Part 3He Couldn't Quit Her, So I Left Him Nothing

Ryan never came back to the master bedroom that night.

He stayed in the guest room with Winnie. She took the bed while he slept on the couch. Nothing physical happened between them, but their voices carried through the walls all night, buzzing in my ears and getting under my skin.

They talked about everything from poetry and literature to life and philosophy.

They called each other "soulmates."

And without the slightest hesitation, they admitted that if it weren't for me, they would have spent their lives blissfully happy together.

In one night, they talked more than Ryan and I had in the past six months combined.

I thought I'd be up all night, but to my surprise, ever since I decided to divorce him, I'd felt much more at ease.

At one in the morning, I fell asleep to the sound of their voices and got the best night's sleep I'd had in six months.

My alarm went off at eight the next morning.

When I opened my eyes, I could still hear Winnie talking next door.

"Ryan, sometimes I wish my leg would never get better.

"Then I'd have an excuse to stay by your side forever..."

A mocking laugh escaped me as I shut off the alarm and rolled over with a pillow pressed over my ears, intending to go back to sleep.

I was just starting to drift back to sleep when Ryan suddenly yanked me out of bed.

"Shay Moore, how dare you put broken razor blades in the face wash?"

Caught completely off guard, I slammed hard into the edge of the table. My vision went dark for a second, and I sucked in a sharp breath.

Ryan threw the bottle at me.

It struck me, and two tiny pieces of metal fell onto the floor.

I stared at them in disbelief.

"That's impossible..."

Winnie stood behind Ryan, a glint of challenge in her eyes.

Everything clicked.

My expression went cold.

"It wasn't me," I said, enunciating every word.

Ryan let out an angry laugh.

"There are only three people in this house. If it wasn't you, who was it? Me?

"Your alarm went off half an hour ago. You turned it off, so you must've used that time to mess with the face wash.

"You knew Winnie came over in a rush and would probably need to borrow yours. How could you even think of doing something this vicious?

"If she hadn't noticed in time, her face could've been scarred!"

He had already decided I was guilty and had no intention of hearing anything I have to say.

Every bit of anger I'd been holding back came rushing to the surface.

I grabbed the bottle, shot to my feet, and looked straight at Winnie.

"Anything you'd like to say, Ms. Lowe?"

Winnie avoided my eyes while hers immediately reddened as she put on a wounded expression.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Moore. If you're uncomfortable with me staying here while I recover, I'll leave right now."

She turned as though she were about to go.

I caught her wrist before Ryan could react and yanked her back.

Then I squeezed a large amount of the face wash straight onto her face. Using the sleeve of my pajamas over my hand, I scrubbed it hard across her skin.

Winnie screamed.

"Ah! It hurts!"

Small cuts appeared across her face.

I looked at her and gave a cold laugh.

"Since you've both already decided I did it, it hardly seems fair for you to walk away without a scratch.

"If you're going to play the victim, at least commit to it."

Then I turned to Ryan and raised an eyebrow.

"There. Now your precious Winnie really was hurt by me.

"So, Mr. Holt, is there anything else you'd like to accuse me of?"

Ryan stared at me in disbelief. His eyes reddened with rage.

"Shay, you... How dare you?"

He stepped forward and reached for my wrist.

But Winnie was already clutching her face and crying out in pain.

"My face! Ryan, my face is ruined! It hurts so much..."

Ryan stopped immediately.

Whatever he had been about to do to me no longer mattered.

He swept Winnie into his arms and rushed for the door.

He knocked me to the floor on his way past.

A sharp crack came from my arm as he stepped on it without slowing down.

Pain shot through me so violently that my vision blurred.

By the time I could focus again, all I saw was Ryan disappearing through the doorway with Winnie in his arms.

I lay on the floor, drenched in sweat from the pain, with the spilled face wash and bits of metal scattered around me.

Later, while I was at the hospital getting my broken arm treated, Ryan's mother, Elizabeth Hartley, called and asked when I would arrive.

Only then did I remember.

It was her birthday.

Ryan's parents had always treated me well. After they found out about his affair, they had done everything they could to convince me not to leave him.

I wasn't ready to tell them about the divorce, so I kept my explanation vague.

"Elizabeth, something urgent came up. I'll be there in about an hour."

Afterward, I stopped at the mall and picked out a birthday gift for her before heading to the Holt family home.

But just as I reached for the door, Ryan blocked my way.

"Shay Moore, what gives you the right to have the hospital turn Winnie away?"