I hung up on Morton's ninety-ninth call. His messages flooded in immediately.
"Haven't you thrown enough of a fit? My patience has a limit!"
"Viola, if you don't come back, we're really done!"
"Viola, where are you? Come home. Let's talk."
Now he wanted to talk? Too late.
I didn't bother replying. I blocked his number.
That night, I stayed late at the office.
When I finally headed down to the parking garage to get my car, I heard a commotion nearby and looked over instinctively.
It was Zara, struggling with a strange man.
He was rough, dragging her toward a utility closet.
I despised Zara. But I couldn't stand by and watch this happen.
I strode over, held up my phone, and shouted, "Stop! I've already called the police!"
The color drained from the man's face. He bolted.
She had barely rounded the corner when she ran headlong into Morton, rushing toward them from the other direction.
The man cursed under his breath and vanished into the shadows.
Morton went straight to Zara's side, his eyes brimming with undisguised concern.
"What happened? Who was that man just now?"
Zara's gaze darted away, and she looked at me with a timid, frightened expression.
"I... I just got here and found Viola hiding in the garage with that man... having some kind of secret rendezvous..."
"He probably got spooked when he saw you and ran off."
I stared at her in disbelief. I'd just saved her, and she was twisting the whole thing around, repaying my kindness with a knife in the back.
But Morton believed every word. He was convinced I'd been cheating on him.
He wouldn't let me explain. He grabbed my arm and dragged me to the car, practically shaking with fury.
Back at the house, Morton flung me onto the couch.
The room spun as he pinned me down beneath him.
His jaw was clenched so tight the words came out through gritted teeth. "No wonder you've been avoiding me lately. You've got someone else on the side."
I fought against his grip. "I don't!"
"Zara saw it with her own eyes. You're still going to lie to my face?"
His eyes were bloodshot, and buried somewhere in those depths was a flash of hurt I couldn't quite understand.
"Viola, I'd finally made up my mind to make this marriage work. Why would you do this to me?"
Before I could answer, he crushed his mouth against mine in a kiss that was more punishment than passion.
I froze. For a moment, I forgot to push him away.