Memory

Chapter 3

Jennifer P.O.V
I jolted up from the bed, out of breath, looking around in a panic. "It was just a dream," I panted, trying to regain my breath.

I looked beside me to see my husband, Nicolas, still asleep. It's a good thing I didn't wake him up again, I try to avoid what happened the last time I woke him up.

*Flashback*

"You idiot, what did I tell you about awakening me out of my sleep? You know I need to get as much sleep as possible so I can pay the bills, keep food in the fridge, and keep a roof over our heads, and this is the thanks I get for taking care of you for all these years!"

Nicolas rushed to me, leaving me clueless about how he went from standing next to the bed to standing in front of me.

He then grabbed me by my chin, forcing me to look him in the eyes. "Look at me when I'm fucking speaking to you," he commanded as if I was some type of dog that needs to respect and obey its owner.

"I'm sorry for waking you up. I didn't mean to. I just had this terrifying dream a-".

"Awwww," he said, cutting me off with a change his tone. "My darling had a nightmare," he said softly, caressing my cheek.

His voice was soft and settling, but that look in his eyes was saying something entirely different. It just screamed that he didn't care.

I suddenly felt a tight grip on my jaw, looking at Nicolas's face and noticing it going from concerned to pissed.

"I don't care about what happened in your nightmare. That's your problem, not mine," he stated, having such a heartless tone.

"Now tell me, what will happen if I sleep on the job or during a meeting? The people are going to think of me as unprofessional, and then they'll fire me, and we'll be homeless, and it will be all your damn fault!" He screamed, squeezing my jaw harder.

"Um, Nicolas, you're h-hurting me," I admitted, feeling like he was crushing my jaw with just his bare hands.

Seeing the state I was in, his grip on me loosened, and his deadly gaze softened. "Oh god, mi amor, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to harm you. Please forgive me." He apologized, rubbing my face softly and giving me a "sincere" look.

I swear I've never met someone as bipolar as Nicolas, and it honestly terrified me how quickly he can change his mood.

"It's alright, Nicolas.....I forgive you," I lied, worried I'd make him mad again.

*End of flashback*

I sigh in frustration, wishing I had a way to leave him and live a much better life.

Or maybe if I avoid making any mistakes today, he won't hurt me, and I can spend the day without bruises. Then everything might get better.

Lord knows how difficult it is to conceal these bruises almost everyday of my life.

The thing is, I wouldn't be trying so hard if it wasn't for the kids. I worry they'll start asking questions, and then the dean and principal will get involved, but mostly. I take my time doing this because I care for them and don't want to worry the kids about such adult matters.

I let out a chuckle, remembering that one of my favorite students, Isabella, almost cried to her dad when she found out I had accidentally tripped and bruised my hand. It look us nearly half an hour to explain that I would be perfectly fine.

Looking back, I started thinking of Isabella's dad, David.

"Jesus Christ, that is a handsome man right there," I accidentally said aloud, hoping Nicolas didn't hear that. Thankfully, he didn't.

I shouldn't be talking about another man or even think about him that way while married, even though Nicolas's treatment of me isn't exactly correct. I shouldn't do that, no matter how handsome and sexy David is.

"Wait, no, stop it," I think while slapping those thoughts of David out of my head.

I take a deep breath in and then out. Once I stopped thinking about David, I started thinking about what I should wear to work today.

I again checked to see if Nicolas was sound asleep, and luckily, he was still sleeping.

After removing the covers, I scotch my body over, stretching my legs and arms out, then put on my slippers.

I stood up quickly and then carefully ran to the bathroom.

Taking my pajamas off, I turned on the shower and grabbed my usual shower essentials.

Walking back to the shower, I stepped inside, letting the warm water run down my face and body, which felt so relaxing.

About forty minutes later, I finished my shower and turned off the water. Reaching for my towels from the rack, I wrap one around my body and the other around my head.

I walked over to the sink to do my hair, brush my teeth, and get dressed.

I decided to do a curly side part for my hair, and for my clothes, I chose to wear a silky white blouse with a gray blazer and black suit pants.

Since I wanted to keep it simple today, I wore matching gray heels, silver hooped earrings, and a slim sliver chain.

As for my makeup, I just did a simple nude eyeshadow, some eyeliner, and lipgloss.

After getting dressed, I retrieved my purse, went downstairs, grabbed my keys from the key hooks, left the house to get into my car, and drove to Mision Cafe for breakfast.

Pulling up to the cafe, I parked my car and walked inside. Thankfully, there wasn't a line yet, so I walked up to the cashier, ready to order my usual.

"Hello, may I have a medium coffee with extra cream and sugar? I'll also have an egg sausage sandwich".

"Ok, will that be all?" he asked while putting my order into the system.

"Yes, that's all," I replied reaching into my purse for my wallet.

"Ok, Ms, that will be seven sixty eight".

I took out the amount he said, handed it to him, and returned my wallet in my purse.

"Thank you, ma'am. Your order will be ready shortly". I nodded, then walked to an available table to sit. I then pulled out my phone to check some post on Instagram.

Not longer after, one of the workers walked to my table, grabbed my coffee and sandwich from the bag, and placed them on the table.

I thanked them before putting my phone back into my purse, picking up my breakfast, and leaving for work.