Heartbreak Girl

What Really Happened In Tampa

"Look you can run after this and never see me again ever, but please just hear me out." I said weary of the fact I was actually going to tell the guy I liked something that could potentially ruin the way he looks at me forever.

"I'm not leaving you, you can tell me anything, take your time." Luke smiled.

This made me feel a little better about what I was going to tell him but I still had no idea what his reaction was going to be. I mean he might feel that I'm too much baggage to take on. 

"My ex was called James. At first our relationship was like any other teenage love story, I mean we had our ups and downs in places but we loved each other. We were together for 2 years." I took a breath looking up to meet Luke's eyes.

"Everything was sweet at first but after the first year something changed, He changed. We got engaged, we were so in love, I guess but it was after our engagement that I realised something wasn't right anymore.' A tear rolled from my eye, Luke carefully placed my hand in his, this gave me the courage to continue some more.

"He started abusing me, it was only verbally at first calling me every rude name you could think of, but when I found out I was pregnant things got physically violent. He raped me, and then when I told him I was pregnant he claimed I had been unfaithful. He would beat me saying it was what he had to do to show me that actions had consequences. I hadn't done anything wrong..." I started to sob, as look pulled me in closer to him, I pulled myself together as much as I could to finish the story.

"When I was 4 months pregnant, James struck me so hard that I fell over the banister and down the stairs to our apartment, it was here that I found out I'd had a miscarriage. I stayed with him even after this, I hated him, he had killed my baby and was going to kill the little bits of me that were left. I felt so trapped. But 6 months later on our 2 year anniversary I had, had enough. I packed my essentials, including the money I had saved and while he was at work I ran to my dad's. That was like 3 miles but I did it to get away.'

"Dad called the police, I explained to them everything that had happened, I even had to strip to have pictures taken of the fist, teeth and nail marks he had left on my body. He was arrested later that night from his work. But as bail was bound to be permitted I was allowed to leave the state as it wasn't safe for me to continue living there. He was later charged with domestic abuse and manslaughter for the death of my baby, My lawyer turns up to court for me as they have my statement and a permanent safe line contact number for me." 

I couldn't continue anymore I was officially a mess, I was crying into Luke's shoulder as he rubbed my back trying to soothe me. He kissed my forehead and found a tissue from within his pocket and passed it to me. I dried my eyes and blew my nose placing the tissue into my pocket. He took my hand again and it was here I realised he wasn't going to leave me, he wasn't scared from what I had just told him, he didn't interrupt he just listened. 

"There's one last thing..." I said as I pulled away from his shoulder, he took my hand in his again as if to say go on.

"He was let out 3 days ago on bail and since then I have been getting strange messages on my phone. I got a new number which only my lawyer, police dad and Sully know but I'm almost certain its James sending them." 

He pulled me back into him "I am never letting anything like that happen to you again." He said in a way that he almost seemed angry. Not at me but at the situation I was in.

"You intrigued me from the first day I laid eyes on you, and I have honestly never felt this way about a girl before, actually I've never felt like this about anyone before..." He said more calm this time. 

I kissed his cheek, smiling as I then began to rummage in my bag for my notepad and pen. I scribbled my number on it quickly as through this evening I had realised that he was different, he wasn't anything like James. He could be trusted.

"You should probably have this, it's my number, you currently have my neighbour and well my roommates boyfriends number…" I laughed lightly and so did he.

We continued talking for hours on the beach, we even walked up and down it hand in hand. I felt something around him that I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt safe.