My house was quiet when I walked through the door. I closed it gently and crept naked through the hall. I knew Faye was there because her car was parked outside. That was the downside of giving her my door key before we’d even got married—I had no privacy.

I put my keys down on the side table and wandered into the living room, hoping she was in bed asleep. I couldn’t face her questions about where I’d been, and after hearing the way she’d threatened Max earlier, I now saw her in a different light. She wasn’t the soft soul of a woman whose heart I was terrified of breaking. She was vicious and manipulating, and if she had anything to do with Jamie and the others attacking Max then I wanted nothing to do with her.

“Home late,” she said from behind me. I turned to see her sitting in the dark in the armchair with a glass of red wine in her hands. She took a sip and placed it on the table. “Where were you?”

“Out.”

“Out? Is that how we answer each other now?”

I sighed and sat down opposite her, resting my head in my hands. I was so tired of everything, tired of trying to please everyone. I had to do things for myself. The man I loved, the one that got away, was only a couple miles away. I couldn’t let him slip through my fingers, not again, not because Faye was orchestrating a series of unfortunate events to unveil on him.

I looked at her, wild red hair tumbling over her shoulders and her green eyes staring at me angrily.

Back when my father had first presented her to me, I’d thought she made a pretty match, but now, as she sat in front of me, she looked weathered and tired, a woman hell bent on revenge.

“Were you with Max today?” she asked, leaning forwards in the chair.

I looked away. It would have been so easy to lie, but I couldn’t. I wanted it over with.

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “Were you at his motel room?”

“Faye…”

She stood up abruptly, and her dressing gown opened, revealing a full white breast and erect pink nipple. She snatched the sides together again quickly, the first time she’d covered herself in front of me, and I knew then that things had changed between us.

“Max was attacked tonight,” I said, raising my eyes to look into hers. “Know anything about that?”

She shook her head.

“When are you going to understand? I’m not the only one in this town who wants him to leave…”

“To the extent of assault though? Are you crazy?”

“I’ll do whatever necessary to protect my own, Lewis. Our own.”

I got up and went to walk away, but I felt her nails on my skin as she grabbed my arm.

“Did you forget our appointment today?”

“Damnit I’m sorry, it slipped my…”

“Slipped? I had to meet the woman on my own. I had to make up an excuse because I didn’t know where the hell you were.”

“I’ve got so much going on right now, Faye. So I missed an appointment. You then thought the answer was to have Max beaten to a pulp?”

“You need to stay out of things in future, Lewis. You don’t understand everything that’s going on here.”

I pulled my arm away from her grasp.

“Stay out? You want to know something? Ever since he came back, you’ve been pushing me into his arms. I like Max. I think about him constantly, and when I’m not with him, I can’t wait to be. Happy now? Is that what you wanted to hear?”

She moved forwards and stood in front of me, her lips pressed so tight that they’d turned white.

“You’ll regret those words,” she said, her face so close to mine I could feel her breath on my cheek. “I’ll make sure he goes. Like I said, I protect my kind.”

“If he goes, you go. You’ll be on your own. You really think I’m going to marry you after this?”

“You don’t have a choice. When I fill your father in on all of this bullshit, it’ll be marry me or get the hell out. You’re a disgrace to us all.”

She brushed past me and headed towards the stairs. I watched her, mouth open, shocked by the woman I’d just encountered. I’d never loved her, I couldn’t, but before Max had arrived back into Grayson, we’d spent evenings together laughing and cuddled up. How could someone change so dramatically?

I followed her up and went into the room. She was sat on the bed, brushing at her hair.

We didn’t speak. I went to the drawers, pulling out a T-shirt and pants, feeling her eyes on my back.

“Stay,” she sighed, getting up. “I’m going back to mine.”

“Faye…”

“No. It’s okay. I need to get out of here.”

She pulled her gown tighter around her with the belt and picked up her overnight bag.

“Just stay for tonight in the spare room,” I offered, but she shook her head.

“I’ll be back for the rest of my things tomorrow.”

I watched her leave the room and listened as she went back down the stairs. After I heard the front door slam shut, I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. Why had life suddenly become so complicated? I wanted to be normal. I wanted to be with Max. I wanted to rewind back to the moment I’d watched him being driven away, and I would have done everything so differently. I would have chased him, screamed, shouted, and put up more of a fight. I wouldn’t have let him leave. I wouldn’t have chosen the community that was so hell bent on revenge that things had turned dangerous.

I pulled my cell out and sent Max a message. I needed one more chance to tell him how I felt. I had to do everything in my power this time to stop him from leaving. If he felt anything at all for me, he’d listen to what I had to say. I just hoped afterwards he’d realize that I couldn’t live without him.