“We thought so. We’ve been trying for kids for a while so this is perfect news, even if we just have the one.”
“how do you do it? I mean you just seem so okay with sharing her. “
“I don’t know how to explain it other than it feels right. You know what me and Henry are like. We’ve always shared everything. When we met her it felt like the same thing. We each had individual relationships before, but when she came into our lives, she became ours, even though she’s my wife on paper.”
“I get it.”
Another knock sounds on the door and I wonder who it could be. It’s not common for people to need me.
“Come in,” I say.
Louise comes in and she looks a little off. Instantly I think of Lilly. Louise doesn’t usually need to speak to me at this hour unless if it’s some emergency and that hasn’t in a very long time.
“Hi guys,” she says.
“What’s up?”
“Lilly called in sick she says she has a bad cold. She sounded awful so I told her to rest. I hope that’s okay,” she answers.
“Of course. That’s fine,” I answer and it’s then that I realize while I have Lilly’s number, she doesn’t have mine.
“I’ll call in her understudy to fill in.”
“Cool thanks Louise.”
Louise nods her head and leaves us.
I think for moment as the door closes. Lilly seemed fine earlier.
She didn’t look sick, but she’s the kind of person to put on a brave face.
“Something wrong brother?” Georgiou asks.
I shake my head. “Nah, it’s just me. I guess there’ll be no angel tonight.”
He looks me over and nods. “She’s really good. People love her. You really hit the jackpot with this girl, Christian. She’s a hit.”
“Yeah,” I agree but I’m agreeing for more than one reason. She’s a hit with me too.
I hope she’s okay.
Chapter Twenty-One
Lilly
The phones not working now.
When Brent threw me on the ground it cracked in my bag. The screen is completely smashed, and I could just about scroll over it to make the phone call to Louise.
My next call was going to be the police but as I was dialing the number a piece of the screen dismantled and the whole screen turned black.
As if things aren’t bad enough that had to happen too. I have no phone now and no way of contacting anybody.
I’d have to leave the apartment to get help and I don’t know if I can. I think it was Mr. Alan that came out of his apartment. I don’t know though. I was too disorientated to know who it was.
Rosie and I stayed by that door for hours just crying and holding each other.
I’m still so shaken, battered, and bruised, and in pain, but I managed to soothe Rosie to sleep about an hour ago, but even in her sleep she was whimpering.
I can’t believe she had to see that happen to me and I pray she doesn’t remember. I seem to be more concerned with that than the fact that I had a lucky escape. They didn’t rape me. It nearly happened. It very nearly happened.
It was only after I took care of Rosie that I looked at myself in the mirror and I realized I couldn’t go to work with my face beaten up, and I need to get help.
That’s when I made the call.
Now I’m not sure how I’ll get help and if I’d known the fucking phone was going to give out on me the police would have been my first call. I was just so worried about my job that I thought I was doing the right thing by calling Louise first.
Hobbling I make my way back to the bathroom and look at my face.
A tear tracks down my cheek when I see myself. I look worse. How could I look worse than earlier? Not even Miguel beat me up the way Brent did. But then Miguel beat me in a way that wouldn’t draw attention to himself. he’d mostly do it in places I could cover up. like my stomach or to my back. the first time he threw me down the stairs I cracked my chin and broke a few ribs. The little mark under my chin that Christian was looking at was from that. he wouldn’t have known the story behind the scar and thinking about it hurts me even more.
I’m so sick of men beating me.
I look at myself and I wonder what it is about me that makes people think