“I can’t help but ask, if you two fight so much, why did you have a child together?”

“Things improved for a while. We go through cycles. We bicker for a few months, and then we wage all-out war against each other for a few months. Then, we get along for a while before it starts all over again.

“When I found out I was pregnant with Amelia, we were in a good place. By the time I had her, it was war again. She settled us for a few months, but now, we’re right back to despising each other. The only time we don’t fight is when I’m drinking. He’s too busy helping me get drunk to disagree with me.”

“Wait, why does he help you get drunk?” Ethan asked, stupefied.

“Because he gets laid when I’m drunk. It’s the only time I want to touch him,” I said bluntly.

“Oh, wow,” he mumbled.

I chuckled. “God, I can’t believe I’m telling you all of this. I don’t even know you anymore.”

Ethan grinned, and for some strange reason, I felt my heart flutter in my chest.

“You’ve never really known me, Caley. We were friends before, but we weren’t best friends or even super close.”

“Then, why in the world am I sitting in a car with you in the middle of nowhere, telling you all my marital problems?”

“I just have that kind of face?” he joked.

“Maybe,” I said. I paused for a moment. “I trust you, Ethan. I don’t know why, but I do. I’ve needed someone like you, a friend—or maybe confidant is a better word—for a really long time. I’ve felt so alone.”

He reached over and grasped my arm, surprising me. “I can be whatever you need me to be. I’m here for you.”

“Thanks,” I whispered. “That means a lot.”

He released my arm and smiled over at me. “I never realized how much I missed talking with you until you messaged me the other night. We used to get along really well back when I was with Andrea. I hated how you started ignoring me after she’d broken up with me.”

“I didn’t ignore you!” I said, my words sounding harsher than I had intended. “We were getting ready to graduate and leave our high school friends behind. I knew I would probably never see you again, so I didn’t try to hang on to a doomed friendship. Plus, Joey hated when I spoke to the few male friends I had. I didn’t want to start an argument with him.”

“So, he was a controlling dick even back then?” Ethan said.

“Yeah, I guess he was. He just wasn’t so harsh about it when I was still in high school. He certainly doesn’t try to hide his controlling side now though.”

“What do you mean?”

I chewed on my lip for a moment. I knew that Joey’s words would sound twice as harsh coming from me. “He likes order in everything but especially with me. For example, I gained weight while I was pregnant with Amelia. He decided I needed to lose it, so he tossed out all the junk food in our house and put me on a diet.”

Ethan’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re joking.”

“I’m not, but I wish I were. It’s not only me that he likes to control. Our house has to be spotless at all times, or there will be hell to pay.”

“Yeah, he really is a dick,” Ethan muttered. “And regarding the weight issue, you look fine to me. I definitely wouldn’t consider you fat. At least now I understand where some of your self-esteem issues come from.”

“Huh?” I asked.

“You seem to think so little of yourself. You might have felt that way before him, but I’m sure he has made it ten times worse by telling you that you need to lose weight. Come on, Caley. You just had a kid. Sure, some women bounce right back, but most end up with a little weight leftover. My sister was a twig before she got pregnant. It took her a year or two to get back to where she was. It’s not a big deal.”

“Tell him that,” I said bitterly.

“Oh, I would if you’d let me. I’ve never met him, but from what little you’ve told me, he sounds like a jackass. It’s no wonder you’re so unhappy.”

Fear zipped through my body as I venomously shook my head. “No. You can never tell him anything if you two were to ever meet. Please, Ethan, promise me that whatever I tell you will stay between us.”

“Calm down. I won’t say anything to him—ever. I wouldn’t do that to you, not when you’ve put your trust in me like this.”

I relaxed a bit at his words. “Thank you. If he ever found out I had talked to you about all of this…I have no idea what he would do, but I do know it wouldn’t be good.”

He shook his head. “I don’t understand why you take this abuse, Caley. You’re so much better than this.”

“I made a vow to stay with him, for better or for worse. I have a child with him, a child who did not ask to be brought into this kind of life, and she will not suffer for my mistakes.”

“Did you ever think that staying with him might cause more harm than good?” Ethan asked.

“Of course it won’t. She’ll be raised in a home with both of her parents. She’ll know she’s loved.”

“She’ll grow up in a home surrounded by fighting and tension. If things are as bad as you say, there’s no way that she won’t notice it when she’s older. Both of you can love her from separate homes. It might even be better for her that way.”

I shook my head. “When she’s older, I’ll make sure the fighting stops.”

“How can you possibly make that happen?”

“I don’t know, but I’ll figure out a way. Maybe if I start agreeing to everything he says or wants, then things will go smoother.”

He frowned. “That’s weak, Caley, and you know it.”

“I’ll make it happen somehow. I just need time to figure it out.”

Speaking of time, I glanced down at my phone and let out a little shriek.

“What?” Ethan demanded.

“Shit. I was supposed to be home ten minutes ago!” I shouted as I started the car.

I turned it around, and I was speeding back down the narrow blacktop before Ethan could respond.

“Jesus Christ, woman, slow down!” He gripped the dashboard.

“I can’t! I still have to drop you off and then get home. He’s going to be furious. He told me no more than an hour.”

I was shaking with fear and nerves. I knew without a doubt that Joey would be livid by the time I arrived home. I could already envision the fight that was sure to occur.

As if on cue, my phone beeped with a voice mail. I’d had no service where we were parked, so it was hard to tell when Joey had left the message. I knew it had to be him. No one else called me anymore besides my parents, and they never left messages.

I picked up my phone and unlocked the screen. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed to click on the message and listen to it. I wished I hadn’t as soon as it started playing.

“Where the fuck are you, Caley? It’s been an hour, and you’re still not home. Now, you’re not even answering the fucking phone. I told you, one goddamn hour, and that was it. You’d better get your ass home now, or I swear, I’ll deadbolt the door and you’ll be locked out!”

Tears gathered in my eyes as the message ended. He’d sounded pissed when he left the message, and that was ten minutes ago. By the time I made it home, he would be even more upset.

Suddenly, Ethan jerked my phone out of my hand. I watched in horror as he pressed Play and listened to the message. As he listened to Joey’s shouted words, the look of disbelief on his face quickly turned to one of anger.

“Fucking bastard!” Ethan said as he tossed my phone into the center console. “Nasty fucking piece of work. How the hell do you put up with that?”

I ignored him as I turned onto his street. When I reached his house, I pulled over and waited for him to get out.

“Caley, are you okay?” he asked, his voice much calmer.

I shook my head. “Please just go. I need to get home.”

“Every part of me is screaming not to let you go face him alone. Is he always like that?”

“Sometimes, he is. Then, other times, he’s fine.” I impatiently tapped the steering wheel. “It doesn’t even matter right now. Please get out. I’ve got to get home.”