The Broken Tale

Run

          Layla took in a deepbreath. Calm down, you can do it, she told herself, for your baby. She slowly turned to face him. Ali's smirk that has haunted her for years was wiped off his face, replaced with an unamused frown, he was leaning  against the doorframe with crossed arms.
"I was looking for a book." She answered, pointing to the vast bookshelves to her right.
"I've told you not to come in here."
"I just needed one book, I didn't look through anything."
He stared at her coldly. But Layla realized he was not staring at her.
He was staring at her belly.
       She shifted her arms nervously, trying to minuplate her oversized shirt enough to drown out the bump.
"What book do you need?" He asked.
"Book" Layla answered without a thought as to not damage her confidence.
"Why'd you need that?"
"Raina asked for it. I thought you might have it so I decided to look."
"Get out." He demanded, "I've told you you're not allowed in here."
If it was any other time, Layla would have argued back but as for this time, all she wanted to do was get as far away from his detection as possible.
         She hung her head down and slowly walked towards the door. But his arm blocked her way just as she was about to step her foot out of the door. She could feel his breath down the side of her neck and his eyes piercing through her but even then, she did not look up at him fearing that it was too much of a risk. He slowly leaned his head down, brushing her hair off of her neck. Layla stayed tried to stay calm, she bit her tounge to hide away her fear but she still was not strong enough to hide her trembling hands. Ali's hand slowly slipped around her waist and rested on her belly.
Fighting the instinct to fight back and push him away was one of the hardest thing Layla had ever done. She tried to keep reminding herself that she was not to act any more suspicious than she already looked.
"Did you miss me?" He asked almost rhetorically.
Layla swallowed. She shut her eyes tightly, praying hard that he would not hurt the baby.
"What's wrong?" He carried on, his other hand reached around to hold her face, "Cat got that pretty little tounge of yours, Laili?"
"I'm just a little tired." Layla answered simply.
"If you weren't out all night, you wouldn't be."
"You said I could go."
"Also." He said, redirecting the focus away from himself, "If you're carrying so much weight around, you'll get pretty exhausted."
Layla swallowed as his hand rubbed her swollen, hard belly. She squezzed her eyes shut so hard that tears got stuck in between her eyelashes. She prayed that the baby would not move under his touch. Everything would be over if it did.
"You've always been skinnier than a mannequin, how did you gain all this weight in just a few months?" He asked to indicate his obvious doubt.
Though nothing was directly said, there was no mistake in what they both were thinking of, of what suspicions Ali had. But one thing quickly became appearance to Layla, bringing with it immense relief.
He didn't seem to be sure.
Layla breathed in a sigh of relief. Perhaps her situation was not as bad as she thought it was. If he was not sure and all he had were suspicions then all she had to do was minuplate him enough to get out of the house safely tonight.
But how could she minuplate a minuplater?
She barely had a few moments to think. What could she use to minuplate him? What lie could she tell that would not add to his suspicions?
'I was lazy?'
'I stopped working out?'
'I'm ill?'
She crossed off almost every lie in the book in seconds. She knew Ali and she knew Ali was too smart to persuaded by anything so easily.
Panic was starting to wash over her, contaminating her thoughts and crumbling her stoic expression into dust. Already trembling, she felt years starting to well in her eyes.
That same dreadful feeling of...
...Helplessness...
Was back.
Though she had not given up, her mind had gone blank except for panic and fear. She was truly stuck there, sinking into a pit of her own despair. What getting away was there now?
...
...
RINGGGGGGGG!
...
RINGGGGGGGG
...
Layla could not believe it.
The phone ringing in Ali's pocket sounded to her what the bells of heaven may sound like.
But to him, from the flinching of his hand on her belly, she assumed that the horns of hell may have sounded better to him in his head. He fetched the phone out of his pocket with a groan of annoyance.
"What?" He growled.
Seconds.
Moments.
Layla knew that she had merely a few moments to get herself out. She quickly swung around to face Ali bravely without giving it much thought as to not damage her confidence.
"I'm going to stay over at Leah's." She said quickly.
He was caught between her and the phone call that seemed to be important enough for him to not be able to hang up. He just brushed her away and gave her a gesture of agreement with his hand. Layla wasted not but a second to dwell on what or why he had let her go so easily and she just seized her chance.
Brian had told her to bring absolutely nothing but her own passport and ID and only if it was possible the blue briefcase as well. Layla bolted down the stairs, hopping down steps eagerly.
The first step she took out of that door was the most overwhealming feeling she had ever felt. It was like a pile of bricks were being pulled off of her chest, pulling air and everything else in her with it. The cold wind blew at her, taking her thoughts and heart with it.
She felt...
Free.
Empty.
Pure.
She ran away from the house as fast as she could. Sweat was running down her face, her back hurt and her legs felt excruciating. But she ran on and on.
Running from the abuse.
Running from the mess of her own blood that she was so used to cleaning up.
Running from the hands that molested her.
From the shatters of her broken dreams.
She knew this was probably her one and only chance. If she did not run now, she would never be able to ever get away from the blood and tears she had been trapped in for her entire life.
This was the one chance she had to be happy.
And she could only afford one risk.
She jogged without stopping for a breath. Even the baby inside her was moving and twisting but she ignored all around her and inside her.
Nothing mattered.
She jogged on the dark, lifeless highway for what seemed like hours. Not a soul passed by, it was only her running alone. All she could hear around her was the wind blowing as if it were running with her and her own grunts.
           Sweat bands rolled down her face, her heart was banging against her chest so hard that she feared it may jump out. But finally, she saw Brian's car in the distance. Though she was exhausted and in pain, the sight of the car only empowered her and gave her the strength she thought she had ran out of. She forced herself to run even faster.
"Just a little further." She said to herself, "This will all be over, just a little further."
            The moment Brian saw her jogging towards the car, he jumped out of the car and ran towards her. She collapsed into his arms as her body finally got tipped over the edge.
"What were you thinking?" Brian asked, patting her back while he held her in his arms, "You're not supposed to run, Laili, you're eight damn months pregnant."
"L...Let's g...g-go." She begged breathlessly, "Let's go, please, let's get away from here."
Brian did not argue her for one more moment. She could hear his heart racing in his chest, it was obvious that he too was just as nervous and eager to finally get away.
        He immediately stood up and scooped her in his arms effortlessly. Layla buried her face in his shirt, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne that washed away all her fear almost instantaneously. He placed a kiss on the top of her head as he carried her heavy weight towards the car.
"I'm proud of you." He whispered.
Layla said nothing. She just clutched onto his shirt, desperately trying to steady her gasping lungs. She looked up at the stars for the first time in years. And for the first time, they were shinning. For the first time, it seemed that there was just one single ray of light, something for her to go after. The warm arms around her and the baby moving inside her lit up something in her.
She felt...
Lighter.
Stronger.