The Perfect Husband (14 page)

Mason stared at him, his eyes narrowed.
Anger swirled low in his gut. “If you hadn’t hurt her, and had
treated her as a loving husband should, she wouldn’t have had
reason to leave. Did you ever think of that?”

Nigel spluttered and waved his hands.
Mason’s lip curled up in disgust. “You’re a disgrace, Nigel
Donnelly. You don’t have the right to call yourself a man, let
alone lay claim to someone as fine as Isobel West.”

Nigel’s eyes blazed, but Mason stood his
ground. “It’s Isobel
Donnelly
to you.
Mrs
Isobel
Donnelly,” Nigel shouted and then his expression turned into a
sneer. “I see you haven’t denied knowing where she is.”

Mason shrugged. “Why would I bother? You’ve
already made up your mind about what happened. I can see you don’t
make the mistake of letting the truth get in the way of what you
want to believe. It must be tough beating up on a defenseless
woman.”

His calm statement seemed to infuriate Nigel
further. The man growled deep in his throat and lunged at him, but
this time, the security guard’s hold remained firm. Mason stared at
Nigel and silently dared him to hit him. He’d love to have an
excuse to drive his fist into the bastard’s handsome face.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Georgie
Whitely striding toward them, a look of concern on her face.

“Doctor Alexander, would you mind checking
in on Sam Perkins?” she asked when she reached them, ignoring
Nigel. “He’s not responding as well as we hoped to his medication.
His fever’s still high and—”

“Go on, do it. You know you want to,” Nigel
goaded him.

Fury burned through Mason and his hands
clenched into fists. The roar in his head urged him to punch the
bastard and wipe the smug look off his face. The only thing that
stopped him was the knowledge that hitting him was exactly what
Nigel wanted. Mason’s career at the hospital would be over just as
soon as it had begun. He’d be lucky to secure a job elsewhere in
the state if he threw a punch.

“Doctor Alexander—” Georgie tried again.

To Mason’s relief, the security guard jerked
Nigel around and frog-marched him out of the ward. Mason dragged in
a deep breath and waited for the emotional haze to clear. He still
shook from the force of his anger, but was relieved he’d kept his
cool. The only other thing that gave him comfort was the knowledge
that Isobel would never have to put up with abuse from the prick
again.

* * *

Isobel’s breath caught at the sound of the
door banging and turned to scold Ben as he ran toward her down the
hall. She’d been jittery all morning, ever since Mason had left.
She guessed it was normal to feel so jumpy, under the
circumstances. In her mind she’d fantasized once she was away from
Nigel she’d feel safe. But the reality was much different than
that. It was only twenty-four hours since she’d walked out on her
violent husband and though he couldn’t contact her by phone
anymore, she still worried he might show up.

The fact that her fears had no grounding was
beside the point. No matter how many times she told herself Nigel
had no idea where Mason lived, she still couldn’t shake the feeling
that somehow, her estranged husband
would
find out and come
after her.

When he’d mentioned oh-so-casually about
running into Mason the day before, she’d nearly died from fright.
Of all the days for Nigel to discover his high school football
buddy now worked in the same hospital… She couldn’t believe it was
on the same day she’d chosen to make her escape. She could only
hope he’d bought her line about not knowing Mason was there. The
alternative sent shivers running down her spine.

The shrill ringing of her new cell phone
jarred her thoughts, but then she smiled. Mason was the only one
who knew the number. Hurrying across the living room, she picked it
up from the kitchen counter and quickly answered the call. “Mason,
how are you?”

“I’m fine. I…I just wanted to call you and
let you know Nigel’s on the warpath.”

Dread congealed in her belly and her mouth
went dry. “Wh-what do you mean?” she forced herself to ask.

“A little while ago, he came charging into
the kids’ ward like a bull with a bee up its butt. He reeked of
alcohol and was so consumed with rage, I thought he was going to
blow a gasket. He threw a punch at me and was escorted away by
security.”

Shock surged through her. She put her hand
up to her mouth to hold back a gasp. “Oh, Mason! I’m so sorry! This
is all my fault! I should never have involved you in my problems.
You… You could have been hurt! And what will the staff think? I bet
there was an awful scene.”

“Trust you to think of everyone but
yourself,” Mason replied. “And for the record yet again, I got
involved in this of my own free will. Nobody held a gun to my head.
It’s you and the kids I’m worried about,” he added in a somber
tone.

Isobel drew in a deep breath with his
reassuring words and did her best to quell the fear and panic that
had immediately taken hold. “We’ll be fine,” she said and wasn’t
sure which one of them she was trying to convince. “He doesn’t know
we’re here.”

“I hate to say it, but I think he probably
suspects I’m hiding you. But don’t worry. He doesn’t know where I
live and I’m not listed in any of the directories. I’ve only just
moved to the city. I haven’t had a chance to make the type of
friends I’d trust with my address. I’ll keep an eye on the vehicles
around me in case he gets it in his head to follow me, but I’m
certain it won’t come to that. What kind of car does he drive?”

“A bright red Porsche Boxster Cabriolet.
It’s quite distinctive.”

“Even better. I’ll spot him from a mile.
Hopefully he’ll waste a lot of time driving around the city streets
and will come up without a result. The odds of finding my building
amongst the thousands in Sydney are almost non-existent.”

She listened to his reassurances and her
breath eased a little. She wanted so much to believe Mason was
right.

“Thank you for calling and letting me know,”
she said softly. “I appreciate it.”

“Just be careful, that’s all. I… I care
about you, Belle. I promised to keep you safe and I won’t let you
down.”

The warmth and concern in his voice brought
on a rush of tears. It had been so long since she’d felt like
anyone gave a toss. Her family would have been behind her one
hundred percent if they’d known what had been going on, but she
hadn’t told them about the real Nigel. At first, she’d been
horribly embarrassed to admit her perfect life was a farce. Later,
she couldn’t get past the shame.

It was stupid, but it was the truth. The
progression of abuse had been insidious. Over and over, she’d been
told by Nigel it was her fault. That if she’d been a better wife, a
better mother, it wouldn’t happen. She had no frame of reference
because she’d grown up in a lovely home and she’d been deeply
ashamed to admit to anyone that she was a victim of domestic
abuse.

At no point did she think it wasn’t her
fault. She could see now that Nigel had conditioned her that way.
She believed his hurtful taunts that she was to blame for the way
he acted.

If she loved him more, if she didn’t give
him cheek, if she had the dinner on the table on time; if the
bedspread was lined up properly, if there were no bones in the
salmon, if his shirts were ironed just right, he wouldn’t react
with anger and be forced to pull her back into line.

The last few months, she’d tried to do a
little research on the Internet, but she struggled to find the
right search words. Almost by accident, she’d stumbled across a
site about domestic abuse and so many of the statements rang true.
She’d read the statistics of how many women managed to escape and
how just as many often returned…

Would she be one of those?
It
terrified her that she didn’t know the answer.

Aware that Mason waited for her response on
the other end of the phone, she replied as honestly as she
could.

“Thank you, Mason. It means a lot to know
you care. You’re so good and kind and I don’t know what I would
have done without you. You gave me the courage to do what I should
have done a long time ago. I’ll never be able to thank you.”

Mason’s voice was gruff when he replied. “I
don’t want your thanks. And you’re wrong. You’re braver than you
think. You’re the bravest woman I know.”

“How can you say that? I’ve lived with Nigel
like this for more than nine years. Nine years! If I was truly
brave, I would have stood up to him right at the outset, after the
very first time he hit me.”

“Don’t say that, Belle. I don’t pretend to
know what you’ve been through, but I know enough about domestic
abuse to know it’s never as easy as that. These men are cunning,
they work away at your self-respect, isolate you and make you doubt
yourself, your intellect.”

She heard him take a quick breath before
continuing. “They manipulate you so cleverly, so insidiously you
aren’t even aware what they’re doing. You’ve taken the first step
to break that hold. Feel proud of what you’ve achieved.”

Isobel swallowed the lump of emotion that
threatened to choke her and swiped at a fresh burst of tears. She
heard the conviction in Mason’s voice and she yearned to feel as
convinced about this as he was. The truth was, she was more
terrified than she’d ever been in her life and couldn’t help but
question her decision.

When had she made good choices in the past
and what was to say this was the best choice for her children?

“How are the kids?” Mason asked, his voice
gentle, as if he were trying to understand her fears.

“F-fine. A little confused. Sophie wants a
doll we left behind. Ben wants his bike. And I forgot my blood
pressure medication. I’ve already missed two doses. I…I was
thinking about going back to the house to collect them.”

“Belle, don’t do that. Don’t risk it. I can
write you out another script. From the state Nigel was in when
security dragged him off the ward, I’m sure that’s not a good idea.
He was probably ordered home for the day.”

“But today he has a full theater list. They
wouldn’t have cancelled his surgeries.”

“From the way he smelled, I’d be surprised
if they let him anywhere near the operating table.”

She bit her lip in indecision and considered
the possibilities. The last thing she wanted to do was risk running
into Nigel. Still, she could drive by their house and see. He
always parked in the drive. She asked him once why he didn’t park
his two-hundred-thousand-dollar car in the garage, to protect it
from the weather. He’d smiled at her like a simpleton and had said,
“But nobody would see it in there.”

It was all about appearances for Nigel: The
perfect wife, two perfect kids, a house and a car that inspired
envy. There’d be hell to pay if anyone had the audacity to suggest
it was all an elaborate façade or, even worse, if someone destroyed
his picture-perfect life by walking out the door.

“I’ll drive past the house. If I see his
car, I’ll just keep going. He won’t even know I’ve been by. If he’s
not there, all the better. I’ll be quick. I’ll be in and out in a
matter of minutes. I’ll be fine.”

“Call Senior Constable Rogers first. See if
he can meet you there. That way, if Nigel’s home or happens to stop
by, you’ll be safe. You don’t even know if Nigel’s been served with
the AVO. If he has, he’ll be madder than hell. If he hasn’t, he’s
not doing anything wrong if he approaches you. Please, Belle. Think
about it. Going over there on your own is a very bad idea.”

She chewed her lip and thought about what
he’d said. “You’re right. I’ll call the police station and speak to
someone. I won’t go unless I can get one of them to come with
me.”

She heard Mason’s heavy sigh of relief. “Oh,
thank goodness! I mean, I’d rather you not go at all, but if you
have to, having the police accompany you is the only way to
go.”

“I’ll call you when I get there so that you
know everything’s all right.”

“And when you leave,” Mason added. “I need
to know you’re safe.”

Once again, warmth spread through her at the
tenderness and worry in his voice. It was amazing how he almost
made her believe she was worthy of his concern.

“I’ll call. I promise.” A silence fell
between them. She broke it by saying, “You’d better get back to
work.”

“Yes. I’ll talk to you soon. Call me.”

Isobel eased her car into the street where
she’d lived for the past six years, relieved to see Nigel’s Porsche
wasn’t parked in the driveway. She looked around for any sign of a
patrol car, but didn’t see one.

Senior Constable Rogers had been unavailable
to take her call, but she’d spoken to another officer. He’d
promised to send a car over in case Nigel arrived and caused
trouble while she was there, but it appeared the promised offer of
protection hadn’t yet materialized.

She stared at the impressive almost-new home
that took pride of place on the block. They’d bought it a few
months before Ben arrived. Up until then, they’d been living in a
tiny apartment in Sydney’s inner west. With a child on the way,
having a house with a real backyard and a reasonably short commute
to work had seemed like heaven. If she’d only known how Nigel would
change after their son arrived and how, among other things, he’d
blame her for the hefty mortgage that now hung over their
heads…

“We’re back home. Why did we need to pack so
many bags? We only stayed away one night. Where’s Dad?”

Isobel gritted her teeth and did her best to
answer Ben’s questions. “I think Dad’s at work, honey. He usually
is this time of day. We’re not staying long. I’m going to run
inside and collect a few things I left behind. I’ll get Sophie’s
doll and your bike from the backyard. Then we’re going back to
Mason’s.”