tw: detailed depictions of domestic violence, alcohol, and mentions of drunk driving
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Siobhan let out a shaky breath before hesitantly grasping the handle to her front door. She'd been stuck in traffic due to a car accident, and she was very late home; Roger would be extremely unhappy with her. No matter how much she would explain she was we held up by the accident, she knew there would be consequences. She wasn't ready for his punishments, not just yet.
She'd seen the whole thing — the car crash —exactly how it had happened. All the events unfolded right in front of her eyes.
It was a brutal collision between two cars. One had sharply turned and swerved into another, definitely an intoxicated driver behind the wheel — she was sure enough from the way they were driving. It was something she recognised all too well as she had imagined being back in the passengers seat, Roger slamming the accelerator, shouting and threatening her. And if that wasn't enough, her suspicions were confirmed when the drunken man left his car began stumbling around, slurring hurtful words at the couple whose car he had hit.
Siobhan recalled the pang in her heart as she watched the couple sit on the side of the road, holding each other, the brunette woman crying yet comforted by her loving partner. It reminded her once again that she didn't get the life she'd always dreamed of. Roger wasn't her knight in shining armour. He wasn't a hero who'd saved her from being evicted and given her a lavish life, like she'd once believed he was.
The blonde took another deep breath and opened the door, walking inside, into Roger's house.
Despite the fact she lived here, the pit in her stomach every time she would approach the front door never went away. She was terrified of that house, terrified of coming home every single day. And today was much worse. Siobhan knew what would happen when she faced him. But the longer she stalled, the worse he would be.
As she closed the door behind her, she waited. It wasn't long before she heard his steps coming down the stairs.
"You're late, Siobhan. Very late."
She didn't respond, simply turning around to face the older man whom she called her partner.
"Where have you been?"
Siobhan took a deep breath, "I was driving home the whole time, there was a huge car crash and I was caught up in traffic."
Roger glared at her. He didn't say anything. And as he continued down the stairs, Siobhan felt belittled, like her words didn't matter. Knowing full well what he'd do, she honestly thought she should just give up. Roger had made up his mind. Her explanation had simply landed on deaf ears.
Still she tried, "Roger I swear to you," she continued, not liking his silence, "I'm here now and that's all that matters, right?"
Still, Roger did not speak, just continued to walk towards her. Siobhan was terrified, the silence and his slow movements were more scary than his outbursts. She was waiting for the huge eruption of emotion. She knew he would snap.
"It was a nasty crash," she blurted out, trying to sound calm and casual, "Some drunken man smashed right into this couple.... He came out of it worse, though. They were fine in the end."
Roger stopped in front of her.
"You're getting quite defensive." He said, eerily calm. "When people lie they tend to keep talking. Why are you lying to me Siobhan?"
"I'm not... I promise you." Her voice and her body noticeably shaky now.
"Well, I don't trust you and your... promises." Roger snarled back, mocking her.
Siobhan nervously looked into his empty eyes, and stepped back slightly.
Noticing the fragile woman's hesitation and desire to flee his presence, Roger abruptly grabbed her wrist.
"Phone. Where is it?" he snapped at her.
"In my bag."
Using his other hand, he reached into the black designer bag and pulled out her mobile phone. He released his grip on her wrist.
"Don't move." he sternly said, staring into Siobhan's eyes with a cold look that sent chills down her spine.
Turning his attention to the phone, he entered the passcode, 7575. It was never to be changed; he needed access to her phone whenever he pleased. He brought it, he created the passcode, and should she dare change that, she would be punished greatly.
Siobhan nervously stared, unsure of what he was doing. There was nothing to hide on her phone. Used to this way of life by now, she knew better than to have something that would anger Roger on it. He wouldn't find anything, and she knew that, yet she was still terrified of what would happen.
"Here." Roger said, handing the phone back to his girlfriend. She daren't ask what he'd done on it. Instead she just silently hoped he would tell her, make some snarky remark like he always did.
"I'll always know where you are now. You can't sneak around and be a little bitch." he hissed, walking off and into the kitchen. Siobhan's heart dropped as she realised he was now tracking her every move.
Suddenly hit with a wave of relief that, today, that was all he'd done, Siobhan put her phone back into her bag. The blonde's eyes welled with tears as she remembered the early days of the relationship. Roger wasn't always like this. There were good days... back then.
"Look at you, I can see the guilt in your face." Roger spat, ending her bittersweet moment of reminiscence and making her jump. The man stood looking down at her, and was now holding a glass of whiskey. He continued his aggressive accusations,
"Where were you? Don't bullshit me again, you lying little slut."
Siobhan was stupid to feel relief, to think it was over. Of course it wasn't.
He was just getting started.
The woman didn't know what to say. She knew she was telling the truth, yet he'd refused to believe her. No matter what she would say, she'd end up hurt tonight. Roger was drinking now, too — and she now realised he probably had been already. It was always worse then.
"Roger, listen, I promi—" Siobhan began.
"Don't you tell me to listen." Roger snapped, raising his voice, waving the almost empty glass right in her face.
Siobhan apologised and continued speaking,
"I promise you I'm being truthful. I would never lie to you." She spoke calmly and softly, hoping he'd match her tone, hoping he'd stop.
"You're still LYING!" He shouted, suddenly kicking Siobhan's ankle and causing her to loose her footing. The blonde fell to the ground as she lost her balance. In hindsight, she wished she'd taken her heels off.
Now sat on the ground, ashamed and in pain, she couldn't help but let tears fall.
"Don't start crying, don't try and get sympathy points. You're lying to me Siobhan." Roger warned, the tone of his voice purely manic and evil.
"I'm not. I-" the woman replied. "Please, Roger." She said through sobs.
Roger swore and kicked her again, this time in the shoulder, seemingly getting some form of twisted enjoyment from hurting her.
"Tell me the fucking truth."
"I am," Siobhan whispered, choked up with tears.
Roger shouted again, "SPEAK UP!"
Trying to calm her hysterics, Siobhan spoke, "I'm telling you the truth."
"You're not though, are you?" The man snarled, before downing the rest of his whiskey.
"I am..." Siobhan was growing more hopeless, accepting her fate. He was never going to listen.
"You BITCH!" Roger shouted, louder than before, as he forcefully threw his glass onto the floor next to the crying woman. It shattered into pieces directly next to her. Fear washed over Siobhan as she flinched, feeling a glass shard cut her leg.
Roger stormed away, shouting back as he left.
"NO respect for me!"
He kicked the corner of the doorframe. "NONE!"
Siobhan could do nothing but sit there and sob, allowing herself to fall further down. Gradually, she sunk to the floor until she was lying on the cold, solid ground, eye level with the broken glass.
Through her tears, Siobhan looked at the last drops of whiskey, pooled in one of the bigger pieces. She could now smell the reminiscence of the alcohol. She closed her eyes, feeling them sting slightly as she did so. Completely loosing hope yet again, she accepted her fate;
Sobbing and broken, Siobhan allowed herself to fall asleep here, where she belonged, next to the shattered glass on the floor.
