Defying the Odds(55)

“Justin was smarter than me. He knew all the right papers to fill out. He helped get my daddy taken care of and made sure he didn’t waste away in some run-down home. Justin helped make his last days as good as they could be. I appreciated him for it, but that was a dumb reason to marry a man I knew I didn’t love.”



“You never loved him?” Clay asked, his voice catching because saying it was harder than he anticipated. “Not once?”



“I liked him, but I never felt that spark like I feel with y—” Melody paused, her body tensing for one moment before she sighed. “No, it never felt right, but everyone kept telling me it was right. My mama loved him to death. She still does. She thought he’d give me all the things my daddy never could. She’s one of those who always wants more than what she’s got, and she thinks all that matters in life is how much stuff you have. I guess I heard her tell me enough times that he was the right one and eventually I started believing it. I wasn’t old enough to listen to my gut. I learned that lesson.”



“I learned a few of those myself,” Clay had to reluctantly agree. “I think we all do.”



“It wasn’t that bad at first. It was never a fairy tale, but it wasn’t terrible. Then we moved away and he changed. It just sorta started to build up once we got to Ohio, and I never noticed how really bad it was until it was too late.” Melody reached down and squeezed his hand in the water as if searching for strength. “It started off with yelling after a bad day at work, insulting me, calling me fat, lazy—”



“You’re not fat.” Clay tensed in insult. “And no one can call you lazy.”



“Someone can,” Melody said with a bitter laugh. “Someone did.”



“You’re gorgeous, Mel,” he reiterated because hearing Justin had the gall to call her fat had Clay wanting to pulverize him. Vulnerable or not, he couldn’t help but admit, “Sometimes I look at you and think my heart’s just gonna burst with how beautiful you are.”



Melody turned around, giving him a surprised smile. Clay reached out to push a wet strand of hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. The pause had Melody taking a long, shuddering breath. She fell back against his chest and started talking again as if his simple compliment gave her the strength to finish.



“He started hitting me, but he’d say sorry later. I believed him ’cause I really didn’t think he wanted to hurt me. I thought it was work and stress and money because he’s like my mama—always wanting more.” Melody shook her head, sounding raw at the memory. “I made all sorts of excuses, and eventually I just got used to it. The hitting. The insults. The forced sex. I’m not proud of it, Clay. I hate that I let myself be a victim. I wish I was like Jules—”



“Jules ain’t perfect,” Clay reminded her. “None of us are.”



“I felt trapped. I had no of money of my own. No car. No friends. He controlled everything, and my mama never believed me when I told her how cruel he could be. When I finally started hinting at the physical stuff, she called up Jason at work and he convinced her I had some sort of mental imbalance. She still believes that. I haven’t talked to her in over a year.”



“If she’s thinking that, then not talking to her ain’t really a loss,” Clay said bitterly, feeling a hatred for Melody’s mama bloom inside his chest to rest next to the hatred he carried for his own mother. “She gave birth to you, and she should’ve believed you.”



“He’s very charming. Smarter, savvier people than my mama’s been fooled by Justin, but I know I can’t trust her. She’d tell him where I’m at faster than you could blink.”



“How’d you get away?” Clay asked.



“I said something at a doctor’s office and ended up in a safe house for abused women. It was a miracle,” she said, her voice lightening. “I didn’t know there were people out there just waiting to help me out. You wouldn’t believe how nice the ladies at the shelter were. They restored my faith in humanity ’cause most of ’em were just volunteering. They didn’t get paid. They were there out of the kindness of their heart, and I sure wasn’t gonna waste their effort by going back to Justin. Lots of women do, you know? They go back, but not me. Once I was out, I never looked back.”



Clay hugged her tight once more, understanding what a huge achievement that was, to face the unknown because she knew she deserved better.