The Dutiful Wife [COMPLETED]

14.

Later that night...

7:03 p.m.

Antoinette "Ann" Mackey

Twisting my lips to the side I awkwardly sat across the dinner table from Shiloh. After his blowup on the creepy neighbor, he apologized to me. I wasn't in much of a mood to hear another one of his empty apologies so I headed into the house with my shopping bags. The last thing I expected to find was the living room and kitchen lit up with candles. He'd set the table and told me to go upstairs and put on something nice. This asshole had gone as far as ordering takeout from one of my favorite restaurants. However, I didn't have an appetite.

I was supposed to be happy. Tomorrow I would be laughing and I'd have real freedom away from Shiloh. I should've been bouncing off the goddamn walls but I wasn't feeling it anymore. Shiloh's behavior earlier only reminded me that he still viewed me as a piece of property. His property.

I loved him and I hated to admit it but I probably always would. I wanted so badly to tell my heart and myself that I was done but despite everything, I was still holding on to this man. I purposely pushed him away and even brought up a divorce so he could see what it was he was losing. Did he really care for me or did he only want me to stay in this marriage to protect himself? That was the million-dollar question I didn't have an answer to. It was the question that continuously played over in my mind. I just wanted a fucking answer.

"Can we talk?" He put his fork down, pushing his plate away.

I picked my phone up and yawned to let him know that I wasn't interested.

Who the hell was I kidding? I was fronting. Being this hard woman wasn't me. Quite frankly it was exhausting. But I couldn't let him think he'd gotten away with everything. The cheating. The beatings. The rape. The way he'd conned me into marrying him. I was angry but I was more tired. It took a lot out of a woman or any human being by being angry all the time. I wanted to get to a point where I genuinely didn't care anymore instead of pretending I didn't whenever he walked out of that front door.

Shiloh needed to know that he couldn't keep doing this to me. If I could, I'd use this girls' trip as a way to leave and never come back, but I'd never leave my daughter behind. Shiloh also wasn't foolish enough to let me take her out of town because he knew what could happen. Shit.

"Can we put the attitude away for a second and let me—"

I sighed and put my phone down. "Talk man. Geesh."

A smile appeared on his face and he pushed his chair away from the table and stood. He then proceeded to pick up his glass of wine. What the fuck was this? A celebration speech? What the hell were we celebrating?

"Ann, thank you for being my rock. I don't always say it and I know I've put you through more pain than any woman can bear but I'm going to do better. I've been trying but I know that it hasn't been good enough so I'll keep trying no matter how long it takes until you see that the old me is still here. The same—"