The Perfect Husband (15 page)

“I want my bike, too,” Sophie said.

“All right, honey. I’ll get your bike,
too.”

“Why aren’t we staying? I thought we were
only going to your friend’s house for a visit? How come we’re going
back? Mason isn’t even home.”

She wanted to squeeze her eyes tightly shut
and scream, but instead, she forced a smile. “You’re right, Ben. It
seems a little strange, but the thing is, we’re going to stay at
Mason’s house for a while longer. Mommy and Daddy need…a little
time apart.”

“Is this because Daddy yells at you?” Sophie
piped up from the back seat, her expression only mildly
curious.

Isobel’s heart clenched. It was so wrong
that her babies had witnessed her pain. If she had any hesitation
about leaving, she should bury that right here and now. Her
children deserved better.
She
deserved better.

“Something like that, baby.” She looked
around again for the patrol car, but there was no sign of it.
Remembering her promise to Mason, she tugged out the cell phone
he’d given her and re-dialed the number for the police station. It
was answered after the third ring.

“City of Sydney Police Station, Constable
Bassett speaking. How can I help you?”

“Yes, it’s Isobel Donnelly. I spoke to
someone there a little while ago about sending a squad car around
to my house. I have an AVO out on my husband. I’m not sure it’s
been served yet, but I’ve had to return home to collect a few of my
things. An officer was supposed to meet me here in case my husband
arrives while I’m here. I’ve been waiting outside, but no one has
come. Could you tell me what’s going on?”

“Just a minute, Mrs Donnelly, I’ll find out
for you.”

Hold music sounded in her ear. She closed
her eyes on a heavy sigh and waited for the officer to return to
the line. Mason’s words of caution sounded in her head. As the
seconds ticked past, her misgivings grew. She should just leave and
come back when she knew the officer was here. The thought had
barely formed when the officer on the other end of the phone spoke
again.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Mrs Donnelly,
but it took me awhile to find the constable you spoke to earlier.
The good news is, a squad car is on its way. It left here nearly
half an hour ago, so it shouldn’t be too far away. Are you safe
there at the moment?”

Isobel cast a wary glance around her. There
was no sign of Nigel. She drew in a deep breath and exhaled slowly
in an effort to ease a little of her tension. “Yes, I’m fine. I
guess I’ll wait for the officer to arrive.” After thanking the
woman for her help, Isobel ended the call and tossed the phone back
into her handbag.

“What are we doing, Mom? Why aren’t we going
inside?” Ben asked with a frown.

Isobel bit her lip, undecided about what to
do.
Should she just sit tight and wait?
According to the
constable, the officer wasn’t far away. It would take her less than
ten minutes to duck inside the house and collect the things she’d
come for. She could be finished by the time the patrol car arrived.
Coming to a sudden decision, she turned to face her children.

“I want you both to stay here. Don’t even
take off your seatbelt,” she said to Ben. “I promise I won’t be
long.”

Both of them nodded. Remembering her promise
to Mason, she shot him off a brief text to say she’d arrived and
then she climbed out of the car and headed toward the house.

With each step closer, the trembling in her
body increased. Quickly, she unlocked the front door and stepped
inside. Now that she’d decided to enter the house, a sense of
urgency overtook her and she rushed down the hall to the
bedrooms.

She came to the main bedroom first and
pulled up with a gasp. The room had been trashed. Everywhere she
looked she saw shards of broken glass. A fresh wave of fear took
hold of her and she knew with a certainty that, given the chance,
her husband would vent his anger like this on her. Somehow, he’d
make her pay.

Turning her back on the debris, she went
into the adjoining bathroom and found her bottle of blood pressure
medication. With her heart thumping, she tossed back a tablet and
then leaned over the sink and chased it with a mouthful of water.
With the bottle clutched in her hand, she left the room. All she
wanted was to collect their things and leave before it was too
late.

* * *

Nigel punched the steering wheel with his
fist and cursed long and loudly. He couldn’t believe they’d
cancelled his surgery list and had politely but firmly suggested he
take the rest of the day off. He was Doctor Nigel Donnelly, Senior
Registrar, directly under the Head of Surgery. How dare some
fucking fat underling from HR tell him to go home?

He gunned the engine of his Porsche,
impatient for the red light to change. A blond woman in the lane
next to him turned her head. She looked at the car and then at him
and gave him a flirtatious wink. He smiled his big, wide, charming
smile at her and gunned the engine again.

For a moment, he considered following her
down the road a bit and pulling over to the side. If she pulled in
after him, she was as good as his. He could give her a quick fuck
behind one of the abandoned buildings that littered the adjacent
street and then go on about his business. That would show her.
Nobody would be the wiser, least of all his wife.

His wife.

At the thought of Isobel, his anger returned
full force and just as quickly, his interest in the woman in the
car beside him died. Isobel was the reason why he’d been escorted
from the hospital. It was her fault he’d been humiliated in front
of his staff. He needed to find her and teach her a lesson. One she
wouldn’t forget. Nobody walked out on Nigel Donnelly and got away
with it.

An image of his mother suddenly crowded his
mind and an old, familiar pain surged through him and tightened his
gut. The night before had been the first time in years since he’d
thought of the bitch that had given him life. He hadn’t seen her
since junior high. For years after that, it had been just him and
his dad. And that’s the way he’d wanted it.

The light turned green. The car in front of
him didn’t move. Nigel blasted his horn and the vehicle finally
shifted. Anger pounded through his veins and he realized it hadn’t
let up since the moment he realized his fucking bitch of a wife had
left him.

How dare she leave!
Who the fuck did she
think she was? Didn’t she know he wouldn’t rest until he found
her?
He’d drag her back home by the hair if he had to and that
would only be the start of it. He’d make sure she never considered
leaving him again.

It wouldn’t have happened if Mason Alexander
hadn’t come on the scene. Once Nigel realized the pair of them had
to have run into each other, it hadn’t taken much to work out he
was involved with his wife’s departure. They worked on the same
ward. There was no way their paths hadn’t crossed. The fact that
the bitch had lied about it was all he needed to know.

Mason had always had a thing for her. Nigel
had seen it from a mile away all those years ago. The way the prick
would look at her when he thought no one noticed. The way he’d
light up when she smiled. She smiled a lot back then. Now? Not so
much.

Still, she couldn’t complain. He’d provided
her with the kids she wanted and a comfortable house to boot. They
were the envy of many of their friends. Well,
his
friends.
Isobel didn’t have any. He’d made damn sure of that.

Friends took up her time, influenced her;
they had a way of noticing things and putting stupid ideas in her
head. Like this. It was best that she listen to no one but him.
Best for everyone. His father had discovered that much too late
with his mother. Nigel wouldn’t make that mistake.

But for all the trouble Nigel had gone to in
order to make their enviable picture-perfect family, it wasn’t
enough. The bitch had left without a word. He thought of all the
money he’d invested in his home and family. There was no pleasing
some women. She was just like his fucking mother. Except, unlike
Eleanor Donnelly, Isobel hadn’t left her kids behind.

* * *

Isobel glanced at her watch. It had been ten
minutes since she’d pulled into the drive. Her medication was in
her handbag. The bikes were in the trunk. In her arms, she carried
Sophie’s doll and a handful of clothes. Quickly, she pulled the
front door closed behind her, crossed the porch and headed down the
steps. There was still no sign of the promised patrol car.

The familiar roar of an engine as it sped
around the corner stopped her in her tracks. A few seconds later,
Nigel’s red Porsche pulled up at the curb. Before she could catch
her breath, he flew out of the car and came striding toward her. A
smile full of malice twisted his well-formed lips.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here? The
fucking bitch has returned to the scene of the crime. How lucky
that I just happened to stop by.”

Paralyzing terror held Isobel frozen to the
spot. Her mind spun so fast with frantic thoughts, she felt
dizzy.

Where, oh where, was the policeman?

One thing was certain, she had to find a way
to calm down her husband until the officer arrived, or she could
drive away. Nigel, in a nasty mood, was a threat to everyone,
especially to her and she still didn’t know if he’d been served
with the AVO. Trying hard to control her trembling, she forced a
smile.

“Nigel, I didn’t realize you’d be home. I
only came by to collect a few of our things.”

His gaze narrowed. “How dare you!” he
snarled.

“Nigel, I’m sorry I left without speaking to
you, but I was too scared to say anything. The last few years—they
haven’t been good—for either of us. We need some time apart. We’re
not good together. We… We seem to bring out the worst in each
other.” She glanced nervously at the kids, seated in her car
watching their parents with wide eyes.

He moved up so close beside her, she could
see the dark fleck in his light brown eyes. He thrust his face into
hers. It was all she could do not to flinch from fear and the
still-toxic smell of alcohol.

“I’ll decide whether or not we’re good
together. You don’t get to make that call. You ought to know that
by now.” The menace in his eyes sent a shiver of fear sliding down
her spine. In panic, she tried to step out of his way. He blocked
her path to the car.

“You need to put all that crap back in the
house and take yourself back in there with it. Get the kids out of
the damn car. Your place is here, in our home, with me.”

He snatched her wrist and squeezed hard.
With a cry, the doll fell from her hand. Tears burned behind her
eyes. “Nigel, please! You’re hurting me!”

“You haven’t seen anything yet. I’ve barely
started,” he scoffed. He wrenched her arm and forced her closer
until his face was mere inches from hers. She wanted desperately to
look away, but was frightened of what he’d do if she dared. His
eyes narrowed and his voice dropped to a threatening growl.

“I want to know Isobel, are you prepared to
even try to reconcile? Think hard before you answer because that
will determine the mindset I take with you.”

Terror weakened her knees.
Why, oh why,
had she come alone?
Mason had cautioned her against it. She’d
waved away his concerns.
Why, oh why, hadn’t she listened? Or
waited for the police?

It was too late for regrets and
recriminations now. From the look in Nigel’s eyes, she was in for
the beating of her life. His grip moved from her wrist to her hair.
His fingers buried themselves in the long strands and then pulled
hard. She cried out again and he laughed and yanked harder. The
tears she’d tried so hard to hold at bay fell hotly down her
cheeks. She heard her children crying in the car but it seemed a
long way away. Too far away.

Once again, he thrust his face close to
hers, his breath hot and fetid on her skin. “Listen here, Isobel
Donnelly. You’re
my
wife. You belong to me, in
my
house. Got it?”

In terror, she nodded frantically and winced
against the pull of her hair. Nigel’s grip was relentless. She bit
her lip against the pain.

“Good. Now, get your skinny ass back inside
and let’s be finished with this leaving shit.” He shoved her hard
with his shoulder and at the same time released her hair. She
stumbled, off balance. She took a step and tripped over. The
clothes spilled out of her arms. She put her hand out to break her
fall, but landed awkwardly on the paved drive.

The tears came harder. Her humiliation was
complete. Blood oozed from a graze on her knee. She scrambled about
on the ground, collecting Sophie’s doll and the clothes. From the
corner of her eye, she spied a flash of blue and white and almost
collapsed with relief. The squad car had finally arrived.

A uniformed officer climbed out of the
driver’s seat and walked toward them.

“Excuse me, are you Isobel Donnelly?”

Standing slowly, Isobel kept her gaze
trained on the policeman and nodded.

He looked from her to Nigel and back again.
“Are you all right?”

Lowering her gaze to the ground, she gave
another nod.

“Are you sure? Your knee’s bleeding and you
look a little the worse for wear.”

“She’s fine,” Nigel snapped and then seemed
to collect himself. He smiled his charming smile. “I’m a little
surprised to see you here, officer. Is there something I can do for
you?”

“Mrs Donnelly called the station and
requested someone accompany her while she removed some personal
items from the house. I’m here to see that she doesn’t come to any
harm.”

Nigel’s eyes widened, but he laughed off the
constable’s claims. “Harm? Why would she come to any harm? She’s my
wife. There must be some misunderstanding. Isobel’s not here to
remove anything. She lives here, with me.”