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Chapter 1
Serena
As I gather my purse and coat to leave, my best friend follows me to the door. Gina’s eyes are filled with the kind of worry that comes from seeing my ex in action one too many times. The last few months have been hell. The first time it happened, he came home drunk and threw me against a curio cabinet. My friend showed up at three in the morning and took me to the emergency room, no questions asked, and even stayed with me in the hospital until I got discharged. The last time was two weeks ago, I realized then that Stan wasn’t going to change, and I packed my bags and left.
She asks one last time, “Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Flashing me an awkward grin, she adds, “I can help you pack.”
I swear to God, Gina is the only thing I’m going to miss about San Francisco.
“No,” I reply sternly. “I don’t want to give him any reason to go after you once I’m gone. You know how he is.”
“Yeah, I do,” she says with a frown. “That’s one reason I don’t want you going on your own.”
“I won’t be on my own, the police are meeting me there. If there’s a protective order in place, they send a two-person team when survivors go to retrieve their belongings, one stays with the vulnerable person while their colleague monitors the other party. They said I have an hour and I shouldn’t need that.”
Gina counters with logic, “Girl, you can’t move furniture all on your own.”
My friend is trying every which way to get me to let her help today, but I don’t want her in my ex’s line of sight right now. He’s liable to take out his frustration on her if he can’t get to me. “I won’t need to,” I tell her firmly.
Her expression turns to shock. “Tell me you aren’t leaving that asshole all your nice things.”
Trying to put her mind at ease, I explain more about my plan to her, “I have a moving company scheduled to meet me there. I’ve made a list of everything that belongs to me and ranked it according to importance. They’re supposed to go according to the list, while I pack my clothing and personal effects.”
Gina’s anxiety clicks down a notch, and she finally accepts that I’ve got things under control. “I don’t know why I was even worried about you. Once you make up your mind about something, you don’t let anything get in your way.”
“I wish I’d made up my mind a lot sooner. I let things go too far with Stan.”
“The important part is that you got out. Always remember that, Serena.”
“I will,” I promise. “Trust me when I say I’ve thought about every possible thing that could go wrong already and how I would deal with it. By this time tomorrow, I’ll be with my family in Las Salinas.”
“Alright. I can see you’re determined to go about this safely. So, I’ll leave you to it. But if you need anything at all, I want you to call me first, okay?”
I reach out and give her arm a squeeze. “Yeah, Gina. I’ll call you soon and tell you all about how much Stan hated having to pretend to be polite in front of the police.”
“I’m sure it’s gonna be an ego killer for that asshole to watch you walk out the door when all he wants to do is badger you into staying.”
“I don’t care what he wants. Stan isn’t my problem anymore. I’ll be leaving San Francisco right after I gather my things.”
When I walk toward the door, Gina follows me. “Just be careful. If I hear anything on the grapevine, I’ll let you know on that fancy new phone of yours.”
I open the door, step through and turn to look at my friend. Gina looks so young and innocent standing there in her white ruffled pajamas. “Just so we’re clear, I don’t care what Stan’s up to after I leave, so don’t go snooping around him. Let’s just close this chapter of our lives and move on.”
She nods, clearly on board with that idea. “Alright, whatever you say. Your ex is an easy man to ignore. Drive safely and tell that hot brother of yours, I said hello.”
I roll my eyes at her ongoing low-key interest in my brother. “He’s married now and has four kids, Gina.”
“Drats, totally off the market, right?”
“Yeah, he is,” I respond. “Take care of yourself and be sure to lock your door at night.”
“Yes, ma’am,” she teases. Gina is such a nice person. Thankfully, she’s got family in the area, so I’m not worried about her. They are not only supportive, but always there for her when she needs something. “And come and visit once I’m settled, okay? My brother might be off the market, but I’m sure he’s got plenty of hot friends.” I thought of one in particular I’d had a massive crush on for most of my teenage years.
“You’re on,” she replies with a grin.
A short silence spins out between us. I quickly lean in, give her one last hug and then we go our separate ways, me walking down the hall and her shutting the door quietly behind me. Our parting not only feels final, but a sinister sense of foreboding hangs over it like a dark cloud. I can’t tell whether it’s related to her or me.
I get into my Mercedes and head over to the apartment I once shared with my ex. Stan is a nasty piece of work, a classic narcissist who’s obsessed with his public image. He seemed so normal when we first got together, but it didn’t take long for the cracks in his façade to start appearing. And as I started to get glimpses of the real Stan, what lay beneath his carefully constructed mask was terrifying.
