Laura was stunned. No one challenged the Kensington family. Not only had Dr. Samuels challenged them, it appeared to have worked. The Kensingtons had no response for Dr. Samuels as he waltzed her out of the room. She suddenly felt five years old as opposed to her twenty-five years, and she felt the need to cling to the doctor’s hand like a little girl would cling to her mother’s.

“I don’t...” Laura didn’t know what to say as they waited for the elevator.

“Don’t say anything. Wait ‘til we’re on the elevator. Don’t turn around and look at them. Just look straight ahead and walk away as if nothing is wrong,” the doctor said quietly.

Laura was silent as they rode two flights up. When the doors slid open, the older gentleman led her off the elevator to a small office. He shut the door and helped her to a couch, then sat across from her. At that point, Laura would be lying if she said she wasn’t shaking. She honestly had no idea what to make of what had just happened, but she was feeling more than overwhelmed by the events of the last hour. She needed to get it together. She needed a plan.

The doctor leaned forward and she felt compelled to look into his kind eyes. He didn’t know it, but he had been a big part of her decision to leave Patrick. Well, not the decision itself so much—that had been more to do with her pregnancy than anything the doctor had said—but he had planted the seeds of courage to start thinking about leaving even before she knew about the baby. Laura’s head spun as the doctor looked at her, and waited patiently.

Her husband was dead. For two minutes while she’d looked at his body, she’d felt relief. She’d thought she was finally free. But she wasn’t, and it was foolish to think freedom would ever come easily for her. Patrick’s mother would now be even more committed to keeping Laura and the baby in the fold because her son was gone. Martha would want to keep close any part of Patrick that she could still control—Laura and her baby.

No, that wasn’t exactly right. Once the baby was born, Martha would have no need for Laura. She knew in her heart Martha would try to take her baby. She’d fight for custody and she’d fight dirty. Martha Kensington didn’t know any other way to be. The fear that she had lived with for three years of marriage began to churn deep in her stomach, rising up her throat to steal the breath from her body.

The doctor’s gentle voice broke into Laura’s thoughts. “Laura, do you need to get away from your husband’s family?” he asked cautiously as though he didn’t want to offend her with the assumption.

Laura heard a small sob and realized it had come from her. She nodded. “Yes. I think I do.” How could this be happening? Could Martha really take my baby? Maybe Laura was just overreacting from the shock of seeing Patrick’s body. She must be. This couldn’t really be happening.

“No. No, I’m sure I… I don’t know,” she said. The Kensingtons were now down to Martha and Justin. Laura hadn’t seen enough of Justin to know what he would do. He had always traveled and hardly saw the family any longer. But, in truth, it was Martha she feared. Could Martha use her wealth and influence to take her child from her? Now that Patrick was dead, couldn’t Laura stand and fight instead of running? Shouldn’t she be able to take on Martha and win?

“I had plans to leave next week.” She swallowed and closed her eyes as tears dropped, but continued. It was suddenly important to her that this doctor know she’d had the guts to walk away from Patrick before he’d died. At least, she thought she would have had the guts to go through with her plan.

“I sold jewelry Patrick wouldn’t know was missing, jewelry that normally sits in our safety deposit box between events. I bought a new identity and was ready to run next week.” Laura wrapped her arms around her belly, hugging herself tightly.

“I think that’s wonderful, Laura. I knew you had it in you to leave someday.”

But Laura had a feeling he had been ready to give up hope on her. He’d been trying for close to a year and she had never admitted the abuse, much less given him hope she would leave.

“Do you have family you can go to? Anyone who can take you in? Help you if the Kensingtons try to fight for custody?”

Laura’s head snapped up. How had he read the situation so clearly?

Would Martha do that? Fight for custody?

“Laura, do you have family you can call?” he tried again.

No. There’s no one left. Laura tried not to think about her brother. It hurt too much to know he was dead. Her mother had died long before Laura was old enough to remember, but her brother had always been the one bright spot in her life. When his life was taken in a car accident only a few months after her marriage to Patrick, she’d lost the last of the family she cared about.

Laura shook her head. “No. No family.”

Her thoughts shifted back to Martha and the odd statements she’d made about the baby being her family, being a Kensington. “I’m probably overreacting,” she whispered softly, but there was little conviction to the statement.

As she pictured what Martha Kensington might be capable of when it came to getting her grandchild, fear latched onto her, hard and deep and bone chilling. The Kensington family wielded power within this state like no other and she had wealth to back it up. Laura would have money from Patrick’s estate, but there was no telling if that would be enough. No. She wouldn’t risk it. Couldn’t risk it. Not when it came to her unborn child.

The doctor’s voice cut through her thoughts once more. “Can you get to the money you saved?”

“I buried it in a pot in my greenhouse. It’s the one place he never goes. Went. The one place he never went.”

“I think we’ve bought a little time by telling your mother-in-law I’d check you into the hospital. I can drive you to your home to get the money and then we can get you out of here. You can get a good head start on the Kensingtons before they realize you’re gone.”

Laura shook her head at the man sitting across from her. “I don’t understand. Why are you helping me?” Her voice shook, but she took a deep breath, then swallowed hard. She would get herself under control. She would handle this.

The doctor seemed to fortify himself with his own deep breath before he answered. “When I saw you that first time in my ER, you reminded me so much of my own daughter. She’s just about your age. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to know my daughter was being hurt like I knew you were.” Laura flinched but he continued, “I just want to help you start again. Whatever it was that brought you to this spot, that brought you to this marriage, you deserve some help in getting out of it.” His smile was tender.

Tears burned at Laura’s eyes. Fear, humiliation, and confusion vied for top position in her mind. She stood and paced at the far end of the office, for some reason feeling the need to reiterate her plan to leave, to explain that she wasn’t just a victim. She was more than that. Not at first, she hadn’t been, but now she was stronger. She’d been getting stronger and stronger by the day.

“When I got pregnant, I knew I had to leave. I knew I couldn’t risk staying there with the baby. Not with the way...” She couldn’t finish that sentence. She couldn’t tell anyone what her husband had been doing to her, even though it was clear the doctor knew some of it.

Laura took a deep breath and made a decision. She needed to trust this doctor. He’d been trying to offer her a lifeline for months now, and it was time she took it. “Yes. I think I need to get the money and leave. I don’t want Martha Kensington anywhere near my baby. She raised one monster. I’m not going to let her have anything to do with raising my child. I don’t have much money put aside, but I have enough for a security deposit and a few months’ rent while I find work.” Laura didn’t bother to tell the doctor that the only thing she could get a job doing was waitressing or maybe working as a hostess in a restaurant. She had no degree, no experience other than waitressing and it was old experience, at that.

Dr. Samuels stood and gathered his coat and keys then handed Laura her purse. As they left the hospital, she thought for a minute that she should probably just call a taxi to take her home for her things and then go to the airport, but when he told her where he would pick her up at the outer edge of the parking lot, she found herself leaving with him instead. The truth was, she didn’t want to do this alone right now and there wasn’t anyone else for her to turn to. Laura swallowed her doubts and grabbed hold of her conviction. She was leaving. She was finished being a Kensington. She was finished letting Martha have any hold over her. For better or worse, it was time to run.