HEAR ME TOO!

PART NINETEEN

Tina returned home after a long day of job hunting with thoughts of a hot bath and one or two glasses of wine on her mind. She hoped Alex would let her have some peace today because she really didn't have the energy to argue or fight. The bickering was turning to an everyday ritual now and she was sick of it, she just wanted to have a normal relationship. She unlocked the door and the scene she met in the sitting room made her do a double take. Alex was on the sofa with his arms around another woman, giggling and whispering something into her ears. At first, Tina thought the fatigue was making her hallucinate but she looked again and it was real. When he saw Tina, Alex gently removed his hands from the woman's shoulders, sat up straight and stared at her, his face emotionless. Tina stood rooted to the spot for a few minutes and then anger washed over her. Walking to the woman on the sofa, she looked her square in the eyes and said in a clear voice.
"Get out."
"What?" the woman asked, looking at Alex as if for backup but he said nothing.
"I said, get out of my house....NOW!"
Finally realizing that Tina wasn't joking, she picked up her things hastily and made her way to the door. After she left, Tina slowly turned to Alex.
"Alex, what is the meaning of this?"
"Meaning of what?" He asked, picking up his phone and leaning back on the sofa.
"What is the meaning of the disrespect I just witnessed?"
"What do you expect me to say Tina?"
Tina laughed sardonically, fighting the tears that threatened to escape her eyes.
"You gave me so much shit for having a friend over and I didn't even invite him. And now what? You bring a woman into our home?"
"It's not our home Tina, I've told you several times. This isn't your house, we're not married yet," Alex said, still scrolling through his phone.
Walking up to him, she snatched his phone and flung it with all the strength she could muster. It hit the ground and the sound of breaking glass told her the phone had shattered, probably beyond repair.
"I'm talking to you, and you are going to listen to me!" Tina screamed.
Alex walked to where his phone had fallen and picked it up. He looked at it for a few seconds, checking for the extent of the damage.
"You've made my life a living hell for the past few months, you don't let me breathe freely, you're always picking a fight with me and now you bring your whore here? HOW DARE YOU? YOU SON OF A-"
She never got to complete her statement because at that moment, Alex slapped her, hard. It was the kind of slap you could hear for miles, the kind that could make a person go deaf. Tina staggered and lifted her hand to her cheek, which felt like it was on fire.
"You're going to go upstairs, pack your bags and get the hell out of my house. I'm done!" he shouted.
"What do you mean? I'm not going anywhere! This is my house too!"
"You're going to leave quietly or I'll ask security to throw you out, you have 30 minutes."
"How can you do this to me? After all we've been through? You proposed to me!"
"A decision I regret. Leave the ring on the table on your way out, along with the car keys," he said, walking to the sofa and sitting back down.
"Alex please, don't do this. I'm sorry I broke your phone, I was only angry about you bringing a girl into our house," Tina pleaded, the tears she had been holding back finally escaping and streaming down her cheeks. She went to sit beside him and tried to hold his hand but he pushed her away, his face hard as stone.
"Please don't make me drag you out Tina. This was good while it lasted but I'm done."
"Alex, it's late and I have nowhere to go, please don't do this."
He stood up and headed upstairs to their bedroom and she followed him. He went to the wardrobe, pulled down her box and started stuffing her belongings into it haphazardly. Panicking, she tried to stop him but he pushed her again and she almost hit her head on the wall. She watched helplessly as he packed her things, scared to touch him again. When he was done, he walked past her and threw the box down the stairs. Tina was horrified. She couldn't recognize the man she had fallen in love with. He had turned to an animal and she didn't understand what went wrong or how things had gotten to this point between them. Alex used to be really sweet and loving but this man in front of her was not the one she used to know.
"Leave now Tina," he said in a gruff voice, as if he wanted to bundle her up and throw her down the stairs, just like her box.
"I can't leave now, there's nowhere for me to go tonight," She said, summoning the little bit of courage she had left. Without a word, he grabbed her hand and started to drag her down the stairs. His hands were tightly closed around her wrist and she moaned in pain. Her face was still stinging where he had slapped her and now her wrist was going to have bruises as well.
"Alex stop, you're hurting me," she said, trying to get him to loosen his grip but he remained silent. The door to the sitting room was open and she saw the security men standing there, pity written all over their faces. Still holding her tightly, he dragged her to the door, pushed her out and then turned to the security men.
"I don't ever want to see her anywhere near the premises," he barked.
"Yes sir," they replied.
He motioned to her box and one of them went to pick it up. Alex grabbed her handbag which was on the floor and threw it on top of the box as it was being carried to the door. Without giving Tina a second glance or listening to her incessant pleading, he shut the door.
The security men escorted her to the gate with her belongings and after keeping her things outside, they closed it without a word to her.
Tina stood for a few seconds, then her knees gave out and she sank to the ground, letting the tears take over. She didn't know what to do or where to go. She didn't have any friends to call and her family lived in another city. To make matters worse, she didn't have any money at the moment and going to the ATM at night was risky. Pain, sharp and hot seared through her chest and she clutched it. She wondered how her life had gone from perfect to being in shambles and how she was supposed to move on from this. After several minutes, she wiped her tears and gathering her last ounce of strength, she stood up. The movement shook her box and her handbag which was on top of it toppled to the ground, spilling the contents. She stooped to pick her things and paused when she saw her small notebook. She always had that notebook with her at all times to jot down important things or ideas. She opened it and in the dim glow of the lights at the gate, she started to read all the things she had written. Wedding plans, dates, honeymoon locations, and all other little details related to the upcoming wedding(which would never hold) jumped at her. Turning to previous pages, she spotted Ben's phone number and froze.
Why was this here? Was this some kind of sign? Was this still his number? Several thoughts went through her head as she stared at the digits. She was certain Ben hated her but she also knew he was kind and would never turn his back on someone who needed help. Calling him would be shameless on her part but she had no other option, she needed somewhere to sleep tonight. Taking a deep breath, she dialed the number and hoped with all her might that it would connect.

A/N: If you enjoyed reading this part, please click the little star at the top of the page to vote, thank you...😊