Till Death Do We Part

Chapter Twelve

Despite Joseph's threatening words, I was left to my own devices once Elaine and John were out of the house and past the gates. Joseph, of course, made sure that I knew the last of the chores still needed to be completed, but for once he decided I didn't need to be closely watched while my chores were being completed and headed up to his room.

Or maybe he was just too drunk to give a shit.

I waited for his footsteps to disappear before I wiped down the kitchen counters and table and threw the dirty placemats into the washing machine, then picked up after Joseph's mess in the living room. I stacked up his papers to their proper cases and paper clipped them together, filing them alphabetically and placing it on top of his unopened suitcase. I polished his shoes and set them by the front door, hung his coat onto the rack, and made sure the house was as presentable as Joseph liked by fluffing the pillows, dusting the TV and bookshelves and entertainment stand, reorganizing the DVD's, folding the throw blanket and placing it over the back of the couch, and sweeping the hardwood floors.

I made sure all the dishes I had cleaned previously were still spotless, put away the leftover food in airtight containers, then prepped and packed Joseph's lunch for work, playing as the dutiful housewife once again. The last thing I did before going to my own room was start to coffee so it would be ready in the morning and turn off all the lights.

"Now, I can sleep."

Being careful not to make a sound, I tiptoed up the stairs and entered my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. I didn't bother to lock the door, however. I knew it would be pointless to since Joseph had the key to my room, and the only thing a locked door would do would be pissing Joseph off if he decided to sneak into my room or check up on me. Sometimes it was better to not stir trouble when it could be avoided. I learned that the hard way a long time ago.

Once my door was closed I flicked on the light and took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the room as it came back into focus before shedding out of my dress and heels to change into a pair of plaid pajama shorts and an old crop top. When I had gotten into more comfortable clothes I entered the ensuite bathroom and scrubbed my face with warm water and face wash until all the makeup had gone down the drain. Then I took my hair out it's obnoxious braids, brushed my teeth, and climbed into bed with the lights turned off.

Alone in the dark, I gave myself time to breathe and think about all the things that ended up going right despite the shitty day I had. Dinner was amazing, Elaine proved to be a better friend than expected, and Joseph seemed fairly happy with the way things were between the two of us, despite the miscarriage and the scene earlier in the afternoon. And to top it all off, I had a means of escaping my hell.

Smiling, I slipped out of bed and crossed the room to where my dresser was, digging around in the pants drawer before my hand wrapped around the cool, heavy weight of the master key. I let myself hold it in reassurance that the end of the worst was coming soon, then slid my hand over to where the note, cell phone, and cash was. My thumb traced the edges of the crisp bills and I couldn't help but wonder just how much Elaine had given me. A thousand at the very least from my understanding after the conversation I shared with her, but there had to have been a few thousand more. She knew I had no money for myself, just like she knew how expensive and risky it would be for me to run.

I just hoped she didn't get hurt in the process of my freedom.

I lingered by the dresser a moment longer until I felt the wave of paranoia pass, then quickly covered up my stash and closed the drawer. My feet pattered softly on the hardwood floors as I got back into my bed, and as my head hit the pillow my mind began to wander on how I would make my escape. I had two days to make the arrangements, and I could use that time to my advantage as well. I couldn't let Joseph suspect anything was wrong, especially after what happened with my pregnancy. Knowing him, he'd be looking for slip-ups after an incident that big, and I had to carry on and pretend everything was still the same while planning my escape.

"You can do this," I thought to myself in the darkness. "You know you can. Just play it safe, be careful, and everything will work out the way they're supposed to in the end."

So for hours I laid in bed, going over every different plan I could think up and sharpening the details so that nothing could go wrong. And once that plan began to mold and take form, I knew what I had to do and where I'd have to go to make it out alive.

And it all started with tomorrow.