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Chapter 6

Gwen

After an hour spent walking around don Nashville avoiding Austin for a little bit, I finally decide to suck it up and head back to the office to face hi a sa jerk byabout my relationship with Williaround and I could just send hi Maybe I should just tell him – that would certainly shut hiht I left, my husband would only hit me in places where no one could see the bruises; inforuy’ putas I come back home so they don’t look bad in front of their friends

Aslook off of Austin’s face, I don’t want to see it replaced with pity Every single day I look at myself in the hter sees I want her to be proud offor her I can’t do that if I’m surrounded by people who feel sorry forthat happened Showing up at his place in the ht with a busted jaw, broken ribs and a shattered arh truth for hi,the display, I see that it’s Karen

Brady introduced me to Karen, who lives across the hall in his apartht after Emma and I moved in She’s a retiredin her sixties who raised six children that are non and scattered across the country Emma took to her i the day while Brady and I orking Most days she refuses to take anyand eases her loneliness and that’s pay as a waitress after I first got here and barely had two nickels to rub together

"Hey Karen, what’s going on? Is Eht to change

"Hello dear, E few hours at the park Poor thing fell asleep as soon as she sat down on es and I look both ways before crossing the street, s Karen’s ear off and then crashing mid-sentence

"I hate to worry you or anything, but I proe happened while Eone froripping the phone tightly Karen saw ht after I showed up on Brady’s doorstep in the ht She saw the bruises and the cast, but never asked any questions When she agreed to watch Emma a month later, she took my hands in hers and told me that it wouldn’t always be this hard She told me that she would never pry into my personal life, but if I ever needed someone to talk to she would always be available As much as I wanted to trust her with h to trust sohter I did, however, tell her to let e ever happened when she ith E or how sht away Karen agreed without question Each day I get to know her more, it makes me wish my mother could show even half the compassion that Karen does

"What happened?" I ask in a shaky voice

Karen sighs "At first I didn’t think anything of it Es and I was a few feet away on a bench watching her After a little while she ca up toat her When she pointed to where he was, there was no one there I just chalked it up to her little i wild and sent her back to play When alking ho real slon the street past us I didn’t think anything of it until the car rolled past us again and I realized I had seen the saot there"

I can’t stop ?"

"I couldn’t tell if it was a lasses I’ her at the park, but I thought it would be best to tell you," Karen replies

It’s a e to thank her and tell her I’ll be ho ho her I hate to do this to E to have to be put on hold This could just be a coincidence, but I can’t take that chance

I take a fewheart and, with a deep breath and a lift ofopen the door to the office and walk inside, ta to face whatever Austin throws at me I stop in my tracks when I see the empty office The unoccupied rooh On the edge of s from the kitchenette, each one turned so that their handles are facing in the exact sas weren’t on o, and even if they were, I would NEVER place them like that next to each other I feel like a fool for standing here freaking out over a couple of cups, but it’s impossible not to when I think back to one particular day sothe dishwasher, I walked over to the fridge and pulled out thefrom home today I would make him lunch and take it upstairs to him in his office I flipped on the radio attached to the underside of one of the kitchen cabinets and began to huna and Sith mustard

I hadn’t realized that Willialass breaking against the kitchen counter I ju the knife covered in mustard to the floor

"What the hell is thisthe cabinet door next to the microwave open

I quickly bent to pick up the knife and tossed it into the sink as I made my way over to him to see what he was so upset about I stared at the shelves in the cupboard, filled with coffee cups

"I-I just emptied the dishwasher, they’re all clean," I told hiotten in there by mistake

In a flash, his hand was around the back of rip as he shovedout Howtimes do I have to tell you that all of the handles should be facing the same way?" he shouts