He wouldn' t let me go. But he was building a new life, a new family, with another woman. My stomach churned with a sickening mix of anger and confusion. Aubrie was different. He actually cared for her. Hunter, who had always treated women as disposable, was attentive, even respectful, to Aubrie.

Their two-year affair had blossomed, seemingly, into something stable, something happy. He allowed her to parade herself in front of me and Kaylee, a constant, subtle provocation. Every night, he would come home smelling of her perfume, a scent that clung to him like a second skin.

I pretended not to notice, not to smell it. I just endured, waiting, wishing for the day he would grow tired of me. I longed for him to be the one to ask for a divorce.

Why, now that Aubrie was carrying his child, was he still clinging to me?

I remembered the first time I met him. He had said he loved me. He had pursued me with a ruthless determination, systematically destroying my family' s finances and Alan' s career, forcing me into this marriage.

The day Alan broke up with me, he cried. He told me Hunter had threatened his family. Hunter had stood there, a victorious smirk on his face, pulling me into his arms.

"You' re mine, Krystal," he' d whispered, his eyes blazing with a possessive fire. "Anyone who tries to take you away will pay the price."

I saw the love in his eyes then, and the madness. If this was how he loved, I thought, then I would accept my fate.

But Aubrie was the exception. Hunter showered her with affection, respect, and freedom, everything he denied me. He had only ever caged me.

He stopped loving me a long time ago. I was sure of it.

The thought of leaving him, of truly being free, consumed me. My old enemy, insomnia, returned with a vengeance.

Hunter was gone for a few days, a rare reprieve that allowed me to breathe. After dropping Kaylee off at school, I decided to go to the hospital for a check-up. If I didn' t take care of myself, no one would.

And then I saw him. Hunter, with Aubrie, in the maternity ward.

Aubrie was laughing, playfully tugging at his arm. Hunter, hands in his pockets, listened patiently, a soft smile on his face. He never looked at me that way. He never listened to me with such patience.

Suddenly, his head snapped up. His eyes, sharp and intense, locked onto mine. He took a step forward, an instinctive reaction.

But Aubrie was quicker. She coiled her arm around his, pulling him back. They walked towards me, her smile triumphant.

"Krystal, darling," Aubrie purred, her voice dripping with mock sweetness. "You knew about us all along, didn' t you?"

I said nothing. My silence was her victory.

"Hunter and I are in love," she declared, her eyes sparkling.

Her happiness seemed to inflate with my silence. She tilted her head, a challenge in her gaze. "Why aren' t you jealous, Krystal? Why don' t you make a scene?"

My heart was beating steadily, no tremor of emotion. My mind felt slow, dulled by exhaustion.

Hunter grew impatient. "Krystal," he said, his voice clipped. "Go get Aubrie' s prenatal vitamins from the pharmacy."

He held out the prescription, his wedding ring glinting under the harsh hospital lights. It was a grotesque symbol of my servitude.

I slowly lifted my head. They were treating me like a housemaid. The thought ignited a spark of something long dormant within me.

With a sudden burst of defiance, I slapped the prescription out of his hand. It fluttered to the floor, a single sheet of paper.

"Why should I run errands for your mistress, Hunter?" My voice, usually so quiet, resonated with a force I hadn' t known I possessed.

The three of us froze. The years of suppressed anger, the buried temper, flared to life. This feeling… it was exhilarating. I had endured so much, even closing doors behind them, pretending not to notice their affair. This felt good.

I didn' t care about their reactions. I accidentally stepped on Hunter' s foot, then glared at him.

His laughter, loud and unhinged, filled the sterile hallway. I knew it wasn' t because of me. He wasn' t laughing with me; he was laughing at me.

I hurried away, desperate to escape. I knew I had angered him.

And sure enough, Hunter, who had been absent for days, returned that very evening.

Kaylee, who hadn' t seen her father in days, immediately ran into his arms, leaving my hand cold and empty.

They played in the living room, their laughter echoing through the large, empty house. I retreated to the kitchen, pretending to help the housekeeper. There was nothing for me to do, really. I just stood there, occasionally washing a vegetable or handing over a bowl, mostly lost in thought.

The housekeeper sighed. "Mr. Walls really does care about you, you know," she said softly. "He calls every day to check in when he' s away."

She paused, then asked, "Why are you always so afraid of him, ma' am?"

The word "afraid" felt like it was branded onto my very bones.

I remembered my first attempt to escape after we were married. Hunter had made one phone call, and Alan, my college boyfriend, had lost his job.

My second attempt, he fired our long-time housekeeper, a kind woman who had worked for his family for ten years.

The third time, he sabotaged my brother' s wedding.

I had cried, begging him, "Why won' t you just let me go?"

He' d raised his wine glass, a cruel smile playing on his lips, savoring the fear in my eyes. "Everything you care about, Krystal, I care nothing for." He' d laughed. "You can never win against me."

I had learned my lesson. Each time I fought back, someone else suffered. Hunter knew my weaknesses, my attachments. He could always find a leverage point, something to push me back into the abyss.

Suddenly, Hunter was standing in the kitchen doorway, holding Kaylee in his arms. He looked at me, a lazy, calculating smirk on his face.

I quickly composed myself, forcing a tired smile.

"I wasn' t hiding," I said, my voice carefully neutral. "Just helping out." I extended my arms to Kaylee.

He leaned in, brushing his lips against my cheek. His voice, a low rumble, sent a shiver down my spine. "Are you jealous, Krystal?"

I couldn' t believe this was his first question after being gone for days, after our daughter had been so upset. I didn' t answer.

Later, after Kaylee was asleep, I watched Hunter emerge from the bathroom, humming a tune, clearly in a good mood.

"Hunter," I said, my voice steady. "You and Aubrie can be together. I won' t be jealous."

He stopped humming.

"Jealousy is reserved for people I actually love," I continued, my voice unwavering. "And you, Hunter, don' t deserve to be loved."

The tune died on his lips. His eyes, once bright, darkened. His large hand shot out, grabbing my arm, his face a mask of fury. He slammed me against the bed, his grip like iron.