I Choose You

Chapter 36: Beaten

          Around two in the morning, there's a knock on his door. Gunner not even moving an inch. Yawning, Liam gets up and makes his way downstairs to answer the door. He opens the door and sees Sloane in the same sweatshirt from earlier, the hood up.

         "Sloane?" Liam asks, half asleep.

          "Can I come in?" she says softly.

          "Yeah, sure come in," he steps back to let her through.

           Sloane steps in, leaving the hood on as she kicks her shoes off, uncrossing her arms and finally pulling back the hood. Liam sees her knuckles all bruised, and then finally her face all but destroyed. It doesn't even look like her.

          "What the hell happened?" Liam demands. "Did Eric do this to you?"

          "I don't want to talk about it," she says quietly, her voice raspy. "Do you have some scissors?" she whispers.

          "Scissors for what?"

          "Liam please," almost begging.

          He sighs, grabbing her hand and walking into the kitchen to retrieve the scissors. She moves in front of him.

          "Cut it off," Sloane sighs.

          He watches her, swallowing hard as he makes a small cut in the sweatshirt before ripping it down the middle of her back. Not ready for what he sees next. Sloane cries out. Liam seeing a mix of scratches, bite marks and new bruises across her back, shoulders, and arms.

         "Sloane, what happened?"

          "He didn't take it well," she mumbles, turning around. The bruises continuing up the front of her arms, up her neck and into her face which is covered in dried blood, bruises, welts, and gashes.

         "Where is he?" Liam asks calmly.

          "I don't know," she shrugs, pulling his shirt off from earlier and dropping it on the floor. She saunters towards the hallway, kicking her pants off, bruises across her thighs and lower back. Liam walks over and carefully picks her up and walks to his room.

          "Bathroom," she mumbles.

         He turns directions, heading to the bathroom and setting her down on the countertop. "What do you need?"

          Sloane shakes her head, getting off the counter carefully and turning the bathtub on and hot. The hot water filling the room with steam. She sits on the floor against it, letting it run, shutting her eyes—both eyes bruised and a gash near one.

           Liam takes out his phone, snapping a picture of Sloane and sending it to Javier. "What do you need me to do?" he asks Sloane, kneeling in front of her.

           "Nothing," she says quietly. "Liam, your eye," she reaches up slowly, her thumb rubbing down the side of his face.

          "I'm fine," Liam says, letting her keep her hand on his face.

           Sloane shifts a bit and turns the water off, wincing as she tries to get up.

          "Sloane, I can help you."

          "I'm so sorry," she says, tears sliding down her cheeks.

          "Why are you sorry?"

          "Bringing you into this," she sniffles.

          "Let me help you please."