Married to the Devil

By Mel Andrews

After a failed marriage, Elle wanted a good life for her daughter, and then she met the man of her dreams, or so she thought. Matt was charming and dependable until he knew he had her where he wanted her. How will Elle live with the monster she married? The devil. A riveting story of betrayal and survival. Will she survive?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 15, 2024
• ISBN: 9798885057820

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

About the Author

cover.jpg

Married to the Devil

Mel Andrews

Copyright © 2024 Mel Andrews

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2024

ISBN 979-8-88505-781-3 (paperback)

ISBN 979-8-88505-782-0 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To my kids, Mariah and Zeb, who endured hell and back with me.

Also, to my sister, Sharon, who kept on me to finish this book and gave me the courage to do so.

I love you all so much.

Thank you for believing in and loving me through it all.

M-

Chapter 1

Watching her daughter playing outside and seeing her smile, Elle knew she did the right thing by divorcing her husband. Brooke's father was becoming abusive and just plain strange. Elle knew she couldn't wait around to see if he could or would change. Today was the day that her divorce was final. The only thing now was she had to share her daughter with this man. She thought he was a nightmare to be married to, but she had no idea what was in store for her future.

Cara is Elle's older sister, and they were best friends. Brooke's and Cara's son were the same age, so they were together a lot. Watching the two of them play makes Elle's heart swell with pride.

Well, I am proud of you, Elle, for getting through all the shit that man put you through. You did it. Now just concentrate on you and Brooke, Cara says.

Thanks, Cara. I couldn't have done it without you, Elle says. Well, I never liked the guy. He never fit into our family, to begin with. He was the puzzle piece that never did quite fit. Maybe you will listen to me next time, Cara says, smiling. Elle just laughs, thinking about all the times Cara warned her about him.

Thinking back on the years she wasted with this guy, she wishes she could turn back the clock and never would have met him. Looking at Brooke, she knows she wouldn't have changed a thing. She was twenty when she had Brooke. She knew she had always wanted to have kids. She has always loved her sister's kids so much and knew she could be a good mom.

Elle moved into an apartment in the city. It is close to her sister, who she relied on to watch Brooke while she worked. Elle works at a doctor's office as a receptionist, and some nights, she waitresses at a local restaurant to make ends meet. Elle has always had to work like this. She was the breadwinner even when she was married. He never wanted to work and never wanted to babysit Brooke while Elle worked. He thought his job was to sit around and criticize her every chance he got.

Elle thought divorcing him would be the end of it all, but Brooke still had to see him and spend time with him. Where is the logic in that? Little Brookie was hers, and she didn't want to share her with the freak she used to call her husband. She shakes her head, snapping herself out of her thoughts. I better get Brooke home for bath time. Again, Cara, thank you for everything. I love you so much, Elle says, giving her sister a hug.

I love you too. You and Brooke will always have us. Call me later, Cara says.

Getting home, Elle pulls into her parking space and sees the same man outside his apartment. He always waves and says hello. He just moved in not long ago, just like Elle and Brooke. He seems nice enough, Elle thinks, and she gets Brooke out of her car seat. Walking toward their apartment, he says hi to them.

Hi, Elle says, looking away. She thinks if she looks away, he will stop talking to her, and he does. The one thing she doesn't want right now is any kind of relationship with a man—friendship or otherwise. She gets into their apartment, locking the door behind her. Brooke seems to like the new place as she runs to her new bedroom. Elle follows her in there and sits down to watch her play—just the two of them now. Elle smiles at that thought. She just wished Kevin wasn't part of Brooke's equation. He seems hell-bent on making her life a living hell now that she has divorced him, and Elle knows he has no problem using Brooke to do just that.

Time for a bath, little miss, Elle says, picking Brooke up and carrying her to the bathroom. She lets Brooke play and get her energy out in the tub so she will be ready for stories and bedtime.

Cuddling in next to Brooke in her bed and reading stories is one of Elle's favorite things to do. As Elle finishes the last book, she looks over at Brooke, and she is already asleep. Elle just sits and stares at her for a minute. She is so beautiful, and not only that, but she is also a funny kid with a heart of gold. How does all that happen at age three? Only God knows. Elle feels blessed to have this little girl. Her phone rings, so she gets up and goes into the kitchen so she won't wake Brooke. She looks at the phone, and it's Cara.

Hello, she answers.

Just checking in before I get the kids ready for bed. Everything good? Cara asks. Cara has always been Elle's savior. She has helped her since day one of her existence. Their childhood wasn't the best, and it left them really just having each other.

All is good here. Just got Brooke to sleep. Feels weird being in a new place, but it will get better, Elle says.

Yes, it will. It is your place, and there is something to be said for that, Cara says.

You are right about that. Give the kids a goodnight kiss for me. Love you. See you in the morning, Elle says.

You bet. Love you, Cara says, hanging up.

Elle has a hard time sleeping lately. She makes her tea and heads to her bedroom to read. Her thoughts overtake her reading. She has so many thoughts of her life. Did she do the right thing? Will Brooke be okay? Will she be able to make enough money to survive? Over and over again, the thoughts go. Ugh. Enough already, Elle, she says out loud to herself. Putting her book down, she decides to turn on the TV for distraction. Next thing she knows, her alarm is going off. Getting up, she jumps in the shower and gets ready for the day. She is in the kitchen, getting their lunches ready to go, and in walks her little ball of sunshine.

Mommy, I am still tired. Can you come and lay with me? Brooke asks.

I wish I could, sweet girl, but we have to get ready to go. Mommy has to work, and you are going to Aunt Cara's, Elle says, picking her up and taking her to get dressed. Elle gets her ready and packs her bag for the day. She is so grateful that Cara can watch Brooke. She is not sure what she would do if she couldn't. Elle gets Brooke dropped off and heads into work. Her phone rings, and she looks down to see that it is Kevin. It is way too early for any shit, Kevin, she says out loud as she rolls her eyes. She silences her phone and walks into the office. Clocking in, her phone dings. Elle looks and sees that Kevin has texted her. She looks at the text. I will be picking Brooke up on Friday at 6:00 p.m. Have her ready, and she better not cry. Elle reads this three times to make sure she reads it right. How in the hell can I control if someone cries or not? she thinks. Her stomach gets queasy. She knows that divorcing him won't stop his nonsense. All she can do is pray that he finds a girlfriend quickly. Then he won't have so much time on his hands.

Chapter 2

Friday got there quickly, and Elle was sick about Brooke not being with her for the weekend. A girl should be with her mom all the time. All week, Elle was talking to Brooke about going to her dad's. She tried to make it seem like they were going to have so much fun. Brooke was not having it. She wanted to be with her mom right now. She tried talking to Kevin about it, trying to explain to him that this was all new for Brooke and that he could just give her time to get used to things before she did overnights with him.

You're poisoning her against me, you fucking bitch, he said. Their conversations always ended up the same way.

That evening, Elle was sitting with Brooke, talking about their day. She doesn't want to part with her. She needs Brooke as much as Brooke needs her right now. She is determined to make this arrangement work for Brooke's sake.

The weekend will go fast, and before you know it, Brooke will be back home, Elle thinks to herself.

Okay, Brookie, your daddy will be here soon to get you. He is so excited to spend time with you. You will have lots of fun, and if you need me, daddy will call me. Okay? Elle says.

No, I'm not going, Brooke says.

Elle just holds her tight, praying that her weekend goes okay. She sees Kevin's car pulling in, so they go outside. She didn't want him inside her house. Kevin looks like his jovial self. Elle puts on her best smile. She is determined for this to work for Brooke. When Brooke spots her dad, the tears start flowing. I'm not going. I'm not going, she cries.

Oh, great, here we go. You know what, Brooke, you are going and thank your mom for all this. She did this, Kevin says.

Wow, really, Kevin? Can you be any more of a child? We are supposed to be helping Brooke, not making things worse, Elle says.

Hey, what did I say that wasn't true? he says, smiling at her.

She gives Brooke a big hug and kiss, telling her she loves her to the moon and back, handing her to Kevin. She turns away quickly and goes inside so Brooke doesn't see her crying.

Elle closes the door behind her and slides to the floor in a heap. She is so sad to have to share her baby with this man. She cries for what seems like forever until her phone rings. She quickly grabs it, thinking it is Kevin. It's Cara.

Hey, Elle says.

Hey, yourself. Are you okay? Cara asks.

No, Elle says and starts to cry again.

It will get better, Elle. Brooke will be okay, and if she's not, we will kill him, Cara says, laughing. That brought a smile to Elle's face. She loved that her sister always had her back. Listen, I don't know what it feels like to share a child, and I am so sorry. I know this has to hurt, but we are here for you and Brooke. In all seriousness, Elle, if he ever hurts her, he will regret the day he was born. I mean that, Cara says.

Thanks, Cara. What pisses me off the most is when we were married, he had nothing to do with her, and now he must have her or else. It is so frustrating, Elle says.

Honey, he is doing this to punish you for divorcing him. End of story. Don't let him ever get a rise out of you, and he will stop with his bullshit, Cara says.

You're right. Thank you. I love you so much, Elle says.

Come over tomorrow, and we can have dinner together, or you can stay with us if you don't want to be alone. Our door is always open. Love you too, Cara says, hanging up.

The next morning, Elle gets up and gets ready for the day. She cleans the house and does all the laundry. She wanders around from room to room, seeing