Waiting for Forever Sneak Peek
Prologue
Stephanie-Three years earlier…
I hold my breath as I listen. I try not to stir as I slowly crack open my eyelid to look at my husband lying next to me. His breath has gone from shallow to a deep, heavy snore. I cough softly once to see if he stirs, he doesn’t. I cough again, louder as I turn my head towards him. Again, he doesn’t wake. The sleeping pills I crushed into his beer earlier have done the trick. This is my chance.
I slowly slide out of my bed and tiptoe backwards to the hallway, holding my breath again as I stare at him the entire time. I turn to exit the room but glance back to double check his snores are real. I’ve learned the hard way that he’s great at faking asleep, only to find myself tackled and thrown to the ground just as I attempted to leave the house.
With trembling hands I put my shoes on as fast as I can. I can hear my heartbeat in my chest, the loud thumping reminding me that I have to be successful this time or there very well might not be a third escape attempt. Memories of my last escape attempt swim through my brain.
“The only way you’re leaving this fucking marriage is in a body bag you understand me?” He spit the words in my face as he pushed his forearm against my throat, pinning me against the wall. His eyes had gone completely black, like he was a shark that smelled blood. I could smell the liquor on his breath as I struggled to choke back the tears. Tears only spur him on.
“Answer me!” He screamed, this time gripping my hair until my scalp burned, forcing me to look in his deranged eyes.
“I—I un—understand.” I managed to get out despite my trembling, bloodied lip. My mouth tasted metallic, a result of him smacking me so hard my bottom teeth bit almost clean through my lip.
Sadly, that was was one nof the minor incidents. I’d gotten good over the years at coming up with what I thought were convincing stories on how I broke my wrist, my jaw, a few ribs and even an eye socket.
Either people believed me, or nobody actually cared enough to find out the truth. I can’t decide which is worse.
But that was the last time. I swore after that night he’d never hit me again. So I devised a plan. Cook him his favorite meal, make sure he had a fresh 12 pack in the fridge that he would be sure to finish and lace one of the beers with a sleeping pill or two. I don’t want to kill him, I refuse to go to prison for this piece of shit, I just need him to sleep deep enough that I can escape once and for all.
I don’t know where I’m going. I don’t have any friends or family to help me. Daryl made sure of that. That’s what you don’t realize about marrying a narcissist. Slowly they start to shelter you from loved ones, alienating you and blaming you in the process. And before you know it, you’re living in total isolation, completely dependent on this psychopath and at their mercy. It’s like a frog being boiled alive, by the time you realize what’s happened, it’s too late.
I grab the small bag of clothes and toiletries I’d packed earlier from under the kitchen sink, a place I know my beloved husband would never stoop to look.
“You’re the woman, you belong in the kitchen and the bedroom. Those are the only two places you’re of any service and you’re not even good at those.”
I shake the memory of his hateful words from my head as I glance over my shoulder one last time. I reach into the front pocket of my bag, making sure the keys are there.
A few weeks ago I bought a 2003 Chevy Aveo I saw for sale on Craigslist. I’ve been secretly skimming money from Daryl’s secret stash. I know he has a few different jobs, none that he’ll actually explain to me, most likely because they’re not legal. The more he tells me, the more I’m a liability. What I do know is, he has a safe filled with cash and the idiot used his birthday as the combination. So week after week I snuck in and took a few hundred here and there. I knew the risk. I knew there was a good chance he’d figure it out someday but I was completely out of options.
I took a total of $3,000 so when I spotted the car for only $1,500 I didn’t think twice. I offered the man $1,200 cash and he accepted. I offered the owner an extra $300 if he’d let me keep it at his place until I could pick it up. He agreed, no questions asked thankfully. It’s four miles from my house and I know my only option is to walk there tonight to pick it up.
The moment my feet make it out of my back door, I take off running across the field behind my house and don’t look back. My lungs burn by the time I make it to the tree line but I don’t stop. I know if I take the road it will be shorter to where the car is, but I can’t risk it if Daryl wakes up and jumps in his truck. He has giant spot lights on his truck just for that reason, he’d spot me in a minute and I know without a doubt, he’d shoot me.
I run the entire four miles, tripping and stumbling over branches and rocks. I have a small flashlight but it’s no match to the inky blackness around me. I have no phone, I left it behind because he tracks it. Finally, I see a small light in the distance and I know I’ve made it. I exit the woods and cross the street, the Aveo is parked in the man’s side yard just off the driveway. I don’t think twice or hesitate, I reach into my bag and hit the unlock button on the car. I open the door, climb inside and say a small prayer as I insert the key and turn it. The engine comes to life and I see there’s half a tank of gas. I throw the car in drive and take off.
Tears begin to fall down my cheeks as a sob rips through my chest. Elation, excitement, fear…all of it courses through my body as I realize I’m finally free.
***
Present day…
“Class was fantastic tonight Steph, thank you. Really needed that after having a week of sick twins.”
“Oh you poor thing, I’m glad you got some mommy time tonight.” I smile at Cheryl as she throws her bag over her shoulder and walks to the door.
“I’ll see you on Thursday, have a great night!” She waves to me as she steps outside and heads to her car.
I lock the door behind her, looking out into the parking lot. It’s been three years since I left Daryl but I haven’t stopped looking over my shoulder. Sometimes it’s almost like I forget that I’m in hiding or on the run, that my life is in limbo but I try not to because the moment you let your guard down is when your past catches up to you.
I never intended on staying anywhere very long. In fact, the first town I stopped in was Virginia Dale, Colorado, a small town just over the border from Wyoming. I had planned only to stop for gas and a bite to eat, maybe a night in a hotel but I ended up staying there for almost a year. I thought I’d end up as far away from Wyoming as possible to throw off Daryl and his Sheriff cousin Rick who always does his dirty work but then I thought maybe hiding in plain sight was smarter.
I liked it in Virginia Dale, made some great friends, got a waitressing job my second day and settled into a routine but when I saw a bartending job open here in Grand Lake I took it. I knew that if I didn’t want to get caught, I’d need to stay on the run. But here I am, two years later. If you’d told me that I’d go from tending bar and waiting tables in country cafes and diners to managing a Pilates studio owned by my best friend and even certified and teaching classes, I’d tell you you’re crazy. I love my job. I love connecting with my students and sharing a holistic and healthy way to strengthen your body and release negative energy.