I walk closer, my eyes not leaving his because if I do look further down his body, I might become weak and take him up on his offer of a quick fuck.
“You can’t ignore this baby, Blake, we’re having a child together, whether you like it or not.”
Not listening to me once again, he continues to shampoo his hair then lathers his body with body wash. I stand there waiting for a reply—anything—but I get none. Closing the faucet, he steps out and grabs the towel and wraps it around his waist. He shakes his head, causing water to spray around him and on me, then runs his hands through it a couple of times.
Finally he turns his attention to me, hands on hips with his muscles stiff. He growls out, “Don’t you tell me what we are doing, there is no we, Charity. You get rid of the baby, or I’ll get rid of it for you.”
Gasping at his threatening words, fear ripping through me, my body freezes. Blake walks right past me, and with a deliberate nudge nearly drops me to the floor.
Scared and angry, I manage to say, “You wouldn’t.”
He lets the towel drop to the floor and grabs some underwear from a drawer, pulling them on quickly and efficiently. Not bothering to dry his torso, he opens another drawer and grabs out a black Ralph Lauren polo, pulling it over his head, a pair of dark denim jeans buttoned at the fly completing his outfit. Continuing to ignore me, he retrieves socks and his Nike’s and places them on his feet, continuing on to the bathroom to splash some cologne on his face and neck and style his hair with product. I watch all of this with a level of detachment, like I can’t believe it’s happening.
Obviously happy with the final result, he walks back toward me, his features set in stone. I can’t help but step back away from him—that is until my body hits a wall. With his face only inches away from mine now, he narrows his eyes at me and growls, “Don’t fucking test me, Charity. You will do as I say.”
I don’t have time to respond because he’s smashing his lips against mine, in an act that proves to me how strong he is. He pulls back finally, and I can taste copper from his rough kiss.
“Now, I’m going out, and when I get back, you better be here. Because I will find you, and I will make you pay if you leave me.”
Swallowing hard, pure fear now running through me, I don’t respond. I can’t.
“I’ll see you soon,” he states like it’s a given, but I’m frozen to the spot. Who is this man? What happened to the Blake who was playful and loving? The man I fell in love with?
Not saying another word, Blake leaves the bedroom, and I hear the front door shut as he exits the apartment. I drop to the floor and let the tears spill out. The sound of his Maserati roaring to life breaks through my sobs, and his tires burn rubber as he speeds around the corner, away from the building.
“Oh God, what do I do?” I say into the silent apartment. I want to call Hazel to come and get me, but I can’t get her involved in this. Plus, I’m too far from our dorm. Blake wouldn’t do anything to hurt me…? Right? He just needs time to adjust to the news. No, he wouldn’t hurt me. He loves me, I try to convince myself.
Agreeing that I may have overreacted, I get up off the floor and decide that tomorrow is a new day, and I’ll put his behavior down to the fact he’s just tired and stressed and needs some time. Heading to the kitchen, I make myself a sandwich for dinner. I’ve been craving peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with my pregnancy, and I can’t get enough of them.
Later on I decide to have a shower myself, and let the stress of everything wash away. Tomorrow’s another day, I keep repeating in my head. “Daddy will come around, you’ll see,” I whisper down at my stomach, letting my hands run circles there.
I dry myself and change into one of Blake’s T-shirts that hangs to my knees, and as usual, no underwear. I dry my hair before I sink into bed and turn on the TV, checking out what’s on Netflix. I decide on a chick flick—The Notebook—and it’s not long till I’m crying at the ending.
Yawning and feeling sleepy, I check the time and notice it’s just after midnight. Blake’s not home yet. Not able to keep my eyes open any longer, I let sleep claim me and drift off into a deep slumber.