Broken

25

My head hurts as if it had it had been banged severally on a board.

"Where am I?" I whisper-asked. Even talking hurt.
"You're at home...dear." Elron answered uneasily.

"Can I get a glass of water?" I whispered. I didn't understand why I was whispering everything.

"Sure." He answers with a slight smile.

My knees buckled when I tried to stand up.

What's the time?

Elron walked back inside with the glass of water in one hand and a strip of pills in another.

"What's this for?" I asked in confusion.

"Um...pills. For your headache." He answered.

I could sense his uneasiness and I wanted to call him out for it.

"Why....why are you..acting like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like...I can't explain it. Like you don't want to be around me. You barely talk to me and like...ugh." I mumble.

He moves forward a bit and tries to hold onto my shoulder.

"Please don't touch me." I beg. For some reason,I don't want anyone to touch me.
"Sorry." He looks into my eyes and apologises.

"It's okay." I try to calm him.

"We can talk. We do talk...don't we?" He asked with his hand on my thigh. I nodded.
He smiled and carries me off the bed.

"What are you doing?" I laugh.

"Taking care of my wife." He answered and kissed my cheek. I giggled,yes actually giggled and held onto the back of his neck.

"I've never bathed you. Even you were pregnant" he suggested innocently.

My eyes widened when I realised what he meant.

"No,no,let me go! No,I'm fine..really please don't do this." I tried to persuade him. He shook his head and locked the door to the bathroom.
"Calm down,I'm not going to eat you.....unless you want me to." He winked at me.

Oh God.

"Arms up." He commanded. I readily obliged and rose my arms. He slid the shirt off and left me in only my pyjama pants. I felt weird letting him see me like this. But he has seen me in very little clothing..none at all.

"Don't cover up." He whispers when I place my hand on my chest. I didn't want him to see my scars. I had this bite mark scar on my left breast and I was scared to let him see it.
"S-sorry." I mumbled. He held my cheek and said "Don't apologize." Before taking my lips in his. My hands tugged onto his shirt when he deepened the kiss.

"I..can't.. breathe." I said under my breath. He smiled through the kiss and released my lips.
"Your face is red." He teased. I smacked him on his shoulder and said "Bully."

"Really,I'm a bully?"

I nodded childishly and he held me up on my feet. He moved on to take off my shorts and I stopped him. "I can handle it." I told him. He pouted and moved aside.

"Out..out out!" I managed to sack him. "I'll be waiting." I said from outside.

^•^

"You look cute. You don't look like a momma." He completed. I looked at myself in the mirror and he was right. I didn't look like a mom...I looked like a student. "With my turtle neck and black shorts,I could pass off as single." I teased. He frowned and walked up to me. He held on to my waist and drew down the collar of my shirt. All I felt was a strong suction then a sudden release.

"That way, everyone will know you're mine." I looked at my neck and saw a huge hickey there. I rolled my eyes and walked out of the bedroom.

°~°

"Can I get a brief summary of everything he did to you?" Attorney Winston asked me. I nodded.

"Get the fuck up,you're not hurt. Walk it off!"

"Please,it hurts. Everything hurts."

"GET UP!"

"Please."

"Claire,you're not hurt. Get up."

"Sorry...sir."

"Why did you do that?,you could have cost me that business deal."

"I won't sleep with him!"

"Come on, you've already been tainted. What's the harm?"

"I won't!"

"Get the fuck up!"

"Please!"

"Get. Up!"

"Mom,please tell...tell him to stop!"

"I can't. If I do...he'll kill the both of us."

"Mom,if you don't, we'll die anyway."

"Claire,please. Be a good girl and shush. He's coming."

"My mom and I lived in constant fear in that house. I remember one time..he broke my knee with a hammer. I was limping for months. I thought it was a normal thing when I was little. When I would go to school with bruises and sprains and burns and other "accidents." I had no friends cause who would want to be friends with a freak like me? I would always sleep fearing that he'll come and rape me while I slept. My mom...my mom always tried to calm me down but it never worked. I was never able to see what she called Love in that marriage. He would cheat and when she talked about it...he'd hit her till she fainted. I would often at times slip in and out of consciousness when he beat me. Tell me,is that normal...is it?"

I concluded in tears. They ran down my face and stained my sweater. Attorney Winston passed me a tissue and I used it to dab my eyes.

"Miss Claire,I understand you've been through a lot...but you'll have to be strong. If not for you,for your son. For your future. He's going to get what he deserves and I'm going to help you do it."

"Promise?"

"I promise. We'll win the case,and you'll get the peace and justice you and your mom deserve."

I wiped my eyes and smiled at the reassuring hope.