A Stripper's Daughter

Chapter 13

It Had Been A Month Since The Miscarriage And I Was Oddly Depressed. I Should've Been Happy That I Wasn't Having Carl's Baby, But Deep Down I Really Wanted A Baby. Just Not His Baby. My Parent's Have Been Talking About Putting Me In Therapy, But I Wasn't Going For All That. I Was Sitting At The Table With My Mom, Dad, Jalen, And Dakota Having Dinner. Jalen Was Rubbing On My Thighs As I Sat There, Head Down, On The Table.

"Layla What's Wrong?" My Dad Asked. I Didn't Respond.

"Layla!" My Dad Said Again.

"Nothing." I Lied. Truth Be Told...I Was About To Drop The Secret Bomb I'd Been Holding In For Months Now.

"Well Thanks For Dinner, Damien. I Better Head Home Before Carl Starts Calling." My Mom Said Getting Up From The Table.

"Mom Wait!" I Said.

"What Is It Layla?" She Asked.

"I-I-I Think....You Should Dump Carl." I Said.

"And Why On Earth Would I Do That?" She Asked.

"He's Not A Good Man Mom. And He's Certainly Not The Man For You." I Said.

"And How Do You Know He's Not A Good Man? You Never Stick Around To Find Out For Yourself. Every Time He Comes Around You Isolate Yourself From Us. I Really Don't Have Time For This!" She Snapped.

"I Isolate Myself From Him Because He Rapes Me!" I Blurted Out. Everybody Got Quiet. I Saw The Tears Form In My Mother's Eyes.

"What?" She Said.

"Carl's Been Raping Me Ever Since Y'all Got Engaged. He Was The One Who Got Me Pregnant." I Said.

"Oh My Baby!" My Mom Cried As She Ran Over And Hugged Me Tight.

"Why The Fuck We Just Now Hearing About This?" My Dad Snapped.

"Because He Said If I Told Anybody That He'd Kill Me And Everyone I Loved. I Didn't Wanna Take That Risk." I Cried. My Dad Got Up And Stormed Out Of The Kitchen. My Mom Just Held Me And Cried. Jalen And Dakota Comforted Us As We Cried.

"Damien What Are You Doing?" My Mom Asked.

"What You Mean? I'm Finna Go Get His Ass! J You Rollin?" My Dad Asked.

"Shit Yeah." Jalen Said.

"What No!" I Said As I Grabbed Jalen's Arm."

"Let Me Handle It, Damien. I'll Take Care Of It. Just Stay With Layla And I'll Be Back." My Mom Said. She Walked Over To Me And Hugged Me Tight.

"I'm So Sorry Baby. I Promise You That He Is Gone! And We Are Gon Lock His Ass Up, And Move To A Nicer Place Where He Can Never Find Us. I Love You." She Said.

"I Love You Too." I Said. She Kissed Me And Left. My Dad Was Pacing Back And Forth Talking To God Knows Who On The Phone. Jalen Held My Hand As Dakota Stroked My Hair. Hopefully This Will All Be Over Soon.
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I Received A Text From My Mom Saying She Handled Everything. That Put Me At Ease. She Then Told Me To Come Over And Help Her Pack Up So We Could Find A New Place To Stay. When I Got To My Mom's House, I Hurried Inside.

"Mom?" I Called Out. No Answer.

"Mom!" I Yelled Going Up The Stairs. No Answer. Strange...Her Car Is Here So Where Is She? I Walked Into The Bedroom And Froze. My Mom Was Laying On The Bed Lifeless And Bloody.

"Mom!" I Cried. I Hurried Over To Her And Checked Her Pulse. She Was Dead. My Mom Was Dead! Somebody Had Literally Beaten Her To Death, And That Somebody Was Carl. There Was A Note Sitting On Top Of Her Chest And I Quickly Read It:

TURN AROUND

I Froze As I Slowly Turned Around. Carl Was Standing In The Doorway Watching Me. I Gasped As I Backed Away.

"Didn't I Tell You That I'd Hurt Everyone You Love If You Told Them About Us?" He Said.

"There Isn't An Us Carl!" I Said.

"There Is Now." He Said Calmly. He Was Way Too Calm. I Grabbed My Mom's Lamp, Threw It At Him, And Took Off Running Towards The Bathroom. I Slammed The Door And Locked It As I Called 911.

"911 What's Your Emergency?" Said The Dispatcher Lady.

"This Man Killed My Mom And Now He's Trying To Kill Me! I Cried.

"Okay Ma'am. What's Your Address?" She Asked.

"139 Dellway Drive. Apartment A3." I said. Carl Started Kicking At The Door As I Texted My Dad And Jalen.

"Ma'am Are You Still There?" Said The Dispatcher?

"Yes I'm H..." I Was Knocked Off My Feet; Hitting My Head On The Toilet.

"Ma'am? Ma'am The Police Are On The Way. Ma'am?" The Lady Said. I Heard Sirens In The Distance As I Slowly Grabbed My Phone. Carl Took Off Running As The Sirens Got Closer And Closer. I Slowly Got Up And Walked Over To My Mom's Dead Body. I Cried As I Cradled Her In My Arms.

"I Am So Sorry." I Cried. This Was All My Fault.