” he said, waving his hand, dismissing every word she ever said like always. “It’s not like they can’t just call someone else in to do your job. I don’t have that luxury.”
Liz held back the snort. She’d never considered her job a luxury and hated when he talked to her that way.
That everything in her life was trivial and could be discarded or replaced so easily.
“I can’t,” she said again. “You had me call in two months ago for something else that wasn’t an emergency. I said I was sick and someone saw me out that night. I’m lucky I didn’t get written up or fired.”
Tanner turned his back on her like he always did. He was rude more times than not. She had no idea where the sweet loving man she’d married four years ago went. The one that sought her out with roses and candy all the time when she got off her shift.
“You can find another job easily,” Tanner said. “You need to be with me tomorrow. Figure it out.”
“No,” she said.
Tanner turned and scowled at her, grabbed her arm and yanked her close to him. Her face was inches from his. “I’m not going to tell you again. You’re going to get your fat ass to that party tomorrow night and you’re going to put on the hottest dress you’ve got even if you’ve got to squeeze into it. You’re going to have a smile on your face like you want to be there too.”
She was sick of this. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take.
The comment about her weight just set off a flood of emotions in her.
She wasn’t fat. She’d never been fat. But she’d been so thin lately that people at work were commenting on it even though she tried to hide it in her baggy scrubs.
Liz didn’t like to be questioned about anything so she’d been trying to eat more so they’d see she wasn’t starving herself. Like she did around Tanner to avoid his comments and nasty remarks toward her.
“I’m not calling in,” she said. “Make up an excuse for me.”
“I smell something sweet on your breath,” he said. “Have you been eating chocolate again?” She yanked her arm away only for him to grab it and bring her back. “Answer me,” he growled.
“No,” she lied.
He let go of her arm and took a step away. She thought this was over and she could finish getting dinner on the table. She’d go to work in a few hours.
She didn’t even get to take one step before he backhanded her across the face.
He’d never hit her before. Ever.
He’d grab her. He’d push and shove her. He’d insult and use verbal abuse. But this...this was new.
Her hand went to her face. It was burning and stinging like nothing ever had before.
She stared him down in shock.
He almost seemed to realize what he’d done at that point too. “See what you made me do,” he shouted.
“Me? You hit me!”
He turned and grabbed his keys and then stormed out the door.
She was thankful for that.
She ran up to her room and looked in the mirror at her face. It was going to bruise. She knew it. She’d put ice on it, but there was no way she could hide this from anyone at work.
