Page 118 of Accepting Fate
Mike thinks we are playing some stupid game when I hide from him but to me, I’m just trying to hide long enough to allow the alcohol to fry his brain more.
Not that that would stop him. He could be a case of beer deep and still alert enough to inflict more pain and torture.
Tonight’s reasoning is that Mom made him chocolate chip cookies. She was in a good mood, and we spent all day making batch after batch. We danced in the kitchen and laughed more than we had in months.
Like always, he came home and accused her of cheating on him because I guess now, he hates chocolate chip cookies, and she was making them for some other man. One second, he was screaming. And the next, cookies were being pelted at us like snowballs. When he ran out, he slapped Mom across the face and walked into the garage to grab a beer.
The moment his hand connected with her face, I watched all the light drain out of her eyes. Her switch was flipped, and she was gone.
Quickly, I cleaned up the kitchen before Mike could come back inside and punish me more than he was already going to.
I finished just in time for him to walk in and start round two with Mom. I knew I should have stayed down there to help her, but she was already gone, and I couldn’t afford another blow to the head so soon. My migraines are already bad enough and I need to be able to fight him off. I can’t do that if my vision is messed up more than it already is from the intensity of a migraine.
“Princessss. Where are you? I just wanna talk for a second. Please come out.” Mike’s voice creepily echoes off the walls, and I hear his steps grow closer to my bedroom.
I shift further back so that my back is plastered against the wall.
His footsteps stop and I know he’s right outside my door. I beg that he doesn’t turn the light on. If he does, I won’t be able to slither out the other side of the bed when he checks the closet.
I wait in complete silence. The only thing I can hear is his heavy crackly breathing.
His swollen ankles come into view at the bottom of the bed, and I watch as he makes his way to the opposite side. I break out of my ball and start army crawling as fast as I can.
Something wraps around my ankle and pulls me out the opposite way. My arms scrape along the carpet and a burning sensation spreads all down my arms as I try and fight it, but it’s useless against his strength.
I flip around to my back as soon as I get out from under the bed, in hopes I loosen his grip on my leg and get away.
All hope is lost when his face comes inches from mine. His yellow teeth smile down at me. The alcohol from his breath fills my nose, as he whispers, "I found you Princess. Now it’s time for your punishment.”
I see his head rear back and know what’s coming. I let out a useless blood-curdling scream and then my vision goes black as his head comes cracking down on mine.
My body is shaking.
"Angel. Wake up,” a familiar voice says softly.
My eyes flutter open and I see a blurry face inches from mine. My face feels wet. Hands go to my face, and I roll to the side and curl into a ball.
My chest constricts, and I brace for a blow I know is coming for me.
“Pretty girl, it’s me. It’s Grayson.”
I know that voice. I slowly peel open my eyes and look back. My eyes are blurry and I’m shaking so bad that I can barely see straight.
"Angel. It’s Bear. You’re safe. It was just a nightmare.”
Tears stream down my face and I’m handed my glasses. As soon as I can see and my eyes meet my favorite midnight blue, I completely fall apart.
"Come here.” He doesn’t wait for me to say anything and lays beside me, pulling me to lay on his chest.
His hands run up and down my back as I try to calm myself down by going to my happy place. He presses a soft kiss to my head and tightens his hold on me.
"You’re safe. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Grayson repeats this over and over until my breathing slows down and I am able to talk.
"I hate him,” I say through a sniffle.
"I know you do,” Grayson soothes. "And we will find him. He is never going to lay a finger on you ever again.”