This marriage had been arranged before my grandfather passed, and Thaddeus had been putting it off all along.
It was my grandfather's last wish, and I'd been quietly in love with Thaddeus for a long time, so I agreed.
Thaddeus could no longer refuse.
But at the wedding, his breathing turned ragged out of nowhere, and his hands wouldn't stop shaking.
They rushed him to the hospital, and he was diagnosed with a fear of women, supposedly the scar of some old heartbreak.
After the wedding, Thaddeus couldn't stand to be near me.
Then, in the third year, he was finally willing to touch me.
And I actually thought I was the happiest woman in the world.
But the truth was, I was only something for him to practice on. He even hated me.
Thrashing in those waves of pain, I heard it all at once — the screech of brakes, and then there was no time left for anything.
When my eyes opened again, it was a phone ringing that woke me.
It was the HR contact I was meeting tonight, sending over a few more details about the company.
I replied almost without hesitation: *I've decided to accept the position. I'll come to Los Angeles to start as soon as I can.*
All these years, to take care of Thaddeus's "fear of women," I'd turned down offers from one major firm after another, just to stay by his side a little longer, to go with him to his therapist, to give him encouragement and the right kind of company.
And then, the moment I caught the scent of perfume on him, I decided to leave.
It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the light before I realized I was in a hospital.
After the doctor confirmed the baby was safe, I checked myself out.
At the entrance, I came face to face with Thaddeus and Lisa. Worry was still written on his face.
The moment Lisa saw me, she stalked straight over. This time, the slap actually landed.
"You bitch! Tearing Thaddeus and me apart back then wasn't enough for you? Now you want to kill our baby!"
I'd only just been discharged; I was weak to begin with. She'd swung with everything she had, and I staggered.
Thaddeus reached out a hand, then quickly drew it back.
His eyes darkened a little.
"What are you doing at the hospital?"
The baby kicked me just then, and my hand went to my stomach on instinct.
Thaddeus asked, "What's wrong with you?"
He and Lisa could never know I was pregnant.
I shook my head, keeping my voice even.
"It's nothing. I came to see a friend."
He didn't ask again, and left with Lisa.
Thaddeus stayed out all night once more, but I couldn't bring myself to care anymore.
In a week I'd be leaving for Los Angeles, and there was still a lot to do.
Early the next morning, I called a divorce lawyer.
She also recommended a private investigator to gather evidence of Thaddeus's affair.
The insurance company called and said they needed to pull the dashcam footage to determine fault for the accident.
While exporting the video, I clicked on a file from an earlier time by mistake.
Thaddeus never rode in the same car as me, let alone did that kind of thing in one.
As I sat there puzzled, a woman's low murmur came through the recording.
"Thaddeus... all these years, I've missed you so much... and you? Have you missed me?"
The man didn't answer, only breathed her name.
"Lisa... Lisa..."
The recording went on. I bit down hard on my lower lip, and the taste of blood was already there.
With shaking hands, I checked the date the audio was recorded.
A month ago, the night I lost the baby...
What came before the tears was the nausea churning in my stomach.
In a daze I rushed to the toilet and threw up, again and again.
I don't know how long it was before one hand finally braced against the sink, the other clutching my chest, and I broke into sobs.
That night, the rain had come down in sheets.
I was at home, getting ready for bed, when an anonymous text arrived.
With a crack of thunder, my phone started playing a horror video on its own.
