I miss you more than words can express. Our time apart has shown me everything I did wrong, and I can’t tell you how sorry I am for what I’ve done to you. Please give me one more chance to make things right. I promise you won’t be sorry.
It’s time for you to come home.
Call me anytime, day or night. You know the number.
Love,
Brent
I crumble up the note and shove everything into the small cardboard box. God, why can’t he leave me alone? I don’t want anything to do with the man ever again. I think back to a couple of weeks ago when I felt like I was being watched. Maybe it wasn’t all in my head. Has he been here this entire time? My skin crawls with that realization.
I bring the box up to my room and toss it on my desk. I’m in total shock as I sit down on my bed and stare out the window, wondering if Brent’s lurking in the bushes or behind a tree. Did he think he could leave that to me, and everything would magically be okay again? He put me in the fucking hospital for crying out loud. There’s no fixing what we were. It was all a lie. He didn’t want someone to love. What he felt for me wasn’t love, it was something worse. He wanted to own me and punish me. He manipulated the hell out of me, and no matter how hard I tried, I was never good enough for him. There’s no way in hell I’ll ever give him another shot. Next time he’s likely to put me in the ground instead of a hospital.
What worries me most is the package wasn’t delivered in the mail. Which means he must have dropped it off himself. Brent is here in town, and he knows where I am.
I do the first thing I think of and call the police department. I tell them what happened, and they promise to send someone out to the house within the hour.
My next call is to my dad, who is at the coffee shop working with my mom, thank God. My mom is one of the sweetest souls I know. I’d hate to see what Brent would do to her if he had the chance.
“Hey, sweetie, what’s up?” My dad answers.
“When I got home, there was a package at the door.”
“Okay?”
“It was from Brent.”
“Shit! I’m coming home.”
“No, don’t come home. It’s fine. I’m fine. I called the police, and they’re sending someone over.”
“Are you sure? I think I should come home.”
“Dad, it’s fine. I don’t want mom to be alone.”
He sighs. “What was in the box?”
“There was a picture of us, some jewelry he had given me, and a note.”
“Did he threaten you?”
“No, he said he was sorry and wants to get back together.”
“Fuck that.” He says, making me laugh. He’s cursed like a sailor, since I was a little girl, and I love him for it.
I’m still staring out my bedroom window when I see a Harper Falls police cruiser pull into the driveway and park behind my car. “Hmm, that was fast. Dad, I have to go. The police just got here.”
“Call me back and let me know what they say.”
“I will. Love you,” I tell my dad before hanging up and grabbing the box.
I’m walking down the stairs to the front door, I get a glimpse of Cam and a man I don’t recognize walking to the front door. “Shit.” I groan. I completely forgot Cam is a police officer. Cam is the last person I want to spill my shame to, but it’s not like I can ask them to send someone else. One of them knocks on the door just as I get to the last step. When I open it, I’m surprised by the fierce look on Cam’s face.
“Monroe, this is my partner Officer River Johnson,” Cam says, gesturing to the man standing beside him. He looks to be about our age, maybe a few years older. He seems like someone people can trust. I’d like to believe I’m a good judge of character, Brent, an exception, of course.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” He says, nodding at me.
Smiling politely, I open the door for them. “Why don’t you guys come in.”
Once they are inside, I close and lock the door behind them before walking to the living room and taking a seat after telling them to do the same. Instead, they stand, staring at me intently. Feeling weird being the only one sitting, I stand and wait with my arms crossed.
“Is that the package you got today?” Cam asks, eyeing it like it’s a bomb about to explode.
“Yeah.”
“Can we take a look at it?” Officer Johnson asks.
Shrugging, I hand it to him and watch as he starts pulling the items out.
“Is this why you came back to Harper Falls?” Cam asks. When I nod, he swears under his breath. “Tell me everything that happened before today.”
“Everything?”
Cam’s stern expression has me sighing. “Brent and I were together for a couple of years. It turned abusive, and eventually, I had enough and left him. He didn’t like it, he found me, beat the shit out of me, and I ended up in the hospital.”
Officer Johnson whistles low, “That’s fucked up.”
“Yeah, well, they called my dad, and he brought me back home, but not before I filed charges against him and got a restraining order.”
“Smart thinking.” Officer Johnson adds while reading the note from the box.
“Have you heard from him before now, or was this the first time he’s contacted you since you left him?” Cam asks, his arms crossed against his chest, and his eyes leveling me with a hard stare.
“I haven’t heard anything from him in months, not since the night he showed up at my hotel room and told me I would always be his. Mother fucker! Is he even allowed to contact me like this?”
“That depends, what are the terms of the restraining order?” Cam asks as Officer Johnson hands the box over to him.
“He isn’t allowed to come within five hundred feet of me.”
“Technically, he didn’t violate the order, so we can’t arrest him for sending you this. Do you have his phone number?” Officer Johnson asks.
“Yeah, why?”
“We can trace it to find out where he is and go have a chat with him.”
“Jesus, that’s only going to piss him off.” I sigh, wishing this nightmare would finally end.
Cam sets the box down on the coffee table then looks at me. “Monroe, if we don’t know where he is, we won’t be able to keep you safe. We can find out his phone number and everything else on the guy. You telling us just saves us a step.”
“Duh, Jesus. I’m a mess, Cam. I don’t know what to do anymore.” I say.
“Don’t do anything. If he calls, don’t answer. If he texts, don’t respond. If he sends you another box, don’t open it.” Cam says, handing me his card. “My cell number is on the back. Call me. I don’t care what time it is. I want to know the next time he tries getting in contact.”
“Okay.”
“I’m serious, Monroe. I’m the first call you make, you got it?”
I roll my eyes at him but nod. Johnson clears his throat looking between us curiously.
Going into the kitchen, I pull out my phone to look up Brent’s number and write his name and number down on a scrap of paper. I hand the paper over to Cam and laugh awkwardly at the two policemen standing in front of me. “You think he’ll just leave if I ignore him?”