Brad’s morning surgery schedule gave her plenty of time to gather her belongings, but as Lillian entered the cold marble foyer, she wasted no time dashing upstairs to the master bedroom. In the walk-in closet, she grabbed the four-piece suitcase set she’d packed her clothes in a month ago and got to work without delay. Other than her wardrobe, toiletries and art supplies, she wanted nothing from this place.
Less than an hour later, she was brought to a sudden halt descending the stairs carrying the last of her paintings as Brad flung open the front door. The fury glittering in his cold brown eyes sent a frisson of alarm down her spine before she straightened and continued down the stairs. In the last month, she’d never cowered under that look and refused to start now.
With the sly calculation of a fox, Lillian watched his expression slide into one of feigned concern. “Baby, I’m so sorry about Liana. As soon as I got word, I cancelled the rest of my surgeries and rushed home to be here for you.” He stepped forward as she reached the bottom of the stairs, not fooled in the least by his conciliatory tone or compassionate gaze. There was no way he’d come in through the front without noticing her packed car. “Taking those somewhere?” he asked, nodding toward the paintings tucked under her arms.
“Yes, out of here.” She took a step sideways to go around him, but he followed, blocking her path. “Get out of my way, Brad. I’m leaving. Your threat to hurt Liana can no longer keep me here, as you damn well know.”
In the blink of an eye, Brad reached for her upper arm, his demeanor changing back to frigidly furious. With her heart jumping into her throat, she leapt back, evaded his grip and sprinted toward the door only to have him halt her flight by grabbing a fistful of her hair. Painful pricks stabbed at her skull as several strands came ripping out as he flung her onto the floor, her hip exploding in agony when she landed on the unforgiving marble. Shock robbed her of breath as he lifted his foot and kicked her in the ribs, his assault coming so fast, and with first-time brutality, all she could do was lie there struggling to breathe through the waves of red-hot torment.
Squatting in front of her, it took every ounce of Lillian’s battered control to keep from shrinking back as Brad brushed her hair aside with gentle fingers and said in a voice gone deceptively soft, “Baby, I thought we’d gotten past this penchant you have for thinking you can walk out on me. Don’t you remember our first date, when I told you how much I was looking forward to a long relationship?”
Brad’s eyes held the same cold, calculating gleam as when he’d whispered the numerous ways he could harm Liana while she lay helpless, ways no one would ever detect. He’d delivered that warning right in front of his medical colleagues in Liana’s room, the look of caring concern reflected on his face never wavering. Only she had seen his eyes change and heard the menace in his voice.
But that was then, when Liana’s fragile condition had left her no choice but to return to him, and stay in this house, under his thumb for the last four weeks. She had nothing left to lose by defying him except more pain, and she was in so much now, emotional and physical, Lillian was willing to risk more physical harm to get away from him once and for all.
“I remember,” she whispered, allowing a small smile to curve her trembling lips as she lifted her face closer to his. “I also remember how your conceited, overbearing, possessive machinations drove me away.” With a quick head butt, she sent him jerking backward enough for her to scramble to her feet. But it wasn’t enough to get her to the door before he sent one picture flying out from under her arm with another grab.
How Lillian managed to retain her hold on the other when he backhanded her hard enough to slam her against the wall, splitting her lip and sending pain blossoming across the entire left side of her face, she didn’t know. Gasping for breath, her head reeling as the jarring impact ricocheted in a burning agony across her ribcage, she let loose the building, consuming rage filling her.
“You bastard.” Swinging the painting, one of her favorites, at his head with every ounce of strength she could muster, Lillian only had time for one deep, excruciating inhale as Brad stumbled against the entry table. Blood gushed from his temple where the corner of the frame had struck, his eyes widening in surprise as he crumpled to the floor.
With one arm cradling her ribs, she shuffled toward the door, the amount of blood pouring from his head adding nausea to her other afflictions. “Stay away from me, Doctor, or I’ll file charges.”
Brad greeted her threat with a pain-filled, scornful laugh. “You wouldn’t dare. Who the fuck would believe you over me? In fact,” he tried to get to his feet, failed and leaned against the wall, his face going from pale to chalk-white, “after I spin my side of this to Bryan, you’ll be the one facing charges.”
Even his over-protective cop brother wouldn’t be able to deny the proof her pictures documented, so his threat didn’t faze Lillian. She looked down at him with disdain, no longer fearing him as a strange calming numbness took over her body. “Did you honestly believe I would tolerate your abuse and threats without documenting every bruise? I took pictures of every mark you left on me and I won’t hesitate to use them if you ever come near me again. Think your sterling reputation will hold up under such scrutiny? Goodbye, Brad.”
Chalky with shock, dazed with grief and pain, Lillian couldn’t think beyond the need to escape her anguish. She’d sublet her apartment when Brad had blackmailed her into moving in with him, putting everything she hadn’t brought to his house and was now loaded in her car in storage. With no place to go, she ignored the warnings of her muddled reasoning that made the drastic decision to drive to the bank and clear out her checking and savings accounts ill-advised. With nothing left for her in the city she grew up in, she was determined to keep driving. Liana’s body was already at the crematorium where her ashes would be stored in the mausoleum along with their parents, and she needed to find a way to come to peace with never getting the chance to tell her goodbye.
Tamping down on those crippling emotions, she refused to let them bubble to the surface as she veered onto the highway out of Salt Lake City with no destination in mind. Her whole body shook as the road stretched out before her. Wondering where she should go, she glanced at the bank bag bulging with cash. More tears cascaded down her face as she realized she would now inherit her sister’s portion of their inheritance. Money wasn’t a problem, but that offered no comfort for the heartache encompassing her.
At least Lillian was free of Brad, and this time for good. Not even his brother, whom she’d met once, could bail him out of this scrape if she chose to file charges. Ten years older than Brad, his brother bore part of the blame for Brad’s behavior by always covering for him from as far back as when Brad had been a wild teenager. Between his colleagues and patients constant praise and admiration pumping up his God complex and Bryan still around to spoil him, she couldn’t believe she’d ever fallen for his fake charm.
Nausea, blurred vision and excruciating discomfort forced Lillian to stop as she crossed into Wyoming almost two hours later. She had no idea what town she was in when she pulled into a Walgreens and didn’t care. After purchasing first aid supplies and dodging the solicitous inquiries from the salesclerk, she checked into the motel across the street for some much-needed rest.