But I don’t know what else to do other than be here right now.
“Sorry,” he frowns. “I shouldn’t have been drinking. I’ll get the help we’ve discussed. I promise.”
“Will you, though?” I quirk a brow. “Will youreally? I feel like I’ve heard the same excuses before, over and over again.”
His tears fall freely now, and his voice breaks. “I need you, Margaux.Pleasedon’t give up on me. Help me to change, to get better. We can do this… together. I can’t do it without you.”
I look at him—the tears, the words, the pleading. I know there’s a part of him that means it.
But the little voice in my head is louder now.
He’s not sorry for hurting you. He’s sorry he almost got caught.
He doesn’t care that he fractured your skull, Margaux.
He’s crying because he realizes he almost went to prison for murdering you.
CHAPTER 71
BROKEN BONES & PROMISES
DEX
My blood runs cold.
He fractured her fucking skull?
I’m going to kill him. I’ll bide my time, but there’s no way I’m going to let someone hurt Margaux like this and get away with it.
I hack into the police system. I can see that the dates line up. They were called to a domestic disturbance at their shared apartment several months before, the time she sustained a fat lip and two black eyes.
I pull up the police photos and almost throw up. She looks disheveled, and clearly has two black eyes and a fat lip, as well as early signs of bruising on her forearms.
There’s no question she’d been beaten up.
I’m able to get into the police body cam footage, and I’m shocked.
She’s very upset, and one of the cops asks her, “What started the argument?”
She replies calmly, her tone sad and maybe a little in shock, “I played a Machine Gun Kelly song so he smacked me in the face, threw me to the ground and strangled me.”
I look back at the medical records. The doctor has made a note:
Subject’s skull fracture is consistent with timing for an incident several months before in which the assailant punched her, threw her to the ground and choked her.
When thrown to the ground, she expressed seeing stars and blacking out.
This is consistent with timing, nature and positioning of a severe skull fracture.
Have advised patient to end relationship and provided domestic violence resources.
Good god. How did she ever see anything in this piece of shit?
I’m full of rage at anyone who could do this to any woman.
ButMargaux?
Nah, this fucker is dead meat.