After getting dressed, she went downstairs to the kitchen and walked to the fridge, where she pulled out the ingredients to make her secret marinade. Pouring a little of this and a little of that into a bowl, she whisked it all together and tossed some potatoes into the sink to scrub them and pop them into the oven. By the time that was finished, the steaks were just about thawed, so she added them into the marinade and put them in the fridge.

She went out the back to add some charcoal to the grill and was about to light it when she heard a car door slam shut, so she walked into the house to wash her hands and see who it was.

Before she got to the living room, she heard knocking at the front door. Sean, shirtless and bootless, opened the door, and a blonde squealed in delight and threw herself into his arms.

"Ev, I've missed you, darlin'!"

"Court, I told you the other day that I'd be down there in a week or two. Couldn't this have waited? I'm kind of in the middle of something right now."

"Or someone. Are you trying to make me jealous, Ev?"

"As if you'd be jealous of an old cowboy like me. We both know you've got your eyes on someone else and I don't have a chance."

"Buddy, I'd marry you in a second. Let’s get out of here."

"Oh yeah, well, I like being on friendly terms with your brother and your ex, so let’s keep it our little secret, yeah?"

"Well, I guess..."

Wrapping her arms around Sean even tighter, she whispered something in his ear.

"I’m sorry, darlin', I've missed you, too, but I had to take care of some stuff down here first."

Smiling, Courtney looked dead into Katy's eyes and said, "Well, as long as you've missed me, lover."

Katherine felt that in her gut. Her world rocked and her stomach fell to the floor.

"You know I did. How's Dev?"

She felt that in her heart. Her dreams of a happily ever after with the love of her life fluttered away as her heart shattered and her world completely tilted off of its axis. Minutes ago they had been talking about this very thing. He had lied to her. Lied. Jesus, why would he bother? What the hell had been the point? She stood there and looked at the man she had loved her whole life and realized that she didn’t know who he was anymore. Was this some throw away weekend with an ex? Why? Her stomach churned and her knees wobbled. This was too much. Too horrific to consider. He had used her. The love she had been so sure of was being made a mockery of, right in front of her face. He hadn’t even had the courtesy to look up during this reunion with his lover in her home. She had to get out of there, they weren’t making out yet but his grip hadn’t loosened and it was only a matter of time before his lips, the lips that had just made love to her, were going to be covering the other woman’s.

There was no way that she could stay and face such a horrific situation. She had to get away. Now. Turning away she, quietly made her way to her room, tears swimming in her eyes she grabbed her keys and wallet and called her uncle, which suddenly seemed like the perfect excuse to get away from this train wreck, even if it was only to serve as a distraction. There was no way she could stick around for the confrontation. She could only hope that he would get the point and be gone before she returned home so she wouldn’t have to deal with him anymore. If he had ever cared about her at all then that was what he would do, she just needed to get away long enough to give him the chance.

"Katherine?"

"Yes, Uncle, do you still want to get together for dinner tonight?"

"Why, of course, dear. When are you leaving?"

"I’m walking out the door now."

"Wonderful. I look forward to seeing you shortly."

"Good-bye."

Unthinkingly, she put her phone back on the dresser, and then she walked downstairs. When she heard soft murmuring from the living room, she spun on her heel and walked out the back door. Climbing into the cab of the ranch truck, she backed out of the drive, seriously tempted to 'accidentally' hit the little cobalt Audi that obviously belonged to Sean's lover.

When she pulled onto the road, she looked back and saw Sean standing on the front porch, so when their eyes met in the rearview mirror, she gave in to the childish urge to nail the gas, her tires giving a satisfying squeal as they gripped the road and slightly fishtailed, sending her on the way.

Driving down a back road, she was alone, except for the car following some ways behind her, obviously craving the same solitary peace of a Texas back road.

She couldn't stop thinking about how stupid she had been. He hadn't said 'I love you, too,' so why had she assumed he did? Sweet words? She should have known better.

How could she not have trusted him? Katy had known him her whole life. She could not believe she hadn't pursued the subject of Courtney. For God’s sake, they had been engaged the last time he was home. How could she have just let it go? She knew they had been in a relationship before but had conveniently forgotten about that when she thought Sean was going to make all her dreams come true.

God, did he feel sorry for me because I am still in love with him? Was I a pity fuck? That thought doesn’t even make sense but I am at a loss for an explanation.

She was so caught up in trying to understand what had caused Sean to commit such a betrayal, that she didn’t notice the car until it was right on her tail. The driver pulled up next to Katherine and started moving his car into her lane, trying to push her over, so instinctively, she slammed on the brakes while desperately searching her pockets for the cell phone before realizing she had left it on the dresser, once again forgetting it at home.

Sean was going to skin her alive.

The car, a dark-colored sedan, slammed on its brakes, and as she tried to gun it and pass him, he rammed into her truck, the wheel jerked from her hands, the truck tires slipped off of the pavement, and her body was slung around, causing her to hit her head on the steering wheel, her body swinging to and fro like a rag doll as the truck flipped several times. She felt the first rotation, but as she turned over once more, her body feeling as if she had no control over it, she wondered if this was how her parents had felt before they died, and wondered if this would be her last memory. She could not feel the pain that her body must have been in. Shock, surely. Closing her eyes, she began to pray for the first time in weeks as she slid into unconsciousness.

***

WHEN KATHERINE REGAINED consciousness, she was sitting on a hard chair, hands taped behind her back, arms at a painful angle, feet also bound together. The room she was in was pitch black but for the light shining in from the crack below what she could only assume was the door.

After what felt like hours but certainly could have been minutes, the door opened and her uncle walked in, ragged looking, clothing wrinkled and blood spattered.

"Katherine, dear, I see you are finally awake. How is your leg?"

Walking up, he kicked her leg, causing an unbearable amount of pain to rush through her as the broken pieces jostled together inside their flesh walls, pushing her once again into oblivion.