I reached the balcony doors just as the deadbolt at the front of the apartment made a heavy, mechanical clack.<\/p>\n
The sound carried through every room.<\/p>\n
They were inside.<\/p>\n
I pulled the sliding door open and stepped into the humid Miami morning.<\/p>\n
Heat wrapped around me at once. Traffic murmured far below. A gust moved my scarf, and pain flared where the fabric dragged across my burned neck.<\/p>\n
Behind me, the front door slammed against the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar!\u201d<\/p>\n
Derek\u2019s voice filled the apartment.<\/p>\n
I moved to the edge of the balcony and looked sideways.<\/p>\n
Mr. Henderson\u2019s unit was next door.<\/p>\n
Our balconies were separated by a frosted divider that rose higher than my head. The concrete platforms did not meet. Between them was a narrow gap\u2014perhaps two feet\u2014that I had barely noticed in all the years I had lived there.<\/p>\n
Beyond that gap was nothing.<\/p>\n
Fourteen stories of nothing.<\/p>\n
I leaned over the railing and instantly regretted it.<\/p>\n
Cars crawled through the intersection below, reduced to bright moving shapes. Palm trees looked small enough to hold in my hand. My stomach lurched and my knees weakened.<\/p>\n
I backed away.<\/p>\n
There had to be another option.<\/p>\n
\u201cBedroom,\u201d Suzanne called from inside. \u201cCheck the bedroom.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice sounded excited.<\/p>\n
Not worried.<\/p>\n
Not confused by the violence Derek had already committed.<\/p>\n
Excited.<\/p>\n
I heard doors opening.<\/p>\n
Derek was moving through the apartment.<\/p>\n
My apartment.<\/p>\n
I looked again toward Henderson\u2019s balcony.<\/p>\n
Mr. Henderson spent winters in Miami and summers somewhere in Michigan. He would not return for months.<\/p>\n
If I could cross the gap, I could get inside only if his balcony door happened to be unlocked.<\/p>\n
If it was locked, I would be trapped outside.<\/p>\n
If I missed the railing, there would be no second attempt.<\/p>\n
The duffel suddenly felt impossibly heavy.<\/p>\n
I swung it onto the top of the divider and pushed.<\/p>\n
It dropped onto Henderson\u2019s balcony with a thud.<\/p>\n
From inside my apartment, footsteps approached the living room.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar?\u201d Derek called.<\/p>\n
His voice changed.<\/p>\n
Softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cBaby, where are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
The tenderness was more frightening than the shouting.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just need to talk.\u201d<\/p>\n
I placed one foot on the lower support of my railing.<\/p>\n
My legs shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar, don\u2019t make this worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
I climbed higher.<\/p>\n
Wind pressed my shirt against my back.<\/p>\n
My fingers curled over the smooth top of the frosted divider.<\/p>\n
I had never considered myself afraid of heights. Standing behind thick balcony glass with a drink in my hand was not the same thing as balancing on a rail with open air beneath my shoes.<\/p>\n
The difference was primitive.<\/p>\n
My body knew I was somewhere human beings were not supposed to stand.<\/p>\n
Derek entered the living room.<\/p>\n
I heard him stop.<\/p>\n
Then the balcony door moved behind me.<\/p>\n
I did not look back.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar.\u201d<\/p>\n
I climbed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat the hell are you doing?\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice was closer.<\/p>\n
I shifted my right foot onto the narrow top edge of the railing.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet down.\u201d<\/p>\n
For perhaps the first time that morning, he sounded frightened.<\/p>\n
Not frightened for me.<\/p>\n
Frightened of losing control of the situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cSkylar, I said get down.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled myself upward.<\/p>\n
The burn on my shoulder screamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re going to fall!\u201d<\/p>\n
Maybe.<\/p>\n
But staying had acquired a clearer meaning.<\/p>\n
The burner phone pressed against my waist.<\/p>\n
The forged loan documents were in the bag across the gap.<\/p>\n
If Derek took them, I might lose the only evidence proving that breakfast had been part of something larger.<\/p>\n
I looked at Henderson\u2019s railing.<\/p>\n
Two feet.<\/p>\n
It felt like twenty.<\/p>\n
Behind me, Derek stepped onto our balcony.<\/p>\n
\u201cListen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
I ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
Instead I tightened my grip on the divider.<\/p>\n
Derek moved closer.<\/p>\n
I could see his reflection faintly in the glass.<\/p>\n
If he grabbed my ankle, I would fall.<\/p>\n
That thought decided it.<\/p>\n
I pushed off.<\/p>\n
For an instant there was nothing beneath me.<\/p>\n
No floor.<\/p>\n
No certainty.<\/p>\n
Only the sensation of my stomach remaining behind while the rest of my body moved through open air.<\/p>\n
My hands struck Henderson\u2019s railing first.<\/p>\n
My hip slammed metal.<\/p>\n
One foot found the balcony edge.<\/p>\n
The other slipped.<\/p>\n
A scream rose in my throat, but I bit it down and threw my weight forward.<\/p>\n
My knee hit tile.<\/p>\n
Then my whole body followed.<\/p>\n
I landed hard on Henderson\u2019s balcony.<\/p>\n
Pain shot through my shoulder and ribs.<\/p>\n
I rolled against the wall, dragging the duffel toward me.<\/p>\n
On the other side of the frosted divider, Derek appeared.<\/p>\n
His shadow darkened the glass.<\/p>\n
For one terrifying moment I thought he had seen me.<\/p>\n
I held my breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s not here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Eleanor called from the apartment. \u201cThen check downstairs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe couldn\u2019t get out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe there\u2019s another key.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
I imagined Derek looking over the balcony edge.<\/p>\n
My heart slammed so violently I feared he would hear it.<\/p>\n
Suzanne said something from inside that I could not make out.<\/p>\n
Derek cursed and stepped away.<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
Five seconds.<\/p>\n
Ten.<\/p>\n
Twenty.<\/p>\n
Then I crawled toward Henderson\u2019s sliding door.<\/p>\n
Locked.<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
I tried again.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
The screen door had a simple plastic latch, but the glass behind it was secured.<\/p>\n
I dug through the outer pocket of my duffel and found a pen.<\/p>\n
The screen latch snapped after two hard twists.<\/p>\n
I pushed the screen aside and examined the glass door.<\/p>\n
Mr. Henderson had once complained that the balcony lock did not catch properly unless he lifted the door as he closed it.<\/p>\n
I remembered that conversation because I had recommended my locksmith.<\/p>\n
Please.<\/p>\n
I gripped the handle, lifted and pulled.<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
I lifted harder.<\/p>\n
The door shifted.<\/p>\n
A thin gap appeared.<\/p>\n
I nearly sobbed.<\/p>\n
I worked it back and forth until the latch slipped free.<\/p>\n
The door opened.<\/p>\n
Stale, warm air rolled out.<\/p>\n
I slid inside and closed it behind me.<\/p>\n
Henderson\u2019s apartment was dark and smelled faintly of dust, wood furniture and the lemon oil his housekeeper used. Furniture covers draped the sofa and armchairs like pale ghosts.<\/p>\n
I did not stop.<\/p>\n
I crossed the living room, found the front door and unlocked it.<\/p>\n
The hallway outside was empty.<\/p>\n
I stepped out and pulled the door shut.<\/p>\n
My instinct was to run toward the elevators.<\/p>\n
Then I imagined Derek standing inside one when the doors opened.<\/p>\n
I chose the stairs.<\/p>\n
The fire door slammed behind me.<\/p>\n
Fourteenth floor.<\/p>\n
I started down.<\/p>\n
By the twelfth, my breathing was ragged.<\/p>\n
By the tenth, every impact of my shoes against concrete jarred my burned shoulder.<\/p>\n
By the eighth, I heard a door open somewhere above.<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
Voices echoed through the stairwell.<\/p>\n
Could have been anyone.<\/p>\n
Could have been Derek.<\/p>\n
I kept moving.<\/p>\n
Seven.<\/p>\n
Six.<\/p>\n
Five.<\/p>\n
My hand slid along the railing for balance.<\/p>\n
Sweat dampened my back.<\/p>\n
At the fourth floor, I nearly missed a step.<\/p>\n
I caught myself against the wall and stood there gasping.<\/p>\n
One thought kept forcing me forward:<\/p>\n
They think I\u2019m trapped.<\/p>\n
The moment they realize I am not, they will search.<\/p>\n
At the second floor I heard the elevator machinery through the wall.<\/p>\n
I descended one more flight and pushed into the lobby.<\/p>\n
Cold air struck my face.<\/p>\n
The concierge, Anthony, looked up from behind the desk.<\/p>\n
His polite smile disappeared.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Greer?\u201d<\/p>\n
I must have looked worse than I realized.<\/p>\n
He came around the desk.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will. Sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The elevators chimed.<\/p>\n
Every nerve in my body fired.<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
The doors opened.<\/p>\n
An elderly couple stepped out carrying shopping bags.<\/p>\n
Not Derek.<\/p>\n
I grabbed Anthony\u2019s arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband is upstairs. Do not tell him you saw me.\u201d<\/p>\n
His face changed.<\/p>\n
He nodded once.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCall police. Fourteenth floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m calling now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Through the glass entrance I saw a taxi slowing at the curb.<\/p>\n
I ran outside and lifted one arm.<\/p>\n
The driver braked.<\/p>\n
I opened the rear door and climbed in.<\/p>\n
He looked at me through the mirror.<\/p>\n
\u201cHospital,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
His eyes moved to the scarf, my wet hair, my shaking hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich one?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNearest emergency room.\u201d<\/p>\n
He pulled away from the curb.<\/p>\n
Only after we entered traffic did I look back.<\/p>\n
The tower rose behind us, sunlight blazing against the glass.<\/p>\n
From the street, my balcony was impossible to distinguish from dozens of others.<\/p>\n
I thought about the leap.<\/p>\n
About the empty space under my feet.<\/p>\n
About Derek saying I was going to fall.<\/p>\n
My hands began shaking harder.<\/p>\n
The driver noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want me to call somebody?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy phone\u2019s broken.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have mine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the device he held out.<\/p>\n
For half a second, I considered calling Derek.<\/p>\n
The impulse horrified me.<\/p>\n
Three years of marriage had trained my mind toward him whenever anything went wrong, even when he was the thing that had gone wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Then I remembered the burner phone.<\/p>\n
I pulled it from my waistband.<\/p>\n
The driver glanced at it but asked nothing.<\/p>\n
I could call 911 now.<\/p>\n
But the concierge already was.<\/p>\n
More importantly, Derek might notice activity on the phone if it used an account he monitored.<\/p>\n
I turned it off and put it in the bag.<\/p>\n
Evidence.<\/p>\n
Do not alter it.<\/p>\n
Do not lose it.<\/p>\n
At the emergency entrance, the driver refused payment after seeing my face clearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cGo,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
I thanked him and stepped out.<\/p>\n
Inside, a nurse came toward me almost immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCoffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
She guided me into a chair.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it spilled?\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth opened.<\/p>\n
The lie came automatically.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The nurse looked at the burn pattern.<\/p>\n
Then at my hands.<\/p>\n
Then directly into my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid somebody throw it at you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I could not answer.<\/p>\n
She crouched in front of me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re safe here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those words nearly undid me.<\/p>\n
Derek had spent years subtly teaching me that private problems should remain private. That involving other people was betrayal. That a wife protected her husband from embarrassment.<\/p>\n
I had protected him through insults, financial arguments and moments of intimidation I had never named aloud.<\/p>\n
Now my skin was blistering because I had said no.<\/p>\n
I looked at the nurse.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy husband threw it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She did not gasp.<\/p>\n
She did not ask why I had provoked him.<\/p>\n
She simply nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay. We\u2019re going to take care of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Treatment happened in stages.<\/p>\n
Cool compresses.<\/p>\n
Pain medication.<\/p>\n
Careful inspection.<\/p>\n
Photographs.<\/p>\n
Questions.<\/p>\n
The doctor explained that the burns were serious but did not appear to require grafting if they healed properly.<\/p>\n
A social worker named Denise sat beside me while I spoke.<\/p>\n
Her presence made the story easier to tell.<\/p>\n
The coffee.<\/p>\n
The phone.<\/p>\n
The lock.<\/p>\n
The threat.<\/p>\n
The hidden burner.<\/p>\n
The forged mortgage.<\/p>\n
The balcony.<\/p>\n
When I mentioned the texts, Denise stopped writing.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou still have the phone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not delete anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
A police officer arrived forty minutes later.<\/p>\n
His badge identified him as Officer Ramirez.<\/p>\n
He listened without interrupting while I repeated everything.<\/p>\n
When I handed him the forged mortgage documents, his expression hardened.<\/p>\n
When I gave him the burner phone, he put on gloves before touching it.<\/p>\n
He read several messages.<\/p>\n
Then he looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Greer, what your husband did this morning is already extremely serious.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut these messages make this much larger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much larger?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced again at the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cPossible fraud. Forgery. Conspiracy.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words sounded like they belonged to somebody else\u2019s life.<\/p>\n
I stared at my bandaged shoulder.<\/p>\n
Ramirez continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd based on the threat you described, we need to treat the danger to you as credible.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about Derek standing behind me while I balanced above the street.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs he still in my apartment?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have officers heading there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to go back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Denise immediately shook her head.<\/p>\n
Ramirez studied me.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
I lifted my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I want him out of my home.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first decision I made after escaping that had nothing to do with running.<\/p>\n
And once I said it, I knew I meant it.<\/p>\n
I reached the balcony doors just as the deadbolt at the front of the apartment made a heavy, mechanical clack. The sound carried through every room. They were inside. I … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3196,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chapter-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3199"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3215,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3199\/revisions\/3215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thechapterstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}