Agent Assassin's Achilles ✔️

31. Nobody But You

"Señora Ludwig, thank you for coming,"

"Of course." am I always helping at the shelter? No, but when they call, I answer. I often help cook, clean, tend wounds, teach women to defend themselves and teach English.

"She came in with some bad bruises and she says she fell." she leads me to the room where the lady is. The problem that many abused women face is having nowhere to go.

They do not have money to leave and if they could go to their childhood home, their husbands follow them and they will be forced to return by their parents.

As I enter, the doctor confirmed that there are no broken bones.

"What happened, Isa?"

"I fell again," she knows I do not believe her. "It won't happen again."

"Isa,"

"He said he will stop if I stop coming here and I came to tell you that, I can no longer come here."

"If he does it again, I will be here."

"He won't, he promised me and I believe him. "

"I will ask Ms Gomes to pack you a care package."

"I don't need it, Señora."

"Okay." planting a kiss on her hands before I let her be, what I have learnt about abuse victims, is that you can not force them to leave. They have adapted and acclimated to that chaos and pain and when you force them to leave, they keep longing for it and many times, they go back.

Throughout the day, I can not forget the bruises and cuts on her body. They bring with them images of what I used to do to people.

I used to do that to people or worse. Did they deserve it? Most of the time but there was an incident where I had to kill a little girl, I hope to never forget her face.

"Señora, Maria asked that I give this to you." she hands me a blanket that is crocheted, Maria is one of the ladies that I am teaching self-defence to.

"Thank her for me." she nods before going back to doing her job.

I choose to walk home, the ladies have often asked that I not do this by myself but I am pretty confident in my abilities to handle disrespect and assault attempts.

There are times when I can not believe that my house looks so normal. I never thought this is where I would be at thirty-six, childless, married, a teacher and living in a small city in Cuba. I wonder if this is enough for him.

"I did not think you would be here, this early."

"Why, you have a mistress?"

"Yes, and she can not keep hiding in the wardrobe." a smile on my face before I place a kiss on his cheek. "I missed you."

"I missed you. Let me go change and we can watch a movie."

"I already picked out what we are going to watch."

"Okay. I will make snacks."

"I already bought and made some and made dinner."

"Baby, you are not going to tell me bad news, right?"

"No. Go take your clothes off, I will get your bath ready."

"You know you don't have to do all of this for me to fuck you." he chuckles

"That is not why I am doing all of this."

"Okay." I go into our bedroom and get out of my clothes and put on my robe and slippers. This is not a normal date night, there is an occasion and I am forgetting what it is.

He put my salts along with essential oils and flowers into the bath. He also put milk in it. I love bathing with milk and I love that he remembered.

After my bath, I change into some silk loungewear and make my way into the kitchen. "Kai?"

"Close your eyes." I do as he asks and place my palms in front of my eyes. I feel his hands on my waist, he lifts me and carries me outside.

He places me outside, I can hear the birds and a fire close by. "Open your eyes." taking my palms away and opening my eyes, the projector catches my eye and I notice the sheet he hung in our backyard.

Looking back at the patio, he made a fire in a circle, our couch is near the sliding door, covered with blankets and two pillows.

"Kai," I am left speechless by the thought and effort it took.

"We are watching Just Wright, Dreamgirls, Soul, Atomic Blonde and Black is King."

"Oh, now I am interested." he goes into the kitchen and I sit down and cover myself with one of the blankets. "Do you need help?"

"I got this." he places bags of chips on the table in front of us before going back into the kitchen.

"Baby, I can help you."

"I know you can but I don't want you to. Sit there and be beautiful." a giggle erupts out of me, I can not believe that he did all of this. I wonder what the occasion is and I hope it is not a big deal because I have no clue what it could be.

He comes out with a tray of food, mostly seafood. All kinds of fish, raw, grilled and fried. There are bread rolls, my favourite ones from the bakery in town, basmati rice, sweet potato wedges and fries.

"You want me to gain weight?"

"I want you to enjoy the night."

"We are going to spend our evening watching movies while gaining weight."

"Yes." he sits beside me and I turn to face him "You forgot what today is and I am happy that you did."

"Could you please tell me what day it is?"

"I do not want to."

"Please, Daddy." he chuckles

"It's been a year since you walked back into my life and I wanted to celebrate that no matter how hard the journey to get here was."

"I didn't know, I am sorry."

"Don't apologize. I am happy you forgot. I wanted to remind you that I live for you and I hope to never lose you again."

"I love you and I never want to lose you either." wrapping my arms around his neck, he wraps his arms around me and holds me close. "We have come so far from the little kids who fell in love on a street in Norfolk."

"We have. I am glad to have been able to spend my life married to you and I can not wait to spend more years married to you." we stay in each other's arms for a while before we start the movie marathon.

It is nearly midnight and we are about to watch Black Is King. We have finished all the food and are left with the snacks, there are just more than we needed. He is laying down and I am on top of him.

"Don't fall asleep."

"I won't," he says that now but I see him yawning.

Towards the end of the movie, there is a loud knock on the door.

"I will go check," he says before getting up to check who is at our door at two am.

"Señora Ludwig, I need your help." he hit her again

"Isa." my hands are open, inviting her for a hug and she comes into my arms and cries on my shoulder.

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