Prologue

“I need you to go with me tomorrow night to my boss’s house for a dinner party,” Tanner Carter said to his wife, Liz.

“I can’t,” she said. “I’ve got to work. You know that.”

She worked third shift as a nurse and had for years. That was how she’d met Tanner. When he’d come into the ER one night hurt, having been in an accident.

“Yeah, but call in,” he said, waving his hand, dismissing every word she ever said like always. “It’s not like they can’t just call someone else in to do your job. I don’t have that luxury.”

Liz held back the snort. She’d never considered her job a luxury and hated when he talked to her that way.

That everything in her life was trivial and could be discarded or replaced so easily.

“I can’t,” she said again. “You had me call in two months ago for something else that wasn’t an emergency. I said I was sick and someone saw me out that night. I’m lucky I didn’t get written up or fired.”

Tanner turned his back on her like he always did. He was rude more times than not. She had no idea where the sweet loving man she’d married four years ago went. The one that sought her out with roses and candy all the time when she got off her shift.

“You can find another job easily,” Tanner said. “You need to be with me tomorrow. Figure it out.”

“No,” she said. 

Tanner turned and scowled at her, grabbed her arm and yanked her close to him. Her face was inches from his. “I’m not going to tell you again. You’re going to get your fat ass to that party tomorrow night and you’re going to put on the hottest dress you’ve got even if you’ve got to squeeze into it. You’re going to have a smile on your face like you want to be there too.”

She was sick of this. She wasn’t sure how much more she could take.

The comment about her weight just set off a flood of emotions in her. 

She wasn’t fat. She’d never been fat. But she’d been so thin lately that people at work were commenting on it even though she tried to hide it in her baggy scrubs. 

Liz didn’t like to be questioned about anything so she’d been trying to eat more so they’d see she wasn’t starving herself. Like she did around Tanner to avoid his comments and nasty remarks toward her.

“I’m not calling in,” she said. “Make up an excuse for me.”

“I smell something sweet on your breath,” he said. “Have you been eating chocolate again?” She yanked her arm away only for him to grab it and bring her back. “Answer me,” he growled.

“No,” she lied. 

He let go of her arm and took a step away. She thought this was over and she could finish getting dinner on the table. She’d go to work in a few hours.

She didn’t even get to take one step before he backhanded her across the face. 

He’d never hit her before. Ever.

He’d grab her. He’d push and shove her. He’d insult and use verbal abuse. But this…this was new.

Her hand went to her face. It was burning and stinging like nothing ever had before.

She stared him down in shock.

He almost seemed to realize what he’d done at that point too. “See what you made me do,” he shouted. 

“Me? You hit me!”

He turned and grabbed his keys and then stormed out the door.

She was thankful for that.

She ran up to her room and looked in the mirror at her face. It was going to bruise. She knew it. She’d put ice on it, but there was no way she could hide this from anyone at work.

She was sitting on the couch an hour later with her second ice pack on her face trying to figure out what she was going to do.

She had money in an account that Tanner didn’t know about. One she’d had before they met and she’d never told him. For the past few years she’d kept putting little bits of money in there without his knowledge.

It’d be enough for her to move out. She could stop her check from going into his account. She didn’t want anything of his anyway.

The front door opened. She’d hoped she could be gone before Tanner returned. Normally when they fought that was what he did. He’d leave and come back when she was working and they wouldn’t have to face each other again for a day or so.

He’d be nice and sweet to her. Apologize and things would be good for a month or longer. Then they’d start up all over again.

“Liz, are you okay?”

She didn’t expect to see her mother-in-law standing there. She moved the ice pack down but knew there would be a mark on her face from Tanner’s hand.

“Yeah. Just tripped.”

“No,” Donna Carter said. “You didn’t. Let’s go right now.”

“Where?” she asked. Her mother-in-law had never liked her that much. At least she didn’t think so. 

“You’re leaving.”

“I’ve got time before I go to work,” she argued.

“No,” Donna said. “You’re leaving Tanner. Enough is enough. He’s out getting drunk with his brother right now. He won’t come home for hours. That’s enough time for you to pack everything you care about and get it in your car. I’ll give you money.”

This was all too much. “Where am I going to go?”

“I’m not sitting around anymore and watching this.” Donna pulled her phone out of her purse. “Do you still have that account that Tanner knows nothing about?”

Her jaw dropped. She didn’t know how Donna knew that. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do,” Donna said. “Yes or no on the account?” Donna’s lips were firm.

“Yes,” Liz said quietly.

“I’m transferring one hundred thousand dollars into it right now.”

“What?”

Her mother-in-law was still pushing buttons, then stopped. “Look right now. It’s there.”

She pulled her phone out and logged in and was stunned to see the money sitting there. “How did you do that? How did you know?”

Donna waved her hand. “It doesn’t matter. Up. Now. Let’s get you packed and out of here and don’t come back. Don’t say a word of this night to anyone.”

Liz ran to her room to find boxes and bags. There were some in another closet, but right now she’d just grab everything off the hangers if she could and toss them in her backseat.

Donna was on her heels and snatching clothes out of the closet. Shoes too. Things were going into garbage bags in a haphazard mess.

“Why are you protecting him?”

Donna stopped and looked at her. “I’m not. I’m protecting you.”

“By buying me to not say a word about what Tanner does? And how did you even know?”

“We can talk and pack. He’s always been a troubled child that thought he could get away with murder thanks to his father spoiling the boys. I don’t want to have to worry about that. Murder. I’d never be able to live with myself. I didn’t expect to see the mark on your face and it’s enough for me to do this now. I’ve seen the signs slowly over the years. You could say preparing me for this day but hoping and praying it wouldn’t come.”

Guess she wasn’t doing too good of a job of hiding anything.

“Why do you care?” she asked. “You don’t even like me.”

Donna grabbed her arm—not hard like Tanner had done—but when she flinched, Donna dropped it and sighed.

“I’m sorry. I should have stepped in sooner, but you’re good at hiding things. Just not good enough. I do like you, Liz. I’d had hopes that Tanner would settle down when he met you…but it didn’t happen.”

She wasn’t going to ask if this had happened before with another woman. It didn’t matter at this point.

All that mattered was that she had money and the means to get the hell out and she was doing it.

“What are you going to tell Tanner?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Donna said. “I’m going to act shocked. He won’t come after you. Trust me. He’ll blame it all on you and say good riddance.”

Liz didn’t care. “I don’t know where to go,” she said.

“Go home,” Donna said. “It’s time you do. Your father will understand.”

“I don’t think I have much of a choice,” she said. 

She kicked it into overdrive packing her car to the brim with everything that was hers. She wouldn’t take one thing that wasn’t. 

Everything was in Tanner’s name anyway.

Once she was in her car, she called work, talked to the one person she trusted and said she had to leave town and wasn’t coming back.

Her supervisor told her to be safe and when she got to her destination to reach out so they could make sure she got all the money coming to her.

It was as if everyone knew and she felt like such an idiot.

No more. She was going home whether she liked it or not.