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

29 - Betrayal

This chapter is dedicated to XxJessInfinityxX - thanks so much for your feedback and votes - I am glad to have you as a reader XD.

29 - Betrayal  

The next day, I was in shock, mechanically following Brent's orders like a robot. The messages were coming in almost hourly, ranging from 'Call me' to 'What the f*** is going on?'. Luckily, Brent had lost interest in his sadistic games and his anger was now directed at Kade. He was ranting and raging about the things he would do to him. Most of them were unrealistic, given the fact that Kade was actually taller and stronger than him, but the threat to deposit a bullet right in the center of his forehead had me worried.

To enforce that disobedience was non-acceptable, he presented me with a well thought out plan. In every room in the house, a bullet was placed in plain sight.

"This is for you to remember what will happen if you don't get your act together. Each and every one of those can be placed into the revolver and end your pitiful life. If you leave, I will find you. If you talk to anyone, I will know about it. If you are not obedient, you will beg me to take you out of you misery. So from here on forward, there will be nothing but staying in this house and do what you are being told until such time I feel I can trust you again. And if you dare to open that nasty mouth of yours, I will knock your fucking teeth out."

The warning stuck. There was no way I would have stepped a toe out of line, I was terrified. He was capable of making good on any of his threats and the best I could hope for was for him to forgive me eventually and ease up on me.

In that moment, I thought I could never break free from him. I feared he would kill me if I ever left and there was nowhere in this world I would truly be safe. I would be on the run for the rest of my life, always having to look over my shoulder and since I couldn't imagine such a pitiful existence, I as well could accept my fate now and stay with him.

At lunchtime, we got some unexpected visitors. Two police officers rang the doorbell.

"Not a word or you will regret it," Brent hissed before allowing the cops inside.

The two guys were young, both in their mid-twenties, one short, one tall. They portrayed the typical image of 'good cop' – 'bad cop', their body language hostile and intimidating at first.

"We got a call about an alleged domestic abuse situation," the taller one offered as explanation for their presence at the house. He gave me a curious look. "Are you OK, ma'am? It looks like you have been crying."

"A close relative of my fiancé passed away yesterday," Brent lied very convincingly. "She has been very upset and didn't get a lot of sleep." He gently stroked my back and I had to bite my lip not to cry out in pain.

"Is that what happened, ma'am?" the shorter cop asked. He still appeared suspicious, his eyes darting nervously from Brent's face to mine.

I nodded. "Yes." I was surprised by the softness of my voice - I was so intimidated. If they didn't believe me, they would arrest Brent and his punishment unimaginable once he got back home. One thing was certain – they wouldn't keep him locked up forever unless he killed me.

"Well." The taller cop cleared his throat. "We are very sorry for your loss."

Brent squeezed my hand, shooting me a warning look.

"Thank you." I hushed, not able to hold the officer's gaze.

"May I ask you who made the allegation?" Brent inquired. I was pretty certain it had been Kade.