Page 29 of Merciless King
13
PIPER
The silence that settles over the house as Gabriel's car pulls out of the driveway is both eerie and peaceful. I let out a breath, my shoulders sagging with relief. Elysse looks up at me with her big blue eyes, a tentative smile on her face.
"He’s gone?”
I nod, brushing a strand of hair from her face. "Yes, sweetie.”
Elysse's smile widens. "So it's just us?"
"That's right. We get to have a fun girls' weekend, just the two of us." I force a note of cheer into my voice, even as my mind is already racing ahead. Gabriel's absence is a brief respite, a chance to breathe without the suffocating weight of his presence. But more than that, it's an opportunity. An opportunity to think, to plan, to figure out how Elysse and I can finally escape this unbearable situation.
A part of me wishes Gabriel would tire of me and leave us. I know he’s in Vegas drinking, gambling, and sleeping with other women. When I first learned of his extracurricular activities, it broke my heart. Now, his activities and infidelities are a relief. If only he’d decide to not come home. He clearly doesn’t love or respect me. Why he insists on staying with me is baffling. I imagine many would ask the same of me. Why stay when he’s so heinous? I would leave in a moment if I knew I could keep Elysse safe from the threats he’s made on her.
But this has to end. What I need is a plan, a way out for Elysse and me. I curse myself for not being better prepared, for not having an escape route already mapped out. If I did, we could leave now, while Gabriel is gone. But I know I need to be strategic about this. Rushing into things could put us in even more danger.
So for now, I'll focus on giving Elysse a lovely weekend. We'll spend the day enjoying Chicago, have a fancy dinner, and roller skate. That I have planned. Later, when she’s asleep, I’ll begin to map out our escape. I'll make a plan to get us out of this nightmare once and for all.
"We're going to explore the city today, just you and me. I want to show you all my favorite places from when I was growing up."
Elysse's eyes light up, her smile wide and eager. "Really? Like where?"
"Well, I was thinking of the pier. There is a huge Ferris wheel and other rides. Then maybe we can have tea at the American Girl Doll store.”
She bounces up and down, clapping her hands. “Yay. Can we still go skating?”
“Yes. I thought we’d do that later. After I take you to a nice dinner at my favorite Italian restaurant. We’ll have a full day of it.”
She throws her arms around me, and I hug her close. She deserves so much more than I’ve been giving her. I can’t wallow in my difficulties anymore. I’ve been so consumed by fear that I’ve lost myself, my strength. I need to find it and do better by Elysse.
We get dressed and head out, hand in hand, ready to take on the city. Our first stop is the pier, where we ride the Ferris wheel and carousel. Elysse's cheeks are flushed, her eyes sparkling with joy, and my heart feels lighter than it has in years.
We see the children’s museum, so we go in, where we enjoy a dinosaur expedition and then join the circus. Inwardly, I wonder if there are any real circuses that Elysse and I could run away with. She and I could feed the elephants.
We take a ride share the few blocks to the American Girl store where we have a tea lunch. I share with her stories of my childhood, of the adventures I had with my friends growing up in Chicago.
"Mommy, did you always want to be a mommy when you grew up?" Elysse asks, her head tilted to the side.
I pause, considering. "I always knew I wanted to have a little girl, someone to love and take care of. But I also wanted to travel the world, to have adventures of my own." I don’t want to lie to her about the circumstances of her birth and how it changed the trajectory of my life. But neither do I want her to feel like she’s negatively impacted my life. She’s the only bright star in it.
"Can we still do that someday? Have adventures together?" she asks, licking whipped cream off her fingers from a pastry.
"That would be fun. Where would you like to go?”
Her little face scrunches up in thought. “Can we go to the fairy places?”
“You mean back in the U.K.?” I have no idea if there are fairy places in the United States.
She nods.
“I don’t see why not.” But even as I say it, I wonder if I’m giving her false hope. I’m committed to finding a way out from under Gabriel’s abuse, but deep down, I don’t know if I can. I push my doubt away and silently renew my promise to myself and to Elysse. I will get us out of this nightmare. I will give us the life we deserve. No matter what it takes.
After lunch, we head to the park to play mini golf and enjoy the playground. For a time, we sit on the grass, relaxing, and I wonder if I’ve packed in too much activity for one day. We still haven’t roller skated.
But as dinnertime approaches, we both get a second wind. I order us a rideshare to take us to the restaurant.
“This was my absolute favorite place to eat when I was your age,” I say as we exit the car in front of the Italian restaurant. It looks slightly different from what I remember. A bit more upscale than when I was younger. “My parents would bring me here for special occasions.” I’d planned to come when I graduated from high school, but that didn’t turn out. I shake that thought away.