Page 29 of Moments in Ink

“Ash,” I breathed.

“I knew I’d find you,” my ex-husband said, a glare on his face, but his hands were in his pockets.

The same hands that had wrapped themselves around my neck just once. But once was enough.

“I’m going to ask you again, what are you doing here, Ash?”

“We need to talk. You didn’t let me talk after the divorce. So, I thought I’d find you.”

“The fact that I had to hide myself pretty much means I don’t want to talk to you. That you didn’t need to find me.”

“You shouldn’t have run away. You were mine.”

“Go away, Ash.”

I took a step back, ran into Zia, and cursed.

He used that moment to move forward and put his hands on the door.

“Is this your bitch? I always knew you liked pussy, but now you’re bringing whores home? Into a home that should’ve been mine? You took my money. You took everything from me. And now you’re here, cheating on me with this piece of trash?”

“Who the hell are you?” Zia asked, her chin raised. I wanted to crawl into a hole and forget this was even happening, but I couldn’t.

I also couldn’t get Zia out of here quick enough.

This was my shame, my bad choices.

I was the one who had made the decision to stay with Ash. I was the one who had married him.

He was evidence of my terrible selections.

And now Zia was seeing them.

Perhaps she was the choice I knew I couldn’t make.

“Go away, Ash. We’re not doing this.”

“You and me? We’re divorced. For a reason. You and I used to live in a community property state where we got half of everything. And I went away.”

“You took some ofmymoney since I made more than you.”

“I thought that was ours, baby,” he snapped.

“Go home. Wherever you’re living now, you’re not wanted here.”

“That’s not what you used to say to me when I fucked you hard.”

“Okay, that’s enough. I’m calling the cops,” Zia said.

“Call them. It’s only a disagreement between a wife and her husband.”

“You’re not my husband. You’re my ex. And Zia’s welcome to call the cops because I don’t want you on my property. You have thirty seconds before I remove you. Forcibly.”

“You always were a butch bitch.”

“Take your bigoted ass off my property. Go. I’ve been done with you for a long time. I don’t want you here.”

Ash snarled, but I lifted my chin again. “It’s over. You lost. There’s no point to this. You’re never going to win. You’re never going to get me back. All you’re doing is showing me what a small man you are.”