Idiot - Laura Clery Page 0,28

now. I thought he was going to kill me.

He grabbed me and threw me on the mattress with all his might. I was frozen with fear. He put his hands around my neck and he started crying. He gripped my throat, hard.

“Don’t you ever leave me. I love you. I love you,” he said while choking me. I didn’t move a muscle. I focused on breathing. On staying alive. I knew if I fought back, he would win.

“Okay. I won’t. I promise I won’t,” I said through tears and dwindling breaths. But even with my promises, he didn’t let me get up. He didn’t let me get up, and then went on to force himself on me. He didn’t let me move.

So I didn’t move. I didn’t want to die. I was afraid that if I resisted in any way, he would end up killing me. It would only be tightening his grip on my neck. I told myself I would get out tomorrow. I would get out tomorrow.

When tomorrow rolled around, he apologized to me. “I’m sorry I invited Natalie over last night. Things got out of hand.”

Not the apology I was looking for and . . . excuse me . . . HE invited HER over???

“If you hadn’t gone off with Lavan, I wouldn’t have invited her over, though. Just don’t do that again,” he warned.

So . . . it was my fault. What the fuck?

That night, I drank a lot before bed. And as the days passed on, I convinced myself it was a one-time thing. I’m sorry to report that it took me much longer than one day to leave him. The beautiful chorus of angels singing “Yiiiiiiiiiikkkkeeessssss! Get out of there, Lauraaaa!” was getting quieter and quieter in the back of my mind.

Remember how I had called Lavan that night, saying I was in danger and begging for a place to stay? Well of course I never showed up after Damon pushed Natalie out of the apartment. And I didn’t have a phone to safely contact him again. Sometimes I laugh, thinking about how worried he must have been. Not because I think it’s funny, but because—well you guys know how I deal with uncomfortable situations. While I was off in my own world with Damon again, Lavan was worrying. But we’ll come back to that.

Remember how Damon paid for everything in cash? #notsuspiciousatall. Well—and this was an exciting development for me too!—this included apartments. He did not have his name on the lease for the apartment.

The apartment was in Natalie’s name.

He obviously didn’t want me running into Natalie, who obviously knew where he lived. We’d often stay out for hours and hours, and looking back I wonder if he was just trying to keep up the separation of his two girlfriends that would inevitably collapse.

At this point, Damon hadn’t told me outright that Natalie had ownership over the lease. I found out the good ol’ hard way.

There was a hard knock at the door. Damon opened the door to see a hulking six-foot-six man standing there, fists clenched. He looked intimidating, like it was his job. Turns out, it was his job! He worked for the landlord.

“You’re being evicted.”

“We can be quieter!” I exclaimed, thinking it was for sure because of our dramatic AF late-night fights.

The man glared at us. “You are trespassing in Natalie Reeder’s apartment. You must leave at once or else face consequences.”

I could have sworn I heard his knuckles crack at this point.

Turns out, Damon had convinced this poor girl to put the apartment under her name when they moved in together. And then he kicked her out and moved me in. He was paying the rent, but still. How shitty.

It was in her name, so she kicked us the fuck out. I was scared and frustrated, but part of me was definitely like, You go, Natalie. Kick us the fuck out of your place!

I don’t blame her at all. I’m surprised she let us live there for HALF a day after the horrific way he treated her. Needless to say, we were now out on the street with three suitcases and nowhere to go.

Damon had a plan, though. We went straight to the airport and took the next flight out to LA, where Damon was from.

Wow, I was finally heading back to LA! Exactly what I wanted! The universe works in mysterious ways. Ultra-mysterious. So mysterious, it possibly makes no fucking sense at all! During the flight over, my