Chapter 67

Chapter Sixty-Seven

“ I t’s Ezra!” Jenny gasps in panic and jumps off the stool to run out the back door. “Don’t tell him I was here! He’ll kill me if he finds out!”

“Wait! What am I supposed to do now?” I shout after her angrily and follow her.

But she just shakes her head and forms an “I’m sorry” with her lips. Then she’s gone, and I’m left completely confused and overwhelmed by all the information.

When I hear the front door being unlocked, I tense up, and my heart races like crazy. Where did he get a key from, and what the hell am I going to do now? But I’m out of time because Ezra enters the kitchen beaming with joy and comes toward me.

“Hey, Beauty. Why aren’t you in bed? Are you okay? You look pale. Do you want to sit down?” His questions come at me like little bombs because I have no idea if his concern is genuine or just a sick game. The only question is, what is he trying to do? Damn, was it really all fake? Or am I judging too quickly, and there’s nothing to Jenny’s stories? I don’t know what to believe anymore…

Ezra approaches me with a worried look and puts a hand on my cheek. I try compulsively not to shy away from him.

Where just a few hours ago, his closeness and warmth gave me an incredible amount of strength and support; I am now gripped by ice-cold fear. I can’t ignore everything Jenny has told me. She couldn’t possibly have made it up. Because yesterday, when she saw him, she was utterly shocked to have him standing in front of her. But Ezra’s explanation, words…, and actions… also speak for themselves. Who am I supposed to believe?

My head is spinning, and I’m unsure of the best course of action. Should I talk to him about it? Maybe there is a reasonable explanation after all? Maybe Jenny is the crazy one and is doing Ezra a complete injustice… Or should I listen to a stranger, throw him out, and call the police? But what should I tell them? All I know is a suspicion because he was—for whatever reason—declared innocent and subsequently released from prison.

“Baby?” comes Ezra’s deep voice, which I’ve always loved to hear. But now it scares the shit out of me.

I decide not to confront Ezra. I’m uncertain whether these terrible accusations have any truth to them or if she’s simply trying to harm him with her claims. I don’t know who or what to believe at this point.

Confronting Ezra now would be unproductive; he might think I’m losing my mind, deny everything, or, in the worst case, cause harm to Jenny. She left here terrified, fearing he might catch her. I can’t betray her trust—not until I have more clarity on whether her story holds any truth. Please, don’t let it be true…

So I just nod weakly and try not to let anything else show, even though I want to run away screaming from this bizarre situation.

“Yes, sorry. All this… it’s a lot, and June will be here soon. I have to cook something and get ready so that she doesn’t see me like this, and I have to talk to Thomas briefly on the phone about what we will tell June now and how we will stay… You see… my head is full, and I don’t know where to put all my thoughts,” I explain to him and give him a small, apologetic smile, hoping he’ll buy it.

Ezra looks at me with a furrowed brow, and the seconds he says nothing feels like hours. I hold my breath and continue to try not to let my fear show. After a moment, Ezra steps a little closer to me and presses a kiss to my forehead, which makes me shiver.

“Take it easy, okay? We’ll manage together. You get ready and call your ex to sort things out. He can’t do anything to you on the phone, but I’ll be there if anything happens. And I’ll cook something in the meantime, so you don’t have to worry about that too. When June comes, we’ll talk to her. How does that sound?” Ezra asks me in a soft voice.

“That’s so sweet of you. Thank you. But…” I start hesitantly and move away from him a little because I can’t stand being near him any longer, as it’s all getting too much for me right now. “I would like to have this conversation with June alone. I don’t even know what to tell her yet, or whether I should tell her anything at all. It would probably be very confusing if a neighbor sat at the table during such a conversation. Don’t you think? We need to take things slower if we want everyone to get on board with it. Can you understand that?”

I look at him with my head down, hoping he doesn’t see I’m trying to stall. But I wasn’t lying. I have no idea what to tell June. It wouldn’t be fair to her to drop the bombshell that her father and I had split up overnight. After all, June doesn’t know about our marital problems. She doesn’t think there are any major problems in our family, except perhaps her father can be a bit bossy when things don’t go his way. But she doesn’t know that her father can become such a monster, beating her mother around their safe home. She’ll be blindsided and probably won’t buy my little lie about falling down the stairs. June is smart. She’d put one and one together, and I don’t want that.

“So you won’t tell June that we’re together now?” Ezra asks, and I can tell he doesn’t like what he’s hearing.

Suddenly, I hear a threatening undertone where there is usually only warmth. Was I really that blind, or am I just imagining it? Damn, what’s real and what’s not? Is my infatuation playing tricks on me, or is it more likely this stranger who wants to take Ezra’s— our —happiness?

My pulse is racing, and I can’t breathe because I simply can’t tell what’s real and what’s not. Nevertheless, I try to stay calm and not let it show. So, I bridge the distance that I had previously put between us. I gently take his hand and look at him urgently.

“Don’t you think she already has so much to deal with? I want to do it right, okay?” I talk to him gently and give him a small smile at the end, softening his features again before his hand slides to my cheek, and he presses a very soft kiss on it.

“Good, then you go upstairs, and I’ll cook. It won’t taste as good as yours, but I’ll try,” Ezra jokes, planting another kiss on me. “Baby, I’m so glad we have each other, and don’t worry, I won’t let you go,” he murmurs against my lips, making the blood freeze in my veins because I think I now understand the true meaning behind those words.

I smile and hope it doesn’t look too artificial before briefly returning his kiss and then going upstairs. I try not to rush up the stairs so he doesn’t get suspicious. Once upstairs, I immediately grab my cell phone and call Thomas. But even after the third time, it only goes to voicemail.

I run my fingers through my hair in despair and don’t know what to do now. Somehow, I must get out of here, but I can’t until Ezra leaves so I can have the conversation with June. I must tell June what I’ve learned about Ezra! She needs to know that he could be dangerous, so she’ll stay away from him until I find out the truth.

Kelly! Suddenly, it pops into my head. I quickly text my friend, telling her I have to go into hiding with June indefinitely. I don’t want her to ask any questions or reply to the message. After I send it and see that she’s read it, I delete the message in my chat, just in case.

I need to get away from Ezra somehow to find out what’s up with Jenny’s accusations before I decide. And I can’t do that if he’s right next door and can keep breaking into my house unnoticed and as if by magic. I wouldn’t be able to sleep a wink, worrying that he could suddenly be standing behind me at any second, as he has always done. I wonder why that never seemed strange to me before.

Because I don’t know precisely when June will be back, I put on some makeup to cover up the dark spots on my face so that she doesn’t get too scared of me. Because I look awful. My lip is still swollen and torments me when I speak, and my body is in a lot of pain. But I can’t worry about that now. I must stay calm when I return to him and pretend everything is fine.

I take a deep breath and brace myself to return to Ezra. My heart is pounding in my throat, and my nerves are threatening to explode just as the anxious trembling won’t stop. Still, there’s no way around it. June could come home at any moment, and Ezra can’t be here. So close your eyes and get through it.

“Everything okay? I hope he didn’t threaten you again,” Ezra growls through clenched teeth, causing me to tense up again.

I quickly shake my head.

“No. I couldn’t get through to him,” I reply, shrugging my shoulders. “What are you cooking?” I deflect, trying to calm my nerves.

Ezra grins in his typical way as he continues to chop something up. Again, I wonder if I’m doing the right thing here because some woman from his past is making such claims…? Doesn’t he deserve at least a bit of the benefit of the doubt for everything he’s already done for me?

“The only thing I’m great at. Everything else is rather mediocre. Stew,” he replies with a grin and shrugs apologetically.

Just a few hours ago, I would have melted at the thought of this, but now I can’t help wondering if what Jenny said is true. Unfortunately, I don’t have her number, full name, or any other leads to find her and ask more questions. What she told me isn’t enough—I need more information.

Maybe it’s not true. Despite everything, I can’t picture Ezra as a stone-cold killer. Perhaps a stalker, when emotions get the better of him, because there were a lot of coincidences that seemed strange in retrospect. But a murderer? A serial killer who supposedly killed all his ex-girlfriends?

I simply don’t know what’s true and what’s not. But I don’t want to ignore it either, not if June is involved. He could just walk in here at any time and do something to her if he’s capable of these horrible things. No! I will not risk my daughter’s life! That’s why I’m sticking to my plan, so I can find out what the truth is. I need to know!

“Thank you for helping me and being such a support. But I think I can manage today without my savior. June will be here soon…” I leave the sentence open and look over my shoulder to make sure she’s not already parked outside the house.

“Of course. I’ll leave you alone for today, even though I already miss you and don’t know how to get through the day without you. But maybe I can steal a secret kiss tonight… or even more…?” he replies and winks at me before throwing the remaining ingredients into the pot, putting the knife on the board, and then coming over to me.

I smile and return the kiss before pulling away from him and looking at the floor in embarrassment, hoping he’ll let go of me and finally leave. It’s all getting too much for me, and I need a clear head so I don’t lose sight of everything happening around me. I’m doing this for June, her safety, and me… and Ezra. Because I can’t and won’t believe what Jenny told me is true. It must be a lie!

“This has to simmer for another hour. I’ll be in the club until this evening. If you want to see me, just let me know… I love you, Beauty,” he whispers and passionately kisses me.

His words confuse me even more and I can’t say anything back. I look at him wide-eyed as he breaks away from me and finally leaves my house a little later. The moment I hear the hum of his motorcycle fading, I snap out of my daze. I quickly turn off the stove and race upstairs to pack a few things. It’s a relief that Ezra isn’t next door; I was unsure how I’d manage to get the suitcases into my car without being seen.

Once in my bedroom, I pull two large suitcases from the top shelf, one for me and one for June, before rushing to my cell phone to call her. I feel like I’m in a race against time that I’m about to lose if I stop for a second. I hurriedly dial June’s number, praying she’ll pick up.

“Hi, Mom. I’ll be home in a minute. What’s up?” June picks up in a good mood, which makes me feel relieved because it means her father hasn’t contacted her to explain his side of things.

“June. Listen to me very carefully now, and I’m not joking!” I start the conversation in a serious voice.

I wish I could do it more gently and without scaring her so much, but I want to prevent her from running into Ezra at all costs.

“Mom, what’s wrong? You’re scaring me,” she stammers, giving me a stab in the chest. But we both have to be strong now.

“Sorry, dear. But it’s really important. Please go to Kelly’s right away. Don’t come home! Do you understand?! Don’t. Come. Home. June! I’ll meet you there and explain everything, okay?” I speak with urgency.

“O-okay,” she replies uncertainly.

“Do you need anything important that you want me to pack? Because we’ll probably be staying there for a few days…” I explain to her, throwing some of my clothes into one suitcase.

“Um… I… I don’t know. I don’t think so. I’ve got my laptop and everything I need for school. Mom, what’s going on?” June asks again anxiously.

“I’ll explain everything later. Just go straight to Kelly’s. Don’t stop, and don’t talk to anyone. I love you.” With that, I hang up before I lose the strength I need to get through all of this.

While I pack my suitcase, I try to call Thomas again, but he still doesn’t answer and I’m forced to leave him a voicemail. Not wanting to say the wrong thing or add fuel to the fire, I decide not to tell him anything about my suspicions about Ezra. I have no solid evidence, and Thomas is a lawyer. Without evidence, there is no crime for him. So there’s no need for me to tell him. Besides, I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of him by suggesting that my affair could be a potential killer, for which I still don’t have a single piece of solid evidence.

Am I doing the right thing here? My doubts eat deeper into my heart, and images of the last few months threaten to flood my mind.

But I realize that I not only have to watch out for June but also for Thomas. Ezra would undoubtedly have hurt him far worse yesterday if I hadn’t stopped him. I don’t know if he wants to get revenge on him again or use him to get to me and June. I can’t take any chances, and I’d rather keep him out of all this. It’s only my fault that the ones I love might be in danger. I must find out whether this is the case, but I’m not prepared to take the risk if Jenny is right about everything. I must protect my daughter!

However, I end my voicemail with my plan to tell June that he will be away on business for the next two weeks. I ask him not to contact me because I need distance and time to somehow process all of this and figure out how to explain the separation to our daughter. Inwardly, I wish everything had gone differently, especially now that things have taken such a turn with Ezra…

After I calm down a bit, I hurriedly finish packing my things and June’s, then stomp downstairs with both suitcases to stow them in my car. I quickly dispose of the stew and leave the rest of the dishes that Ezra used for cooking untouched. The main thing is that nothing rots here. I can take care of the rest when I feel safe in my home again.

I let my gaze wander through my house one last time before I turn away and leave it to drive to Kelly’s as quickly as possible.

I'm flooded with thoughts, yet nothing feels clear. I’m at a loss about where to start investigating the truth behind Jenny’s claims. I wish I’d never gotten involved with you, Ezra King!