Page 504 of Rage

Fateful Vengeance

By: Marla York

Chapter One

Clara

The sun is out of sight as a layer of fresh dew envelops everything, as if the night wept. I cross my arm over my stomach, wincing at the pain from hours ago. Before heading back to the kitchen, to prepare him a perfect lunch.

“Clara, you okay?” Burke’s deep voice makes me jump.

A forced smile replaces the tears welling in my eyes, the sweet facade I maintain for everyone near me.

“Good morning. Hope you have a great day,” I whisper. Glancing up at his friendly face, his icy blue gaze locks with mine for a moment before I stare down at the cement slab outside our patio doors.

“I should be back in a few days. Tell Ryan he’s gotta pay his rent. Just because I’m his father doesn’t mean he gets to slack off about his responsibilities.”

I nod and wave as I head inside.

Like I’m the one who will ask Ryan to pay the rent. Slipping off my slides, I make my way through the living room to get back to preparing his food, but I run into him instead.

“You couldn’t have made my lunch any better? I work all fucking day and the best you could do was a ham sandwich. What the fuck, Clara?”

“Ryan, I’m sorry. There are more containers.” I brush past him and attempt to open the fridge. Anxiety fills me as my muscles tense.

He clutches my ponytail, jerking me back, and my scalp screams in pain. When Ryan slams me against the wall, I stare into his hazel eyes and bite the inside of my lip. He grips my throat, squeezing until black spots cloud my vision.

“You are such a worthless fucking piece of shit. Can’t even serve me the way I deserve.” Ryan spits in my face and drops me before grabbing his lunch bag and heading out the door.

I crumple to the grey marble tile floor, using the bottom of my shirt to wipe my cheeks. Tears fall, and I feel as broken now as I did as a child. Useless, except for what I can provide. Memories flood my mind from the past with my stepfather matching what happened today, and pain seeps through my veins.

With no friends and a family who abandoned me long ago, my thoughts drift to Ryan’s father, though I’m unsure of what to say.“Hey Burke, your son has been hurting me for a couple of years, but I’m trapped in your basement pretending to live the perfect life to keep up appearances.”

This wasn’t supposed to be my life. I dreamed for years of escaping abuse and growing up to be free. Except I’m under someone else’s thumb and grasping at straws to keep myself from the death that seems better than what life is now.

Pulling myself off the ground, I run my fingers through my hair, checking for blood before I wander to the bedroom. I put on a pair of jeans and exchange my sleep shirt for a hoodie. I’ve been covering for Ryan for so long that I’m concerned no one will believe me anymore, and the bruises from his touch are spreading like wildfire.

With my phone in hand, I decide I need to at least try. Using the non-emergency number, I wait to connect with someone.

“Hello, how can I help you?”

“Hi, I’m calling to report my boyfriend. He’s um… abusive.”

“Are you in immediate danger, ma’am?” her voice is gruff.

“No, but I might be when he gets home. It’s been happening for a while.”

The lady on the other end of the phone sighs. “Ma’am, you are free to go if you aren’t being held. Make the right decision. As for him, we can’t do anything until something happens.”

The phone is like a lead weight. Tears trickle down. “Thanks,” I say before hanging up.

This was my last resort, that the police would help me. That they would take this seriously and take Ryan away from me. Darkness surrounds my vision, and tears fall until I can’t cry anymore.

Wiping my face with the sleeve of the hoodie, I get up. If the apartment isn’t clean when he gets home, there will be hell to pay. It’s hard to believe how that woman could be so cold, making it seem easy to walk away when he would never allow me to leave.

Hours pass, and as I finish scrubbing the sink clean, and the door slams. I flinch, inhaling a deep breath to get ready for the night. I’ve made his favourite dinner, beef stew, and hope for an evening with the nice guy I once fell for.

“Wanna know something interesting, Clara?” His irritated voice coats my nerves with tension.

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