“Wait. What? What husband?” She repeated the word as if it didn’t fit.
“Yeah, that’s what I said. Turns out, she left him two years ago, but it’s an abusive relationship and he won’t let her go. It’s such a sad story,” Ben shook his head, remembering all that Katherine had told him about her marriage with Tim.
“That’s awful. So, he came to the event to take her back?” Rachel asked.
“I don’t know what he thought was going to happen. He didn’t strike me as the type of man who thinks things out too far, but he roughed her up after they left. She ended up getting away towards morning, and showed up at my house. I just can’t get the visual out of my mind, seeing her small body all bruised and beaten like that.”
Ben had been struggling since leaving Katherine in her apartment, because he wasn’t sure how to help her. That was what he wanted Rachel’s help with. She was always his sounding board for advice, and he looked forward to hearing what she thought about this.
“Wow. I didn’t expect that. I’m sorry that all happened, Ben. That had to be really hard. Does she want to go back to him?” Rachel asked.
“No. Hell no. She wants her freedom, but he’s an asshole so he won’t let her go. I can’t even think straight,” Ben huffed, getting to his feet before pacing his office. “She’s been running from him for two years, Rachel. Moving to a new town every time his people got close. Never knowing when he might show up and grab her, like he did the other night. Damn it!” The frustration was returning as he remembered the helplessness of the situation.
“What do you want to do?” Rachel asked, after a brief pause.
“Find him and kick his sorry ass!” Ben answered evenly as he continued to pace.
It was all he could think about. Seeking revenge on this man who had hurt Katherine. She was so precious and kind, he wanted to protect her at all costs. Of course, he knew it was unreasonable, but Ben went after the people who hurt those he cared about, and he cared about Katherine.
“Well, that wouldn’t be a good idea,” Rachel stated the obvious.
“I hate losing control. It’s like there’s nothing I can do to help her, and that just tears me up,” Ben said, as his fists balled tightly.
“She just needs to know you’re there for her,” Rachel said.
“What do you mean?”
“She’s going through a lot. If she’s trying to get free from an abusive relationship, she needs to know she has friends that can be there with her as she works through it. Let her know that she can depend on you. That’s what she needs most,” Rachel reasoned.
“She can’t afford to divorce him,” Ben finally shared the part that was really troubling him.
As a wealthy man, Ben had heard of women who were unable to divorce their powerful husbands due to the mounting attorney fees. While he always sympathized for the women, he never understood how unfair and devastating it could be. The women were marginalized, unable to speak for themselves or fight fairly.
“You know that’s what happened with the Arum’s.” Rachel reminded Ben of their mutual friends. He was a real estate mogul, and the rightful owner of more property in Silicon Valley than anyone else. When he and his wife split, they fought for years over everything from furniture to custody agreements. In the end, she had to walk away with nothing from her marriage, and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees.
“I do remember,” Ben shook his head, thinking of how passively he had listened to the story in the past, never thinking of how Joe Arum’s wife must have suffered.
“You just need to let her know she’s not alone, Ben. You can help her more when the time comes, but if you want to be in her life, emotional support is what she’s going to need more than anything,” Rachel reiterated.
Ben nodded as if allowing the information to sink in. Still pacing his office, he wondered how he would show Katherine that she was not alone in her fight. Not only did he want to be by her side throughout whatever it was she would have to go through, but he wanted to help her with the fight.
Chapter Eleven
Katherine
AN AMBULANCE DRIVING by woke Katherine after an unexpected slumber. When Ben left her alone in the apartment, it suddenly felt cold and lonely. She had run from one room to the next, looking in every closet and under her bed, fearful that Tim had found her.
Once she was satisfied that she was alone, she did what she always did when Tim found her—she pulled her suitcase from the closet and began to throw her things in, ready to hit the road and run again. It had never been difficult, but this time was different. When she thought of leaving the friends she had made, and job she was growing to love, Katherine decided she wasn’t ready to go.
It was an emotional battle, one she lost to her bout of tears and frantic screams. When she finally threw the suitcase from the bed, she collapsed with exhaustion. It wasn’t until she finally woke up that she realized how tired she was.
After Tim showed up at the charity event, Katherine stayed up through the night—first arguing with him, and then finding a way to escape. After confessing everything to Ben, she fell asleep on his chest, but only for an hour or so. Her body was spent and as she glanced out of her window, she realized she had no concept of time.
Reaching to the nightstand, she grabbed her phone to check the time. Katherine’s eyes shot open when she realized she only had fifteen minutes to get to work. Scrambling from beneath the pile of clothes she had thrown on the bed, she rushed to the bathroom.
Tripping over a pair of sandals on the floor, Katherine shrieked as
she reached for the dresser to stop her fall. Still sore, she was slow to get up as her side hurt from Tim’s abuse. Remembering how close she was to being late, Katherine forced herself to push through the pain.