Chapter 14

I didn’t know if I was being paranoid or just losing my mind, but a bad feeling was gnawing at me—a very bad feeling. It was as if he were lurking just outside my door, and that sense of dread had me packing my bags. At first, I tried to brush it off, dismissing it as just a little nudge in my gut. But when I woke up today, that nudge had escalated to a full-blown push, screaming for my attention.

My heart raced, sweat coating my forehead as I shoved clothes into my suitcase. I had called Fatima, telling her that my mother had suffered a stroke in Italy and that I needed to rush to the hospital. She hadn’t questioned me too much, thankfully, as I rambled through my excuses. I hated lying to her, but the truth—that I could sense my crazy hybrid husband nearby—was something I couldn’t share.

I didn’t have much to pack, so it didn’t take long to finish. I had already taken a warm shower around 6 a.m., and now, at 8 a.m., I made my way to the living room with my bags. My heart felt like it