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He smiled. “I’m sorry for losing control earlier.” He turned away and walked to the closet. He grabbed some clothes and tossed them at her. “I’ll leave you to dress,” he said arrogantly. “When you’re through, please join me downstairs. We have things to discuss.”
Then he turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him, leaving her alone. She breathed a sigh of relief. At least he wasn’t going to watch her change, and it appeared that he wasn’t going to beat her again, either.
Not yet anyway.
Crystal got up from the bed but stopped when the soles of her feet stung. She lifted her foot and saw the scratches from her wild flight through the woods. She shook her head. What had she been thinking to take off barefooted? It was a testament to how scared she’d been. She bent and picked up the white blouse and faded blue jeans he’d tossed at her. She quickly slipped into the silky material. She still had on her underwear, thank God, so it didn’t take her long to pull on the jeans. She buttoned the blouse and tucked it into the waist of the jeans, then zipped them up. She felt better immediately. It was stupid, but the clothes made her feel less vulnerable.
After cleaning her face and bandaging her cuts, Crystal headed for the kitchen. Richard stood at the stove, stirring something. Automatically she sniffed the air and her stomach grumbled in eager anticipation. He’d made chicken noodle soup? Her mind started working, turning over various scenarios of death by poisoning. Crazy as it sounded, Crystal wouldn’t put anything past her husband. Not after the two years of pure hell he’d put her through.
She crossed the room, barely maintaining her balance. Her head throbbed and her cheek felt swollen. She pulled out the closest chair and sat down. The room stopped spinning at once.
He carried a steaming bowl to the table and placed it in front of her. “Eat,” he commanded. Crystal merely stared at him. Richard stared back. Finally, he said, “If I had wanted to kill you, wife, it wouldn’t be by poisoning, I assure you.”
She thought about that for a second. He was right. Richard would probably just beat her to death. It’d be more fun for him that way. She shrugged and picked up the spoon. As she blew on the steaming liquid and took her first bite, she was surprised to note that it was actually quite good. She didn’t even know Richard could cook, considering he’d never done it before. That had been her job. All the household chores had been on her. As she ate, Crystal was having a hard time wrapping her mind around the idea of him doing something as domestic as cooking. And the kindness was so unlike him that it sent chills up and down her spine.
After she emptied the bowl, Crystal picked up a napkin and patted her lips. “That was very good. Thank you.”
He nodded, as if addressing a class. “I’m pleased you like it.”
Before she could talk herself out of it, Crystal blurted, “I want a divorce.”
He leaned forward in his chair and spoke in a menacing tone. “I wondered when you’d get around to that.”
She flinched, fear racing up and down her spine, but she continued, “You’ve said more than once that I’m a huge disappointment to you.”
Without a word, Richard stood and went to the counter. He picked up a stack of papers and handed them to her. “Divorce papers,” he explained. “All you need to do is sign them.”
Crystal stared down at the neat stack of documents. Could it really be that easy? Suspicious that he had some vicious plan in mind the minute she picked up the pen, she asked, “If you wanted a divorce, then why did you come after me? Why not just let me go?”
He shrugged. “And miss all the fun? Not a chance.” He stood and said, “I’m going out for a bit. I expect you to be gone by the time I get back.”
“Why?” she asked, just before he walked out of the room. “Why didn’t you do this a year and a half ago?”
He turned slowly, a disgusted look on his face. “I had hoped to skip the Q and A part of this, but I can see you’re determined to drive me crazy right up to the very last second.”
Crystal stood, fear causing her legs to shake uncontrollably. “I’m not trying to drag this out, but I think we can both agree that you don’t love me. A lot of time has been wasted.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets and let out a frustrated sigh. “I had hoped you’d improve. That discipline and a bit of training would make a difference. I can see now that I was only fooling myself. You’ll always be a sad, overweight disappointment.”
Before Crystal could digest the hateful words, Richard was gone and the phone was ringing. She forced her feet to move across the room and answered it on the second ring. “Hello?”
“Hi, sweetie.”
Crystal’s throat clogged with emotion. Her legs gave out and she dropped onto the nearest chair. “Mom.”
“What’s wrong? And don’t say nothing, because I can hear it in your tone.”
Her mother would take Richard’s side. Crystal had long given up on the notion that her mother would ever fully see the truth. The sad fact of the matter was, her mom thought Richard was a wonderful man and a terrific husband. She didn’t understand why Crystal was always antagonizing him. To her way of thinking, marriage was for life, and it didn’t much matter whether the man you were wedded to was a monster or not.
“Richard and I, we’re getting a divorce.” Crystal left out the part about the beating. Her mom wouldn’t believe her anyway. Never had. Crystal had tried to tell her before, but her mother always made it seem as if Crystal was only making waves. In her mom’s eyes, a woman was supposed to love and support her husband in all things. No matter what. The archaic attitude made Crystal want to vomit.
“What?”
“I’m leaving him.” She thought of her friend Mollie in Cincinnati. Mollie had urged her for months to leave Richard. She’d take her in, Crystal was sure of it. “In fact, I might stay with Mollie for a bit.” She took a deep breath. “Just until I get back on my feet.”
“I see,” her mother replied with no small amount of disapproval. “I suppose nothing I say will change your mind.”
Please, for once, stand up for me. But Crystal knew better. Her mom’s stance toward marriage was as clear as day. She straightened her spine and said, “No, Mom. I’m not living this way anymore. I’m done.”
