The Price of a Secret

22 | IMPOSSIBLE CHOICES

Elizabeth was awakened on early Saturday morning by the sound of her phone.

"Simon?" she answered, still sleepy.

"Elizabeth."

"What time is it? Did something happen?" she said, waking up. Simon had never called her before. She feared that something bad had happened.

"It's 4:30. I'm calling to warn you. Mason spent the night drinking, doing drugs, and having sex with girls from a nightclub. Please, try to avoid him when he comes back. I don't know if he's clean."

A silence fell over the call. Again?, she thought. How long would she endure that? Having that disgusting man, whom she once thought she could love, on top of her, possessing her after having fun with other women, was painfully distressing.

"Okay. Thank you for letting me know," she said and hung up the phone.

Elizabeth got up, thinking about how to get rid of him. Pretending to be asleep didn't work. She could go to Lia's room, but Mason might go there to get her and take out his anger on the little girl. The best option would be to confront him when he arrived, so he would get angry and leave her alone. Since she had already discovered his plan not to leave bruises on her, she felt a little safer. The insecurity came whenever she drove, crossed the street, or went shopping—in other words, almost every moment when she could be in an accident. But there, inside the house, she felt safe for now.

Elizabeth put on her robe and went to the living room. She sat on the couch and waited for him. Although she imagined he wouldn't hurt her, she could feel her heart racing. It was the first time she would intentionally confront him.

A car approached, and Mason got out, staggering. Dimitri accompanied him to the door and then returned to the car, leaving the property. When Mason entered, Elizabeth looked at him coldly.

"Where have you been, Mason?"

"Hey, sweetie. Around."

"Around?"

"Yes," he said, approaching her. He couldn't walk in a straight line. As soon as he entered the living room, she could smell the alcohol, cigarettes, and sex.

"Come here and give me a kiss," he said, leaning over her.

Elizabeth pushed him away and got off the couch. He fell onto the spot where she had been lying, face down.

"You must be crazy if you think I'll touch you while you're like this."

"Like what?" he said between hiccups.

"Drunk and filthy." Disgusting, she wanted to say.

"Ah, stop being a prude," he turned on the couch to look at her.

"Go take a cold shower." She looked at him with disgust and contempt.

He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore and said, almost falling asleep, "You're mine." And he fell into a deep slumber.

She knew how true those words were, but she refused to accept them. Elizabeth took one last look at the decadent sight of the man she had once called her husband and turned away, heading for the bedroom. She needed to get out of there. She couldn't let Lia see her father in that state.

She went back to the bedroom and took a long shower. The water finally washed away all her tears of unhappiness and gave her the energy to leave. She dressed up, packed Lia's things, left a note for Mason explaining that she was going to the office and Lia would be with her mother, and left with the little girl in her arms.

Only for now, she thought, I got rid of this monster.

——

Upon returning home after the final preparations for the inauguration of her office the next day, Elizabeth couldn't stop thinking about what had happened between her and Simon. Taking a long shower, she caresses her body, imagining his touch. That kiss was the most intense of her life, and the sensation of his hands on her body made her delirious with excitement. She hadn't intended to kiss him, despite ardently desiring it, but she couldn't avoid it. She was fragile due to what had happened with Mason, and Simon was there, being her safe haven. When he pulled her into his arms, she felt all her defenses crumble. There, she could be herself and cry out her pain.