The Affair

Chapter 3

The long pause of silence that filled the house was enough to give Danielle a heart attack. She tried to busy her hands with finishing the dinner she had prepared for Zack but it was all in vain.

She knew that even from far away Zack would be able to see the way her hands shook. It was more than obvious what Danielle was trying to cover up.

But nonetheless she continued, because to show weakness or guilt would only give him pleasure.

Opening one of the top cabinets she reached in and pulled out two dinner plates and wine glasses. She pushed her elbow into the side of the cabinet door to shut it and turned back around. She almost half expected to see Zack standing behind her but instead she was met with the same eery silence as before.

She frowned as she sat the dishes on the kitchen counter. Never had Zack been so unpredictable.

She walked to the doorway of the kitchen and looked out into the entryway. The boots Zack had been wearing earlier were now placed neatly against the wall closest to the front door. It was odd that she hadn't heard him take them off.

She looked straight across to the living room and then to her right where the staircase was.Gripping onto the edge of the doorway she mustered the courage to call out to him.

"Zack?"

Silence. Nothing but pure, deadly silence.

Danielle sighed and walked to the doorway of the living room.

"Zack?" she tried once more as she peered around the doorway to the living room. The room was empty of Zack and Danielle felt her stomach begin to crawl.

Turning back around she faced the staircase. It was the only other place where he could be and she knew she was doing exactly what he wanted her to by taking that first step. What else was she to do though? She would only anger him more by not attempting to find him.

She walked to the bottom step of the staircase and took a deep breath, hoping to claim some sort of courage before going upstairs to meet him. Grabbing ahold of the banister she made her way up the stairs.

The top floor was just as silent as the bottom floor. The hallway that loomed in front of her made Danielle involuntarily shiver. Crossing her arms for comfort, she walked to the first door she came to. Opening it quickly, she was met with the sitting room, which was just as void of Zack as the living room had been. She closed the door behind her and walked to the door across from the sitting room which held no signs of Zack just like the first two.

She had now come to the last door at the end of the hallway. It was their bedroom and in the pit of her stomach she knew it was where he was.

Closing her eyes she swung open the door and stood there, waiting for a blow to the face or even insults. But when her ears were met with that same silence she opened her eyes. Walking a little farther into the bedroom she noticed it was completely empty. The only thing that had changed was the weather outside which had suddenly become glum; the sign that a storm was on it's way.

Danielle walked over to their bed where she touched the quilt that was draped over it. She no longer knew where to look for him and she had grown tired of his game.

Before she knew what was happening she felt herself being thrown into the dresser closest to her. The lamp and picture frame that had been on top of it fell to the floor with a loud crash as Danielle's body smashed full force into it. She slid down the side of the dresser to the floor where she tried to gather what had just happened to her.

"You dirty slut! Not satisfied with me anymore, eh? Want to cheat on me with a man of lower status? I'll be damned if I let that happen!"

A kick to the side made Danielle cry out in pain. She grasped her side and felt warm tears begin to slide down her cheeks.

"Aww. Poor Danielle. She has been caught and now she is sad. How dare you try and cheat on me with Nick. I will kill you both."

Danielle grabbed one of the knobs on the dresser for support as she tried to pull herself up. Still clasping her side she managed to get halfway up before she had to stop because of the pain coming from her ribs.

She felt herself being lifted the rest of the way up by the hair on her head. She was now face to face with Zack and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

His eyes were black with rage and something about the way he looked at her told her he was not incapable of killing her.

"Zack. . . Please. Don't do this. I-I- didn't do anything. I don't even know him. He came to see you not ME!"

"Shut up you worthless slut!" he said as he pushed her onto the bed. The bed slid across the hardwood floor from the force of danielle falling onto it.

"Only now when I show you what I'm capable of do you respect me. That's not how a woman should treat her husband!" he yelled as he came to tower over her.

Danielle tried to scramble away from him but it was no use. She was slowed because of the pain coming from her side and soon enough Zack had his grasp on her ankle. His grip tightened until Danielle was screaming out in pain.

When he finally released Danielle swore her ankle was broken by how badly it hurt.

She lay trembling on the bed wishing for the pain to stop. She had been beaten by him before but this was worse than anything he had ever put her through. This time was different.

"I could keep beating you, you know?" Zack said in a cool tone. He paused to let the words sink in. Danielle only curled up tighter into a ball on the bed.

He continued, "And I have half the mind to keep doing it. . . But lucky for you I am hungry and feeling rather generous. So get up. Get yourself cleaned up and come downstairs. We are going to have dinner together like a husband and wife should."

With one last kick to the bed post to let Danielle know he wasn't kidding around, he left the room. She heard him up until he reached the staircase and then the house fell silent once again.

Danielle's whole body ached from being beaten and she almost wished that he had killed her. Even though she would never admit it to him the pain did not just stop at a physical level, but reached her at a mental one.

Raising up on the bed she put a hand to her head. It throbbed horribly and she felt something beginning to matt her hair together.

Pushing herself the rest of the way off the bed, she hobbled to the bathroom. Going directly to the mirror over the sink she wasn't shocked at her appearance. Blood from a cut on her head was the culprit for her matted hair. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her whole body seemed to droop as if she had a weight tied around her neck.

As she got out a wash cloth from under the sink she heard the storm she had known was coming earlier finally reach the house. She cleaned herself up and went to the window that overlooked the backyard. Seeing that it was still open from earlier she quickly shut it so the rain wouldn't get in.

The wind outside whipped the rain back and forth and the sky was lit up by the occasional lighting bolt. As scary as the storm seemed, it was nothing in comparison to what she had just went through. She wiped away a single stray tear as she turned towards the bedroom door.

As she walked out she vowed to never let him get the best of her like that again. She wasn't going to give him any reason not to trust her.

Even if that meant avoiding everyone she knew.