Page 17 of Daddy's Little Survivor

She couldn’t think about that right now. She needed to get out of the house and to her car so she could leave. The thought of her car keys not being in her car briefly passed through her mind, but she didn't dwell on it. Why would he take the car keys out of her car? She didn't know what she would do if they weren't there. Maybe she would just walk somewhere.

Her hand gently grabbed the handle of the door. She had already unlocked the deadbolt, but something was holding her back. Was this a smart idea? Michael had told her countless times that he wanted to keep her safe. He wanted to help her get better, healthy.

But Jared had done the same thing. He had told her several times before she stopped working that he would keep her safe, that he would love her, that he would give her a life she always wanted. Look how that turned out.

Monroe couldn't trust anyone anymore. They all seemed to lie to her. The social workers had told her countless times that she was going to a great home; that the family would love her and wanted her. Most of those were lies, and she learned from a young age not to trust anybody.

Then Jared came along, and with smooth talking and his charm, she believed him. Her body and mind were telling her not to trust him, but she didn't pay any attention. Everything he said and his actions were too good and she believed him.

What a mistake, she thought to herself. She would never do that again, and then Michael said the exact same thing.

With that thought in mind, Monroe gently turned the doorknob and pulled on the door. A shrilling obnoxious noise sounded throughout the house, making her slam the door shut and hit the ground.

Her breathing picked up and her heart beat faster as the noise continued. What was that? Why was it continuing to go off? She heard footsteps pounding toward her.

Monroe's hands went over her head as she rocked back and forth on the ground. She didn't want to get hit for making the noise go off. A whimper escaped past her lips as the noise continued. She heard someone cursing in the background, pulling her into a memory she wanted to forget.

“You ungrateful bitch! I told you no noises and here you are making noises again!” Jared yelled at Monroe.

She gasped for air, trying to fill her lungs.

“Why couldn’t you just follow one fucking rule?” Jared screamed. “I was trying to sleep!”

Monroe cried out and rocked herself faster. She could hear his words in her head, feel his hands hitting her as he let out his frustration. How could she be so stupid and not realize there was an alarm in the house? She hadn’t seen any box for the alarm, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t one.

Why was she so stupid for setting it off? She woke him up, interrupted his sleep.

“Monroe.” Jared called out her name, but it didn’t sound like him.

“Please, no. Don’t hurt me. I’m sorry for letting it go off! I didn’t mean to!” she cried out.

Silence filled the air as the alarm got turned off, but it didn’t help Monroe. If anything, it set her off even more.

“On your knees,” Jared commanded. “You know the drill. Gotta teach you a lesson again.”

She let out a sob and huddled in the corner. She needed to protect her head at all costs. Monroe had learned the hard way that if she didn't wrap her arms around her head, it wasn't going to end well.

Jared had kicked her in the head several times, not caring that he was causing damage. On multiple occasions, she’d suffered from concussions. She didn't have a clue how many. Although, she knew at some point when a person got too many concussions, they were banned from driving and basically doing anything, and she didn't want to become like that.

“You’re such a useless bitch. Can’t do anything right. Always messing something up or breaking some rule and making me angry,” Jared said. “I don’t want to be angry at you, but every little thing you do makes me want to rip your head off!”

Monroe sobbed. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you up. Please, don’t hurt me. I’ll be good, I promise. I’ll do anything you want me to do as long as you don’t hit me.”

“Monroe,” a voice said, but she didn’t pay any attention to it.

Jared never called her by her name. He had nicknames for her. Slut, bitch, whore, idiot, and so many more.

Someone touched her shoulder, making Monroe flinch and hit her head against the wall.

“Please, no,” she begged.

“It's going to be okay. No one's going to hurt you. I'm right here, keeping you safe,” the person said.

Tremors wracked through her body as memories of Jared hitting her flashed through her mind.

“Please,” she begged. “Stop.”

The hand grabbed her shoulder, keeping her in place. A scream bubbled out of her mouth and filled the silence. Thrashing around, Monroe tried to get away from the person, out of their grip.

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