Page 59 of Ever After

I glance back at the cottage. Inside there is a sly entity hiding behind my husband like he’s a camouflage suit. The urge to run inside and attack it and free Levi beats like a war drum in my chest. But I need to play this carefully. I can’t let that thing realise I know. I can’t let it hurt Levi. I take a steadying breath, push my hair back with shaking fingers, and enter the cottage.

“Well, that was fucking rude,” I call out. I can hear the throb of emotion in my voice, but hopefully the entity won’t see anything wrong with that.

When I think of what it’s been making my Levi say and do, anger flares in my chest, a hot, roaring flame. Levi’s one of the kindest people I’ve ever met, and he would utterly hate that he’s been rude.

Movement comes from my right, and I spin around. Levi’s leaning against the kitchen counter. “Fuck,” I gasp. “You could have said you were there.”

“And what would the fun have been in that?” the thing wearing my husband says. He looks down at the counter intently. Shit. The sugar’s still there with the words written in it. When his eyes flick back to me, the irises flash red. He blinks and they’re brown again. “What is this?” he asks in a deceptively calm voice.

“What is what?”

I edge closer and he raises an eyebrow. “Do you fear me, Blue?”

“Should I?”

Something wicked and cruel takes over his face. Another one of those flashes, and then it’s gone. Then he shrugs. “Of course not. I am your husband.”

“Well, husbands don’t hit their partners and shove them over on their honeymoon and not even apologise.”

His voice is filled with amusement. “What a boring thing a honeymoon is, then.” He puts his finger on the worktop in front of him and makes a quick slash. “Come to the side of the cottage,” he reads. “Whatever does that mean, Blue?”

I make myself shrug. “It’s a message to you, of course.”

“Oh yes?”

“We always leave messages that way. We like notes that are fun and unexpected, remember? I wanted you to get some fresh air,” I lie. I pin a look of concern on my face. “Maybe we should go to the hospital. You seem to be forgetting things, Levi.”

He stares at me for a long few seconds. Long enough for the sweat to gather under my arms. Then he shrugs. “Of course I remember. Maybe I did not want to come outside.”

“Too wet for you?”

He smiles cruelly. “Or the company is too bad.”

I make my face look sad, aware of the pleasure vibrating from his body. Another repulsive reminder this is not my Levi. He has such a gentle heart.

I’m here, macushla, I say in my head. Hang on.

“Maybe we should spend some time apart today,” I say quietly. “You’re obviously not my biggest fan.”

There’s a beat and then he nods. “I will be in the drawing room reading.”

“The diary?” I say before I can stop myself. “Is it that interesting?”

He cocks his head, a puppet on someone else’s strings. “Very interesting,” he says.

“Why? It’s just an old diary.” Knowing what he’s discovered might help us.

He shrugs jerkily. “I will lie down, I think.”

Is the entity getting tired? I’m running out of time. “I’ll see to the groceries and dinner,” I say.

It moves out of the room and I stand still, listening very intently. I hear the lounge door close, the creaking of the sofa, and then silence. I step over and spread my hand over the door. Love you, I say in my head. Love you so much.

I look around helplessly. Something that wasn’t here before.

This is a rental cottage. How the hell am I supposed to know if something has been added when I don’t know the place? There are knick-knacks everywhere.

I rattle a few pots and pans and then switch the TV on to cover the sound of my movements.