Breaking Free (Phoenix Rising)

Chapter 1 - Ellianna

"Your flight comes in at 145 right?" I hear my best friend since preschool, Sonja's voice speak through my car bluetooth.

"Yup....I'm so glad. You can do this. Pops will be working and Momma has some board thing with the school." I reply as I turn onto my street for the last time.

"No problem. I've missed you so much girl. We don't talk enough."

That stings to close to my heart, not that Sonja knows the whole story yet. I have had to sneek conversations in when I can and they are never that long.

"I'll explain it all tomorrow, if you have time." I inwardly laugh, we'd need a week.

"Drinks after we get you get unloaded."

"We'll see." I don't think I'll want drinks but who knows, I may need them.

I see my house, really his house come into view and know I need to cut the line. Somehow I've managed to get away with all these calls lately without him noticing.

"Babes, I got to go. Thank you. I'll text you tomorrow.

I click my phone and delete the call history out of habit. Singing gratitude that he didn't make me get an iPhone and have it sync to his iPad like he originally wanted.

I pull in and park my car, really his car in the garage and head into the house. I have a game plan and have my things packed in suitcases hiding under the bed.

"ELLIANNA!" I hear Brett yelling as soon as a step from the garage to the mud room. His voice is so harsh and I think back to the night we met. How he was so soft, kind and caring, ready to hand me the world and more.

"Coming Brett....just let me get my shoes and jacket off." I speak softly knowing he can hear me in the kitchen.

"You're late!"

"I had to finish a call before I left."

While it's not a lie, it's only a half truth. I was finishing a call before I left work but it was to finalize everything for my new job. It starts in just over a week but tonight I have a flight back home. I also had to do my exit interview. Not that Brett knows any of this yet.

Stepping into the kitchen I see Brett hunched over at the island with papers scattered and a laptop looking focused and fierce. There was a time when this view made my heart swell and my panties wet, but that's not the feelings that stir in me now. He's still well defined and attractive but the love and lust that used to be there is gone, long gone. Perhaps, it was only ever lust and infatuation to start with, something that eventually fizzed out.

"Have a good day?" He asks but with his tone I never know if it's a question, statement or a goodbye. He speaks with lack of emotion. Anger seems to be the only emotion I get out of him anymore. Sex happens because he demands it as a scheduled release. Emotionless. Dry. Unfulfilling. He gets off and I have started to hate myself more and more each time.

"Yeah." I softly respond as I pour us both a glass of wine and set his in front of him.

"What's this for? You haven't even set dinner yet." Brett barely looks up but I can see his brows furrowed together frustrated.

"We need to talk and we may need wine for this talk."

Brett slams his laptop shut and puts his papers in a pile on top before taking a sip from his glass and addressing me. "What did you do?"

Of course he thinks I did something wrong. I have a list of duties he expects from me as his working trophy wife so if I did not complete something to his taste it would be my fault.