Love in Healing

Chapter 10

Chandra stared at herself in the mirror to see if the mark was still there. He had started hitting her two weeks ago and then he would come home crying and bring her gifts. It had started when he had been turned down for the video for the newest perfume line that Giovanni's had come out with. They had told him he was a little too old for the part and he was not sensual enough for it to sell. He had left her apartment with such hope and she had encouraged him and then he had come home that afternoon filled with rage and bitterness!

"There will be others," she had told him soothingly. She had a function with some younger models later that day and had been trying to decided what to wear.

"You stupid bitch!" he had screamed at her.

"How dare you-" Before she was even finished he had backhanded her and landed her in the corner of the bedroom looking up at him stunned. The side of her face felt as if it was on fire but that was not the worst of it. She felt as if she had just died! she had heard of men abusing women physically and had known it would never happen to her and now it had! He had come walked towards her and crouched there, reaching out to her but she had edged back. "I am sorry Cara." he had whispered humbly. "It's just that I am under a lot of pressure and I need the money. Mama is sick and I have been helping out."
"You hit me," Chandra had said dazedly.

"And I will never forgive myself for that." he had buried his face into his hands. "Please don't leave me Cara."

"I can't-"

He had pulled her into his arms and buried his face into her breasts and sobbed out loud. She had held him to her until he was finished and then she had had a long talk with him to let him know why it could never happen again and he had sworn to her that it would not. But it had happened a second time and this time he had punched her viciously in the stomach. They had gone to a charity function and she had been talking to one of the male sponsors. She had seen the ugly look on his handsome face and had feared what was coming. He had attacked her as soon as they got into the apartment. he had torn her clothing, the expensive Dior she had worn to the function and hit her accusing her of cheating on him and then he had raped her over and over again before falling asleep. She had spent the night curled up onto her side and wondered how on earth she had gotten herself into this!

She had woken up the next morning to see him with a tray of breakfast on the bed. "Hi," he had whispered. "I thought you would never get up."
"I want you to leave," she had eased up against the pillows and pulled her legs up to her chin. "Now."

"Baby I am sorry."
"I never want to see you again Luigi. You are a monster who needs help and I am not going to be your punching bag."

"I am not leaving you Cara," he had told her calmly as he put the tray on the table. "I would rather die than leave you. I love you and you belong to me."

"I belong to me," she told him succinctly feeling the shaft of fear going through her. His mask was off and she was beginning to see what Marco was talking about. "Now get out and never come back."
He approached the bed and Chandra felt her heart constrict in fear. She cowered as he reached out to tuck her curls behind her ear. "No one leaves me Cara." he said briskly. "Now I have to go out for a little bit and when I come back I expect you to be in a better mood."

Chandra waited until he had left and then ran to double chain the door!

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"Are you okay?" Gillian Mitchell asked as soon as he answered the phone.

"Why do ask? No let me guess. Mother asked you to check up on me," Gary said dryly. "I am fine."
"Gary you might be God's servant but you are a lousy liar. I am coming over and we are going to talk."

"You are staying right where you are Gilly and you are going to believe me when I tell you that I will be okay. I am a child of God and I will get through this."
"Even though she is seeing someone else?"
He felt the arrow pierced him sharply and he almost doubled over with the pain. It took a moment before he could answer his sister. "I just want her to be happy."

"I am sorry Gary."

"Thanks sis." he murmured. "Now I really have to go. I love you."
He hung up and putting his head in his hands he cried!

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"Thanks for meeting me." Chandra wrapped the scarf around her and kept her shades on as she sat at the table at the outdoor cafe where Marco was seated.

"What's going on darling?" he asked her in concern.

"You were right about Luigi." she shook her head as the waitress came over. She picked up the water and sipped trying to stop the trembling of her hands. "I am not going back to my apartment."
Marco reached over and took off her shades, his mouth tightening grimly at the bruises around her eye. "He did this to you."
"I asked him to leave and he is not doing so."
"You are going to report it."
"And it will be all over the papers. I don't need the publicity. I just need to lay low until he gets the message that it is over between us." she put on back the shades.

"That is not going to work."
"Marco please!" she whispered. "Can I stay at your place or not?"

"Of course darling but he is not going to stop. Men like Luigi who thinks women are their possessions never take you telling them to get out of your life lightly. He is going to stick around and he is going to take it personally."

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"We have a job to do and we have to do it no matter what we are going through," Pastor Gary Mitchell looked down at the congregation as he preached the sermon. It was a lovely Sunday morning in May and he had come to terms with never seeing her again. And he had made a promise to God that he would put everything in the work he had been made to do. "We serve a God who does not go for half measures. My brothers and sisters we are here to serve no matter what is going on in our lives. He promises to see us through whatever it is and He is a God who never breaks our promises, no matter how many times we fail him!" he paused and looked down at his Bible for a moment as if gathering his thoughts. "I have failed him so many times," he continued with a sad smile. "And yet he still loves me unconditionally. Let us do better because we need to. We serve a God who is merciful and does not play favorites. We owe it to him after all he gave his life for us." he stepped back and indicated that the choir take over but not before he caught Sister Caroline's eyes and the understanding there!

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Luigi prowled the empty apartment as his anger simmered inside his chest. He should not have left her alone. He should have known that the bitch would make a run for it! How dared she run out on him! Who the hell did she think she is? He had been calling her and she was not picking up. He smiled grimly as he thought about what he was going to do to her when he caught her!