Drive Me Wild

Chapter 27 - Eva Langston

Eighteen years ago:

I took a moment to take a few deep breaths before entering the bank. What I was about to do was unforgivable and dangerous. I could only hope that Demarkus would never find out. It wasn't safe or welcoming here anymore for me or Duke.

Stroking the flat of my stomach, tears pooled in my eyes thinking about the baby that used to be inside me. It was the light in the dark that I needed. When I had first told Demarkus out of joy, he gave me the opposite reaction. Demanding for it to be aborted. He had never once acted so cruel and heartless towards me. To start with, I had outright refused his demand, it was wrong to take an innocent child away from this world, even if it was evil. I had told Duke the news about the baby in hopes that he would let me keep it, but I was very wrong. That night had proven to be a trip to the abortion clinic and my baby was gone against my will.

Ever since that night, I have refused to speak to Demarkus. Divorce papers were being filed as I got on with my day, and I was on the way to escaping.

The bank was empty due to it being midday. My nerves settled slightly when I saw there was no queue to the counter.

"Hi, how can I help you?" The man behind the counter asks.

"Um, hi. I was wondering if I could withdraw a large sum of money." I whisper.

"Of course, you'll have to take a seat, someone will be with you in a minute." He gestures over to the small seating area in the corner.

"Thank you." I smile.

"Hi, how can I be of help?" A voice asks ten minutes later.

"I would like to withdraw a large sum of money," I repeat.

"Okay, come with me and we can get it sorted."

The walk to the confined room felt like an eternity, my hands were clammy with sweat and I felt sick to my stomach. This plan needed to work.

"Take a seat in here." The man smiles.

I quickly scurry over to the seat and try to gracefully sit.

"So, how much money did you want to withdraw?" He questions, typing on the computer.

"A hundred thousand dollars," I admit.

The man stops what he's doing and stares over at me in disbelief. "What is the reason for that withdrawal?"

I hadn't thought about them asking that question. My mind quickly swept through mindless answers that I could give him. In the end, I could only go with the truth. I hated lying to people.

"My husband is abusive, and I need to get away."

"Ma'am, you do realise there are places you can go to for help. You don't need to do this." He reassures.

"No. I need to go. I need this money." I plead.

"How about I call the police for you instead?" He negotiates.

"No! Don't you dare!" I snap. "Just give me the money."

After a while, he got the hint that I wasn't budging on this. "All right, what's your name?" He huffs out.

"Eva Langston."

"I'm going to need some identification and proof of account holding."

Luckily, I had thought of those things before leaving the house. I grab them out of my bag and hand them over, silently thanking myself.

"Ma'am this is a joint account, I'm going to need your husband's permission." He states.

"Have you not listened to a single word I just said!" I seethe. "My husband is abusive, and I need to leave him. What part of that do you not understand?"