That was the moment.
Not Vanessa.
Not a hotel receipt.
Not perfume on his coat.
That sentence.
Where would you actually go?
He believed dependence meant captivity.
I said:
“Nowhere.”
Adrian smiled.
Conversation over.
That night, I sat on the floor of our bathroom with the shower running so he would not hear me and called Naomi Pierce.
Naomi was a family-law attorney in Rosehaven.
A college friend had used her firm several years earlier.
I expected Naomi to tell me whether I could leave.
Instead, she asked:
“Do you feel physically unsafe?”
“No.”
“Has he threatened you physically?”
“No.”
“Has he restricted access to money?”
“Yes.”
“Has he moved marital assets without telling you?”
“Yes.”
“Has he threatened consequences if you leave?”
“Not exactly.”
I told her what Adrian had said.
