I sat on the closed toilet lid, buried my face in my knees, and fought to steady my breathing, telling myself that this man was not worth a single tear.
Slowly, my heart rate settled. I was about to leave when the restroom door slammed open.
"Don't be mad, baby. I promise I'll have that woman gone by tomorrow. Out of this city for good."
Dustin's voice. Low, urgent, threaded with appeasement.
My hand on the stall door went slack.
"If you ever see her again, I will disappear, and you will never find me."
"I swear on my life." His voice dropped to barely a whisper, but it was deadly serious. "You're the only one I love. Have you forgotten what I did to her so you could get pregnant again?"
What did that mean?
What had he done to me? My mind went blank. I wanted to scream, to burst out and grab him and demand the truth.
The last thread of reason kept me rooted in place.
The sound of rustling clothes, fabric tearing, and then Alice's aggrieved whimper melted into soft laughter and a low moan.
"Fine," her voice was liquid, boneless, "I'll believe you one more time."