Chapter Thirty-Five

Amy couldn’t keep the tears from falling as she drove from the office to her beautiful home. She sat in the car, gazing at the place with deep anguish, knowing she’d never sleep there again in the arms of her husband. How could he have cheated on her? She’d given him her body freely, and her love, as well.

She pulled herself together enough to walk inside. She slowly climbed the stairs leading to their bedroom and, once again, a few tears slipped from her eyes and she bit her lips to muffle her sobs. It wouldn’t take her long to pack as she wouldn’t take anything she didn’t consider exclusively hers.

She packed some clothes and baby items and then took the case back to her room. She looked around one last time and then took off her wedding ring. She sat at the vanity and wrote her husband a note.

She set her ring on top of the letter, grabbed her suitcases, and walked out the door without allowing herself to look back again.

She had no idea where she was heading or what she was going to do when she got there. She just knew she had to get away. She was afraid if he came through those doors and wrapped his arms around her, she’d melt and beg him to love her and not run into the arms of another woman. She’d already given him her heart. She had nothing left to offer. She had nothing he wanted.

Amy drove onto the freeway and headed south. After several hours, she passed through Salem, and it didn’t feel far enough. She was starting to feel a little sore, though, and pulled over at a rest stop to stretch.

It was after five, so she crossed her fingers that Tom had left work, then dialed his number. She needed a friend to talk to.

“Hey, Amy, what’s going on?”

The sound of his familiar voice made her lose her composure and tears started pouring again, her sobs coming on so strong, she couldn’t get the words past her throat.

“Amy? What’s going on? Where are you? You have to speak to me. Okay, I’m getting really scared. Just tell me where you are and I’ll come get you,” Tom said, his voice filled with panic.

“I … I left,” she managed to get out.

“You left to where, honey? Tell me where you are. I’ll get there as quickly as I can,” he said. She heard the sound of his car starting as he waited.

“One sec,” she choked out, and then took several deep breaths in, trying to get her emotions settled down.

“Take your time, calm down, and let me help,” he said, his voice soothing, helping to calm her.

“I’m not in Seattle. I left,” she finally managed to say with only one hiccup.

“What do you mean, you left Seattle? Where are you? I’m coming right now,” he demanded.

“Lucas, he had a woman at the office,” she said, her tears falling freely down her cheeks.

“I’m going to kill the bastard. I swear, I’ll rip him apart, piece by piece,” Tom said, his indignation managing to bring a weak smile to her face.

“No, I don’t want you doing that. I just…I had to leave.”

“I understand. I really do, but I told you if you ever needed to go anywhere, then to come to me. Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you,” he tried again.

“I just need a day or two alone. I’ll call you back tomorrow, okay?”

“No, that’s not okay. You’re huge pregnant, in the middle of I can’t even imagine where. You tell me where you are. I’m coming to get you!”

“I’ll call, I promise,” Amy said as she hung up. Her phone immediately rang again, but she ignored it. After the third time, she turned it off, saying a silent apology to Tom. She knew she owed him big time, but she just needed to be alone a few days to get everything sorted out.

It took another hour, but she finally managed to get her tears to stop so she could leave the rest stop. She didn’t want to be there when it got dark.

She continued driving south. After a couple of more hours, she was in Springfield, next to Eugene. She’d always wanted to visit, so she took the next exit that would take her downtown.

She pulled off the freeway into the business district and started to look around for a cheap hotel. She passed the Hilton and shook her head. That was beyond her price range at the moment. Finally, she found a little dive of a place and pulled in.

She walked inside, so tired she could barely hold her head up. The man behind the counter was leering at her in a way that really frightened her, especially with the smell of alcohol seeping from him.

“I’d like a room for the night, please,” she asked quietly.

“Do you have a credit card?” he hacked at her.

“No. I have cash,” she responded, not wanting to use her credit card and not trusting the man to have her information.

“Well, we normally require a credit card, in case you steal anything...” He leered again.

“Oh, then I guess I’ll have to find another place,” she stated calmly, even though she felt as if she were going to fall over at any moment.

“I guess we can do it on cash this time,” he said, a bit desperately. She wasn’t going to stay in the place if there wasn’t a double lock on the door. She didn’t trust the guy.

“Thank you,” Amy responded and filled out the small card he handed her. Then she received her key.

She parked her car, wearily climbed out, grabbed her suitcase and opened the motel room door. She gasped at the horrid smell of cigarettes and stale beer, feeling her stomach turn. Flashbacks of her childhood instantly came to mind as the smells of the room unleashed all feelings of insecurity, fear, and abandonment. She was too scared to even open a window, as the neighborhood she was in didn’t seem the safest. She wasn’t going to be Mrs. Anderson anymore and would have to get used to life as it had been before her marriage.

She didn’t really care about the room; she was just so empty from the betrayal of her husband’s cheating. She’d been in his arms the night before, and then he was in the arms of another just a few short hours later. Thank goodness for her exhaustion, because she fell into a restless sleep almost immediately.