CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

 

Ashley Leighton had stayed at the shelter for nearly a week, trying to get herself together, both physically and mentally. Though she’d been assured that Robert had been forced to move out of their home under the watchful eye of police detectives, Ashley wasn’t sure she was ready to move back in. There had been no contact between them since she walked out, and barely any before that. Frankly, she didn’t know if she ever wanted to talk to her husband again, but realized it was inevitable at some point between another court appearance regarding a permanent restraining order and divorce court.

Leaving S.A.W. House and the wonderful support she had received from Selene Herrera and the rest of the staff, along with other abuse victims, had left Ashley feeling slightly dazed. Yet she had been emboldened by the visits she received from other police personnel, including Dennis Cramer. The message had been the same:

You’re not alone and you never have to be where it concerns being a victim of domestic violence.

The sun was shining brightly when she stepped outside, causing her to squint. The swelling in her jaw had gone down and her bruises had started to heal. But Ashley’s spirit was still weak and disillusioned. It was time to face the world again, for better or worse. That included returning to work.

But first things first.

Ashley drove home in her BMW, an anniversary gift from Robert two years ago. The sweet gesture now seemed like a distant memory that Ashley wanted to forget, just like every other nice thing Robert had done for her that had masked his dark side.

When she arrived at her home in The Woods, Ashley was half expecting to see Robert’s car in the driveway. She breathed a sigh of relief when it wasn’t there.

The house was eerily quiet. Ashley had practically forgotten just how big the place was. And that it had become a prison to her for so long.

She sat on the bed, welcoming its softness after the hard mattress she’d slept on at the shelter. Closing her eyes for a moment, Ashley tried to imagine her life as a divorced woman. Though only in her mid thirties and not bad looking, she knew it would not be easy going it alone. But what other choice did she have? Her man had beaten the living daylights out of her one time too many. This was where it ended and her new life began.

When Ashley opened her eyes, she was horrified.

“Hello, baby,” Robert said calmly. “Welcome home.”

* * *

Robert Leighton stood at the foot of their bed. He’d parked his car a safe distance away and waited for his wife to come home. Then he made his way there on foot. He’d resisted the temptation to go and drag her out of that damn shelter where she’d been holed up, knowing that would have been a stupid thing to do.

Now it was just him and Ashley—like it should be. Robert was certain he could make her listen to reason. If not, he’d make her wish she had.

“What are you doing here, Robert?” Ashley asked.

Need you ask? “This is my house,” he said sternly, then added in a sweeter tone, “Our house. I just want to talk to you.”

“You’re violating the protective order by coming near me.”

“Forget the damned court order,” Robert spat dismissively. “This is about us, not a piece of paper.”

He’d invested too much in this marriage to see it end on anything other than on his own terms.

The sooner Ashley understood that, the better for both of them.

* * *

“You hurt me, Robert—hurt me badly,” Ashley blurted out. She watched him warily from the edge of the bed. “I can’t go through this anymore. I shouldn’t have to. You need help. And so do I for putting up with you hitting me anytime your fists needed a punching bag.”

“I’m sorry that I hurt you, Ashley. I know I messed up, and now I’m paying the price. Everyone knows our business. People who are just looking to stir up trouble or make a name for themselves are branding me an abuser. It’s even starting to affect my law practice.”

“Well, what did you expect? That we could somehow keep this under the rug forever? I don’t think so. Not anymore—”

Robert sighed. “Look, I’ll go to therapy this time, I promise—we can go together. You owe it to our marriage to try to work things out.”

She stood, meeting his eyes. “It can’t work out, Robert. God knows I did everything I could to get you to stop hitting me whenever you felt like it. I even kept it from my colleagues for fear that it would ruin my career and end our marriage. Now I know my career will still be there, but the marriage is over.”

“Not unless I say it’s over!” Robert approached her, the contours of his face rigid. “And I’m not about to!”

“Don’t come any closer, Robert.” Ashley backed away. “I mean it!”

“Or you’ll do what? Go running back to that damned shelter so that bitch Selene can fill your head with more lies?”

“I’ll have you arrested for violating the court order,” she said, hoping he’d listen to reason. “Don’t make this any worse than it already is.”

Anger coursed through his veins, though he tried to keep a cool head. “You’re making it worse by turning your back on everything we’ve meant to each other. I just can’t let that happen—”

Ashley sensed that he would not back down and was about to become violent. Fearing being hurt again, perhaps badly, she tried to make a break for the hallway. She managed to get past him, but not for long. Robert grabbed her from behind, turned her around, and punched her in the nose. She reeled backwards but somehow managed to stay on her feet.

“See what you made me do,” he grunted. “All I wanted to do was talk about this like adults. But, no, you had to mouth off...letting other people think for you.”

Ashley fought through the pain and gathered the courage she needed if she was going to get out of this alive. You’re trained to do battle with people bigger than you—use what you’ve got!

When Robert threw his fist at her face again, Ashley instinctively moved her head to the side so the punch hit nothing but air. While he was slightly out of position, she countered with her fist, smashing it into his right cheek. It was the first time she had ever hit him, and Robert looked momentarily disoriented.

Using that to her advantage, Ashley rammed her knee as hard as she could between his legs. He bowled over in agony. She hit him again hard in the face. Robert went down, but was not out.

Seeing the man she’d once loved lying there dazed and in pain shook Ashley to the core. Her heart went out to him and she wanted to cradle him in her arms and make it all better. But the greater part of her knew that the only way to make it better was to leave Robert for good and stay alive at the same time.

Deciding it might be too risky to engage in further fisticuffs with him, Ashley bolted for the door and down the steps. Her first instinct was to seek safety outside the house. Fearing he would only track her down, Ashley ran to the den where she kept her gun.

Moving briskly through the room, Ashley opened the cabinet and removed her Glock. Just as quickly, she released the safety. She turned around and saw Robert lumbering towards her. His face was contorted with fury and he muttered a few indecipherable words.

It was the exact scenario Ashley had feared most. Yet somehow she knew it was unavoidable. Their relationship had reached a boiling point and it had come down to this.

She sucked in a deep breath, pointed the gun at her husband’s chest, and said, “Stop where you are, Robert. I mean it!”

He came to a halt a couple of feet away from her. Blood trickled from the corner of Robert’s mouth and there was a fair sized welt on his right cheek.

“You shouldn’t have hit me, baby.”

“I didn’t want to. Why couldn’t you have just stayed away like you were supposed to?”

“Because this is my house, dammit, and you’re my wife! No judge is going to deny me that!”

“I’m through being your punching bag, Robert! Get out of this house now! Please...”

Robert tossed his head back and laughed derisively, masking his pain. “Are you going to play cop and shoot me, Ashley?”

“Only if I have to.”

“Well you will, if you think that’s going to scare me away,” Robert said with a smirk. “But I don’t think you have it in you. Give me that gun, bitch! I’ll show you how it’s done—”

He took a step forward and Ashley yelled, “STOP, Robert!”

“Make me! I’ll show you what happens to wives who try to go against their husbands...”

When he lunged at her, Ashley stepped back involuntarily and the gun went off. It struck Robert in the stomach. He put his hands on the bloody hole in shock, glared at her, and then fell to his knees.

Ashley’s heart skipped several beats as she came to terms with what had just happened. She’d just shot her husband after fearing for her life. Now it was his life that hung in the balance.

For an instant, Ashley was unable to move as Robert lay in a fetal position moaning in agony. Then her maternal instincts took over and she rushed to him, cradling him in her arms.

“See what you made me do,” she sobbed, his blood covering them. “It didn’t have to be this way, Robert.”

Ashley doubted that he heard her, as he’d lost consciousness.