Love Like This

Making Sense Of The Devil

Chloe's POV

" How are you holding up?" Tessa asked me.

It has been two weeks since I felt my husband, I had to make sure that he couldn't find me, so I have been off the grid since then. In two weeks, this is the first conversation I have had with anyone besides myself.

Coming to the cabin seemed like a bright idea at the time. For one, it is remote; there are no neighbors nearby, and I have complete privacy. It is a small but cozy place, I like it, but it can be lonely at times.

I thought about going back home to live with my mother again, but then I realized that it would be the first place Derrick would look for me. I know that man is capable of worse, I didn't want to put her life in danger.

"How are you holding up?" Tessa asked me.

Since I ran away from my husband, I had to make sure that he couldn't find me, so I decided to stay off the grid, just to make sure that my location was secure.

I am not stupid; I know that Derrick has the means to find me, the man has everyone at his back and call, and the man is a good lawyer, but that doesn't mean that he does everything by the book.

" I am fine, for now," I said to her.

" And the baby?" she asked me.

" The baby is also fine. Thanks for asking," I said, and immediately, my hand went to my stomach.

I don't know how long I have till he finds me and if I stay in this country, he will find me for sure. I have been thinking about moving somewhere where he won't find me; I am a lawyer, and I can find a job anywhere in the world.

" Chlo... I know you said that you are fine, but it's almost Christmas, and I don't want you to be alone; I can get your mother to come to you; at least then you will have someone else with you to spend Christmas with," Tessa said to me.

" No, Derrick might have eyes on her; in fact, I know he does; I don't want to bring her into this; that man is dangerous, which is why I have been thinking," I said to her.

" Thinking about what?" she asked me.

" I think that I need to get out of the States and start over somewhere else where Derrick won't find me," I said to her.

" I think the best place to hide would be in plain sight," She said to me.

" How?" I asked her.

How can I possibly try to hide from a man like Derrick? He knows me, in and out, but I know that he didn't see this coming. If he didn't see me as a threat, I am sure he does now. I managed to get away from him, I did the one thing he didn't think I would do.

Also, I am sure that he is aware of the money I took. I left everything behind to get away from this man, I will do anything to keep it that way. That man abused me for years. I was alone, and I didn't think anyone would believe me.

Now I have the power to expose him, to tell the world what he did to me, I know that he won't allow that. He would rather kill me than have his reputation tarnished. I could, but I don't want that. All that I want is to have my kid and raise him or her the best way I know how.

I can not give that man another person to abuse. I would rather die than let him harm my child. It's amazing how one tiny human being can have such an impact. The child is not even born yet and already has so much love from me.

That man would take my child only to spite me; I can't risk it; moving to another country might be my only option at the moment, but I am open to hearing what she had to say.

" Well I am moving to New York at the beginning of the year, you can stay with me while you look for a job, we can disguise you, change your hair, you can wear glasses, we can transform your entire look, no one will know it's you," she said to me.

" I'll have to think about it," I said to her.

" Oh my God!" she said.

" What's wrong?" I asked her.

" I'm sorry, I just saw something on the news, an old friend of my brother's has gone missing," she said to me.

" God, that's terrible. Do I know him?" I asked her.

" No, they haven't seen each other since college," she said to me.

Her brother is almost a decade older than Tessa, so I definitely don't know the guy.

" Well, I hope they find him," I said to her.

" I hope so too; look about New York; you don't have to decide now, give it some time; in a week or so, I'll be in New York; you can tell me your decision then," she said to me.

" Okay, I can do that," I said to her.

" Well, I have to go, I'll talk to you soon," she said to me.

" Thank you, Tessa, for everything you have done for me, I forgot how much of a good friend you have always been to me," I said to her.

I don't know if it is the pregnancy hormones, but tears were filling my eyes. I thought about all that I had to give up to be with Derrick; how did I allow myself to stay with that man for five years after what he did to me?

How did I allow myself to get caught up in a web of lies? The man has never been a good husband. He began cheating on me months after we got married. I loved him so much that I just forgave him the moment I found out.

" Oh, before I go, have you thought about the divorce? I can start the process," she said to me.

" You don't have to do that, Tess; you have already done so much for me," I said to her.

" Oh no, I want to do this. You need to be free of that man; I have the tapes, the pictures; he will give you that divorce," she said to me.

" What if he decides to fight it, I would have to go to court, where he can get to me. It's too much of a risk," I said to her.

" Not if we play this right, with what we have on him, he would be a fool to fight the divorce," she said to me.

She is right about that, Derrick's image means more to him than anything else. If we threatened to expose him, he might back away, or he might just lose it and completely destroy me.

I am not like Tessa, even though she didn't tell me what it is that her brother does; I know that he is involved in something that isn't legal; the man is like a mafia kingpin, so Derrick won't go after if he does, they will take care of him.

I, on the other hand, have no one. My father is out there doing his own thing with his family, and my mother wouldn't hurt a fly. I have no one to look out for me, so I have to look out for myself.

" Tess, let's just put that on ice for now," I said to her.

" Alright, think about it, call me on Christmas morning, okay?" she said to me.

" I will do that, goodbye friend," I said and hung up the phone.

I know without a doubt that my husband is out there actively looking for me. I can only wonder what is going through his mind right now, what he would do if he found out that I was having his child.

To be honest, I don't even know how it happened. I didn't think it would happen, I was on the pill, and I made sure to hide it from my husband. I knew that he wanted kids, and I knew that having a child with him would only trap me further to stay in that marriage.

I loved Derrick, but somewhere along the line, I stopped loving myself in the process. I know that I wasn't planning on having a baby with Derrick, but this baby has made me realize how valuable I still am and how far gone I was in that marriage.

My baby doesn't know this, but he or she is the one who gave me the courage to step up and fight for myself. I just couldn't think about how my child was going to grow up, like being raised by a man like that.

This might just be the most selfish thing I have ever done in my life. This time, I am doing this for me to make sure that I am the best mother I can be to my child. I don't need anyone else.

After what Derrick did to me, I don't think that I would be able to trust another man, nor will I love another man again. I mean, look at my track record with the men in my life.

First, it was my father; the man left me and never looked back. He forgot about me and lived his life. Then it was my husband. He told me that he loved me and then turned around and abused me, mentally and physically.

The way I see this, loving a man is pointless. They will eventually leave you or hurt you. One thing is for sure: they will break your heart and tear it into a thousand pieces. My mama warned me, I mean, she hated Derrick from the moment she met him.

She told me that she could sense a darkness inside of him, that she could tell that he was going to hurt me in the end. I just thought that she was bitter because my father left her for another woman. Now, I regret not listening to her.