Hunted

Chapter 17: Safe

Trigger warning: this chapter contains mention of physical abuse, please read carefully or skip if needed❤

From the moment my therapist realized Evan was emotionally abusive, she warned me. She said people like that, they'll always take it a step further. It starts slow, with little things that don't seem enough to make a big deal out of and it just grows; it gets worse and worse but it happens so gradually, you don't even realize how bad it is until you reach a place where you wonder how the hell you let him treat you this way for so long but you feel too trapped to get out of it. She warned me of red flags, things to look for that said he might move to physical abuse as well and I watched for those red flags. I did. I paid attention. While he was still terrible, none of the things she told me to watch for happened except once five months ago when he broke some things in the house but it wasn't directed at me.

I wasn't sure if it was because Evan moved so fast or because it was the last thing I expected. He'd never hit me before, or anything even close to it. Not once. He'd broken some things after our last big fight but he was in a totally different room, none of it was directed at me. So when his hand came up, I wasn't ready. The back of his hand smacked into the right side of my face so hard I couldn't see for a moment and my ear started to ring. The force behind it had me falling to the ground. It hurt on impact but then it was just numb and my right eye had trouble focusing, black spots coming in and out of focus.

I blinked a few times before it became clear again, and then the pain came. It didn't register in my mind right away but the red dripping down and staining the carpet was my blood. It was dripping from my nose, hitting the ground in seemingly slow motion despite how fast everything happened. I felt frozen. The ringing finally came to a slow stop and I looked up at Evan who was staring at his hand with wide eyes. He looked between me and his hand and I thought I saw guilt there. Or maybe I was imagining it. Because then he definitely wasn't guilty.

"There won't be a divorce," he said icily, no hint of remorse in his voice. "And he won't be fucking you. You're my wife, goddammit," he said, coming towards me.

I wasn't frozen anymore. Somehow, I found the courage. He came at me and I sat up, punching him in the balls as hard as I could. He froze and a low squeak emitted from him. He grabbed his crotch, his face twisting in pain as he collapsed to his knees, groaning.

"Fuck you," I said, scrambling to my feet and running out the door, snatching my keys off the dresser as I went.

It was strange, as if I was separated from my body as I ran down the stairs and out the door. I didn't register starting the car or driving off. I didn't know where I was going. I was barely aware I was driving. I definitely wasn't aware I was crying until the tears coming down started wetting my shirt along with the blood.

How I ended up at Carson forest, I didn't know. I didn't make the conscious decision to drive there but suddenly, I was there. I stared at the forest for a long time, just sitting in my car. I looked at the time. Two. If I went out there, would he find me? Was this crazy or would he feel me through our strange bond and know I needed him? It was a long shot. But I hurt. I hurt badly and he was the only thing that could take it away.

I wiped at my nose, trying to get the blood off. At least it stopped bleeding at some point so there wasn't more. I wiped at my eyes with my sleeves and opened the door, my feet carrying me automatically. It still felt surreal. But I kept walking until I was in the forest. I glanced around in the trees, the tears threatening to spill out again.

"Rykan?" I called out, my voice cracking.

This was insane. I was going completely insane.