Isobel eased her car into the street where she’d lived for the past six years, relieved to see Nigel’s Porsche wasn’t parked in the driveway. She looked around for any sign of a patrol car, but didn’t see one.
Senior Constable Rogers had been unavailable to take her call, but she’d spoken to another officer. He’d promised to send a car over in case Nigel arrived and caused trouble while she was there, but it appeared the promised offer of protection hadn’t yet materialized.
She stared at the impressive almost-new home that took pride of place on the block. They’d bought it a few months before Ben arrived. Up until then, they’d been living in a tiny apartment in Sydney’s inner west. With a child on the way, having a house with a real backyard and a reasonably short commute to work had seemed like heaven. If she’d only known how Nigel would change after their son arrived and how, among other things, he’d blame her for the hefty mortgage that now hung over their heads…
“We’re back home. Why did we need to pack so many bags? We only stayed away one night. Where’s Dad?”
Isobel gritted her teeth and did her best to answer Ben’s questions. “I think Dad’s at work, honey. He usually is this time of day. We’re not staying long. I’m going to run inside and collect a few things I left behind. I’ll get Sophie’s doll and your bike from the backyard. Then we’re going back to Mason’s.”
“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.”
“I don’t think so,” the officer replied. “Yesterday, the court approved an Apprehended Violence Order in your wife’s favor. I assume, from the look on your face, that you haven’t yet been served with a copy. No need to worry, I have one right here.”
The constable pulled a folded piece of paper out of his shirt pocket and handed it to Nigel. Her husband threw her a hard stare and then opened it. With her heart thumping, Isobel held her breath and waited for Nigel’s response. She didn’t have to wait long.
His face turned red with anger. “You have to be fucking kidding!” As if oblivious to the presence of the policeman, Nigel took a threatening step toward her, his hands clenched into fists.
“You fucking bitch! I don’t believe it! How dare you order me to stay away from you and the kids? They’re my kids as much as yours. There’s no way in the world you’re going to take them away from me.”
“Mr Donnelly, I suggest you tone down your language and calm down a little then go and get some legal advice. Your lawyer will be able to tell you how best to proceed. In the meantime, I suggest you comply with the terms of the AVO, including staying away from your wife and children. If you breach the order, I can arrest you and have you charged. I’m sure no one wants that to happen.”
Isobel snatched a breath and did her best to slow her racing heart. She could feel Nigel’s anger, but she refused to look at him. Having collected the things she’d come for, she was eager to get as far away from him as she could. The presence of the police officer was her perfect means of escape.
“Thank you for your time, officer. I’ve collected the things I came for and I’ll continue on my way. I’d appreciate your assistance to my car, though.”
The constable turned his attention to her. “Are you sure? Because I’m happy to stay as long as you need me if there are other things you require.”
Isobel shuddered at the thought of going through the house and removing more things with Nigel throwing daggers at her back. No, she had what she’d come for. It was best to leave it at that.
“Thank you; that’s very kind of you, but I’m done.” With that, she opened the door to her car and tossed in the handful of clothes. Leaning over the seat, she gave Sophie her doll.
“Can we go now, Mom?”
She glanced at Ben where he sat in the back seat of the car, his face troubled.
“Sure, baby. We’re leaving right now.”
Nigel stepped forward. The officer was quick to react. With a restraining hand on Nigel’s arm, he nodded to Isobel.
“You’re right to go, Mrs Donnelly. Take care.”
She gave him a grateful smile and tugged on her seatbelt. Wrenching his arm out of the officer’s grasp, Nigel charged over to the car and banged on the window with his fist.
“Get back out here, bitch,” he yelled, his fury palpable.
Unperturbed, the officer spoke to Nigel calmly and pulled him away. All the time, he shouted abuse. Isobel shook so hard, she didn’t know how she managed to turn the key in the ignition, but she somehow reversed out of the drive.
She didn’t look back.