"Mommy? I ate all my dinner! Can... May I please have my dessert now?"
Arabella sat at the breakfast bar of the Isles-Faulkner household waiting for her mothers reply but was met with an eery silence followed by the regular sounds of her mother and father fighting.
"Ian please, our daughter needs me downstairs"
At the top of the stairs Ian stood with Maura's arm twisted behind her back as she clutched her swollen stomach praying he didn't hurt her growing child. Ian's grip on her wrist intensified as Maura pleaded with him to let her go.
"I swear to fucking god Maura you better not have said anything to that cold hearted bitch of a mother you have!" Ian gritted through his teeth.
An hour ago Ian had come home to find Maura crying in the kitchen on the phone to her Mother as Arabella sat in the living room playing on her interactive tablet.
"I know this exhibition is important to you but you have to understand it is very hard to find a babysitter for Bella... It's not an excu- Mother! Don't say things like that about Ian, he's just a tad temperamental!"
Maura could feel the burn of Ian's eyes on the back of her head and knew instantly she was going to regret answering the phone to her Mother when she knew Ian would be home soon.
"Mother may I phone you back? I have to sort Bella's dinner out... I love you too... Bye"
Ever since she had come off of the phone Ian had been paranoid Maura had revealed too much about his behaviour towards her and had been making snide remarks about her mother all night. Despite Constance having not been the best mother figure toward Maura the minute she found out she was to have a grandchild it was like a switch went on and Constance became the real mother figure Maura had craved all her life.
Ian knew Constance disliked him and always looked at him like he was under a microscope but this dislike turned to pure hatred when Constance witnessed Ian grabbing Maura by the upper arm at the Isles' Christmas party turned Baby Announcement for Arabella and dragged her to the study adjacent to the dining hall and reappeared 5 minutes later with blotchy tear tracks and a red face that had blatantly been slapped. After this Constance had pleaded with Maura to leave him and offered to support with her the baby but Maura denied everything and continued on as if nothing had ever happened.
As Maura stood at the top of the stairs a deep feeling of regret washed over her. Mother was right I should have left him. Maura's arm was red raw as she continued to twist her arm to release it from Ian's tight grasp.
"Mommy are you okay?" Arabella's sweet innocent voice floated up the stairs.
"Yes sweetheart" Maura whimpered "I'm just coming". Maura turned to Ian and dug her nails into his forearm. Maura knew the second she had done it it was a huge mistake.
"YOU LITTLE BITCH!" Ian hissed in pain as he released her arm. Maura saw this as her chance and ran as fast as she could down the stairs. Being 6 months pregnant meant Maura lived in her slippers and so just as she was on the 5th last step the grip on the carpeted stairs slipped and she tumbled down the stairs like a sack of potatoes.
"Serves you right" Ian said with a smug smirk on his face and walked off down the top landing to the master bedroom, slamming the door shut.
Maura lay at the bottom of the stairs wincing in pain as she prayed to God her little baby would be okay.
"MOMMY!" Arabella stood over her mother with her hazel eyes wide open staring at the trickle of blood running down her mothers light grey yoga pants.
Any comments/ reviews are welcomed! Big fan of every fanfic writer for the R&I fandom! Jane will make her debut next chapter, let me know your thoughts please!