Chapter 23
LUCY
Iwas wrong.
Marital bliss did not await.
At least, not in the conventional sense.
We looked like a happy couple, and we were both successful in our own little ways. Eddie continued to own and run a profitable company, and I’d been hired by a boutique law firm specializing in securing retrials for those who had been falsely convicted.
It was right up my alley.
When my mother had said—all those years ago—that I was an idealist and I’d grow out of it, she was only half right. I was an idealist, but I never outgrew it.
I did believe that people were wrongly convicted. I did believe that our legal system had flaws, and I couldn’t imagine anything more rewarding than getting a wrongly imprisoned man or woman out of jail.
My father thought I should have entertained the idea of taking a job in other parts of the legal world, but I respectfully told him to fly a kite, take a hike, or one of those generic phrases.
I loved my parents dearly, but this was my time to shine.
I had just become a credentialed lawyer in the state of California. I was no longer tethered to them.
And it’s not like I was going to be arguing in front of the Supreme Court any time soon. The law firm had a grand total of twelve employees, and there was no doubt who was at the bottom of the totem pole.
That made total sense to me. I hadn’t accomplished anything as a lawyer yet.
But I would. And I wouldn’t be last on the totem pole for long.
I was glad my professional life was off to a great start, because life at home was just okay. Like I said, we looked like a happy couple, and from afar, I couldn’t blame someone for thinking that.
Things weren’t all that I’d envisioned, however. Yes, Eddie still said he loved me. Yes, we still had sex regularly. And, yes, he still sounded like the supportive husband, congratulating me on getting a job and building me up whenever he got the chance.
But there was something off about him.
That feeling manifested itself in ways I’d never seen.
He’d occasionally snap at waiters. I’d glare at him, and he’d quickly calm down, but I couldn’t unsee it.
Treating restaurant staff poorly is an all-time pet peeve of mine.
If I’d seen him doing it while we were dating, it almost certainly would have ended the relationship.
It was different now, though. We were married. And I took our vows seriously. I didn’t want to get a divorce, especially less than a year in. No one does that.
It didn’t help that my friends—besides Nia Clemons—continued to think that Eddie was the bee’s knees and could do no wrong.
They wouldn’t come out and say it, but I know a lot of them thought Eddie was the catch in our relationship.
Sure, my family had money, but I was a fairly shy, quiet, innocent young woman.
Eddie was outgoing, handsome, personable, and sexy.
I was tired of hearing how great he was.
Something was lurking behind those eyes.
I knew it.
Now, more than ever.