2、
My husband Paul hesitated, but Mike jumped in. "Two grown men, scared off a viral photo spot by a few wolves?"
"We've been chasing dogs off since we were kids. A handful of wild wolves. If the guys ever heard we were too scared to go, we'd never hear the end of it over drinks."
Paul nodded and muttered, "He's got a point. Can't back down from this."
But I panicked. I turned to my husband. "Paul, don't let them talk you into this."
"Wolves aren't dogs. This isn't like chasing off strays when you were a kid."
Mike was losing patience. He said flatly, "Can you get your wife under control or not? Such a small thing, and here you are dragging your feet."
Marianne stirred the pot right beside him. "Oh, maybe he's the type who's scared of his wife. Mike, don't push the poor guy."
"Not like me. Wherever we go, I do whatever Mike says. That's what a good woman is."
That one line lit the fuse in my husband. He said to me, hard, "Letitia, that's enough. Majority rules. You're going to behave and come with us to the viral highway for our photos."
I opened my mouth to say something, and before I got half the words out, a hard slap cracked across my face.
Paul's expression had already gone dark. Even reborn, he still hit me the same way.
"I already told you not to cross me on this. You're making me lose face."
In that moment, my heart went to ash.
In my past life, it was exactly this kind of grievance that ended with me dying in the jaws of the wolves.
Now, reborn, and Paul hadn't changed in the slightest.
I knew it plainly then. A man like this was beyond saving.
I fell silent.
From the back seat, Marianne sneered, "A woman who won't listen has to be beaten. Skip a day, and she's up on the roof tearing off the shingles."
Mike ran his hand along Marianne's cheek and said with a grin, "So are you a woman who listens?"
Marianne curled back into his arms. "I listen. Of course I listen."
