Beatrice.
"Where the HELL were you?"
Gerald's voice ricocheted off the apartment walls like a gunshot. He stood in the middle of the living room, hands clenched into fists at his sides, his face a mask of barely controlled fury I'd never seen before.
Not gentle Gerald who made me ginger tea and respected my boundaries.
This was someone else entirely. Someone dangerous. Someone who'd been pretending to be safe while hiding something much darker underneath.
And I'd just given him a reason to stop pretending.
"I left a note," I said, keeping my voice steady despite my racing heart. "I went to get groceries."
"Groceries." The word came out flat. "You went to get groceries. For three hours. Without telling me you were leaving. Without your phone on. Without any way for me to reach you if
