The Perfect Husband by Chris Taylor

the fullest, working hard and reaching for her dreams—and most
of all, making a home with Nigel, the man she’d loved.
    As she sat there, considering the dreams
she’d had as a teen, the awful realization of how far her life had
drifted off course hit her with a sickening jolt. The knowledge
that her children were growing up in such an unhappy, dysfunctional
household, filled her with sadness and more than a little panic.
She hadn’t seen it coming, so different was the reality of her life
from how she’d grown up and what she’d imagined for her future.
    She remembered how Nigel had tightened his
hands around her neck until she was certain she would black out,
and then most recently, when he’d held a knife against her throat.
She recalled the way he’d bragged about what he’d learned in the
books about serial killers and murder and other nameless horrors
and shuddered.
    And then there were the sleeping pills…
    The idea that her husband had it in him to
kill her filled her mind with so much horror she tried to block
those thoughts, but try as she might, she couldn’t. She was living
a nightmare with no avenue of escape.
    “Why the sad face? You look like your dog
just chewed up your favorite Jimmy Choos.”
    She looked up and saw Mason grinning down at
her, but even his lame attempt at a joke failed to penetrate her
misery. As if sensing her fragile emotional state, his grin faded
and when he took a seat opposite her, his expression was
solemn.
    “I’m sorry, Belle. I shouldn’t have joked
like that. It’s obvious something’s wrong. Why don’t you tell me
what’s going on?”
    She dropped her gaze and was once again
flooded with indecision. Was she really ready to leave her husband,
walk out on her marriage? And what about her kids? It appalled her
to think that if she did leave Nigel, they’d just become children
from another broken home.
    But what choice did she have? If
Nigel carried through on his unspoken plans, she’d more than likely
be dead and her children along with her. She couldn’t take the risk
that he’d follow through on his threats and there was no way she
was going to leave her babies alone to live with Nigel without
protection…
    Was she being overly dramatic? Reading
things into Nigel’s actions that just weren’t there? She was so
confused and tired and uncertain, she no longer knew what to think.
Her thoughts were a jumbled blur and she felt like she was caught
in some complicated maze, retracing the same steps over and over
again and getting nowhere.
    Mason squeezed her fingers. The contact
startled her. She pulled her hands away and averted her gaze.
    “Talk to me, Belle. I can see you need a
friend. Tell me what’s wrong and I’ll do everything I can to
help.”
    She shook her head in bewilderment. “How can
you say that? We haven’t seen each other in years. How could you
possibly know that there’s a problem? I appreciate your concern,
but we might as well be two strangers meeting for the first time
for all that we know about each other right now.”
    “It doesn’t matter. Something’s upset you. I
can see it in your eyes. There’s a sadness there that you never had
before and it tears me up inside. I want to help you, Belle. I want
to bring back your smile.”
    She looked at him and thought again how good
and kind he was. Did he see her as she saw herself in the mirror?
Was it obvious to the world now? She didn’t think she could bear to
know. “Why do you call me that?” she asked softly in an effort to
delay the real purpose for their conversation.
    He gave her a look that told her he knew
exactly what she was doing, but answered her anyway. “The name
Isobel always sounded so formal and proper. Belle seemed to suit
you so much more. Besides, everyone called you Isobel. To me, Belle
was unique and special.”
    His voice had grown husky over the course of
his explanation and emotion now shadowed his face. It dawned on her
that his feelings for her from