A/N: Just a warning. Bella will be going into details about Jacob's attack. I tried to not go into 'intense' detail with it, but it's still a little graphic. You've been warned.
Chapter Two
I twitched on the bed, which caused a grimace to cross my face. Besides pulling at my already irritated stitches, I had moved my badly broken arm a bit to much.
"I'm sorry—am I hurting you?" the pain that lit up his beautiful face caused me more pain than any of my injuries.
"No!" I almost screamed to get the word out faster. I didn't want to cause this beautiful man any pain. I realized then that I would tell him about Jacob. The truth, the whole story too. I would cry, he would understand, and hopefully he'd put Jacob behind bars where he belonged.
"Okay--" he paused, his hand on my good arm. I felt the goosebumps rise up, and felt the chill that ran the length of my spine. "Please Isabella—I want to help you."
His words didn't feel false, and I didn't want to cause him any unnecessary pain. I simply shook my head, trying to get my thoughts together. This was going to be a long horrible painful story.
"Do you mean just tonight?" I asked, and watched his eyes grow wide. I thought I saw his lips pull back into a small snarl.
"You've been hurt more than once?" his voice resembled a growl, and I was almost frightened of him now. Not necessarily in a bad way. He was on my side, which was good. He would protect me, I could feel it.
"It's been going on for--" I paused as I counted back the months. After I miscounted for the fifth time, I finally got the right answer. "a year and a half."
His eyes were now wide with fear, not for him but for me. He looked almost sick, his already pale skin, grew paler.
"Are you okay?" I asked, my hand grazing his arm. I felt a spark of electrical current flow through me. I wondered if he had felt it too.
"Fine." he spat, trying to control his anger to not scare me. "Explain."
I sighed, "It's a long story."
"Start with tonight."
"Okay--" I sighed, as I remembered the events that had only happened a couple of hours ago. "Jacob—has anger issues. He's had them for a while. He hates his job for one, and he's a mean drunk. He always stops at the bar on his way home and gets plastered to help ease the 'pain.' That's all I ever hear about. The pain he's always in. He never tells me what causes the pain, and I never get a chance to ask. I make my son, Jason, hide in his room. I can take the beatings, but I wouldn't be able to handle Jacob hurting my baby boy. Tonight though, he was in an even worse mood than usual. He was barely in the front door before he was slurring swears at me—I threatened to leave him—I was tired of it. I'd had enough, I couldn't take it anymore. He threatened to kill me if I tried--"
Beginning of Flashback
I sinked back down onto my chair. I bit my lip to keep myself from speaking back to him. 'Talking out of turn' is what he called it.
"You know the damn rules. God! You are such a dumb ass!" I was used to him downgrading me. I used to the cursing. It was nothing new. That's when I first started to figure out that something was drastically wrong with Jacob. It wasn't long after he started using those words that he become violent.
"Just get it over with" I sighed. His beatings came in two parts. A physical beating that left me battered and bruised. Then an mental and emotional beating—he'd basically—rape me. Though I guess since we're married it doesn't technically count, but it felt that way to me. Since I absolutely despised him, and hated him with such amount that if I could stand up to him, and take him in a fight this would have ended long ago.
He sneered at me. "With pleasure."
He made those words sound dirty, and I cringed all over. I hated him. I wasn't paying as close of attention as usual. So I didn't get a chance to tense up before his fist plowed against my left eye. It felt like he had punched my eye right out of it's socket. My hand scrambled to hold my injured eye, as a pained cry escaped my lips. 'mistake.'
"Oh, I'm so sorry Bella—did that hurt?" his voice was just plain mean, and the look on his face fit him perfectly. He was deranged, and the look on his face was that of a crazy man.
"Screw you."
"Feisty! I like it when you feebly attempt to fight back. Makes it a little more fun," his breath was hot against my cheek, and it reeked of beer.
His fist made contact with the tender tissue just under my ribs. He punched me there several times before I dropped to my knees. Unable to stand up. The pain in my side blazing with intensity.
"Stand up! Take it like a man! Your a bitch aren't you? Your a scared little bitch!"
I heard Jason whimper from his room, and willed Jacob to not go toward him.
"Aw! Jace, buddy it'll be alright. I'm just teachin momma a lesson!" he said, as he started for the stairs. I had to stop him.
I grabbed his leg, and he lost his footing. His head hit against the first step. A long stretch of curse words flowed from his mouth, before he stood up a little wobbly.
"Your gonna pay for that!"
I tensed up for his fist to make contact with whatever part of my body that it might. I felt his large steel-toed boot against my chest. With more force than needed, he shoved me down to the ground. His foot lingered over the sore part just under my ribcage, and smiled as he heard me whimper. Praying that he wouldn't stomp down on that particular part.
"Aw! Is Bells hurt?" he asked, his voice condescending ,and I knew what he was going to do.
I turned my head away, unable to watch him shove his boot onto my sore spot. I counted them off in my head. Once, twice, three times. Finally I heard his boots clomp against the wooden floors, as he came to my other side. I rolled onto my good side, as my stomach heaved, and I threw the contents of my lunch up onto the floor. The pain searing so badly that I felt even more nasieasiou than before. I heaved a bit more, but nothing else came up.
"You are so cleaning that up!" he screamed at me.
I felt as his boot made contact with the burning section of my side, as he kicked me back onto my back. I almost wished that I would die right there. I couldn't handle the pain anymore. I watched—my eyes wide—as he lifted his leg high above me. I thought he might stomp on my head. That maybe his goal was to kill me. He sneered at me again, before his foot came down in an accelerated speed. I didn't feel the bone in my arm shatter. At first all I heard was a sickening crack. Soon after the blinding pain came. It was all too much, as my world became black.
End of Flashback
I watched as his eyes turned from a beautiful emerald color, to almost pitch black. He was angry. Good, he'd need it. Jacob wouldn't give up easily. He would fight to the death of that's what it took.
"He—rapes you—after he beats the life out of you?" the words came out through his teeth.
I didn't realize that I was shaking. "Does it even count as that? I mean—we're married. It's his word against mine."
I had a point, and I knew that. He put up on hand though, as if to wave off my worries. "He's a monster. All it would take is a judge to look at you to see that. I will make sure that he never lays one more finger on you. I will personally make sure that you and Jason are safe--"
I felt my heart speed up at his words. He would protect me, he would save me.
"I'll be back in a minute—I need to talk with Chief Swan about this," he said, as he stood to leave.
"Wait!" I called out, as he turned back toward me.
"I have to tell him--"
"It's not that—I just—I don't know your name," I said softly—biting my lip.
"Oh--" he paused a crooked smile crossing his lips. "Name's Edward Cullen. Nice to meet you Isabella Swan."
I smiled at him. "Nice to meet you too—Edward. Please call me Bella though—I prefer it."
"Can do—Bella."
With that he was gone. I felt so exposed, like Jacob could come in here at any moment. That he would hurt me. I was a horrible liar, and he would know that I spoke out against him. I cringed at the thought and felt the searing pain in my side again.
