Chapter 2The Softest Shield

The second time, he smashed my phone.

Riley had texted me asking if I could go to the mall with him on Saturday. Ethan saw the words "spend time with me" and his face turned to stone.

"Doesn't he have any friends?"

"He’s just asking if I’m free, Ethan."

He slammed the phone onto the hardwood floor. The screen spider-webbed instantly. When I knelt to pick it up, he stepped on my hand.

"Don't forget, Jamie. You’re a married woman now."

A shard of glass sliced my finger. A bead of blood welled up.

Seeing the blood made him panic again. "I didn't mean to. Don't cry. I’ll buy you a new one—the most expensive one they have."

That night, he held me and told me about his childhood. He talked about his parents’ toxic divorce and his deep-seated insecurity. He told me he worked so hard just to give me a perfect life. He said if I really loved him, I’d learn to handle his "episodes."

As I listened, I actually felt sorry for him.

But the episodes became more frequent. If he drank too much, he’d choke me until I saw stars. If a contract fell through at work, he’d throw an ashtray at my feet. He went through my phone constantly, and when he found nothing, he accused me of deleting the evidence.

Once, while he was away on a business trip, I went to my parents’. Riley saw the bruises on my wrists and his face went deathly pale.

"Jamie... who did this?"

I pulled my sleeves down. "I just ran into a door, Riley. Don't worry about it."

His lip trembled for a long time before the tears started. "You’re lying to me."

My heart ached. But because he was crying so hard, I ended up being the one comforting him. "It’s really fine. Couples fight. It’s part of marriage."

That was what my mother-in-law, Martha Grant, had taught me. Every time she saw a mark on my face, she’d sigh and shake her head.

"Jamie, Ethan has a temper, but he’s a good man at heart. Men carry so much pressure out there in the world. As his wife, you have to be his peace."

His father, Richard, was even better at the corporate speak. "A family’s reputation is everything. If you make a scene, it shames both families. Don't go blowing domestic disagreements out of proportion."

I thought about leaving. But I had no job. No access to the bank accounts. Ethan had moved my ID, passport, and the deed to the house into a safe I didn't have the code for, claiming he was "keeping them secure."

He used my family as leverage. "Your brother’s little salon? One phone call to the zoning board and he’s out of business. Remember that."

I was terrified. I kept an old burner phone hidden in a box of winter clothes, but I never thought I’d actually use it.

Until that night.

Ethan came home from a "networking dinner" smelling like a distillery. He stepped through the door and asked, "Who was here today?"

"No one," I said.

He tossed my new phone onto the sofa. "Then explain the DoorDash notification. Two iced coffees and a pastry?"

I froze. Riley had sent me a treat earlier that afternoon, knowing I was feeling down. He’d put a note on the order: Drink something sweet, Sis. Be happy.

Ethan stared at the note and laughed. It was a cold, jagged sound. "Your little princess brother again. Does he think I don't have rules in my own house?"

"It’s just coffee, Ethan," I pleaded.

The next second, the coffee was smashed against the white entryway wall. The plastic cup burst, brown liquid oozing down the paint. He grabbed my hair and dragged me toward the foyer.

"Are you deaf, Jamie? I told you to cut him off!"

I struggled, which only made him more violent. When the back of my head slammed into the sharp corner of the console table, the world went black for a second. Something warm and wet began to trickle down my neck.

Even Ethan looked shocked. But he didn't help me. He just walked to the door and double-locked it.