Living With the Choices We Make (Domestic Violence / Abuse) ✔️

27 - Trapped

27 - Trapped  

We sat at the kitchen table and waited, at first Brent stared at me non-stop, barely flinching while I was getting more and more edgy, waiting for my punishment. I bit my bottom lip so hard that it started to bleed and my nails were soon down to the skin from tearing at them constantly. At some point, he ordered himself Indian food and devoured it right in front of me, never asking me once if I wanted anything. Not that it mattered - my appetite had vanished and I was so nauseous that I thought I would have to throw up any minute.

When he was finished eating, he made me clean up.

I was just about to sit back down when he stepped behind me. "You peed in your pants. Take them off."

I complied with trembling hands and threw the soiled jeans and underwear in the washing machine. Automatically, I added the soap and turned it on, Brent watching me the entire time. I was just about to grab a fresh pair of panties from the laundry basket when he pulled me back by my hair with a harsh jerk. "Leave those. You will just dirty them again."

He dragged me to the table while I screeched in pain, my hair almost torn from the scalp. He threw me into the chair.

"Stay there and don't move."

I wouldn't have dreamed of it. I sat there, my whole body shaking, blood pulsing in my ears. My head was throbbing and I must have been crying though at some point, my tears dried up because there were just no more left to shed.

 He went upstairs, returning with his Kindle and slumped back down into his seat. He didn't speak to me or looked at me and was soon totally indulged in his reading. He sat perfectly still, his finger gliding over the screen when he turned a page, his hand reaching for the whiskey glass every so often.

I, on the other hand, was afraid to move. Even though it was getting late, there was no tiredness in me. The adrenaline was pumping, my heart pounding twice as fast as usual and my stomach was still rebellious. I was scared for my life, realizing that he could snap and just put a bullet into my head.

I remembered LaRosa's words. 'When things escalate, you have to stay calm and try not to worsen the situation. It could be a battle for your life.'

That's exactly how I felt.

We sat in total silence, the only noise was the ticking of the grandfather clock on the mantle. My already fragile nerves threatened to drive me out of my mind every time the clock chimed on the full hour and I jumped because I thought it was the damn phone. My shirt was soaked with sweat and my eyes were burning, I don't believe my lips stopped trembling for even a moment. Both my mind and body were paralyzed – I couldn't think straight and only focused on the revolver in front of me.

   And then, the wait was finally over. A message came in.

'Hey. Haven't heard from you all night. Did you get home OK? K.'

Brent relished the message, reading it over and over for at least a dozen times, his tone becoming more and more agitated.

"So, honey, what do you think would be a good punishment? You know I am very mad just like you would be if I got a message from some little wretch."

I stared at him in bewilderment. He couldn't be serious but his expression was sincere.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered.

"Oh, you don't know." His eyes were mocking me. "Well, then maybe I should make the decision for you. How about the belt?"

I nodded automatically, my heartbeat accelerating even more. He looked so angry and would beat the shit out of me.

"You like the belt?"

I nodded again.

"Say it," he shouted.

"I-I like the belt," I hushed under tears.

"Do you deserve to be punished?"

When I didn't respond, he got a hold of my hair again. I yelped. "Yes, yes, this is all my fault."

He seemed satisfied. "Go into the exercise room and take off your blouse. I will get the belt."

I eyed the door but was still half naked and if Brent caught me trying to escape, he would surely kill me. The gun was firmly tucked in the hem of his pants and he could easily shoot me in the back.

It didn't take him long to meet up with me in the spare room where he stored the gym equipment and for a moment, he gazed at my unclothed body. Instinctively, I wrapped my arms around my shivering chest, pleading in my eyes. He was merciless when he approached me, savoring my fear and discomfort.

"So how many lashes do you think you deserve?"

My eyes were wide and I couldn't get myself to answer. My whole life came to a screeching halt, I couldn't think about tomorrow or even the next hour, all I was focused on was surviving those next painful minutes.

"Don't worry," he grinned, caressing my cheek gently with the back of his hand. "Why don't we let your friend determine your punishment?"

I narrowed my eyes, not comprehending what he was saying. I should soon find out what he meant.

He counted every single letter of the message. "Forty five, so that's a nice round number," he remarked. "And that doesn't even include the punctuation."

Oh, I was such a lucky girl. Why couldn't Kade just have used some of those trendy acronyms – that would have made things so much easier.

"You will count out loud." His eyes were evil and in that moment, he had the face of the devil.

He started and the belt tore into my skin.

"One," I cried.

The next lash set my butt on fire.

"Two." My voice was barely audible under my tears, the hurt too much.

Another blow across my back.

"Three."

I hung in there, counting as the time went by, holding myself upright by clinging on to the bars of the weight machine, not sure if I wouldn't have preferred the bullet over my torment. With every whip, I got weaker, my cries louder, my despair rising slowly to the peek until there was nothing left in the world but pain and sorrow. I wanted to give up.

I used to love that Brent was so strong, that he used the equipment to shape his body to perfection. I was proud of his six pack and the muscles bulging under his shirt. Now I wished he was wimpy and weak, not having the endurance to continue to beat me. My ordeal seemed to go on forever and there was nothing to slow him down.

When he was finished punishing me with the belt, he raped me right in the middle of the floor. I screamed in agony when my back slid over the hardwood boards while he thrusted himself violently inside me until he reached his climax without giving it a second thought.

I felt more violated than ever before, dirty and totally worthless. He had reduced me to nothing – a powerless being at his mercy, depending on his will to continue with my pitiful existence. My heart was throbbing with sorrow and my throat burning from crying and hollering in terror.

  And then it was over and I remained broken on the ground, weeping with my arms cradling me in comfort, my whole body shaking under the tension and the pain. I wanted my dad, Kade, anyone who could tell me that things would be OK. It was the end of the line for me but I would soon learn that I had missed my opportunity to escape. This was just the beginning.

OK - first installment of Brent's torment. I hope you all are still in for the ride and I haven't scared you off. This was a pretty harsh chapter and I want to hear from you. Were you OK with it or was it too gruesome?

Please comment, if you want, even rant and rage, but let me have your thoughts. And if you felt this chapter was moving and powerful, don't forget to vote.