Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1920

"Esme, you should eat."

Her cousin, Ruth, looked pointedly at Esme's untouched breakfast. Grimacing, Esme picked up her forks and ate, not really tasting the food. It had been a harrowing journey leaving Charles's house and getting up to Milwaukee. She kept turning to look over her shoulder the entire time on the train, certain that Charles would materialize. Even after the couple days she'd been here, she couldn't get herself to relax.

She knew she had to. She had been quite nauseated throughout her pregnancy so far and though she had been reassured that it would pass the further along she got, it hadn't. Her nerves made it even worse and she didn't think that was good for her or the baby.

She paused between bites of toast and eggs to take a sip of tea, willing her stomach to not rebel against her.

Ruth and her husband, John, had been understanding and welcomed her with open arms. They believed her about Charles. It was more than she expected after what happened with her parents.

"So, what are you planning to do?" Ruth asked.

"I don't know." Esme had been so focused on getting away that she hadn't planned much for the after.

She'd gotten so used to surviving each day as it came that any future seemed impossible.

There must have been some panic in her face because Ruth reached across the table to take her hand. "I don't mean that my hospitality is has an expiration date. You can stay here as long as you need to. I'm only asking if you've thought about your cover story and what you're going to do when your baby comes."

John came in from getting the newspaper and the door closing after him made Esme jump. Ruth squeezed her hand. "Everything is fine, Esme," she said.

When John joined them at the table, he caught Esme's expression. "Did I startle you? I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Esme breathed, heart still pounding in her ears.

She didn't want to think too long about how strange it was to have a man apologize to her.

"We were just discussing a possible cover story for Esme," Ruth said. "Do you have any ideas?"

John tapped his chin, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps the easiest cover would be to say that she's a widow."

Suddenly, there was loud, insistent knocking at the front door. Esme froze, her stomach knotting.

"Who on earth?" Ruth muttered as she followed John to see who it was. She immediately returned to the table, stricken, and Esme knew who it was.

"No," she whimpered.

"Shh." Ruth took her by the arm and hauled her into the kitchen. The back door was there and she could run if she needed to.

They listened to John open the door. "Mr. Evenson," he said mildly. "It's a surprise to see you here."

Charles snorted. "Don't give me that shit. I know Esme is here."

Even when he wasn't speaking directly to her, his voice still made Esme feel small and powerless. Her legs shook and she couldn't tell if she wanted to vomit or faint.

Maybe both.

"I'm not sure what gave you that idea, but I assure you that Esme is not here. My wife and I haven't seen her in a long time," John said, voice even.

"I know my wife is here because a friend at home said she was running to your house. Now I'm here to take her back to where she belongs."

Underneath the terror, Esme felt a stab of betrayal that her friend Cecelia would reveal that she was running after helping her escape in the first place. Was everyone going to betray her eventually? Would Ruth and John as well?

"Your friend must be mistaken. She isn't here."

"Esme!" Charles shouted. "I know you're in there!"

Esme pressed a hand against her mouth to stifle a sob. Ruth tightened her grip around Esme's shoulders. "I've got you," Ruth whispered.

They heard John step out and shut the door behind him. His voice was muffled, but they still heard him say, "Mr. Evenson, I'm going to have to ask you to leave my property. Your wife isn't here and you're making a scene."

"I'm not fucking leaving until you give my wife back to me!"

"Do you want me to get the police involved?"

Silence fell and it felt like forever until John came back in the house. He came in the kitchen and stuck his head out the back door. "He's gone."

Ruth let out an enormous sigh of relief. "Thank God."

Esme broke out her cousin's hold and was sick into the sink. She wiped her mouth with a trembling hand. "He found me, I'm never going to be safe, he found me" she sobbed. Was this going to be her life now? Running, always the prey looking over her shoulder for the hunter?

Ruth and John exchanged sad glances and then Ruth escorted her upstairs to her room, tucking her back in bed to rest.

She spent another day at their house before they saw her off at the train station with some money and a letter to a contact in Ashland. As the train pulled out, she watched them disappear in the distance and then closed her eyes, feeling utterly alone.

Her baby kicked as if to remind her that she wasn't.

AN: Sorry to leave you hanging re last chapter's ending, but we'll get back to it next chapter. Thank you for reading, reviewing, and fav/following!