The Perfect Husband by Chris Taylor

everyone trusted. But could she? Sadness flooded through
her. Trust no longer came easy to her, even in herself. Something
else Nigel had stolen.
    With a quiet sigh, she leaned over and
pressed a gentle kiss against the soft cheeks of Sophie and Ben and
reluctantly left the room.
    When she got there, their bedroom was empty.
Her tension ratcheted up another notch. She wondered where Nigel
was, but forced the thought aside. She went into the bathroom and
removed her makeup and then picked up her toothbrush.
    She opened the cabinet above the sink to
look for the tube of toothpaste and froze. The sleeping pills were
gone. She glanced through the open doorway toward the bed. A glass
of water sitting on her nightstand caught her attention.
    Icy fingers of fear clawed at her heart.
Panic filled her veins. Her throat went tight and she could barely
breathe. She had to get out of there. Had to escape. Before it was
too late.
    A moment later, Nigel’s large form filled
the door to the bathroom, his eyes flashing with anger. She bit
back a cry of alarm and braced herself against another attack,
wondering desperately what she’d done this time to set him off.
    “You fucking liar!”
    She shook her head in confusion, but forced
herself to remain calm. “Quieten down, for goodness sake. You’ll
wake the children. What are you talking about?”
    “You know what I’m talking about!” he
shouted, ignoring her plea. “There wasn’t an accident on the
freeway. I just checked on the Internet with traffic control.”
    A sinking feeling centered in her belly and
icy dread flooded her veins. In panic, she thrust around in her
mind for something to say. “I… I’m not sure what you want me to
say. Your information’s wrong. There was an accident. It’s
the reason I was late.”
    His fist came out from nowhere and connected
with her face. Blood, hot and acrid, filled her mouth. A second
later, it was followed by stinging pain. She gasped and brought her
hand up to her lip. It came away wet and sticky with blood.
    Tears filled her eyes and ran down her
cheeks. She tried to keep the sobs in check, but it was no use. She
heard Sophie crying and somehow, that made everything worse. Nigel
stood over her, breathing hard.
    “What’s the matter, Mommy? I heard Daddy
shouting. Sophie needs you. Why’s your face bleeding?” Ben asked
from the hallway.
    Ben stood, small and uncertain, in the
shadows by the bed. Fear pinched his features. Tears glinted in his
eyes. She hastily wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and
hurried to reassure him.
    “It’s all right, baby. Daddy just…” She
stopped midsentence and struggled to find the words to explain.
    “I know,” Ben finished quietly. “You were
having another fight.”
    “Oh, for fuck’s sake! You’re nearly six
years old! Don’t be such a cry baby.” Nigel threw their son a look
of disgust and stormed out of the bedroom. A moment later, the
front door slammed.
    Isobel stared after him. Usually, she’d
follow him outside and try to pacify him, beg him to come back
inside. But tonight, she couldn’t find the strength and his
departure provided a level of relief she welcomed. Besides, her
babies needed her. She swiped at the tears on her cheeks and used a
tissue to dab at her lip. With a wobbly smile, she went to Ben.
    He threw himself against her and she
gathered him in her arms. Burying her nose in the softness of his
hair, she tried hard to regain control.
    “It’s okay, baby. I promise. Mommy’s
okay.”
    “But you’re bleeding!”
    “Only a little bit. I… I just cut my lip.
It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
    “I hate it when Daddy yells at you. I don’t
want him to hurt you. He’s mean.”
    He said it so quietly, she nearly missed it.
When his words penetrated the turmoil in her head, hot tears burned
behind her eyes. Yes, leaving couldn’t happen soon enough.
    She squeezed him tightly and pressed a kiss
against his cheek. “I hate it, too, baby and