The Truth About Love by Emma Nichols Read Free Book Online Page A

for an ambulance due to an overdose.  With ease I rattled off what I knew.  “Of course.  Xanax for his anxiety.  Something else to sleep.  Adderall to keep him awake.”  I wanted to say more, but I allowed him to draw his own conclusions.  Waiting patiently, I watched his reaction.  
    If he was surprised, he hid it well.  “Has he ever taken illegal substances?”
    Shaking my head, I responded.  “Not since he was a teenager.  Then it was purely recreational, as I understand.”
    Officer Kim closed the notepad and return it to his pocket along with the pen.  “Clearly, it isn’t safe for you both to stay in the house together tonight.  One of you needs to leave.”
    “I’m perfectly happy to do that.  I have a friend who offered to let me stay with her.  I was trying to pack and go there when he stopped me, said I couldn’t take his daughter or his vehicle.”  I frowned before continuing.  “He told me he would have me arrested for kidnapping and stealing his car.  I’m not the kind to call the police over nothing.  If you checked our history, you know that you’ve never been called here before.”   
    “Of course.  I understand.” 
    “I just want to be able to leave safely.  That’s all.  If you can just stay here while I load up, that will be very helpful.  You have no idea how much I need for Kylie.  She’s special.”
    The officer grinned.  “I’m sure she is.”
    Inhaling deeply, I explained quickly, a product of plenty of practice.   “ She was born early.  Very early.  While she’ll outgrow all of her issues, right now, she requires a lot of care, a lot of medical supplies.  It’s not so long ago she was on oxygen 24 hours a day. She needs nebulizer treatments and uses a feeding tube, since she won’t eat anything by mouth.  She’s had numerous surgeries for her eyes.  Yes, the glasses are real.” 
    Somehow, I must have been getting through to him.  He was studying Kylie with a new appreciation and looking at me differently as well.
    Holding her closer to me for a moment, I bit my cheek before continuing.  “I love my husband.  This man...this is not the man I fell in love with.”
    Officer Kim nodded in understanding.  “He said he’s been working a lot lately.”
    I shook my head.   “ He was working a lot until two weeks ago.  Since then, he’s only been taking odd jobs here and there.  His last job ended badly.  We had to file a lien for $18,000 against the contractor who hired him.  It has been very stressful.  And Kylie is a lot of work.  I get that.”  
    The officer crossed his arms and rocked back on his heels.  “He said you don’t work, that everything is on him.”
    A hollow laugh escaped me.   “ I’m self-employed, just like him.  I’m his accountant and office manager, plus I’m a writer, and I raise our daughter pretty much single-handedly.  Believe me, he may earn more, but he doesn’t work as hard as I do.”
    “Obviously this could go on all night.  Where will you be going?”
    Knowing I’d soon be leaving safely had me relaxing some.  “I have a friend in Atlanta…”
    He frowned and shook his head. “You need to stay locally.  Where can you stay?”
    We wandered out the door through the garage while I contemplated his question.  Friendship as an adult is different from friendship as a child.  My friends are all over, but mostly not here.  I grew up in the Adirondacks.  For the past twelve years, I have lived here in Charlotte, but given I quit my last out of the home job years ago at Shane’s request and have been working from the comfort of the great room ever since, I had few friends locally.  Lately, because of Shane’s mood swings, we had even fewer now than we had before.  
    The reality of the situation had finally hit me.  Maybe I was still trapped.  My voice caught in my throat.  “Where should I stay locally?  Would you like me across the street or next door?”  I gestured as I