Dead In The Middle (Rewritting)

Chapter 6.1

Tears slowly began to roll down my cheeks when the sound of tires pulled into the driveway. My heart raced as I rushed to cover every bruise on my face with makeup.

Frustration and fear threatened to escape my throat as a scream. The only thing that stopped them was knowing that he was only a couple steps away from the door. He was going to hear me and it would make everything worse.

The doorbell rang and I looked into the mirror to see spots of concealer still showing. I threw the sponge into the sink as I quickly rubbed my face with my hands until the spots disappeared. 

The bell rang again.

Wiping the concealer onto the rag that hung onto my apron, I steadied my breathing before going to the door. I pulled down my sleeves, placed my hand onto the door knob, and forced a smile on my face as I opened the door.

He was beautiful. The sun shone behind him creating a halo. His eyes felt kind as he looked down at me with a perfect smile, the only feature I could actually see.

"I'm back," he breathed out, pulling out a bouquet of flowers from behind him.

My fake smile slowly became real as he bent down and placed a kiss on my cheek, passing me the flowers. I stepped aside to let him into our house and noticed two men in all suits walk up the driveway. I flashed him a confused look as he hung up his coat and waved them in.

"Hun, did you forget already? I told you I was bringing co-workers over for dinner, that's why I dropped the kids off at my mother's place."

I thought back to our conversation after he put the kids into the car and stormed back into the house to give me parting words. Those words hurt as they smacked and threw me across the floor but none of them mentioned co-workers coming for dinner.

I lowered my head slightly, "No, of course not. There's enough food for them too."

After the two came in, we headed to the kitchen where I served food and drinks for all three of them before sitting down. They spoke about life in the office but I didn't listen. I didn't want to be here. I didn't want them here. The fakeness of my smile, laughing at their jokes, and my happiness all made me want to scream until my voice disappeared. 

Fighting the urge to get up and leave was exhausting but I was able to make it most of the way through dinner. My leg had been bouncing without my knowledge, catching his eye. He ran his hand slowly up my dress before digging his nails into my thigh. I scooped a spoonful of rice into my mouth to stop me from screaming out, my breathing became unsteady.

"Are you okay, Viviana?" The slimmer gentleman asked from across the table.

I gulped down the food roughly, "Yes, I am. Thank you for asking."

He put his hand lightly onto the table, "Are you sure? You look like you're uncomfortable."

His fingernails dug deeper into my skin as I giggled sweetly, "I just bit into the side of my cheek."

The larger man laughed loudly, slamming his hand onto the table, "I hate when that happens! Always happens at the wrong time."

I covered my mouth slightly, "Yes, it always does! If you excuse me, I'll go and tend to it now. Please leave your dishes here and I'll take care of them."

He removed his nails from my skin, massaged my thigh and he nodded. As I stood, I made sure the dress fell perfectly to not give away where his hand had been. I rushed to the bathroom as the men continued to laugh and converse.

Once in the bathroom, I cleaned the fresh wounds and made sure none of my previous bruises were showing. Afterwards, I went to the table to find that the men had moved to the living room. While cleaning the table, I could hear goodbyes being shouted from the front door and let out a breath of relief.