Through The Storm (Eminem Fan Fiction)

Love Is Blind

Warning: This chapter gets ugly! Please don't read it if you're triggered by domestic violence in any way!

Valentina POV

Twenty-four hours had gone by, and Marshall hadn't called me. I'm sure he's a very busy man and had a million more important things to think about besides meeting me last night. Shoot, not that I wouldn't mind seeing those amazing ocean blue eyes once more in person.

I stopped by Kim's for a little after work with the girls to pick up my bowl I left there the previous evening, but there was no mention of Marshall. After we came home, ate dinner and I put my daughters to bed, I gave my best friend from back in Florida a call to catch her up on me meeting and kissing Slim Shady. Sierra and I had grown apart while I was married to Jarred but we reconnected and hit it off again straight away when I hit her up to explain I was getting divorced. Abusers always alienate the victim from their loved ones. It makes them easier to control.

"Oh, girl! Remember when you first told me you had moved to Detroit, and I used to joke with you about meeting Eminem? Now here you are making out with him!" Sierra giggled into the phone.

"I don't think you could call it making out. It was just one sweet, little kiss." I told her.

"Ah, sweet and romantic! That's even better! But he was checking you out the whole time, right? And he asked for your number."

"Yeah, he was definitely looking at me a lot. He didn't have to even talk to me. But he did." I thought for a moment then said, "He was probably just killing time before he went out with the actual chick he was supposed to bang last night. I'm sure he's already forgotten all about me."

"Why do you talk like that? You have everything that other girls have and more. Quit putting yourself down, Val. Not all guys are like that piece of shit Jarred. He really got your head twisted up."

"I'm aware, why do you think I'm sweating this so much?" My voice got higher then paused. "I gotta go anyway. I'm supposed to write this thing for counseling."

"Yeah, I gotta go put my kids to bed." Just hearing Sierra's mellow voice soothed me and I missed the sunshine from home.

"Don't worry about it, Val, he's gonna call."

I laid on my bed and took out my notebook to start on the homework that my counselor had recommended. I was supposed to write about difficult memories that flashed back and the feelings I associated with them. I had been putting this off for weeks, but finally picked up a pen to confront it. What were my bad memories and emotions? I decided to write about the exact moment I knew I was in an abusive relationship.

MY PAST

Have I ever told you about the first time he hit me?

I had been with Jarred for years. I always knew he was a bully, but I feel like I didn't have a bold line to claim abusive. We got involved very quickly, he was always possessive and controlling. All the signs were there, but I was too blind and young to even notice. Or maybe I was just glad to have a man by my side. Any man. We scuffled a few times, sometimes he would get up in my face and scream, but that was all part of love, right?

He had roughed me up good a couple of times, but he never actually hit me until Cassaundra was about a month old. I was trying to explain to him how nasty he was being lately and how unfulfilled I felt in our tumultuous relationship. The highs and lows were exhausting.

The moment it happened was in a verbal beat down when he had screamed at me, "Do you still love me?"

He of course expected me to answer "yes" but instead I sobbed "no" through terrified tears. I didn't see it coming, he had never used that level of force before. But he hauled off and backhanded my face so hard that I flew off my feet. As I picked myself off the floor, I realized that my lip was busted and bloody along with another black and blue mark on my chin. I had always rationalized that he never left marks on my body, but this time was different.

I should have called the police. I should have taken my baby and gotten the fuck out of there! But I didn't. I just stood there crying. This is when the humiliating part happened. I've never told this story to anyone and looking back on it now; I can't believe this happened to me.

It was morning and I was dressed in pretty clothes to go to my job at a department store I had at the time. Jarred stripped my shirt off me. He actually tore the fabric and shredded it from my body.

"You're not going anywhere!" He roared at me. "You get your ass in there and call off right now! You're probably fucking with other dudes there anyway!"

I did it. I actually made up a lie and called work to tell them I wouldn't be in that day. This day made me feel humiliated and weak.

Marshall POV

"I can't get ahold of this chick man." I told Denaun from the other side of the jet. "We just met, so I'm not trying to seem too eager, but I can't stop thinking about her. It's almost ten here so it's what? Three back in Detroit?"

"It's six there." Porter answered through tired eyes. "You must really like her, dawg. I'm sick of hearing about her already."

"It's six there. She's probably feeding the kids dinner; I'll give her a call later when we land."

"Aw shit, she got kids! You didn't tell me she was a mom! You've been talking about her all day, how'd you fail to mention that?"

"Must have slipped my mind." I sat back and slipped headphones on. "She's fly though. When we get back, Ima hang out with her straight away."

I rested for the remainder of the flight as I was exhausted from jetlag, but finally got to my hotel and made my way around my room to settle down for the night. I was excited when my phone lit up and it was my daughter Hailie.

"Hi baby." I answered. "How you doing?"

"Fine dad. How was your day?" Her voice was chipper and put me in a good mood.

"Hectic, but it was productive. I was working with Ed (Sheeran) and we're going to have a track together on the new album."

"That'll be awesome!" She was so upbeat.

"Yeah. So, what did you do today?" I asked through a yawn.

"I just got back from Mom's. Her friend Val was over, and she has these two adorable little girls, and they were so funny running around and laughing."

"Oh yeah?" My ears perked up, but I tried to play it cool.

"Yeah. I offered to babysit for her for a little this weekend."

"This weekend, huh?"