Chapter 5
Going Home
Zoe opened the SUV door for me.
I climbed in beside Lily. Priya sat in the front passenger seat.
Marcus stayed outside long enough to make sure Mark did not come any closer.
Before Zoe closed my door, she leaned in.
“Where are your house keys?”
I reached for my leggings pocket.
“My condo keys are on the ring.”
“The condo where you and Mark live?”
“Yes.”
“Whose name is on the deed?”
“Mine. I bought it eighteen months before we married.”
“Did you refinance after the wedding?”
“No.”
Outside, Mark stood next to his father.
He did not know it yet, but the place he had called our home for seven years had never belonged to him.
Not legally.
And after that night, not emotionally either.
Lily laid her head against my shoulder. I put my arm around her.
For the first time in seven years, I understood that home did not have to mean Mark.
The Peterson house got smaller in the rear window.
Then Mark’s first message appeared on my phone.
Bring Lily home tomorrow when you’ve calmed down.
Zoe glanced back from the front seat.
I did not answer.
A second message came through.
Then a third.
I read it once and felt my whole body go cold.
Dad says if you involve the police, there will be consequences.
Zoe held out her hand.
I gave her my phone.
She read the message, and a small smile crossed her face. There was nothing warm about it.
“He just made our night much easier.”
Chicago blurred beyond the window in white headlights and freezing rain.
Lily reached for my hand.
I held it tightly.
For the first time since Megan slapped my daughter, I stopped thinking about what the Petersons had done.
May you like
I started thinking about what they had just handed us.
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