Chapter 3 Bruises and Blueprints

I remained sank deep into the cushions of my living room sofa, staring blankly at the dark screen of my television. My mind kept looping back to the parking garage, to the sudden, terrifying shift in Zack’s eyes, the brutal weight of his hands around my neck, and the bone-chilling realization of what he was truly capable of.

All those rumours I had dismissed over the years as bitter press gossip... they weren’t rumours. They were warnings.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Before the pregnancy, before he abandoned me to face that dark alley alone, Zack had been the epitome of a green flag; attentive, sweet, and utterly devoted. I had been so helplessly, stupidly in love with him that I had blinded myself to every red flag waving in my face. The old saying was true: you can never advise a woman in love. She has to burn her own hands on the stove before she admits it’s hot.

A sharp, angry voice broke through the fog in my head.

“...and if I ever see that narcissistic parasite in public again, I swear to God, Maddie, I’m going to use my service weapon to put a hole through his...”

“Noah,” I rasped, my throat raw and aching.

Noah snapped her head toward me, halting her pacing across my hardwood floor. She was breathing heavily, her hands clenched into tight fists, her eyes blazing with a mixture of raw fury and panic. But as she took in my slumped posture, the anger melted into pure, heart-wrenching concern.

“Oh, Maddie...” She rushed over, dropping to her knees beside the sofa. “I’m sorry. I’m yelling at you when you’re literally shaking.”

She reached out, her hands surprisingly gentle as she began inspecting me for injuries. “Are you okay? Did he break anything? Where does it hurt?”

“Ouch! god, Noah!” I winced, flinching as her fingers accidentally brushed the severe bruise blossoming along my jawline and tapped the swollen flesh around my right ankle where he’d yanked me across the asphalt.

That’s when her eyes landed on my neck.

Even in the dim lighting of my apartment, the dark, purplish-red finger marks wrapping around my throat were unmistakable.

“Maddie...” Noah’s voice cracked. She stood up so fast the coffee table rattled, volcanic rage exploding across her features. “That son of a bitch. How dare he lay his hands on you! I’m going to kill him. I am literally going to go to his house right now and...”

“Noah, wait...ah!” I tried to push myself up to grab her jacket, but a sharp, agonizing shock shot up my lower back, pinning me back onto the cushions.

“Don’t move!” Noah instantly turned back, gently pressing my shoulders down. “Just stay still. We need to take you to the ER. You need an X-ray, an MRI, you could have a concussion or hairline fractures... I don’t know...”

“I’m fine,” I breathed, forcing a weak, reassuring smile despite the throbbing in my back. “Nothing is broken. It’s just deep bruising and inflammation. A couple of heavy-duty painkillers, a heating pad, and a good night’s sleep, and I’ll be back on my feet like it never happened.”

Noah stared down at me, her chest heaving, tears of frustration glistening in her eyes. It physically pained her to see me minimizing what had happened.

“Trust me,” I murmured, reaching out to squeeze her hand. “I’ll be okay. I just... I really need to forget tonight.”

“Fine,” Noah swallowed hard, swiping a hand across her eyes. “I’m staying on the couch tonight. No arguments.”

“Noah, you don’t have to...”

“I’m staying, Maddie! What if you need help getting up? What if you pass out from a concussion? Or worse...” She paused, her eyes widening as a terrible thought crossed her mind. “...what if that bastard follows you here? He knows where you live.”

“He won’t come here,” I said quietly, though a cold knot of dread tightened in my stomach. “He’s probably still trying to wash the pepper spray out of his retinas.”

“You don’t know that!” Noah snapped, stepping toward the kitchen. “He’s proven tonight that he’s completely unhinged. And frankly, I’m still furious at you for poking the bear! Why on earth would you tell him you knew about his dirty side deals? Now he thinks you’ve been investigating him personally!”

“I was angry, Noah! I couldn’t understand how someone who claimed to love me could be so cold. I just wanted him to know I wasn’t his puppet anymore.”

“He left you pregnant and broke, Maddie!” Noah yelled, turning around with a bag of frozen peas from my freezer. “He’s lucky I was out of the country on deployment when that happened, because I would have broken his jaw! And I’m still mad that you kept that whole nightmare from me!”

I looked down at my hands, guilt washing over me. “You were on your first major assignment, Noah. It was the opportunity of a lifetime. I couldn’t be selfish and pull you back into my mess. I knew you’d drop everything and ruin your own career to come protect me.”

“That’s what best friends do!” Noah shouted, though her voice softened as she gently laid the ice pack against my neck. “We’re a team, Maddie. Ride or die. Till death do us part. Don’t ever hide something like that from me again.”

“I won’t,” I promised softly. “I’m sorry.”

Noah sighed, sinking onto the edge of the sofa next to me. “Alright. Well, I’m here now, and I’m not going anywhere. But after what happened tonight... we need a long-term plan.”

“I’ve already got one,” I said, leaning my head back against the cushion. “I’m leaving.”

Noah froze. “Leaving? What do you mean, leaving?”

“I’m moving out of the city. My freelance career is picking up, I have independent funding from sponsors, and I can work from anywhere. I need space, Noah. I need quiet, peace of mind, and a place where nobody knows my name or my past.”

“Maddie, please...”

“Don’t try to talk me out of it,” I interrupted gently, giving her a stubborn look. “You know how I am. Once my mind is set, I’m an iron wall.”

Noah stared at me for a long moment before letting out a defeated laugh. “Yeah. You’re the most stubborn bitch I know. It’s your best quality, but it’s also the exact reason you end up in life-or-death situations.”

She stood up, checking her watch. “Alright. Enough heavy talk for one night. You need real medicine, and you’re not sleeping in this disaster zone.”

I gave her an offended look, though a smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “Hey! My apartment is not a shithole.”

“Maddie, your coffee table looks like an evidence room blew up on it,” Noah smirked, walking toward the kitchen to fetch my first-aid kit. “Papers everywhere, half-empty mugs, case files...”

“My mind works better in chaos!” I called out defensively. “If you clean it, I lose my train of thought. Messy desks equal brilliant stories.”

“Whatever you say, Pulitzer,” Noah laughed, returning with a glass of water and two strong anti-inflammatory pills.

She handed them to me at the kitchen counter where I had slowly relocated. I swallowed the pills, letting the cool water soothe my burning throat.

While Noah began packing an overnight bag with my essential toiletries and laptop, I locked my confidential hard drives in the fireproof safe under my desk. My body was exhausted, aching in places I didn’t know existed, but beneath the pain, a strange sense of clarity was settling into my bones.

I was done being hunted. Done being manipulated.

I had already decided on settling in a small ranch town two hours away, nestled in the fog and rolling hills, my new home was waiting for me. A place quiet enough to heal, isolated enough to disappear, and far away from the monsters of my past.

I had no idea what was waiting for me there and the fear of the unknown gave me even more chills but looking at my present there was nothing left for me. I just hoped I wouldn’t find greater monsters than the ones I was running from. I sighed heavily now facing Noah headed for my door with my packed bag and I couldn’t be obliged to follow suit. I looked around one last time before closing the lights and locking my door. I knew it was going to be a long night.