Just Me (You & Me 1)

Katherine shook her head thinking back to the hurt she had felt. Tim refused to even discuss the decision, swearing it had nothing to do with her and was strictly business. There was never an apology, as with all the other transgressions she learned to forgive her husband for. Tim acted when and how he wanted without any regard for the woman he had vowed to spend the rest of his life with.

“It’s crazy to hear myself say this aloud, but even those things weren’t big deals to me. Sure, I got upset when they happened, but it was all forgotten pretty quickly. Now that I think back, I feel like I wasn’t myself.”

It was a realization that Katherine had struggled with since she left. Two years of her life would just have to be chalked up as absentee time, when she was physically there, but acting as someone else.

“Don’t be hard on yourself, Katherine. You were as strong as you could be,” Talia argued. It was the first time Katherine had ever seen her friend so serious. Usually, she was the cheery, carefree girl everyone loved at work, but now she was deadly serious.

“I know, I know.” Katherine nodded, wiping the lone tear that slid down her cheek. “But I should have left the first time he put his hands on me.”

With that, the tears flooded, remembering the lowest point in her life. Katherine still carried the shame of staying in a marriage with a man who had no respect for her and it ate at her every night.

“It’s okay, Katherine. You made it through, sweetie. You survived. How did you get out?” Talia asked, leaning closer as she began to slowly rub her hand up and down her back.

“I ran.”

It was only two words, but in short it was the entire story. Katherine didn’t have a plan or any friends or family she could depend on when she left. Even if she did, she wouldn’t have involved them for fear of putting them in harm’s way.

“One day, I just packed two suitcases. I planned to run when he wasn’t home, but some part of me wanted him to know that I was leaving, so I told him to his face. Don’t get me wrong, I had policemen there with me, but it took a lot of courage,” Katherine smiled, remembering how good it felt to walk out of Tim’s house knowing he couldn’t stop her.

“I bet it did. How long ago was this?”

“I left two years ago.”

“And what since?” Talia asked, scrunching her eyebrows in anticipation.

“Running.”

Again, Katherine was short, finding her answer in the least amount of words. It had nothing to do with discomfort, because Talia was right, sharing had lifted a load from Katherine’s shoulders. She was happy to finally admit to someone how her marriage had become a living hell. It felt good to get it all out, so she kept going.

“I’ll stop in a place for one or two months, but Tim always finds me. In New York, he came close to getting me, so I figured I’d come closer to home. Distance wasn’t going to be enough to keep him away.”

“He’s still after you?!” Talia’s voice neared a screech.

“Yes. He tracks me down, then tries to threaten me to come with him,” Katherine admitted, shaking her head. It was outrageous how much she had to deal with, constantly running from a life she never wanted.

“Have you ever contacted the police?” Talia asked. It was a reasonable question, but also a clear indicator she had no idea who Katherine was up against.

“He’s one of the premiere defense lawyers in the country. When I went to the police, they told me my case was circumstantial at best, because I didn’t have proof. Tim would always tell me that he could beat any case I brought against him, and the one time I did have the courage to go to police, he found out. That was a long night. He tortured me for hours, calling me disloyal and beating me until his own hands were bleeding.”

“Oh, Katherine! Come here,” Talia urged, pulling Katherine into her arms.

Finally, Katherine was able to release all of the built-up emotions she had been carrying around for years. In Talia’s arms, she felt safe enough to share her darkest secrets. She was surprised at how freeing it felt to let go and bare it all. After only knowing Talia for a short period, Katherine thought she might have made a lifelong friend.

Chapter Ten

Ben

“SO, TELL ME ABOUT HER!” Rachel demanded, as she lounged in a leather loveseat in Ben’s office.

The two had just finished up a business meeting when Ben sought some much-needed advice. Seeking discretion, he asked Rachel to follow him to his office before he told her about how badly he had blown it with Katherine.

Unable to control her laughter, Rachel had laughed for a full two-minutes before speaking and Ben found it difficult to take her seriously.

“What do you mean? What’s there to know?” He asked, chuckling

softly.

“What about her caught your attention?” She asked.