He stood frozen in place, his face white as chalk, staring at me with an expression twisted in agony.
"Eleanor, have you actually gone insane?"
"Do you have any idea what the consequences of this will be?"
I let out a cold laugh. "Of course I do. Once you leave, I'm going to be blissfully happy."
"After all, the reason you and Joan keep crawling back to each other is thanks to this little drug, isn't it?"
Brian gaped at me, stumbled back a few steps, and let out a hollow, bitter laugh.
His phone rang again.
Even his ringtone was set to a cutesy girl's voice. Joan's voice, specifically.
"Hubby, hubby, pick up the phone..."
After we'd reconciled, I had asked him more than once to change that ringtone.
He refused every time.
"Joanie and I are done. It's over. We're clean."
"That ringtone is the last thing I have left of her. Why can't you even let me have that?"
Now I smiled, razor-sharp. "Aren't you going to answer? Your precious Joanie must be getting upset."
Brian yanked the phone out without a second thought, rejected the call, and powered it off.
Then he lifted his gaze and fixed me with a frigid stare. "You want me to leave? Not a chance, Eleanor. I won't let you have your way."