Bradley's behavior has changed since I told him that. I would leave him if he didn't change. I still wanted to go with him. I acted more kind toward him even though I planned to leave him. I loved Bradley, but I knew we couldn't be together. I didn't have a plan for how I would leave him. I just wanted to go.

Bradley and I continued to go to work like usual. I came home feeling sick. As soon walked through the door. I threw up into the toilet. I felt sick. I hadn't felt sick in a long time. After I threw up, I went to the kitchen to see what Bradley was doing. He was in the kitchen making dinner.

I walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen. "Are you okay? What is wrong?" He asked, walking over to me. "I'm fine. I must have eaten something bad because I just got sick in the bathroom," I explained to him. "Maybe you should skip dinner tonight and take stomach relief or something like that," He explained.

We were at the table, and Bradley ate without me. We sat at the table, talking while he was eating. After he ate, we went to bed. 

The following day, I felt better. My stomach pain went away until I got out of bed. As soon as I sat up, I felt sick. I ran to the bathroom to throw up. When I was done throwing up. I walked out of the bathroom to the kitchen. Bradley was in the kitchen packing our lunches. 

"You threw up again?" He asked. "Yeah," I replied. "Maybe you should stay home," He said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "No, we can't afford it," I said. "Heather, do you have to be so stubborn?" He asked. I laughed. I was the most stubborn person my family knew. "Yes, I know," I said. "I have to go," I said. He rolled his eyes and handed me my lunch bag. 

"Do you want coffee or breakfast?" He asked. "No," I replied. "You need to eat. You haven't eaten since yesterday," He said. "I know I'll try," I replied. We got ready for work, I felt better. We went to work. 

Mila texted me throughout the day and decided we would meet at their apartment after I got off work. I texted Bradley and told him that late I'd be coming home late. I drove to Mila and Herny's apartment after work. We sat on the couch and began to talk. "Has Bradley changed?" She asked. "Yeah, kind of. He hasn't been coming home late, and he hasn't been drinking," I explained.  "I don't like him," She said, crossing her arms over each other and looking at Herny. 

"What about you, Herny? Do you like Bradley?" I asked him. "I can't say. I don't know him that well," He explained. "Really? Do you see the way he treats Heather?" She asked. He ignored her and looked back at me. "I plan on leaving him. I still wonder why he acts the way he does. I love him, but I don't want to be in this relationship anymore," I explained. 

"Really?" Mila jumped up in excitement. I knew she would react like that. She didn't like him. "Mila!" Henry yelled, "I know, I know. I shouldn't act like that. I don't like him." She explained. "I know you don't," I replied. "I see it now. There is something off with him," I said. "Have you figured out a plan to leave him?" Mila asked. "No, I'm honestly scared. What if he tries something? He's been coming home drunk," I explained. 

"We'll go with you. We won't let anyone hurt you," Mila explained. I felt better knowing that Mila and Herny were willing to help me. "I think you should look through his wallet to see what he could be hiding," She explained. "Why do you think that is a good idea?" I asked her. "What if he finds out?" I asked her. "He won't. Tell him you were going to gather his laundry for the laundry mat." She explained. 

"Yeah, I guess I could try that," I told them. "I have to go. I'll update you both," I said, getting up from my seat and walking toward the door. 

I left Mila and Herny's apartment and drove home. I was worried about what I would find. What if I found something bad? I thought negative thoughts until I got home. I arrived at my apartment building and noticed that Bradley's car wasn't in the parking lot. I would have to wait until he got home to dig into his wallet. 

I walked up to our apartment and when inside. I walked into my apartment and went straight to the bathroom to go shower. As I was getting out of the shower, I heard Bradley walk in the door. I walked out of the bathroom in my towel and robe. I smelled alcohol on Bradley when he walked into the hallway. 

"Are you drunk again?" He asked him. I wasn't mad this time. I planned on leaving him, and I didn't care what he was doing anymore. He ignored me and walked to the bedroom. I stood still in the bathroom doorway. He came out a few minutes later wearing a different set of clothing and walked past me to the bedroom. 

I walked to the bedroom and got dressed quickly. He took quick showers, and I had to be fast. I first looked for his phone. I opened his phone and started going through it. I didn't find anything important yet. I was about to set his phone down when I saw his bank app. 

I opened the app, found his password through his phone, and entered it in. The password worked, and it welcomed me with, "Hello, David," I was confused. Who is David? I scrolled down, and there were transactions from years ago, In the state of Texas. His recent transaction was from years ago. 

I was confused. I didn't understand. He said he was born here in Seattle, Washington. Why are there transactions from Texas? I thought maybe he had lived in Texas for a while he didn't tell me. I scrolled up, and he didn't have much money in his bank account. 

I put his phone down and went into his pants pocket for his wallet. I found it and pulled it out. I opened his wallet and found a small amount of cash. I was looking for his driver's license. I found it hidden in his wallet. I pulled it out, and it wasn't a Washington driver's license like I expected. It was a Texas driver's license. 

I instantly felt sick. Was everything he told me a lie? I still didn't believe it. I thought to myself. Maybe he had moved there for a while. I looked through his wallet and found no other driver's license. I looked at his license. I felt so sick. I started shedding tears as a read it. The picture was the same, but the name wasn't. 

It was an expired driver's license, and the name on it was David James Murphy. I tried to hold back tears so he wouldn't hear me. Was this the man that I was dating? I thought I was dating Bradley Robert Hale, not David James Murphy. He was hiding his Identity. Why? I then realized that his family had died in a fire. Did he set that fire, then flee to Washington? 

I realized then and there, that I was not dating a man named Bradley. I was dating a possible murderer. I stared at it for a while. I didn't know what to do or how to feel. The birthday was different. He told me he was thirty-three. It said the real Bradley was thirty- five. I heard the shower curtain open. I wiped my tears, put everything back into his wallet, and started collecting his dirty laundry on the floor and throwing it in his laundry basket.

I put his wallet on the dresser and his phone back on the bed where I had found it. A few minutes later, he walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. He walked into the bedroom, and I was getting our laundry together, pretending I was going to take it to the laundry mat. "Hey, I was getting our laundry together for the laundry mat later," I explained with a smile on my face. 

"Okay, thank you," He spoke, walking over to the dresser. He stood in front of the dresser, looking at his wallet. My heart sunk into my chest. "You took the items out of the pockets? He asked. "Yeah," I smiled. "Finally you remember," He said. A wave of relief went over my face. "You're not mad at me?" He asked. "For what?" I asked. "Drinking?" He asked. "No," I replied. 

We then went to bed. I lay there, knowing that I could be laying next to a man who possibly murdered his family. I knew I needed to leave. I didn't know when or how. I just knew I needed to leave.    

Published: December 3, 2022