Page 7 of Second Chance At Love

Cora needed all the head start she could get. Hopefully Nate would assume today was like any other day and head to the office unaware that his wife was leaving him. If successful, she might have seven to eight hours of a head start.

She might just break free.

Cora had enough of the abuse. The mental, physical, and financial abuse.It was past time she should have left. She should have left the first time Nate touched her in anger.

However, now she had to leave. Nate was threatening their unborn child. He only wanted two kids, not the third. He had told her to get an abortion or he would make sure himself that it was done.

Nate delivered on his promises.

So she had eaten less, half starving herself so she didn’t grow in the pregnancy, while planning her escape.

Cora threw her suitcase in the SUV, pressing the button to close the hatch. They were all small suitcases. They didn’t need much, just to get away from Nate.

Going back inside the house, she pulled the bag of snacks and drinks out of the fridge before turning to the counter to get her purse.

Stopping, she stared at the purse.

Where were the passports?

She had put the passports right there, beside her purse so she wouldn’t forget them. Frantic, Cora set down the bag of snacks and moved her purse. They weren’t under the purse. What about inside?

She shuffled through the items inside her purse, fear clutching at her chest, making her breathing short and shallow. Where were the passports?

“Looking for these?”

Cora’s entire body stilled. Nate’s voice had been low and calm. Anyone who didn’t know him well enough would believe he was simply asking a reasonable question.

Cora knew better. She knew the calm came before particularly wicked storms.

She would have to figure out a plan b. She could only do that once she escaped him.

Grabbing her keys and clutching her purse, Cora ran for the garage door. She knew she wasn’t likely going to make it but there was no way Nate was going to let her leave. This time he really would kill her.

She made it to the garage, stumbling down the step at the door before Nate grabbed her hair, dragging her back. Cora twisted, bringing up her keys, stabbing at his face.

Nate cursed, letting her go as he wiped blood from his cheek. He looked at her in surprise before fury came over his features.

Running to the SUV, Cora opened the driver side door only to have Nate smash it closed on her wrist. Pain exploded up her arm and her fingers went numb, releasing their grip on her purse which fell to the floor inside the vehicle. Gasping, Cora cradled her arm as Nate turned her to him.

“Did you think you could leave me?” he thundered in her face, his own turning a red purple color in anger. He grabbed her hair, slamming her head back into the car.

Cora whimpered. She hated that she whimpered. It gave him more power over her but she couldn’t help it through the pain.

“You aren’t good enough to wipe my feet with and you think you get to leave me?” ranted Nate.

He was going to hit her, she knew. It wouldn’t be the first time but it would be the last, she decided. Cora sharplybrought up her knee as hard as she could, right where it counted.

Almost on center but not quite.

Nate bent over, pulling away from her and letting go as he cupped a particularly sensitive area of his anatomy.

Taking advantage of his pain, Cora quickly got into the SUV, locking the doors. With her left hand she hit the garage door opener. It took her three tries to successfully put the key in the steering column and start the car because her left hand was shaking so much and it was awkward using her non-dominant hand.

A fist banged on the window beside her head, startling her, but Cora hit the gas, moving forward, out of the garage and onto the street. Thankfully the suburb was quiet and there were no cars on the road as Cora didn’t even look for traffic as she pulled out.

Her heart beating frantically, Cora made it to the four way stop, slamming on the breaks.

Her seatbelt. She needed to put on her seatbelt and get her purse off the floor so it didn’t get jammed behind the brake pedal. These thoughts raced through her head as Cora looked in the rearview mirror to see Nate running down the road. He was yelling something, one had out towards her, the other on his chest as he faltered.