Page 67 of One More Chance
“I wouldn’t have seen it as anything if you’d just told me,” she snapped. But she winced at her own words and tone, her shoulders drawing with regret at her sharpness. “Damn, Levi. I don’t need you to be perfect. I never did. I need you to be honest. That’s always been the bare minimum.” She looked at me for a long time before letting out a long sigh. “So, what now?”
I squeezed her hand. “Now... we wait for the police to do their jobs. In the meantime, we stay alert and keep the kids close. I’m not letting her anywhere near you or the baby.”
Her lips trembled. Her eyes were darker now, rimmed with unshed tears and something colder: fear.
“Okay. I agree with you. We let the police handle it. Levi, Listen…” She paused and I saw she struggled with what to say next. “I didn’t tell you everything either.”
I felt my mouth go dry. “What do you mean?”
She swallowed. “Angie’s been calling the clinic. Leaving voicemails. Threatening ones.”
“What?” I leapt up from the table, the chair clattering to the tile. Rage coated my next words. “I am going to go kill her, Sloane.”
“Levi, no!” Sloane’s desperate plea helped me stay grounded. She stood, reached up, and put her cool hands on my hot face as she looked into my eyes. "You promised me you would do this the right way, didn't you?"
I broke my vows to fuck that bitch. What's one more broken promise? I will kill a thousand Angies to keep you safe.
I didn't say that. Instead, I saw my wife through a haze of red… and I took a deep breath.
"Please," she said, "stay here with me and listen."
I picked the chair up, sat back down with her, and we held hands as she spoke.
“Angie would call and say things like, ‘You'll never know him like I do,’ or, ‘He will always be mine,’ or, "I'll never let you steal him from me.'”
My knuckles popped as my fists clenched. Angie was trying to unravel everything I had been carefully working towards. “Sloane, why didn’t you tell me?”
“For the same reasons you didn’t tell me. I suppose that's why I can't be too angry with you." She took a deep breath before she said, "Also, I was scared of how you would react.”
With the thoughts of my hands wrapped around Angie's throat still fresh on my mind, I had to concede her point. “I am sorry you didn't feel safe sharing this with me. What did you do?”
She exhaled shakily. “I deleted them before anybody else could hear them. She only left them when my shift started, so I think she was watching the clinic. Plus, I didn’t want anybody at the clinic to see me as… fragile.”
I cupped her face with my hand. “You are not fragile, Sloane. You’re stronger than anyone I know. But no one should have to be strong alone.”
She didn’t pull away and nestled her face against my palm, but her jaw stayed tight. “The kids cannot know about this.”
“I know.”
Her voice turned hollow. “She knows where I work, Levi. Where our kids go to school. And now we’re supposed to sit here and just… wait?”
“No,” I said. “We take this to the detective. Every detail you can recall needs to be sent to Harlan. Plus with the shutdown, the kids will be here at home, I've called off all jobs at Master Builders, and I don’t plan on leaving this house unless it's for necessities.”
Sloane nodded with glistening eyes. “Okay." Her shoulders slumped. "I am so tired, Levi.”
“I know. But we’re going to end this. I swear. I will do it right and let the police handle it. Alright?”
"Okay. I am choosing to trust you on this."
We sat in silence for awhile, unpacking everything we'd said and still wanted to say. Then she reached for me.
I didn’t hesitate. I opened my arms for her to fall into, the warmth of her body seeping into me. I kissed her temples, felt her breath hitch as I nuzzled into her neck to inhale the scent of her: comforting, familiar, delicious, everything.
“Fuck, I missed you today,” I whispered, my voice hoarse, raw with emotions I didn’t know I had left to give.
I felt the faint curve of her smile against my chest as she let out a long breath. “I missed you, too.”
She peeked up at me, the gesture so cute that I couldn’t help but lean down to kiss her. This woman was my world, my love, my life. She was so damn strong, so damn beautiful, and I was overwhelmed with gratitude every damn day she allowed me to be a part of her life.
