I Love You So (Please Let Me Go) (TNN - SIOBHAN/VIVIAN)

Chapter 2

Siobhan wished she could say she woke up this morning feeling refreshed and ready for the day ahead of her, but she'd be lying. From the minute her eyes opened, the feeling of dread had begun its antagonizing lingering and it had no intention of leaving any time soon.

Siobhan turned in her bed, expecting to find a certain someone next to her, but to her surprise, his side of the bed was empty. The blonde sighed heavily. If she had to guess, he was probably already in the kitchen making coffee, but only enough for himself, thinking up some fake apology to subside his guilt. Siobhan assumed it would be the same apology as always.

"I love you. I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, but..." followed by some bullshit excuse. It was always Siobhan's fault somehow.

The last time this apology was given was the morning after Roger had 'accidentally" pushed Siobhan down the stairs while he was drunk after a night out with his 'business partners.' He swore up and down he didn't mean to push her, and that he didn't know how it happened, but he did remember that it was an accident.

God forbid a man takes responsibility...

Siobhan threw the covers off her and swung her legs over the side of the bed, sliding on her slippers. She stood up, then went over to the window, pulling the drapes apart revealing a sunny day.

Siobhan squinted at the sudden sunlight, letting her eyes adjust. She flipped up the latch and opened the window, allowing the sound of singing birds and a light breeze to enter.

The blonde took a deep breath through her nose, held it, then released it with a sigh. She closed her eyes and let the soft morning breeze roll over her. The soft cooing of a mourning dove can be heard in the distance, along with some other bird calls. In a home that's regularly filled with chaos, there is peace.

Siobhan takes a moment for herself, then takes a few steps back from the window, leaving it open. She figured the room could use some fresh air anyway.

Leaving her bedroom, she made her way to the kitchen, walking as slowly as humanly possible to put off the inevitable. On the way, she caught a glimpse of herself in a reflection on a piece of artwork hanging in a frame in the corridor. She stopped dead in her tracks and took in the wretched sight.

Thankfully, the swelling around her nose had gone down from her nasty 'fall' yesterday, but it's left a hideous black-and-blue in its place. It was sore to the touch as well.

Siobhan tilted her head slightly and turned it a bit to the right. On her jawline, fingerprint-shaped bruises were evident, as well as a thumbprint-shaped one on her left cheekbone, all courtesy of Roger. He had squeezed her face so hard in hopes of keeping her quiet while he threatened her life, and she couldn't even try to stop him for fear of him hurting her further. Staring at her ghostly figure in the glass of a picture frame, Roger's word started to come back to her.

"I will make your life a living hell"

"Do not forget where you came from."

"You will do as you're told."

Even the thought of yesterday's events made Siobhan feel physically ill. Not all of it was bad, though. Her meeting with Vivian was quite nice. Being able to sit down, relax, drink coffee, tell stories, and laugh with a friend was a nice break from feeling miserable all the time. Vivian was good like that. Was it pity? Or did Vivian actually want to be her friend? Either way, Siobhan was thankful for the company, no matter the motive.

Thinking back on her meeting with her new friend, Siobhan couldn't help but wonder what Vivian thought about how their meeting ended. I mean, Siobhan was basically pushing her out of the room. She'd be curious too.