The Mistress in the Room novel · Chapter 11 of 24

Chapter 11: Break the Rule

By eleven that night, the statement had four thousand shares.

Hannah read me the comments in the hallway until I took the phone away from her.

"Go home," I said. "Both of you. Sleep."

"Mom, I can stay."

"I'd like to be alone with my own kitchen."

Seth kissed my cheek.

Hannah held on a little too long and then followed him out.

The house went quiet.

I stood at the sink in my wet blouse and ran water over my bandaged hand until the gauze turned gray.

Behind me, the back door opened.

"I thought you'd gone," I said without turning.

"I have a truck. I sat in it."

"For three hours?"

"Two and a half." Evan came to the island and stopped on the other side of it. "He drove past twice. I wanted to be here if he parked."

"You're my witness," I said. "I know."

"That's the job."

I dried my hands on a dish towel and finally looked at him.

His jacket was damp across the shoulders, and the shirt under it was untucked on one side.

There was a purple bruise already coming up on his collarbone where my husband's fist had landed.

"Take your jacket off," I said.

"What?"

"I want to see the shoulder."

He took it off.

He unbuttoned two buttons of the shirt and pulled the collar aside, and I put my fingers on the bruise before I'd decided to.

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