Hurricane - The Greatest Showman ~ Anne X Phillip {Sequel to B R O K E N; free}

Trauma

Anne's POV:

I wake up to the sound of Phillip whistling in the kitchen. I smile lightly to myself and get out of bed.

I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I hadn't been eating much. Not out of want to not eat, but out of distractions. My baby bump balances it out though. I look about the same as I did before. The bump is just slightly noticeable. I put on a sweatshirt.

I walk into the kitchen. And sit down. He turns around with some eggs on a plate and sets them in front of me. Grabbing the toast from the toaster, he makes himself a plate and sits down next to me. I itch my arm and wince, forgetting that the cuts were there.

He put his fork down, the smile fading from his face. He glances from my sleeve to my panicking face.

"Let me see your arm." My eyes widened. I clutched my sleeve with my right arm. Tears welling in your eyes, mainly from not blinking.
"N-n-no!" He stood up, and picked me up.
"Phillip! Put me down!" He can't know. He can't.

He set me down on the couch carefully, looking into my eyes. He took a strand of my hair and tucked it behind my ear. He gently took my hand in his, smiling, not taking his other hand out of my hair.

His smile faded and tears started welling in his eyes. I panicked, looking around frantically. I realized he had rolled up my sleeve, revealing my three cuts. I stare in shock and utter amazement. How did he...

"H-how did you-" he turned around, tears rolling down his face, making his eyes puffy.
"Anne why did you-" well it looks like we both have questions. Phillip sat down on the couch, and I hesitantly sat next to him. He was staring at the carpet in front of him. The one that reminded him of the circus. Back before everything turned to absolute shit.

He turned to look at me, and rolled up his sleeve on his left arm. Countless cuts, layer after layer, varying sizes, depths and color. Oh my god. How did I not notice this before? Phillip broke the silence.
"I guess it takes one to know one." I look up at him, my mouth hanging open, I clench it into and agonizing smile as a sob escapes my lips.

He quickly pulls me into a tight, protective hug.
"I love you. Anne please don't do that again." I pull out of the hug to look up at him.
"Ok."
I took his left arm and examined it. My tears, falling on the scarred wounds.
"Phillip...why?" I asked tracing circles on one of his largest scars.

"Do you remember that night on the boat? When we were going to England?"
"How could I forget?" A smile crept on my face. Reminding me of how things used to be. How it used to feel.
"Remember when I told you I had an abusive father?" My head snapped up.
"Y-yeah."
"Well. I didn't tell you that I had a brother."
"You have a brother?!"
"And a little sister."
"What are their names?"
"Lena and Edward."

"Ed was 2 years older than me. He was fourteen. Lena was just 7. Dad didn't abuse her as much. We wouldn't really let him. My brother got on a boat to Ireland, asked if I wanted to come with. I was too scared to leave. He took Lena with him. I haven't seen them since." He pauses to let out a sigh.

(Trigger warning)

"But that meant, that when my dad found out, all the anger was directed towards me. And I was the only one for my father to take his anger out on. At first there were the classic things. Punches, slaps, beer bottles thrown and dodged. But then, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a knife." He paused, tears escaping his eyes. "

"That ones from him."

He pointed at the scar I was tracing earlier. My jaw hung open, but wanted to be clenched back with a sob. I choked on a cry in the back of the throat. My whole body shook.
"O-oh My g-god." I managed to croak out. Tears wouldn't fall. My eyes were dry, it wasn't clicking in my head that a person could do this to someone. Especially their own son. Phillip continued.

"I realized that I kind of liked the pain. It felt refreshing, it made me feel numb." I felt numb too... "so I kept doing it. Every time he would hurt me, I would hurt myself. Until I left. It was. The day before I turned 13 that I had finally decided it had been enough. I hopped on a train into the city. Never looked back."

I was speechless. "Well I'm glad you left. Because you've done well here. Found a job that you love, found a woman who loves you, a baby that'll adore you-"
"What?" Oh shit.
"What?"
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing."
"Anne."
"Yeah?"
"Did you just say..." Crap shit. What now? Uhhhhhhhhhhh.
"...I'm pregnant."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AN: sorry it took so long. But it's here! Thanks for reading!

-Erin💕