Page 43 of Daddy's Little Survivor

“I know it’s going to be hard for you to talk about everything that happened, but I need to know some of it. I need to know who you’re running from so that I can better protect you,” Daddy said.

She understood where he was coming from but that didn’t mean she liked it. Deep down, Monroe was worried that once he figured out who Jared was, he would throw her to the curb.

Whenever Jared talked about himself, he always portrayed himself as a good guy. But when he came home, he also talked about how he paid this person off to say this, and how they set that person up, and she quickly realized he was a horrible and dangerous person.

By the time she understood what he was really like, the beatings had already started, and he had threatened her several times. At first, she had been too scared to leave, and then she just got used to it. After a while, it felt like it was right. It was stupid and looking back on it now, she realized that had been his plan the whole time.

Monroe climbed off Daddy’s lap and sat on the ground. When she explained everything to him, she didn’t want to be in his lap. She knew it would bring her comfort, but she wouldn’t be able to see his reactions and she didn’t think she was worthy of the comfort he was going to try and give her.

“I grew up in foster care,” she began. “My parents apparently died right after I was born and I got put straight into foster care. I didn’t have any family left to take me in. I was sent from home to home and no one really wanted me. Or if they did want me in the beginning, they then had a kid of their own and didn’t want me anymore.”

She needed him to understand why she had gone with Jared. She didn’t want Daddy to think she had just given up on life and moved in with an abusive person.

“A lot of them just wanted the extra person so they could get money. I would eat one to two meals a day sometimes because they didn’t want to spend the money to feed me or buy me clothes if I changed sizes. It is what it is and I don’t want your pity,” she rushed out as she saw the expression on his face.

Before he could start speaking, she continued. She needed to get this out and if he stopped her, she wasn't going to start again.

“I aged out of foster care when I turned eighteen and the foster parents didn’t want me anymore. I found a shelter for women and stayed there while I finished studying to get my GED but once I did, I was told I needed to leave soon. So, I found a job at a department store and lived in the shelter for a couple of months until I got enough money to rent a small room. I worked there for a couple of years before they had to downsize and I was the first to be let go.”

“What happened next?” Daddy asked.

“I got a job at a little diner. I didn’t get paid a lot, but the owner was a sweet man who took care of me. Gave me free meals when I couldn’t pay for them. But the pay wasn’t enough for me to keep the room I’d rented, and I had to leave. There was nowhere else to live but my car. It got colder as it got closer to winter and I was still living in my car. That’s when Ja-,” Monroe had almost slipped up and told him Jared’s name. She needed to be careful. “I mean,hefound me and was like a knight in shining armor who swept me off my feet and took care of me. I thought it was great even though my boss told me to stay away from him. Of course, I didn’t pay attention.”

Daddy grabbed hold of her hand and squeezed it. Comfort filled her body, and she relaxed a little.

“I think I liked that he gave me attention. He took care of me for a little while but then things started to change. His work started to get stressful and one night, he slapped me when we got into an argument. That was the first time he hit me and it was like something snapped in him. He apologized, but he ended up doing it again and after the third time, he didn’t apologize anymore,” Monroe said. “I was so scared to leave him at that point, because I realized how powerful he was and what he could do. Over the years, I just kind of started surviving on autopilot. I didn’t do anything he didn’t like so he would beat me less, but then he started to not need an excuse for hitting me. Things got so bad I realized I needed to leave. He had caught me once before trying to leave. I went to my neighbor and my neighbor ratted me out. He came home that afternoon and I got a really bad beating that night.”

Chest tightening, she took a deep breath, trying to release the tension. She didn’t like talking about this. It was almost like a big ball had sunk to the bottom of her stomach, weighing her down.

“The day before I left was one of the worst beatings ever. I knew at that point I needed to leave, so when he left for work, I did. He normally locked the door from the outside with a deadbolt so I wouldn’t be able to leave, but he was in a hurry that morning and I knew it was the perfect opportunity. I took it.” Tears streamed down her face as she talked. “I drove for three days, only stopping to get gas or take an hour or two to nap, but I couldn’t do more than that. I needed to get far away from him. I got lost, so I just pulled over to try to think and ended up parked in front of your house. I wasn’t gonna stay, I just needed to figure out where I was so I could find a gas station and leave. And then you found me.”

The beating before she left was playing in front of her eyes as she talked about it. She could feel Jared’s hands on her skin, pounding into it as he relieved some of his anger and stress.

“You’re okay,” Daddy said. “How long were you with him?”

“Over six years. After the first two years, I just kind of stopped caring until the time he almost killed me. That’s when I woke up and knew I had to get out of there. I wasn’t allowed to leave the house at all, so I was cut off from interacting with anyone besides him.”

She felt ashamed that it had taken her that long to wake up to the fact she needed to get out. Tears filled her eyes. How could she have been so stupid?

“Ah, ah, ah. Don’t look away. You’re okay and safe. You got away and now you’re here with me,” he said. “Do you think he’ll come after you?”

Monroe shrugged her shoulders. She didn’t know for sure, but she had an inkling he would.

“Maybe, but I’m not so sure,” she replied. “He said he would come after me if I left, but it could have been an empty threat.”

Not for a second did she think it was an empty threat. She paused.

“Okay, I lied. He is probably looking for me right now. That’s why I need to leave and get on the road. I can’t put you in danger,” she rushed out.

One of the rules she had was no lying and she didn’t want to lie to him. The thought of breaking that rule at this moment made her feel sick to her stomach. This was a huge matter that could affect a lot of people and she didn’t want to put anyone in danger.

“You aren’t leaving. We can protect you,” Daddy said.

“But-”

“No buts. We have several people with a lot of training that can help keep you safe. I don’t want you driving out there when he could hurt you at any point. You mean too much to me and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Monroe shut her mouth and stared at him. She knew she meant something to him, she just hadn’t realized he cared about her that much.

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