Page 17 of A Second Chance At Forever

The moment the words left my mouth I regretted them. I didn’t think he could hear me, but he did.

He turned, his chest puffed up and eyes narrowed on me. He closed the distance in two long strides and grabbed me up again, holding me against the wall by my throat.

The moment my back was against the wall and I couldn’t breathe again, my fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. I brought up my knee, hitting him in the balls.

He instantly released me and the second I was free, I ran.

I shoved past him toward the bathroom, it was the only place I could go. I knew I wouldn’t make it to the hallway.

I pushed through the door and turned to slam it shut. He caught it, forcing his way inside. I screamed but was silenced when he landed a hit to my face.

I fell backward and landed on the floor, trying my hardest to scurry away from him. He caught me by the ankle and pulled me back, my skin squealed against the cold tile.

As soon as I was at his feet, he began kicking me in the stomach and the ribs. I was taken over by pain, and I couldn’t breathe. I curled into a ball, trying my hardest to protect myself.

When my stomach was no longer open to him, he bent down, grabbing me by my shirt and started beating me off the floor.

I wrapped my arms around my head, trying to protect it from the tile while I cried and pleaded for him to stop. But he didn’t even hear me. He was lost to the rage that consumed him.

My body wracked with pain, finally shut down. I couldn’t fight against him anymore. In my mind, I went back to a warm, safe place. A place where I was loved and shielded in strong arms that would never hurt me. With one last blow to my head, everything went black.

I woke sometime laterwith pain consuming me. I cracked one eye open, scanning the room for him.

He was nowhere to be found.

I managed to get myself off the floor, even though every move made my eyes blurry and head swim.

I didn’t dare look in the mirror. I knew how bad I looked, I didn’t need to see it because I felt it.

I turned on the shower to let the hot water soothe my broken body. Lying on the floor of the shower, I cried.

I cried from pain, from my broken pride, and the rage that was pumping through my veins. I hated him. I hated myself for saying those words that brought it all on. I hated myself for staying with him after the first time he hit me.

I didn’t know when, or how, but I knew I had to get away before he killed me.

Once the water started to run cold, I stepped out of the shower. I wrapped myself up in a towel, but didn’t attempt to dry off. I knew it would only bring more pain.

I removed the towel and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. It took my breath away.

My left eye was bruised and swelling. My cheek was red and swollen from the trauma to my eye.

I let my eyes fall down to look at the rest of my body. My stomach, ribs, and back, were all covered in blue and purple blotches. The appearance of my body caused me to take a sudden breath, wracking my body with more pain. I grabbed my right side and fell to the bathroom floor.

I laid there, for what seemed like hours, before I finally forced myself up. I needed a hospital. I knew I had to have cracked ribs, and with the way my eyes were blurring, probably a concussion.

I slowly pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, trying not to cause any more pain. I pulled on my jacket and grabbed my purse to toss a few things into before I opened the bedroom door quietly.

The apartment was dark and quiet as I walked down the hall. Coming to the office, where I knew he was, I peeked in.

He was sitting in his desk chair with an open bottle of vodka on the desk. His head was leaned back against the chair and his eyes were closed. I stepped past quickly and turned into the living room where I opened the front door slowly and quietly.

Once I was standing in the hallway outside of the apartment, I began to walk as quickly as my broken body would let me. I looked back just as I stepped foot in the elevator, but the door didn’t budge.

Tears streamed down my face just from knowing I was finally away from him. I hailed a cab and without looking back, told him I was going to the airport.

While waitingfor my plane to board, I called my dad. I hadn’t talked to him in months but I knew he would be there for me.

“Hello?”

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