painkillers. - H.S ✔

okay

"Get off of me you fucking Brit!" My eyes were so swollen that they could barely open. My head hurt like no one could ever understand and my heart ached like I was in heart surgery.
The man I loved had truly hurt me this time.

Two men struggled against each other. One with familiar curly hair, it was a tousled mess from the fighting. The other had an even more familiar evil look in his eyes. The look he gave me before hitting me.

I tried to yell out for them to stop, to protect Harry—no, I meant Trent.

But only a small croak came out. The stairs were always steep, Ali and her husband had always needed help getting down them. I was surprised no incidents had happened, especially since the majority of the buildings residents were elderly. I guess that was why all the downstairs apartments were sold in the snap of fingers.

I wanted to go to the hospital, where they'd give me painkillers that would stop the ache of my body. But maybe not the ache of my heart.

I watched as Harry's fist collided with Trent's jaw, he fell to the ground and finally, Harry ran down the stairs.

"Mara, are you okay?" My head hurt too much to even flinch, I was hoping he knew that meant that I wasn't okay. I'd almost forgotten for a second that he didn't know my real name.

"The nearest hospital is in Charlotte, well go but please try and answer me." He pleaded, my heart dropped from my chest and into my stomach. I couldn't go or else Harry would tell that Trent did this. And he'd be gone. I tried with all my body and mind to even slightly push out an 'I'm okay'.

"I'm okay." My body relaxed with relief that I'd spit it out. Harry would mind his own business and we'd go back to our normal lives. I'd continue living with Trent, regardless of the consequences.

"Shit. Okay. Do you need to go to the hospital?" I barely shook my head, partially because of the pain, but mostly because I didn't want to lose the man that I loved. Harry would try to take him away from me.

His fingers traced along my cheek and I flinched when it touched the glass. His eyes widened in utter shock, his mouth gaping open.

"We're going."

-

After deciding that driving there wasn't a safe idea, he called an ambulance and sat with me at the bottom of the stairs.

"Get away from her!" Trent presented himself above the stairs, a bruise slowly creeping onto his jaw. Harry's figure stiffened. He would surely tell the police that Trent had done this. We'd be done. And I'd be by myself again, visiting him in jail like a lost puppy.

"Baby, are you okay?" His eyes quickly turned from an angry glare to his convincing puppy eyes that lured me back in every time I had fallen out of place.

I thought they would fight again, I thought Harry would hurt Trent again. But the ambulance showed up. Sirens and flashing lights and all of its glory.

I knew how this would go, it had happened before. The police would question me about my life at home with him and I'd lie like I always did. They'd press me for more information and I wouldn't change anything. Then I'd go home and live life again because they believed me. And Harry had no proof that Trent did it. No proof at all.

For all he knew, I could have fallen and Trent could have witnessed it.

My eyes flickered from the front door to Harry and then back to Trent. I was hopeful that it was going to be okay.

It always was, I always was.

-

American hotline for domestic abuse:1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Website link for more information and numbers:
http://www.thehotline.org

Watch these:
https://youtu.be/WL3rfk2iFww
https://youtu.be/hhHdIhfK7LQ
https://youtu.be/5Z_zWIVRIWk

-
Another short chapter. I'll be writing longer ones soon for sure! I'm driving to my mom's house in Ontario on the 28th of August so expect A LOT of long chapters. It's 15 hours plus hotel nights and stops. Then on September 4th, school starts back up so I won't have much time.

But that's all in the future, it'll take a long time to write long chapters so I'll probably have to write a part each day and then publish it when it's done. Tell me in the comments if y'all want long chapters that come out every few days or short ones that come every couple.

-Brisa