Page 76 of Never Fall Again

Twenty-One

Cal didn’t like where this was going. Not even a little bit. “Did he...did he force you, Landry?”

“No. Not like that.” Landry’s face flushed, but Cal believed her. “He didn’t get physical until the very end. But he was a master at emotional bullying.”

Cal kicked his foot into the tree behind him. “So he hounded you until you said yes, then he won you over by being sweet and wooing you.”

“Pretty much. The thing is, I ached with loneliness. I had this gaping hole in my soul, and somehow I thought having a family would fill it. It made me susceptible to his charms. But I was still an idiot. I should have seen it for what it was. He knew I was alone. He knew once he had me, he could isolate me and keep me bound to him because there was no one for me to run to and nowhere for me to go.”

She sighed. “But I didn’t see it. And to be honest, while at the time I thought I was in love with him, I’m not sure I was. I think I was in love with the idea of a family, of marriage, of children, of security and stability. And he was kind and gentle and attentive. I thought maybe the kind of love that takes your breath away was for other people. Or maybe it would grow in time.”

Cal bit back a growl.

“Anyway, when he proposed, I said yes. And when he wanted a small ceremony, I was fine with that. It wasn’t like I had anyone to invite.”

Landry fell silent, and Cal knew that the bad stuff was about to come.

“I can’t honestly say I enjoyed the honeymoon. And knowing what I know now, part of the reason I felt that way was that my husband was far more experienced than he’d claimed he was. Anyway, he made me cry for the first time on the third day of our honeymoon. By the time we flew home, I knew I’d made a horrible mistake. He was not the man I’d thought I’d married. And even though I truly believe marriage is forever and vows aren’t meant to ever be broken, I considered leaving.”

“But you were pregnant.” Cal could see it. How this Dylan had trapped her.

“Yep. My pregnancy was a bizarre experience. Dylan was almost as sweet as he’d been before we got married. I even started to wonder if I’d imagined the whole thing.”

“Gaslighting at its finest.” Cal wished he could punch something.

“I know now that he was just trying to keep me happy and content because he didn’t want anything to happen to Eliza. As soon as she was born, he shed his cloak of civility and paraded around in his true form.”

Her words painted a dark and disturbing picture. “Did he ever hit you?”

“Not until the very end.”

Cal couldn’t keep his distance any longer. He walked over to stand in front of her. “What happened?”

“The one thing I’d kept from my former life was my volunteer work at the rehab center. It looked good to his family and the church, so he didn’t argue about it. And I’d stayed friends withBronwyn. I only ever talked to her when I was at the center. I’d take Eliza with me, and I’d teach art and pottery, and I never let on how bad things were at home.”

“And then?”

“Then Bronwyn flew out to surprise me.”

Cal dropped his head. “Let me guess. She came to your house.”

“She did. Knocked on the door. Dylan opened it. Bronwyn breezed in, gushing and happy, and I knew I was in big trouble. She told me later that she knew the minute she walked in that there was a problem, but she hoped by playing dumb she could minimize the damage until she talked to me about it later. She claimed she had a layover in Phoenix and was flying out the next morning, and she only stayed for about thirty minutes.”

Cal stepped away from Landry. He had a feeling he was going to need some space for what came next.

“I put Eliza in bed and came back out to the living room. He’d been drinking. He’d already had a couple before Bronwyn stopped by. I’m not sure how many he had while I was with Eliza. Regardless, when I came out, he grabbed me. Pinned me to the wall by my throat. Screamed. Yelled.”

She stopped talking.

Cal took a few steps away. “I don’t need more details. Please don’t feel like you have to share them.”

She swallowed. “The next day when he left for work, I went to the rehab clinic. Bronwyn was there. She went with me to tell the director what had happened. We made a plan. I was so afraid. His family...they’re well-off and well-respected. I’d gone to my mother-in-law and father-in-law to ask for advice early in our marriage. They told me to be a better wife. I’d mentioned a few problems to someone I thought was a friend at church. She told me to pray for forgiveness—that Dylan was a godly man and I needed to strive to be a godly wife.”

She gave him a weak smile. “Then she told her husband, who told Dylan, who came home that night and told me if I ever ran my mouth about our marriage again, I would regret it.” She swallowed hard. “I believed him. And I never said another word.”

She pointed to Eliza. “He told me that if I left, he would sue for custody, and he would win. That no one would believe my story. That I had no money. No job. No way to provide for Eliza. He used her to keep me with him. But after that day, I knew I had to leave. I just didn’t know how.”

So many things made sense now. Horrible, awful sense. “Bronwyn suggested you move here.”