Burning Ember

Chapter 28

After a week of being stifled in the house, I returned to work at Maple Leaf. Harold understood when I explained things. Vaguely, but enough. I needed to do something to get my mind off Hale and working was my escape. At home, everywhere I turned there was something that would remind me of him. The foyer where he had me pressed against the wall before he took me up the stairs our first time together. The parlor sofa where I could clearly see him, his body corded with muscle and tattoos as I straddled him—the intensity in his icy blue eyes. The living room at Christmas, and I still had yet to take down the tree he put up—another thing on the to-do list. Breakfasts in the kitchen together, nights spent in my room, even the stack of firewood reminded me of him. But so did the woods, and the garden, and the attic, and the cemetery at the back of the property.

Work gave me a sense of normalcy that I had missed. I even went and bought a car so I wouldn't have to rely on a taxi to get me back and forth, and it was one more step toward regaining control of my life. It was something I had needed to do for a while, but always having Hale at my disposal, I neglected doing it. Maybe it was just something else he wanted me to depend on him for, but I wasn't planning on relying on anyone from here on out. Hale had so thoroughly destroyed my trust, that I wouldn't let myself rely on anyone ever again.

Since returning to work, all I had done was work, go home, eat, attempt to sleep, and repeat. I left myself no room to dwell on things. Gabriel was hopefully gone. I had not seen him since that day at Martha's store. Maybe Hale had scared him off. Either way, I was glad to be free of both of them.

Winter was slowly turning to spring. Though snow still covered the ground, the trees were beginning to show glimpses of green as the bright white of the snow melted down. I had been keeping up with both therapy and my self-defense classes, which gave me minimal time at home. Olivia and I were also becoming friends, but I had yet to share any details about what happened with Hale to her. I hadn't even told Ivy, but that was simply because I didn't want to hear the I told you so. I didn't want to be reminded of how poor my judgement was. Self-defense classes were also all about self-empowerment, but that part always seemed to escape me when I was stuck in a deprecating state instead like I constantly was.

After spending my evening at self-defense working on disarming techniques, I headed home with my muscles aching. My body was just starting to get used to the exercise and had been building muscle, but there were days like today where I felt pushed to the limit. The house was dark when I got home. I usually left the porch light on in the mornings on days I knew I would be getting home late, but I must have forgot. Grabbing my phone, purse and water bottle from the passenger seat, I got out and walked up through the dark. Fumbling at the door for the right key, I finally got it unlocked and booted it open. With my hands full, I turned to kick the door closed behind me, but the door caught on a shoe that stepped out of the dark and the door bounced back.

A hand followed that pressed the door open wider. Frozen in the foyer, Gabriel stepped over the threshold sporting a few new scars on his face, and I couldn't help but crack a smile despite the fear that pulsed through me. Hale had messed him up. There was a scar through his eyebrow, across his cheek and a couple on the other side of his chin.

"Happy to see me?" The sound of his voice stoked the anger I felt toward him inside me. I was the farthest thing from happy to see him.

"Happy to see the damage he did, but you? No." Clutching my phone tightly, I moved my water bottle under my arm to free up my hands. The look in his eyes as he stared me down was enough to tell me this wasn't going to go over well.

Gabriel tried to mask his anger as he said, "I kind of like the scars." He breathed out deeply as his eyes traveled my body. I was still in my yoga pants with a tee-shirt on under my coat—what I usually wore to my class. "I can't say I'm not happy to see you though. It's been too long."