Chapter9
Katelyn
Head pounding, I open my eyes.The marble floor is cold beneath my cheek.What am I doing on the floor?But even as I think it, everything comes rushing back to me.
The screaming.
The profanity.
The fist.
A whimper leaves me as I sit up, my hands pressing against the cool stone as I pull myself up on the counter.I run my hand over my slightly swollen belly, panic pushing through the pain.What if this is the time that everything ends?What if—my son kicks.A fluttering in my belly that eases the fear.
He’s okay.
Once again, Victor avoided the baby he hates.
With silent tears streaming down my cheeks, I study the destruction.A vase that once held flowers is shattered all over the granite island, the red rosebuds that were Victor’s last apology destroyed as well.
The glass he’d been drinking from last night has been shattered on the far wall, and the dinner I’d worked hard to prepare is cold and still sitting on top of the stove.
God, why me?Why is this happening to me?I lean backward, the sobs shaking my shoulders as I cover my mouth and try to remain silent.It’s doubtful Victor will wake anytime soon, but the fear sends tremors through my body.
So with one hand to cover my mouth, the other cradling the life growing within me, I stand in my destroyed kitchen, wishing I were anywhere but here.A steady beeping from my cell phone alerts me to the time.
I have thirty minutes to clean this up before the staff gets here.Not that it will matter.They’re all afraid, too.I could be bleeding to death on the floor, and I doubt that anyone would utter even a single word.
Not when the penalty for speaking up is them joining me in this hell.
The last thing I want is to put them in that predicament, so I’ll do what I always do.I’ll clean up, then go upstairs and use the fetal monitor to listen to the life I’m terrified he’ll rob me of…just as he robbed me of mine.
The night air is cold on my face as I step out onto the balcony, a mug of tea in my hand.In the distance, lightning splits the sky even though the rain stopped about an hour ago.Wind sends my hair flying around my face, and a few strands stick to my still-wet cheeks, thanks to the tears I’d woken up crying.
It’s always like that with one of my nightmares.
Each and every one is a reminder of what I escaped.What I’m still hiding from.
“You come out here often?”
I jump, the masculine voice a reminder of the screaming still fresh in my mind.
“Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”Garrison waves over at me from his balcony, a few feet away from mine and separated by a half wall.
“It’s okay.I guess I’m not quite awake yet.”I force a smile and press a hand to my heart.“What are you doing up?”
“Couldn’t sleep.”His expression is more serious than I’ve ever seen it.
“Are you okay?Kyle?”
“Everyone’s fine.How about you?Are you always up this early?”
“Not usually.I guess I was just having trouble, too.”I offer him a half-hearted smile, hoping that the shadows of the night will keep whatever remnants that remain of my nightmare hidden from view.
Still, when I meet his gaze, I can’t help but feel completely transparent.As though he can see down to the deepest, darkest pits of my soul.
Finally, he looks away, turning back to the sky as he grips the railing on his side with both hands.“Worried about baseball camp?”
I take a deep breath, so grateful he’s not prying on any other level.“That would be a yes.I’ve never spent a night away from him.”