Falling For Her Fake Husband

Chapter 2

2

Chloe had left in the early hours of the morning to make it to David. She hadn’t wanted to be discovered and doubted anyone would notice she was gone until she was well away. It had been a tremendous risk coming here, but didn’t know what else to do.

“What’s going on?” David asked, taking her in.

She hated the way David only really ever saw her at her lowest points. Reaching up she pulled a finger under each eye attempting to clean up the makeup she knew had run when she’d realized he wasn’t home.

He travelled for work, she knew that, yet she had come unannounced anyway. There had been no chance to ask first. Instead she had run to him, hoping he was here.

“I—“” she started and then stopped, realizing she didn’t know where to begin.

“Let’s go inside first; you look frozen,” he urged when no words came from her.

“I have to get Sadie first.” Pointing at the backseat, she felt her shoulders fall. It had been such a long day already.

“What can I get out of the car for you?”

“Just the diaper bag; it’s in the front seat.”

Getting Sadie out of her car seat hadn’t been hard. She was so tired she didn’t even stir much other than to resituate herself in Chloe’s arms. David opened the front seat and grabbed the diaper bag before leading them into his house.

It was clean and simple, she thought to herself as she followed him in. Very much like she had expected it to be—modern but homey at the same time. The colors were dark, but the walls were white, giving contrast and opening the living room up to seem bigger.

Interior design had been something she always wanted to do. She had even started going to school online for it before last month. Last month had ruined everything. Her mother had ruined everything.

“Do you want to put her on the bed?” he asked, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Yes, please.”

Following him up the stairs and down a hallway, she held Chloe tight as she prayed David would be willing to help them. He gestured to a room and let Chloe walk in first.

This room was so much David she almost cried. It was sharp lines, dark wood, with a poster bed in the center of the far wall. The covers were a deep, rich blue, with two throw pillows breaking up the darkness with a patterned pale blue.

“Under the covers?” he asked, ready to pull them back.

“I’m sure she will be fine on top,” Chloe assured him.

He looked at her questioningly, arching one eyebrow, but he didn’t argue. Chloe laid Sadie down on the bed, pulling her hat off her head as she rolled over, immediately getting comfortable.

“I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready,” David told her and left the room.

She’d never be ready. She needed to be, but it was more of a rip-off-the-Band-Aid type deal than actually being ready.

What she wanted to do right now was curl up in the bed with Sadie and sleep the sleep of people who were safe and didn’t have any cares. But that wouldn’t happen, so with a deep breath and a kiss on Sadie’s cheek, she turned and went in search of David.

“Coffee?” David asked as she found him in the kitchen.

“Yes, please,” she said, taking the offered cup.

“I don’t have any good creamer. I just got in last night, but I do have some sugar if you want that?”

“I’ll be fine. Thank you though.”

A small table with four chairs sat near a window in the kitchen, and Chloe walked to it, sitting in one of the chairs and waiting for David. He joined her. She’d expected he would stand and hover, waiting for an answer, but she had to remind herself it was David. He wouldn’t push; he’d listen, he’d wait, but he wouldn’t force.

“Why didn’t you call, or email, or anything?” he asked when she couldn’t find the words to start the conversation. His tone was worried yet soft and comforting as he watched her sip the coffee.

“I couldn’t,” she admitted. Pushing the cup away from her, she sighed again, and started to explain. “Early last month, I ran into my mother at the grocery store. She was with Larry’s mother. I tried to skip the aisle, to avoid them, but they saw me and called my name. I should have walked away,” she berated herself, “shouldn’t have let them pull me in to their mess, but I didn’t.”

Swallowing, she tried to hold back her tears before continuing. “Larry’s mother immediately looked at Sadie, and I could see the wheels turning in her head, David. I knew what she was thinking; she looks so much like him.” The tears fell now freely. She couldn’t hold them back anymore as she relived what came next. “She started calling me names, right there in the middle of the store, demanding that I hand over her grandchild. My mother was confused for a moment and then it finally clicked with her too. I ran out of that store as fast as I could. I left the cart right there in the middle of the cereal aisle.”

David moved his coffee out of the way and reached across the table, covering her hand with his. “Tell me what else happened.”

“Everything else was such a blur. About a week later, Larry showed up, demanding that I do a DNA test and that he was going to sue me for custody. I refused and contacted a few lawyers, but I couldn’t afford any of them right away. Then my mother tried to pick Sadie up from daycare and threw a huge fit when she found out she wasn’t on the list. I told everyone who would listen that you were the father. That there was no way it could be anyone else. I refused all paternity test requests from them.”

Standing, she started pacing, needing to do something as she talked. “Then I messed up even more. I got a call from my mother begging me to just come for dinner and settle things. She wanted to see her grandchild for once and was willing to let everything else go. I wanted it to be done so badly that I fell for it. I’m so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid, Chloe.”

She ignored that. He didn’t know what she’d let happen. “Sadie and I get there, and dinner actually goes well. It was not dramatic; she was playing with Chloe. Time got away from us and she offered for us to stay. I accepted. I knew better, but I was so tired. Next thing I knew, she was moving us in. She was still playing the part of doting grandmother and loving mother. I thought, maybe she’s changed, missed me or something.”

“Oh, Chloe,” David said.

“She didn’t miss me. Last week, she greeted me with divorce papers and asked me to sign them, severing our marriage. I refused, told her I talked to you all the time and we’d be moving with you soon. It was the same thing I said all the time, but she wasn’t buying it. Somehow my phone stopped working. I don’t know what she did, and then she changed all the internet passwords, cutting me off from everything. She stopped doting on Chloe and upped her demands that I do a paternity test. Three nights ago, I woke up to Larry in my bedroom standing over me and Sadie. I screamed the house down, but no one came.”

David stood then and came to her, wrapping her in his arms. She sobbed into his shirt as they stood there in the kitchen.

“Sadie woke up when I screamed and started screaming too. When she wouldn’t stop, he yelled at her. He pulled his arm back to slap her and I blocked him. He had some names for me, and then he left. I haven’t slept since and I didn’t know I’d be able to get away.”

“How did you get away?” he asked, stroking his hand up and down her back as they continued to stand there.

“I found my keys; she was never creative at hiding things. Then I just prayed it would start when I got in it. We snuck out at about three o’clock this morning and mostly drove straight here. I had to stop and get a prepaid phone so I could use a map app, and we got some food once.”

“My Chloe, what have you gotten yourself into?” he asked.

“I’m sorry to show up unannounced. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

She felt his chest jump as he chuckled. “There are no girlfriends or anything. You are always welcome here. Get some rest, Chloe. We can discuss what to do when you wake up.”

“Don’t let me sleep long, okay? But I’m just so tired.” She pulled away, wishing she was stronger, that she could handle this and stand up to them, but she was just so tired.

“Sleep as long as you need; no one will bother you here, and you need it.” He kissed her forehead and slid one hand over her hair. “Do you have any other bags that need to come inside?”

Chloe shook her head. “I was too scared to pack anything.”

“Understood. Go get some rest.”

“Thank you, David.”

She found her way back to the bedroom and cuddled up next to Sadie. She’d sleep for an hour, max, and then she’d be refreshed enough to take on the day, she told herself. She knew though, as her eyes drifted closed, that she’d sleep forever with the scent of David on the pillow filling her senses and the knowledge that they were safe, for now.