Iron and Wine

Chapter 2

♰ Two ♰

        I learned quickly not to get too attached to those who visited the house. When I first realized the severity of Henry's violence, I wanted to scream for help whenever someone would visit. I wanted to escape with them, I'd often dream of it. It would hurt so badly to think that they would return home to their wife, who truly loved them. It would hurt even more to know that when they went home they felt safe, while I walk on eggshells in my own living space. I can confidently tell anyone who wonders what goes on behind closed doors in an abusive household that the pain of knowing that you are trapped is much worse than the pain physically inflicted upon you. But at the end of the day, it doesn't matter much what kind of emotion I feel.
        My face was sore, my wrists were bruising, my body was overall exhausted from the stress it was being put under. Although I laid on the floor in agonizing pain, I could've probably slept there for days. He had punched me hard in the face. I could taste small amounts of the coppery blood in my mouth. It wasn't significant enough to be concerning, though.

"Oh, get the hell up..." He said coldly. I cursed him in my head over and over, if I would've voiced what I was thinking I probably would've been beaten so hard I wouldn't have been able to "get the hell up". "You know what happens when you talk back, Katherine. I've warned you before, you bring this upon yourself."
        I didn't answer right away. I kept silent, mulling over those dark words that passed through his lips so easily. He was evil, in his blood ran poison. When around him, you could feel the anger and the negativity within him hanging in the air like an ominous cloud. His misery would consume you and eat all of your hopes and desires before he even opened his mouth. He was very tall, but not very muscular, but he had quite some strength, that I can confirm. He had sharp, cool blue eyes that resembled a barren icy wasteland. These eyes of his could pierce right into you, see right through every wall you built around your soul. He had a long slender nose that flared when he'd become annoyed. His lips were thin and his mouth was constantly turned downward as if in disapproval of every last thing that has ever occurred on this Earth. God, he scared you. I imagine that's how he was so successful in his career. The people beneath and above him were most likely too scared to disagree with him, or be on his bad side.
        I can't complain about his success in his job, my family needed the money. I was the only daughter to my father, who is slowly passing as time continues. My father and I were extremely close, he was my best friend. Unfortunately, the money for his constant surgeries and treatments came directly from the pockets of Mr. Henry LeMarc, all this at the cost of my own well being.
I had met Henry at a rather prestigious restaurant. I had only been there at request of the man I had been with before. He was planning to ask me to marry him, actually. I knew he was when he had picked such a place to dine. The truth is, I have always been very scared at the thought of commitment, it is a rather serious decision. How am I supposed to know who I will spend the rest of my life with at only twenty-three years old? When we had received our appetizers during the course of the meal, I had noticed him playing with something between his fingertips. Out of curiosity, I had taken a quick glance at the side of the table, in his fingers he held a small silvery ring, adorned with a pearl at the top. It had immediately caught my breath, and I stated that I needed to leave the table.
I had a million thoughts rushing through my mind. I did love him dearly, but how did I know that a marriage is what I wanted? All people and sounds within the establishment seemed to disappear and it was just me in an empty room, so consumed by my thoughts I didn't know where I was going. I don't know why I was so unable to fully give myself to another person. He had treated me so well, loved me so greatly, I never had to worry about a single thing. He used to promise me that although he did not have much money now, he would prove to me that he could give me the world and he intended to do so. So why did I not want to marry him? Why did a tiny little silver ring strike such fear in me?
Suddenly, I was pulled back into reality when I had slammed into another person who seemed significantly taller than I. I had started to trip backwards due to the recoil of the action and he had grabbed me by the wrist, keeping me upright. I looked up seeing nothing but his cold blue eyes that mesmerized me. I felt as though in the tiny little moment our eyes met, he was reading into my soul, figuring out each one of my darkest secrets.

"My, my..." he said enticingly. "You must watch where you're going."

        I had no idea how to respond at first, it was as though someone had woken me up from a deep sleep with ice cold water. "I-I'm sorry, I had just been... lost in my thoughts I suppose."

        He stared at me for a moment, searching down and up my body as though he was looking for something to remember me by. "Well, I must know the name of the girl who so violently ran into me, so that way I know not to get in her way again." He said with a deep laugh.

"Katherine," I said quickly.

"Well, Katherine, I see that you have wandered quite far from your table. Your partner is waiting quite anxiously over there." He said, nodding in the direction my previous boyfriend sat. I didn't answer, he had sent me back into my train of thought for a brief moment. "Is there something you're running from, Miss Katherine?" He asked slyly.
After he asked this, I told him my rather dramatic story about running from my boyfriend due to his plot of asking me to marry him. He had cracked a slight smile to this and just stared at me for a moment. "I'll tell you what Miss Katherine, I know a rather effective way you could sneak out of here, if you would like. The catch is that, you must leave with me." I stared up into his eyes as he said this, transfixed. He had reeled me in so quickly and I couldn't seem to fight it. I did accompany him on the way out of the restaurant. I never found out what happened with my previous boyfriend, I never saw him again. I had just left him there, twiddling a ring he probably saved his money for weeks to afford between his fingers. If there's anything in this world that I regret the most, it's that. I would give anything in the world to have the opportunity to tell my past self what was going to happen when I left with him that night.
But sadly, I lay here, in the middle of our bedroom with blood dribbling down my chin. My head throbbed as he pulled me up off the floor. "Get in bed, and stop being so goddamn pathetic." He said viciously and I laid my head down on the expensive silk pillows, covered in blood.
All I could think about was how I would have to clean out the stains tomorrow morning.