“You’re insane, Peter. What you’re saying is ridiculou—”
“Unless you didn’t do it because you didn’t actually want to kill me in the first place. You wanted to scare me. Punish me. Fair enough. But, honey, you don’t leave anything to chance. You didn’t kill me because…because you couldn’t. Plain and simple. Because you didn’t want me to die. Because…” I drew out the words, stepping closer to her. “Because…you…love…me.”
I jolted again, my body on fire with electricity—true electricity—as she shoved the stun gun back into what felt like the exact same place on my stomach. The attack was quicker this time. Just a pulse.
“Don’t flatter yourself, Peter. I didn’t kill you because I needed to give the kids answers. If I buried you in the woods, I’d have to tell them you ran off somewhere. I needed a body. I needed a finale. I needed it to all be over.”
“It isn’t over, Ains. Don’t you see that? We get to start fresh now. We get to fix this. And I don’t care how many times you shock me”—I checked to be sure she wasn’t planning to test that vow—“I’m not going anywhere. And I’m not changing my mind. Love me or kill me, those are your only options.”
She was silent for a moment, then her jaw began to quiver. At first, I thought maybe she was going to start crying, but instead, I saw pure rage in her eyes. “You don’t get to do that.”
“I just did.”
“No, Peter,” she said, her voice a low growl. “No. I’m leaving you. I’m taking the kids. It is over. Do you hear me? It’s over! We’re done.”
“We’re not. You’ll never be rid of me, don’t you see that? We’re made for each other, Ains. We’re a perfect match. You can’t leave me, not really. People who’ve been through everything we’ve been through together don’t just get to walk away.”
She bared her teeth, taking a step back from me. “I am leaving you. The kids are already gone, and I’m next. You’ll never see us again. Don’t contact us. Don’t try to find us. Just move on with your life. Have the house—sell it, keep it, whatever. Have your secrets. Have your little hobbies. But we’re done. I’m done.”
“Wh-what are you talking about? Gone? Gone where? Where are the kids? Where are you going?”
“Are you even listening to me? I’m not telling you that—”
“But you can’t just take them. I’m their father. They need me—”
“They need a murderer?” She charged toward me without warning, and I bumped into the car again in an attempt to back up. She wagged her finger at me, her nail practically scraping my nose. “A monster?”
“Pot meet kettle,” I muttered. I hadn’t meant to say it, but I couldn’t help the slip.
“They don’t need you,” she repeated, her voice feral and ragged. She puffed out a breath, smoothing her shirt. “That’s what I came here to say.” Her eyes flitted back and forth between mine, as if she was searching for something—a question, an answer, a sign—and then she turned on her heel, prepared to leave me. I grabbed her arm without thinking, acting on pure animal instinct. She was going to take everything from me. She was going to leave me alone. She jerked back, ripping her arm from my grasp as if it were a fight for her life. “Don’t touch me,” she shouted.
“Ainsley, please—”
“Don’t ever touch me again,” she said once more, her lips pressing into a thin line. She took another step back, holding the stun gun in the air as she reached the doorway. If I let her walk out, I’d never see her again.
I knew it in my gut.
If she escaped, that would be it. I’d have let her walk away from me without a fight. What would she do if the situation were reversed? What would she expect me to do?
“Why did you even come here?” I demanded. “If that was all you were going to tell me, why bother?”
“Because I needed you to hear it.” She pointed at her ear. “Not consider it part of the chase. Not ignore me. I needed you to hear me say the words and see the absolute sincerity on my face. I needed to make sure you heard me loud and clear so there is no confusion.”
I nodded slowly.
“Why are you smirking?”
Had I been?
“You wanted to see me.”
She groaned, both hands near her temples. “You aren’t listening to me.”