26. Lissie
Chapter 26
Lissie
“Divorce is the only way.”
A s I have consecutive days working at the bar, I don’t see Milo for the rest of the week. My job brings in good money, and that makes me happy. Mason has also set me up with a lawyer so I can get the divorce settled. I sent Cody the papers in the middle of the week, and to be honest, I just hoped it would be nice and straightforward, and he would sign them without any hassle, but I think that’s expecting too much from a man who always gave me so little.
“That man over there has been asking for you. Do you want me to send him off?” Chastity says, motioning her thumb over her shoulder. I look past her and see Cody staring at me from the other end of the bar. His eyes are locked on mine, and he is not happy. In his hand is a stack of papers.
“No, it’s okay. Can you cover for me?”
She turns back and eyes Cody. “Should I call anyone? He doesn’t look friendly,” she asks in concern. I think about her question, but I really don’t want to bring attention to myself. I like this job, and while I plan to leave the city when I have enough money, I want to stay here as long as possible to earn as much as I can.
“No, just maybe check on me in ten?”
She nods, and I brush my hands down my apron as I step out from behind the bar. I come face-to-face with Cody, and he looks like shit, worse than before.
“Hi,” I say, then glance at the papers. “I see you got my mail.”
“Yeah, about that. I’m not signing.”
“Why? We aren’t together, Cody.” I lean in and hiss, “You tied me to the fucking bed, and what? You expected me to just skip on home?” He bites the inside of his cheek as his mouth forms a straight line. “It’s been weeks since I left you,” I remind him.
“And you’re already fucking someone else,” he sneers. I tense at his words. He holds up the papers. “Come home, and stop this shit.” He throws the papers at my feet, and I bend to pick them up.
I look up at him and shake my head. “I’m never coming back to you. That was a sad part of my life, and I can see that it’s not where I want to be.” Before I can say anything more, he slaps me across the face. I fall back, my ass hitting the floor. Just as I try to get up, someone grabs hold of Cody, stopping him from hitting me again.
“I suggest you walk out before I drag you out,” Milo says, voice low and menacing, his eyes darker than I have ever seen them as he grips Cody’s wrist, turning his hand pink. Cody nods and glares down at me. He doesn’t say anything, but the narrowing of his eyes tells me he is furious. As he turns to leave, I’m lifted from the floor and smashed into the front of Milo as he holds me. “Are you okay?” he asks. He doesn’t ease his hold on me while he waits for me to answer.
“Yes, I’m fine. Thanks for that.”
Milo nods but keeps his grip on me. “I’ve missed you,” he whispers, and I instantly feel guilty. I have been beating myself up all week. I slept with a man who is not my husband. And I really fucking enjoyed it. Raising my head, I smile up at him.
“Thank you again,” I say, ignoring what he said.
“Come over after work… to get your book.”
“I can’t, I have plans.”
“I’ll come for you in two nights, then.”
“Okay,” I reply, unable to say no. “You can let me go now.” I lift a brow at him.
He lays a hand on my face and brushes it against my cheek, where I know it’s red from Cody’s slap.
“I’ll punish him for this,” he growls.
“Don’t kill him,” I whisper, and he eyes me with a smirk.
“If I don’t kill him, what do I get in return?”
“If you don’t kill him, I’ll come get my book. But if he’s dead, I won’t.”
“Done,” he says and releases me, turning to leave. Shit, I didn’t say not to hurt him. I chase after Milo and out the door. The minute I step out and the cold air hits my skin, I watch as Milo, strong and powerful, walks straight up to Cody, who is being held in place by Axe, and he throws his fist into Cody’s stomach. I gasp loudly, and Milo turns around to face me.
“You didn’t mention I couldn’t hurt him.” He winks and then turns back and punches Cody again.
I stand there, shocked.
I mean, I really shouldn't be, considering who Milo is.
But I watch as his fists pummel into my husband with malice and without an ounce of remorse. In fact, he wears a smirk on his lips.
“Stop!” I yell, and Milo’s fists do, in fact, stop. Then he steps back and turns to me.
“This is who you associate with now?” Cody says with ragged, hard breaths. Axe lets go of him, and he falls to the ground like a piece of shit. His hands land on the gravel, and his gaze falls away from me.
I look to Milo, who is now standing in front of me.
“Let him go.”
“I can’t do that.” He shakes his head. “I already agreed not to kill him.”
“You made him agree not to kill me?” Cody shouts.
“She saved your fucking life,” Milo says, then turns and stalks over to Cody. “Now, apologize for talking to her that way.”
“I should have tied you to that bed long before I did,” Cody growls at me, but it’s Milo whose lips start to twitch as he rolls up the sleeves of his long black shirt and steps closer to Cody.
“You tied her to the bed ?” Milo grits through his teeth.
“Yeah, and the bitch escaped.”
I wince, and Milo’s gaze flings back to me and moves to my wrists, where I’ve been rubbing them without realizing it. Before I do anything to stop him, he turns back around and kicks Cody so hard I hear a loud snap. Cody falls back to the ground in a heap.
“Oh my God, what did you do?” I screech, my hands covering my face.
“Go back inside, Elizabeth.” A shiver runs down my spine at the tone in Milo’s voice.
“You won’t kill him?” I ask, stepping toward them.
Milo blocks my path. “Not right now, no.” He takes a deep breath, then asks. “You escaped, right? That’s why your wrists were red?”
I look down at my wrists, which are fully healed, and nod.
“You really don’t want me to kill him? I could and would… for you.” His tone softens, and I look into those beautiful eyes, the very same ones that can be harsh and cold to everyone else.
“No, please don’t.” I shake my head.
Milo reaches up, brushes his thumb over my cheek again, then nods. “Okay. Go inside, please.”
I nod like a zombie and turn to head back inside. Not once do I look back to see what they do with Cody. Milo said he wouldn’t kill him, so that’s as much as I can hope for now.
“You okay?” Chastity asks as I round the bar.
“Yes.”
“Are you sure? I can cover for you if you need a little more time.”
I look around at the patrons waiting to be served. “No, it’s fine.” I take a cleansing breath and go back to work.
I didn’t realize sending Cody divorce papers would come to this. To be honest, I had hoped he would just let it all go.
Let me go.
Clearly, I am never going back to him, no matter what. I’m trying to put that part of my life behind me and move on. I can’t do that still being attached to Cody—legally, that is. Physically and mentally, we haven’t been together in two years.
Not only have I concluded that my life with Cody will never work, but Milo has also made me realize that I like to be desired and wanted by someone. I guess I never really had that with Cody. Not that, at the beginning, we did have a sex life, but even then, it was nothing that I’d tell my friends about.
And then, along the way, that stopped as well. I don’t think he loved me. I’m bewildered as to why Cody’s fighting this so hard. We both moved on while we were still together. I used to find him all the time, touching himself, and not once did he ask me to join him.
And then there was the matter of all the women. I get that he made his money by basically pimping them out. And he made it very clear that I had to be thankful that these women were willing to spread their legs to put food on our table.
That’s when I really knew he didn’t love me.
But I stayed like a lovesick fool trapped in an environment I didn’t know how to escape. You read about how women stay in bad relationships and wonder why. But when it happens to you, you don’t always realize it until it’s too late.
I had no one.
He isolated me.
And I let him.
I drifted away from any friends I had growing up until I only had him.
During that time, my sister was nowhere to be found. She was drugged up herself, so it was just Cody.
Despite how much I don’t love him and how poorly he treated me, I don’t want Cody dead, and I think Milo is a man of his word.
At least, I hope he is.