Page 48 of Falling For Liam
I pretend to still be asleep when Liam gets up and leaves my room. As usual, he pauses to kiss my forehead, but this morning I almost sob when his lips touch my skin. I’m not stupid; I’m aware he knows I’m up to something. I also know that I probably should tell him what’s going on and accept his help, but I can’t. I need to end this myself. Enough people have already been hurt at that monster’s hands. I won’t allow him to hurt anyone else I love.
I didn’t get a wink of sleep last night. The photo he sent me a few days ago has been burned onto my eyelids, along with the thought of what I could be walking into today. This could be the biggest mistake of my life, but I’m not shying away from that arsehole. All this bullshit ends today. I just hope it’s the way I want.
My hands tremble as I dress once I’ve heard Liam leave for work. I don’t need to set off yet, but I can’t just sit here, waiting. I’ll drive myself crazy.
After making myself a very strong coffee, I get in the car and head off for a place I’d quite happily never visit again.
I loved it when I first moved. Being away from my parents and doing my own thing meant I thought Cardiff was the best place in the world. The nightlife was insane and my uni mates were awesome. I thought it was the beginning of something epic. Then, I met David, and I thought I was going to have it all. A caring boyfriend and the career I’ve always dreamed of. I never expected everything to go so wrong, so fast.
A bubble of excitement threatens to erupt at the thought of my new job, but I force it down. I can’t look forward to any of that until this is sorted. I’ve tried to look happy about it in my attempt to keep Liam at arm’s length, but I’ve failed. He’s worried, and probably rightly so.
The sun’s beating down when I pull up into the car park behind the building I used to live in, bathing the whole place in a brightness it really doesn’t deserve. My entire body trembles with adrenaline as I sit and wait.
Dragging my phone from the bottom of my bag, I open my messages for a reminder of why I’m doing this.
I suck in a breath just like I have done every time I’ve opened his message. The photo is everything I feared would happen. It’s the reason I stayed.
The sight of David lying in a hospital bed, battered, bruised and attached to machines fills my screen, and I fight the tears that sting the back of my eyes. I haven’t been in love with him for a very long time, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt to know what he’s been through.
Scrolling through Griff’s threats that followed when I didn’t respond to the photo ignites a fire in my belly.
Blowing out a long breath as I prepare for what’s to come, I grab my phone and drop it into my hoodie pocket before getting out of the car.
I didn’t give a time. I knew I didn’t need to. I have every confidence that he’s waiting.
The security system’s fucked like it always has been, so I easily get into the building. My heart pounds in my ears as I climb the stairs, the very familiar piss smell filling my nose.
When the sight of my old front door comes into view, I stop, afraid that I’m going to puke. Every muscle in my body is pulled tight, and I can hardly breathe through the fear.
I hit call on my phone before I swipe the key from its hiding place and try to walk inside with as much confidence as I can muster.
I heave the second the smell hits me. It’s so putrid that I can’t even decipher what it could be. It’s dark, and as I round the corner, I find all the curtains pulled with just a lamp on in the corner of the room. There’s crap everywhere; it’s nothing like when I lived here. In just a few short weeks, Griff’s managed to make it look like a crack den. I almost laugh to myself as I think that that’s probably what it is now. David’s in hospital trying to recover from his most recent and most brutal beating, while Griff’s been here doing fuck knows what.
My breath catches the second I see his dark form on the sofa. I watch his shoulders move with his slow breathing as my heart jumps into my throat. He’s going to know I’m here any second. What’s he going to do?
“You’re even fucking stupider than I thought, bitch.” His quiet words slam into me and, as he turns his evil eyes on me, I realise what an epic mistake this was. His eyes hold mine before they drop to take in my body. My stomach turns over and my skin prickles with hatred. When his eyes eventually come back up to mine, they’re dark and hard, holding a promise of what’s to come. He’s going to fucking kill me before anyone has a chance of locking him up again.
Standing, I breathe a sigh of relief as he wobbles. I can only hope that I’m slightly more alert than he is and therefore have the upper hand. Quicker than I expected, he’s right in front of me, his vile breath rushing over my face as his nose lowers so it’s almost touching mine.
I’m desperate not to show that I’m scared but, without realising, I start backing away. The second I look to the side, I realise I’ve made a massive mistake. He’s backed me into a corner. My body trembles and tears burn my eyes, but I won’t cry. I will not allow this motherfucker to see that he scares me in any way.
He moves before I have a chance to react. His hand wraps around my neck and I’m slammed back into the wall with a thud before his fist connects with my eye socket. Pain radiates from my eye and white light flashes before me, blinding me to what might happen next.
His fingers squeeze my throat and I fight to drag any oxygen into my lungs as pain pierces my head.
“You have any idea how long I’ve waited for this?” he snarls, his breath causing bile to burn my throat. His nose runs along my jaw as the tears I don’t want to shed fill my eyes. “It ends today. You’ll give me what I need.”
His fingers pull down the zip of my hoodie, and I find some fight. I start clawing at the arm still holding me against the wall by my neck.
“Keep fighting, bitch. You know how much I enjoy it.”
I growl as I scratch at him, his skin bunching up under my nails.
“It was worth putting that little fucker in the hospital to get you back here. I’m going to do what I should have done all those months ago and fucking ruin you. You’ll never forget who this pussy belongs to.” He lowers his hand and grabs me between the legs. A cry falls from my lips and he presses harder against me. “I’m going to ruin you for anyone else.”
My vision starts to blur from lack the of oxygen. Griff must sense what’s going on because his hold on my neck loosens. “I ain’t giving you the pleasure of blacking out. You’re going to experience every single second of what I’ve got for you. I’ve been dreaming about fucking up this tight little body, and now I’ve got you all to myself. No one’s coming to your rescue this time, princess. So, where shall I start?” His eyes drop from mine, and I shudder as he opens my hoodie to get a better look at what’s beneath before his disgusting black fingers pop the button on my jeans.
“NO!” I scream, swinging my arms, trying to fight him off. He might be strung out on fuck knows what, but he’s bigger and stronger than me. One swift kick to my knees and I’m down. My head slams back on the floor. White light flashes behind my eyes once again, and I lose sense of my surroundings.
