“Is everything all right?”

     Swiftly, I turned around and faced Alec. His brawny arm was over the back of the sofa, and he had reclined in his seat.

     I bobbed my head. “Yeah.”

     The waitress walked over to us again and collected the chinawares. “Should I get you anything else?”

     “I’m good,” I said.

     “Me too,” Alec drawled.

     “All right.” She packed up the plates and disappeared just like she had appeared.

     I sighed.

     Alec cocked his head and stared at me. Our eyes met when I looked at him. Trying to avoid his stare, I sat up, but we only ended up making another contact. He brushed his leg with mine. Accidentally.

     “Sorry,” he cooed.

     I pushed backward, sinking into the booth. “It’s fine.”

     “She’s wonderful, isn’t she?” he said.

     I knew quickly she was talking about his wife. “Yes, she is,” I murmured. I wanted to add that he was also wonderful, but there was no way of saying it without sounding flirtatious.

     He toyed with the strands of the napkin in front of him. “She’s the greatest thing that’s happened in my life, you know.”

     It almost sounded cliché. Tom had said that to me over and over. Plus, I’d heard it so many times on TV. Normally, actions speak louder than words. And it worked with the Bergers. I knew he meant what he said because he showed it too. Suddenly I imagined a horrible scene of him beating up his wife. I erased it. Why was I being so cruel? Alec would never hurt Amy, even in my worst nightmare. Was I wrong?

     I had thought Tom would never hurt me in the past. Thought he loved me too much to hurt me. Thought he was a gentleman until he started slapping my face and pushing me so hard that I broke a rib.

     People changed. Tom did. He changed for the worse. I wasn’t sure Alec would. But you couldn’t tell if someone would turn into a monster overnight. The brutal truth was that we never really know anybody. People weren’t static bodies that remained the same forever. They changed, and the change could sometimes be astounding. How could such a sweet caring family man turn into a monster in the blink of an eye? No easy answer there. My brain cells were numb from the countless times I had tried to come up with a suitable answer.

     But somehow I wished people were static. At least with a cat, I was rest assured of my safety. If Clara changed for the worse, I was sure she wouldn’t try to kill me.

     “I can tell she is. You really love her?” Stupid question, I thought.

     He said hastily, “With every fiber of my being.”

     His response was too terse, it sounded like he was obsessed with her and would do everything in his power to keep her. Was it obsession or love? Maybe both? I wondered what he’d do if Amy ever left him. Alec was a mystery just like his wife. The Bergers were by far the most mysterious couple I had encountered. Most of my friends had marriages that were easy to guess what was happening. You didn’t have to guess sometimes. They would just tell you—good and bad.

     But with the Bergers, there wasn’t any hint. Nothing you could stand on to surmise one or two. We sat for a couple of minutes. Then my mind screamed; what’s keeping her so long?

     Through the large glass panel windows, sunlight poured into the booth, illuminating the tiled floor. I squinted as I strained my eyes to my Lexus. I saw her in the driver’s seat. My heart sank. What’s she doing there?

     I was about to rise when Amy stepped out of the car and shut the door, then she headed down the pavement toward the diner. She momentarily glanced down at the phone in her hand. Was that my phone? If it was, then she’d seen Tom’s face. Shit! I had forgotten to change the background photo. But what would she be doing with my phone? And why hadn’t she searched only the back seat when that was where they had sat?

     I knew I shouldn’t have given her my keys, but then I reminded myself she didn’t mean any harm. So far, she hadn’t struck me as an unintelligent woman who didn’t know any better than to go riffling through someone’s things. As much as she stuck to herself, she also knew her boundaries and respected people’s space. Even when I invited her into the farmhouse, she hadn’t touched the display of the strange creatures or the portrait of my family. Just stared at them. If I had seen something similar in their house, I was sure I’d stare too.

     If that was my phone with Amy, then she must have a good reason for holding it, or else—

     “You suddenly look upset,” Alec said.

     I smiled. “I’m fine. Just tired.”

     He returned the smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll be going back soon.”

     His smile assured me I didn’t need to worry, and Amy wasn’t a danger to me. He’s adorable. That very much was perceptible in him. Amy was a lucky woman.

     My hands trembled as I sat impatiently waiting.

     Alec noticed it. He reached forward and touched my fingers. “You’re shaking.”

     I pulled my hands away, hiding them under the table. “I shake when I’m tired,” I lied.

     “Panic attacks?”

     I peered at him. “What?”

     “Do you have panic attacks?” he asked.

     I blinked hard. “No. Why would you ask that?”

     He shrugged. “Nothing. I was curious. You were shaking... and I thought maybe you had panic attacks. See this?”

     He lifted the arm resting behind the sofa and pulled back the sleeve of the jogging suit. A rubber band dangled around his wrist. He held the band up high, then released it. When the elasticity was exceeded, the band came back and hit his wrist with a thud.

     “I’ve got panic attacks. So I mostly wear this,” he announced happily.

     Interesting. Panic attacks. That was something I’d look into when I got home.

     “I don’t have panic attacks. I’m just tired and edgy.”

     “I figured.”

     The door opened and Amy entered, heading toward our booth. All along, I watched her, then the phone in her hand. When I saw the phone case, I didn’t need to think again. It’s my phone.

     Finally, she made it to the booth and sat across from me.

     I stopped the urge to lunge at her and said sharply, “What kept you so long?” My voice was soft, but it had the seriousness I wanted to pass across.

     She sighed. “I couldn’t find it at first. I checked the floorboard, then under the seats before I found it... and oh, your phone wouldn’t stop ringing, so I thought I should bring it along.”

     She looked so relaxed, everything came off naturally. Or maybe she was a good actress. Nonetheless, she sounded genuine.

     I collected my phone and murmured a thank you. I swiped across the screen, jabbed my password, and watched several apps pop up. Glancing at the screen, my mouth almost went wide open.

     Amy said something to me, but I wasn’t following. I had twenty missed calls from Tom. Three from Shelby. Plus, a pile of messages from Tom.

     It was then that I remembered what Amy had said. Girl, someone called you twenty times. The person must be desperate to speak to you.

     She knew I had twenty missed calls. She’d probably seen it on the lock screen. Had she seen the messages too? No. It would require my password to access my messages. Although she’d know I had received new messages, she wouldn’t know what the messages were. She was right though. Tom was desperate. I knew it was only a matter of time.

     “Who was that?” she asked.

     I pretended I didn’t know what she was talking about. “Who was who?”

     “The guy who called you twenty times,” she said.

     I couldn’t tell her it was my angry husband who had just found out I had left without telling him, and I planned to divorce him. I needed a cover-up. A good lie. “Just a client of mine. I’m sure her delivery hadn’t arrived yet.”

     I was tempted to stop, but nobody in their right mind would call somebody she knew like the back of her hand twenty times just because her delivery wasn’t in.

     I continued, “She’s throwing a party tomorrow and she’s anxious. I better get back to her before she calls again.”

     “Sure. Nice picture by the way,” she said.

     I ceased every action. She’d seen the picture of Tom and me skiing the Alps too? This was bad. Very bad. But I knew she would. I should have turned off my phone before leaving it in the car. If I didn’t leave, she’d want to know who the man with me was.

     I rose swiftly. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

     “Sure,” she said.

     While she beckoned the waitress, I headed for the door, almost colliding with the fat man on the counter stool.

     “Sorry,” I said and skittered out of the diner, struggling not to hyperventilate.

     A gust of cold air blew across my direction as I walked down the pavement. I saw Amy speaking to the waitress through the panel window. Alec was scrolling his phone like me.

     I stopped and looked at the messages. I sensed Tom’s fury as he typed. I imagined the menacing look on his face when he was upset.

7:00 AM   
      Where are you?
      Are you tryin’ to leave me?
     You know that’s stupid.

7:10 AM
     Your foolish assistant is telling me shit.
     If you don’t want this to end badly, come back.
     You know you can’t run from me.

7:30 AM
      You won’t pick up my calls, eh?
      I’ll find you.
      Wherever you are.
      You’re dead, Elodie.

     I paused, taking a deep breath. The wind blew my hair toward my face. I tucked strands behind my ear. If Tom was threatening me, then he must be losing it. Maybe this was what I needed to divorce him. If he refused to grant me the divorce, the court might force him to. Clearly, he wasn’t sane. I had solid evidence of his abuse now. He could easily deny inflicting the bruises on my body, but this one, he couldn’t. After what he’d done, he wasn’t even remorseful. I continued.

7:40 AM
     Please, Elodie. Come back.
     I’m sorry for hitting you the other time.
     I won’t hurt you again. I promise.
     I’ll seek help.
     Please come back.

8:00 AM
     I love you, Elodie.
     I care about you.
     Please pick up my calls.
     I promise I will change.

     At least he had the decency to apologize. I tasted it, but it didn’t sound sincere. Another one of his distress messages. How many times had he hit me and apologized? Countless. This wasn’t love. This was something else. Something darker and twisted. Although I still loved him, I wasn’t going back to him. Not even in my worst nightmare. I was done with Tom. Shelby! Was she all right? I had to call her.

     I quickly placed the phone on my ear when I saw the Bergers walking down the pavement. “What?” I pressed the phone harder to my ear. “I can’t hear you. I might have to call you back. Bye.” I put the phone away.

     “Hope everything’s sorted out,” Amy said.

     I looked up. “Yeah. The delivery guy had a problem with the car, but it’s fine now.”

     She smiled. “Let’s leave then.”

     I bobbed my head. “We should.”

     She tucked her arms into Alec’s, and we strolled to the car. As I grabbed the handle, I saw Tom, standing by a red Mercedes Benz. He’s found me. I froze.