The Honeymoon That Ended Before Midnight

Part 2 — The Bat

The heel of my right palm drove upward into Gregory’s jaw.

His head snapped back.

The bat slipped from his hand.

For half a second, neither of us moved.

He looked at me as though I had suddenly become a stranger.

I was.

Or perhaps I was finally the woman he had never bothered to know.

The bat hit the carpet.

Gregory touched his jaw.

“What the hell…”

I stepped backward and kept my eyes on him.

“Don’t.”

He laughed nervously.

“You actually hit me?”

“You attacked me.”

“I was teaching you a lesson.”

“No.”

I pointed toward the bat.

“You were trying to hurt me.”

His expression changed.

The charm disappeared completely.

“You think you can embarrass me like this?”

I shook my head.

“I’m not trying to embarrass you.”

I picked up the bat.

“I am trying to survive you.”

He lunged again.

This time, he didn’t have the weapon.

That was his mistake.

I sidestepped him, caught his wrist, and used his own momentum to send him stumbling into the edge of the bed.

He fell backward.

I stood between him and the door.

“Stay down.”

He stared at me.

“You’re insane.”

“No.”

I pointed toward the cabin phone.

“I’m calling security.”

His eyes flicked toward the door.

Then toward me.

Then toward the bat.

For the first time since we had entered the cabin, Gregory looked afraid.

Part 3 — The Woman He Married

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