Tim hit the gas hard and the tires squealed as they spun on the asphalt. Once they were moving, Matilda quieted.

“If we have to stay in that house then I am going back to work and your mother can take care of the baby during the day.”

“No.” He was doing laps around a series of blocks with no traffic signals.

The third time they passed the same street sign, she turned back to look at Matilda, who was snoring peacefully. “She’s asleep.”

They drove up to a stop sign and he put his head back and closed his eyes. Therese reached over and stroked his knee. As he arched his back, she slid her hand beneath his shirt and drew circles on the skin above his belt buckle. She lifted herself and started to move towards him, but Matilda stirred and he pushed her hand away.

“There’s no one here. It’s the middle of the night.”

“No.” He straightened and flipped on the turn signal. The loud automated click made her feel like she was trapped inside a clock. She turned her head and stared out the window.

They drove home in quiet. It was late and none of the homes they passed had lights on anymore. The whole world was asleep and she felt like an intruder. “Your mother can at least watch the baby for a few hours.”

“We will find someone else to take care of her. Not my mother.”

They drove past a park that during the day was filled with children but was now empty and quiet. Suddenly she wished she could run out of the car and find the swing set. She wanted Tim to push her as high as he could and she wanted to feel the cold night air wrap around her as she went up higher and higher. She opened her mouth to speak, but he spoke first.

“I’m serious about this, Therese. I will kill you if I find out you involved my mother in any of this.”

She didn’t respond, just closed her eyes and tilted her head back. For a minute, she thought about telling him.

That she was suffocating.

It was a heavy feeling that interrupted her sleep and caused her to catch her breath so that all she could think about was getting out of the little red house she had worked so hard to get inside of. Now that the secret of Barbara’s rape had been told, there was no reason to stay. She could not bear to watch Tim cook and clean and plump the pillows behind Barbara’s head. She turned away when he brought her snacks and sat with her to watch her favorite television programs, like he was paying back a debt he thought he owed.