Page 8 of Hiding for the Holidays
Leo smirks as he looks over at him and answers, “Yeah. Phase three is finding whatever asshole put those bruises on her and making him pay.”
Chapter 4
Rosalie
“You look beautiful in that dress, Rosalie,” Scott says, making me smile as I step into the kitchen. “It really accentuates your curves.” He reaches out and caresses my cheek before his hand runs down my front, stopping to squeeze a breast before his hand moves to my hip. “Some more than others,” he says with a cruel smirk.
My smile fades, and I frown at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”
His fingers dig into my skin harder, as if he’s trying to squeeze my excess fat. “Ouch! Scott, you’re hurting me!”
“And it hurts me to see you’ve put on weight since we met.”
“You know it’s been hard since my mom passed,” I say, trying to pull his hand off of me.
“That was a year ago. It’s time you started taking care of yourself.” My eyes grow glossy at his words. I’d probably gained twenty pounds since I met him, but I didn’t think it was that noticeable. Apparently, I was wrong.
“You want to make me happy, don’t you?” he asks,his hands moving to grip my biceps tightly as he stares down at me, his hazel eyes boring their way into my soul.
“Of course,” I reply, trying not to tremble from fear.
“I don’t want you to end up in the nuthouse again.” My eyes widen in fear.
“I’m not crazy!”
“Shut up! Raise your voice to me again and I’ll kill you.”
“What?!?” I ask in alarm, trying to take a step back, but the room blurs around us until we’re no longer in our kitchen. Now we’re in the bus station parking lot.
Scott’s fist connects with my face, making my head whip to the side as agony shoots through my eye. I start to fall, but his hands wrap around my neck, holding me up by my throat as I try to regain my footing.
“If you don’t come back with me, I’ll kill you,” he spits angrily into my face.
The scene around us changes again to my room. I’m lying on my back on the tiny mattress as he kneels on top of me, but the strangling doesn’t stop, and I try to scream as my fingers claw at his hands.
“It’s no use running, Rosalie. Remember, wherever you go.” He bends closer, whispering the last part in my ear. “I’ll find you.”
I gasp, sitting upright in my bed as my hands fly to my throat. I can still feel the phantom pain there of Scott squeezing the life out of me. That wasn’t the first dream I’ve had like that. They are often a mix of memories and fears, blending so seamlessly together that I sometimes can’t remember which parts actually happened.
If it weren’t for the bruises on my neck, ribs and face, I would wonder if he’d actually found me in that bus station less than two weeks ago.
I didn’t actually think he would follow me. In my mind, he had no reason to. But on the fourth day of running, he foundme at the bus station. He dragged me out to the parking lot, and when I saw his car, I freaked out. I didn’t want to go back with him; I couldn’t.
So I fought back. But I’m only five foot three, and although I’m not tiny by any means, I wasn’t strong. Definitely not stronger than him. So he took his anger out on me, right there in the parking lot. If it weren’t for a couple of good Samaritans, Scott would have dragged me back to his car and brought me home with him.
When I reflect back on it, I realized how out of control he really was at that moment. If he had just put me in the car first, he could have kidnapped me and gotten away with it before they arrived. But instead he stopped to try and beat me into submission. Or was he actually trying to kill me?
He’s probably never heard anyone say no to him before. He’s charming and attractive, or at least I used to think so. Now all I see is the evil hiding beneath.
The couple who intervened tried to call 9-1-1, but I begged them not to and jumped on the first bus that came in. After that, I got rid of my phone, worried he’d been able to trace it, and I stopped taking out money in case that was how he found me. I didn’t have much left in my bank account, anyway.
My job as a marketing specialist paid decently, but I had bills to pay and didn’t have any savings. Although Scott and I had been living together for six months, we split the bills fifty-fifty. Which was easier for him since he had a much higher income than me.
I, on the other hand… I was living paycheck to paycheck. I had a small inheritance of ten grand after both my parents passed, but it didn’t go far. It was gone within a few months.
Speaking of money, I glance at my clock, one of my few purchases from the secondhand store, seven a.m.
Deciding it’s time to get up, I grab my toiletries and headfor the communal bathroom, praying is empty and I can shower before anyone comes in.
