Without A Trace

Twenty-Six.

Once we're at the cottage I throw open my door and go in the house. "Get your riding clothes on, we're going on a trip," I demand them as I strip my jacket off and toss it on the chair before heading to my room to change.

The girls do as their told and come out in the livingroom once they're all done. In my bag I pack a couple huge flasks of whiskey and my pack of cigarettes before walking out the door towards the end of the street to a huge barn. I stop and take some deep breaths staring down the long corridor. My face hot and tears start escaping my eyes and running down my cheeks. I cover my face and squat down as I start to cry. Anna and Ivy walk over to me slowly and sit on each side of me and just listen to the pain exploding out of my chest.

After crying for what seems like ages I uncover my face and sniffle, using my sleeve to wipe my cheeks off. "Tommy built this stable for me when we first got married. These are our horses," I say standing up walking down to the stalls. "Ivy, you will be riding this white mare. Her name is Winter," I say scratching her nose through the bars with a smile. I walk to the next one, "Anna, this brown beauty you will be riding is named Paradise," I say scratching her mane.

"They're beautiful Cora," she says with a smile taking the bridals off the hooks. We get saddled up and I wait for them outside of the big doors. I pat the side of my deep black stallions neck and watch them come out, putting my flasks and whatnot in the saddle bags.

"Who's is that?" Ivy says raising her eyebrows.

"Thomas's," I say clearing my throat. "His name is Unity. Anyways, follow me. And keep up," I say giving him a swift kick and taking off through the woods with the girls behind me.

After riding for close to an hour we finally come to the clearing. I slow Unity down to a walk and take a deep breath through my nose with the delicious smell of the freshwater beach. I climb down and tie his reigns to a branch before walking down to the water.

"What is this place Cora?" Ivy asks walking up next to me.

"This is my little getaway. I come here every time Thomas and I get into a big fight. Its just peaceful, and quiet. A real fuckin break from the shit show we have at home," I say sitting on a log looking out at the crystal blue water.

"Cora we need to talk about what happened," Anna says taking a seat on the other side of me, holding out a flask.

I close my eyes and listen to the water flow up against the rocks before opening them slowly and grabbing the flask from her and opening the cap. "I lost my temper," I say clenching my jaw and taking a swig out of the flask, feeling the alcohol burn in my throat.

"Must've done a little more than that Cor, his office is a wreck. It sounded like a fuckin war in there," Anna says with her eyebrows raised before taking a drink from the flask and handing it to Ivy.

"I just....lost it guys. I'm just over feeling like he has to delegate everything I do and where I go," I say staring at the trees.

"I understand that. He just is protective over you," Ivy says tossing a rock into the water.

"He told me to never forget that he could have just fucked me and threw me outside like he originally planned to do," I say biting the inside of my cheek.

The girls sit there silently while looking at me with disgust spread across their face. "He what?" Ivy asks raising her eyebrows.

I sit there silently and nod my head before taking a cigarette out of the pack and put it in my mouth lighting it and taking a long drag off of it. I lay back in the sun and let the warm rays shine on my face. "He told me that. To my fuckin face," I say laying there.

"Well I dont fuckin blame you for destroying the hallway and his office then. If that was Michael I'd cut his fuckin tongue out of his mouth," Ivy says taking a swig from the flask.

"But I wasnt scared of him. And I didn't back down from him, I fought back. Sometimes I think he forgets im not Grace. That I wont bow to his every whim and that I wont just sit there and let it happen," I say taking another puff of my cigarette.

"I threw my ring at him. I was so mad I just ripped it off and threw it at him," I say sighing.

"Well, Anna and Lewis's anniversary party is in a few days so you'll have to see him there. Unless you're coming home tonight," Ivy says leaning over to look at me.

I look at her and scoff, "My ass is staying here. But," I say looking over at Anna, "I wouldn't miss your party for the world," I say with a smile. "I think me and Tommy just need a break. We're too much alike to be in the same fuckin house together 24/7. So I think we'll be good as new after a few days. He can sit and think about what he said to me also." I pause before looking at the girls, "I dont know what I would do without you two in my life, you know that?"

Ivy smiles, "Cora Lee Shelby, are you going soft on us?"

"For real," Anna chimes in with a smile. "Who the fuck is turning you into a sap?"

I laugh, "Not on your life."

"Your horses names are really interesting by the way. Kind of fuckin odd, but still interesting," Ivy says taking a puff of her cigarette.

I flick the ashes of my cigarette into the rocks off to the side of me, "They had a lot of meeting to Thomas apparently. We got married in the bleak midwinter. Marriage is a symbol of Unity. And our marriage was also a symbol of Paradise because we got married in the bleak midwinter. It was a very trying time for him when we got married."

"Very poetic of him," Ivy says raising her eyebrows. "He sounds like hes a completely different man than he is now."

"Aye, ain't that the fuckin truth. But I digress. I have no room to talk myself. I don't think any one of us do," I say watching the slight ripples of the water radiate out into the distance.