Chapter 14

Susan awoke the next morning and stretched lazily in the bed, before she opened her eyes and realized that she wasn't in her own room. She sat up and looked around her as memories from the day before flooded her mind. She fought back the tears that threatened to fall again, determined to not let herself fall apart over her husband's betrayal. If she wasn't enough to keep him happy, then fine. She would let him have his freedom and he could be with whomever he wanted. She had enough to worry about without concerning herself with his problems. She had herself and the baby to look after and if he didn't want to be a part of it, then she would take care of things on her own. She wasn't going to waste time worrying over him anymore.

She laid back down in the bed as she mental ran through the list of things that she needed to get taken care of. If she was going to leave her husband, she definitely wanted to make sure that her interests were protected.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a soft knock on the door. She looked up as Glen cautiously opened the door and peeked inside. He smiled when he saw that she was already awake.

"Good morning sleepy head. How are you feeling this morning?" he asked as he walked over and took a seat on the edge of the bed.

"I'm exhausted, my eyes are so swollen I can't hardly see and I've got a terrible headache but other than that I'm fine." she quipped sarcastically, as she grabbed a pillow and used it to cover her face.

"What about hungry?" he replied, amused by her attitude, although he couldn't blame her for being so moody. Hell, if he had been through half of what she'd had to put up with over the past few months, he would have been moody too.

"Oh yeah. And hungry." she added, realizing that she really was starving.

"Well, breakfast is almost ready if you'd like to come join me." Glen added, as he stood up and headed back to the door.

Sighing, Susan pulled the pillow away from her face as she watched him disappear out the door, suddenly feeling guilty for the way she had treated him. He had been so patient and understanding with her and she was still treating him horribly.

"Glen?" she called out, wanting to catch him before he walked away.

"Yes?" he replied, his head reappeared around the edge of the door.

"Thanks." she whispered.

"Anytime darlin'." he replied before disappearing once more into the hallway.

Susan pulled herself from the bed and trudged to the bathroom to wash her face and comb out her hair. Since she had to sleep in the only clothes she had with her, she did her best to straighten them out before she left the room and headed to the kitchen. As she entered the room, she was met by an incredible combination of smells and she scanned the table, overwhelmed by the amount of food that was spread out in front of her. She approached Glen and helped him get everything ready, then she poured them both some juice and took a seat at the table.

They made small talk while they ate, Glen purposely trying to keep the conversation away from her husband. He smiled as he watched Susan empty her plate, then load it down with food again. She could almost hold her own against him. Susan looked up and saw him grinning at her and flashed him a curious look.

"What?" she asked, before shoveling another fork full of food into her mouth.

"Just glad to see you finally eating something, that's all." Glen replied as he continued to watch her.

"I really was hungry this morning. Besides, I'm eating for two remember. Sometimes I swear this baby already has your appetite. I can eat and thirty minutes later I'm hungry again."

"That's my boy!" Glen teased, raising his glass in a mock toast.

"Or girl!" Susan warned with a smile.

"Or girl." Glen repeated as he nodded his head.

They continued their conversation while they finished their breakfast, then Susan helped Glen clear the table and clean up the kitchen before they headed to the living room. Glen sat down on the couch and watched as Susan searched around the room for something.

"Glen, have you seen my keys?" she asked, wondering where she had placed them the night before.

"Your keys? What do you need them for?" he asked as he got up and helped her search for them.

"I need them so I can go home."

"Home? Why do you want to go back there?" he asked, stopping to look at her. He was disappointed that she still wanted to leave.

"I need to get some of my things. I need to get some clothes and other personal items plus I need to get some money and my credit cards so I can get a hotel room." she replied, as she lifted the couch cushions and looked under them. Spotting her keys, she quickly grabbed them up and replaced the cushions.

"I told you, you don't have to stay in a hotel. There's no sense in you wasting your money like that. You're free to stay here for as long as you like, even when I'm on the road."

"Glen I can't impose on you like that, really. I appreciate the offer but I don't want to get in your way."

"It's no problem Susan. This house is empty four or five days a week anyway. Please, at least stay here until you figure out what you're going to do. At least that way I won't have to worry about you so much." he pleaded, desperately wanting her to stay with him.

Susan stared at him for a moment as she considered his offer.

"I'll think about it, okay?" she replied as she headed toward the front door.

"Will you be alright going back there by yourself? Do you need me to go with you?" he asked, wondering if David would be there and if he was if he might turn on her and hurt her or the baby.

"No. David should be at work by now. I'll check and make sure that he's not home before I go inside." she replied, almost as if she could read his mind. "I don't want to seem him right now anyway. Believe me, if he's there, I won't go inside. I'll wait and go back later."

"You'll come back here when you're done?" Glen asked, still not convinced that she would be safe.

"Yes. I'll come back when I'm done. I'll be fine Glen. Don't worry." she replied, before she turned and walked out the door.

Glen watched as she closed the door behind her, debating on whether or not he should follow her. He finally decided against it. He knew that this was something that she had to deal with on her own. He also knew that she was a smart woman and he was sure that she wouldn't deliberately put herself in any danger. Besides, from what she had told him, he was pretty sure that David wasn't the violent type anyway. As long as David continued to believe that Susan was carrying his child, Glen was certain that she would be safe. Walking back to the couch, he plopped down on the cushions and flipped on the television and waited for her to come back.

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Susan approached the house cautiously, relieved to see that David's car wasn't parked in the driveway. She knew that he should be at work by now, but she wasn't sure whether or not he would go considering what had happened the night before. But he obviously wasn't worried about things. He had gone off to work just like nothing had happened between them.

Susan parked her car and got out, then walked to the front door and unlocked it. She peeked her head inside and listened for any sound that might indicate that someone was home. When she didn't hear anything, she entered the house quietly and tiptoed to the garage, just to make sure that David hadn't parked his car inside. Once she saw that the garage was empty, she quickly headed upstairs and began gathering her things. She entered the bedroom and her gaze immediate fell on the bed, which was still unmade. She couldn't help but wonder if SHE stayed with him all night long. She realized that David probably hadn't missed her at all. He was too busy enjoying his little whore to worry about her or the baby.

Susan quickly turned her attention to the closet, where she picked out a few business suits and some casual outfits to take with her. She also gathered some underwear and pajamas, then stuffed everything into a large suitcase. She cautioned herself to only take the essentials for now. Just enough for her to use for the next few days. She didn't want to take a chance on hanging around too long and have David catch her there. It wasn't that she was afraid of him hurting her. In fact, it was just the opposite. She wasn't up to dealing with him right now and she was afraid that if she were to have a run-in with him, he would be the one who would wind up hurt.

Once she had her clothes packed, she headed to the bathroom to gather a few more items, then she headed back toward the stairs. On her way down the hall, she paused outside the nursery door and glanced inside. All that time and energy she had spent trying to get the room just like she wanted it and now the baby would never sleep there. So many things had gone wrong during this pregnancy. Susan couldn't help but wonder how much of a blessing this child really was. She hated the thought of bringing her child into the world under these conditions. She no longer had a marriage or a family or even a home to provide to her child. How could she ever be a good mother if she couldn't even provide those kinds of things to her baby? Sighing, Susan looked down at her stomach and rubbed her hands across it as she felt the baby kick.

"I'm sorry little one. I tried but things just didn't work out. I guess it's just the two of us now."

Taking one last glance around the room, Susan picked up her bags once more and headed down the stairs. She found her purse still sitting beside the door and she picked it up on her way back outside. She turned and carefully locked the door back, then headed back to her car. She loaded her things in the trunk, then climbed in and started the car. As she backed out of the driveway, she cast one last glance back at the house, wondering if things would ever get better. She knew all she could do now was take one day at a time.

Maybe there would be a silver lining somewhere in all of the clouds.

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Glen paced nervously back and forth in front of the door as he waited for Susan to return. It seemed like it was taking her an awfully long time to get back to the house. He wished now he had followed her. She could have had a run-in with her husband or she could have gotten upset again and wrecked somewhere along the way. He knew that any number of things could have gone wrong and he should have been there to protect her. After working himself into a frenzy, he was just about to grab his keys and go look for her when he heard her pull into the driveway. He waited until she got out of the car, then he went out to help her.

"Let me get those." he said, when he saw Susan trying to lift her bags out of the trunk.

"Did you carry these down the stairs and put them in your trunk when you left the house?" he asked, when he felt how heavy they were.

"No Glen. I used my superpowers to levitate them off the ground and put them there." she quipped.

"I knew you had to have some kind of help. These are so heavy I can barely lift them." he teased, as he heaved them up on his shoulders.

Susan smiled as she watched Glen head back to the house, all of her things in tow. She called out to him as she followed behind him.

"What were you doing out her so fast anyway? Were you watching for me?" she asked, looking directly at him so he couldn't lie to her.

"Uh…well…yeah. Actually I was."

Susan flashed him an annoyed look. "Glen I told you I would be fine. You don't have to watch over me all the time."

"I know. I just worry about you. I just want to make sure that you and the baby are okay." he replied, as he carried her bags inside the house.

Susan watched him disappear down the hallway as he carried her things to her room. She knew she should be grateful to him for worrying about her and the baby. He was certainly more concerned about them than her husband was.

She walked to the couch and took a seat as she rummaged through her purse to ensure that everything was still there. She checked to make sure that she had plenty of cash and that her debit and credit cards were in place, then checked her address book to see if she had the phone numbers of people she needed to call. She pulled out a notepad and began to make a list of things she needed to take care of….call the bank, find an attorney, start looking for a place of her own. All those things and so many more. Susan didn't know if she would have time to do everything that needed to be done. With the baby due in only a few months, she was sure that the next few weeks were going to be very hectic for her.

Glen entered the room again and took a seat beside of her.

"What are you working on now?" he asked as he watched her make out her list.

"Just some things I need to take care of."

"Have you given any thought to my earlier offer?" he asked.

Susan stopped what she was doing and looked up at him.

"Glen….I don't know. I appreciate the offer but….well, considering what happened between us, I'm just not so sure that it would be the best thing for me to stay here with you."

"Come on Susan. You already know that I would never do anything to hurt you. You don't have to worry about staying here alone with me."

Susan shook her head. "I know you would never hurt me Glen. It's just….this is my problem. I need to take care of this on my own. I don't need to drag you into the middle of everything."

"This is not just your problem. In case you've forgotten, you're carrying our child. And so far, you haven't let me help you out in any way. This is my baby too. Let me handle my share of the responsibilities. Let me help you." he pleaded, desperately wanting to keep her around as long as possible.

Susan considered his offer for a few moments before she spoke again.

"Okay. I will stay here with you. But…only until I get things straightened out. Then I'm going to move out and get a place of my own."

"Deal." Glen said as he extended his hand, relieved that he had talked her into staying

Susan hesitantly shook hands with him, quickly pulling her hand away when she felt Glen's warm hand enclose around hers. Even his most innocent touch had a profound effect on her. Swallowing hard, she gazed up into his dark blue eyes, suddenly wondering if she had made the right decision. She couldn't help but wonder how she was going to survive living in the same house as this man. She knew that the next few weeks would probably prove to be very interesting for both of them!