Page 94 of Better Off Wed
He’d wanted me to suffer. He’dplannedit so that I would be so broken and desperate that I would come back to him.
As if from a distance, I realized that I was no longer the same person I’d been when Henry and I were together. I wasn’t a broken shell of a woman who accepted the scraps of a horrible man’s affection. I wasn’t the little girl who grew up as her mother’s punching bag.
I was better. I was whole.
Part of that had been my own work, my own healing. I’d learned that I deserved better.
But a lot of it had been Gideon. He’d treated me like I was worthy of being spoiled. He’d given without asking for anything back. He’d cherished me, held me, loved me.
No one had ever treated me like that before. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed that I would make it out of this alive just so I could see him again.
“When you lost the studio, I thought it was only a matter of time,” Henry ranted, speeding down the freeway faster than was safe.
Something in the way he said that made me pause. It was in the tone of his voice—that gloating, condescending note that used to make me feel small.
Now it only made me feel angry.
“Henry,” I started slowly. “Did you have anything to do with the failure of my business?”
His smile was a wide, awful thing. “It was so easy,” he said, bursting with glee. “Almost all your clients came from me. All I had to do was stop referring people to you. And then a few phone calls to the right people, and I knew you’d need me again.”
“You badmouthed me in the industry.”
“Come on, Sadie. You needed me from the start. Imadeyou. You didn’t deserve to be successful without me.”
It was a strange feeling to be horrified and relieved at the same time. Horrified because I was trapped in a speeding vehicle with a madman. Relieved because finally, the failure of my business made sense.
I hadn’t had to close up shop because I was awful at wedding dress design or because I’d mismanaged my affairs. I’d had to shut down because I’d been sabotaged. Henry had systematically made me rely on him for everything, and then he’d pulled the rug out from under me. He wanted me to be utterly reliant on him.
My ex-fiancé gritted his teeth. “And then you left. And you gotmarried.” He let out a scoff, and I flinched. His condescension had been constant when we were together. I’d accepted all his scoffs, his judgment, his derision.
Now I knew I deserved better.
But I was still trapped in a car with him. I took a deep breath in an attempt to keep the panic from overwhelming me. My fingertips trembled and my legs were twitching and restless. I swallowed convulsively, trying to stay calm.
I had to get him to stop the car. It was over seven hours to New York City, and I wasn’t sure we’d make it that far. Henry would snap at some point. I needed to save myself—and soon.
“You’re right,” I said softly, using the meek voice I remembered from our relationship. “I always needed you.”
He relaxed slightly. “Yes,” he said. “You did. You needed me, baby. You still do.”
“I still do.”
He nodded, relaxing.
Behind us, I heard the roar of an engine. Glancing in the side mirror, I saw two motorcycles speeding up the freeway toward us. Was that…?
No. It couldn’t be. I squinted at the mirror, but Henry glanced over at me, and I had to look away.
“Thank you for coming to get me,” I said.
Henry smiled. “You’re welcome. I knew you’d understand.”
“I need you more than ever,” I continued.
The motorcycles got closer, their headlights shining in the mirror. But not close enough for me to be sure of who they were.
Not until the sign for a rest stop came into view, and one of the bikes accelerated so I could see the logo on the driver’s jacket.
