Secret Love

Chapter 1

"Sit down, bitch." The woman was slammed down on the living room couch. "Now listen to me. You don't do shit without me knowing." Janet looked up at her husband as he yelled in her face. "Don't you dare think about going back to that damn studio. You need to be here taking care of your family." He grabbed her arms and pressed her against the wall. The alcohol on his breath seeped into Janet's nose and she scrunched her face. This often happened. Nights like this happened over and over again. A drunken husband would come home and beat on Janet. "So, I need you to hear me and hear me clearly. If you ever step into that studio again then you will have to deal with me." He dropped her onto the floor and backed up. "But Rene, my fans want to hear from me. I haven't released an album in almost four years."

"I SAID NO!" Janet jumped at the booming of Rene's voice. "Go into that studio if you want to and see what happens." Rene began to stumble around. "Now go get yourself cleaned up." Rene tripped on the leg of the table and fell face first on the couch. Janet took that opportunity to get up and run out of the house. She hopped in her car and drove straight to her mother's house. She flew through traffic and managed to get to mother's house in under fifteen minutes. She hopped out of the car and immediately began beating on the front door. "MOTHER!" She beat on the door for about five minutes before the door opened. "Janet! OH MY GOD! Come in. Come. Come." Janet ran into her mother's house and sat on the couch. Katherine came and sat next to her. Janet immediately laid her head in her mother's lap and cried. Her mother of course knows what goes on in Janet's marriage and she's advised Janet many times but she never seems to leave. So all she could do is be there for her daughter when she needed her. "Okay baby girl, that's enough. Dry your tears and let me know what happened this time." Janet sat up and dried her face. "Well this time he doesn't want me to go into the studio anymore. Mother, I haven't released an album in almost four years. My fans are wondering where I am and what's going on in my life."

"Well Janet. I'm going to tell you what I always tell you. You...."

"I know. I know, you say I should leave him."

"Right so if you know, then why aren't you leaving."

"Because I love him, Mother. I believe I can change him." Katherine just shook her head at her youngest daughter's thought process. She had raised and told her what to do in these types of situations but she just wouldn't listen. It disappointed her deeply that her daughter doesn't want to listen. "Janet baby girl, I love you but you have to save yourself before something happens to the precious cargo." Janet looked down at her three month pregnant belly and cried. She knew that she was risking her baby's life but she couldn't give up on her husband. "I know, mother. I just need more time." She flashed her puppy eyes and asked the question she always asks. "Mother?"

"Of course you can sleep here tonight."

"Thank you." Janet got her things out of her car and went up to the bedroom she always sleeps in and got ready for bed. After showering and doing her bedtime routine, she headed to bed. However, the fear of facing her husband the next morning kept her up half the night. When she finally fell asleep it was three in the morning. She got a full five hours of sleep.

At about eight in the morning, she was awakened by the smell of breakfast cooking. So like a little kid she hopped out of bed, put on her robe she left there and went downstairs. When she walks into the kitchen she sees her older sister Rebbie at the stove cooking. She immediately runs over without a second thought and hugs her sister. When she pulled away, Rebbie had a strange look on her face. "What is it, Rebs?" Rebbie said nothing and went back to cooking. "Come on, what is it?"

"I see he's hitting you again." Instantly Janet's excitement went away. "Go sit over there. Your face is swollen." Janet went and sat down at the barstool. Rebbie went to the freezer and put some ice into a hand towel and brought it over to Janet. She sat next to her and placed the towel on her cheek. "So.."

"Rebbie don't start."

"Are you leaving him yet?"

"No, I'm going to help him."

"Again?" Janet smacked her lips.

"Yes, again." Janet hated having this conversation with her oldest sister because she knew how she felt about everything. Being that Rebbie was sixteen years older than Janet, she was like a second mother to her so her opinion really mattered. So at the moment Rebbie being disappointed in her is a real heartbreaker. "Rebbie, I really feel like I can help him get over this alcohol thing."

"So what are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet." Rebbie held the towel on Janet's face until the swelling went down, then she went back to cooking breakfast. "Can we please not talk about it?"

"Why?"

"Because I'm trying to relax before going home. He's going to need me to help him clean up and I want to rest before I have to do it."

"Hmmm."

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Rebbie handed Janet a plate of food and they ate in awkward silence. The whole time you could hear Janet's thoughts about being scared to go home. "So you're scared to go home, huh?"

"Maybe a little."

"Then why don't you just leave, Janet? I can't stand seeing you and my future niece or nephew in this danger."

"I know and I'm going to fix it." Janet finished eating and she cleaned her plate. She went back over to the table and gave Rebbie a big hug from behind. "Listen, I know you hate the situation but I really love him and want to help him." She gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I have to go. I'll see you later." Janet collected her stuff and left her mother's house. The whole ride home, she worried about which side of her husband she was going to get when she got home. When she got there he was still in the same position as when she left. She shook her head and began her routine of getting her husband cleaned up and put to bed. When she was finished she sat down on the couch and relaxed until her husband woke up. While Janet was going through her own issues, on the other side of town another woman was suffering through her own personal hell.