Chapter 2

Sharon stood in the doorway of her bedroom and looked at her daughter, a daughter she thought she had lost forever. She had never seen her little girl so broken. She watched as Stef rolled over and curled up into a ball in the bed, making herself as small as possible. it broke Sharon's heart to see her daughter like this.

She knew that Stef had barely slept. She walked into the bedroom, she got onto the bed and gently ran her fingers through her daughter's hair and watched her daughter tense up and her body start to shake, her eyes squeezing closed.

"Shhh, it's okay baby doll, I'm here," Sharon said softly,

Her daughter didn't react, she just moved away from her. Sharon moved her hand away from her daughter and sat next to her, not knowing how to help or even how to calm her.

Stef slowly opened her eyes and realised she was in her mother's bedroom, still in her mothers bed. She'd done it. she'd gotten out.

"Mom," Stef whispered.

"I'm here," Sharon said, sitting close to her daughter but not touching her as she didn't want to distress her.

"Am I…?" Stef stopped she didn't know how to say it, if she could say it or was this all dream.

"Are you what sweetheart?" Sharon said using a voice she hadn't used in years. The voice she had used when her daughter was ill when she was younger. That comforting Mom voice that came from being a parent.

"Am I safe?" Stef asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"You are," Sharon said. "I won't let anything happen to you."

Stef nodded but didn't respond. She hadn't shown her mother her body. she hurt. She was in pain. She wanted it to go away but wasn't sure how that was going to happen.

She looked at the photograph on the night stand it was taken before she had meet Ella, she looked happy, carefree. Smiling at the camera. A Stef that wasn't visible anymore.

Stef didn't want to move. Her body and mind were both weak.

"Would you like something to eat?" Sharon asked her daughter was unweight and she could see that just from looking at her. something in Sharon told her that Ella wouldn't have gone without meals but it looked like Stef had.

"erm…" Stef didn't want to say, usually whatever answer she gave was a wrong one. She'd be hit or verbally attacked for whatever she said.

Sharon noticed her daughter's hesitation and she hated it. Before Ella, before all this her daughter was lively. Spoke her mind, she'd been a wild teenager, but she'd grown out of that as she had discovered who she was. The loss of her father when she was young hadn't helped but Stef had grown in to an amazing young woman and that had all been taken away.

"Sweetheart," Sharon said softly. "I'm not going to hurt you, ever, I'm your Mom that Ella." At the mention of her name Stef tensed. "I promise you baby, I just want to look after my little girl,"

Sharon admitted.

Stef nodded.

"I would like something to eat please." Stef said slowly.

"I'll make you some bacon. Stay there baby," Sharon said.

Stef listened to her mother going downstairs. She got up and went into the bathroom. Her body was shaking. she couldn't help it. after five years of nothing but abuse it was odd that someone was looking after her. she used to the toilet, washed her hands and splashed some water onto her face. before she got back into her mother's bed. She felt comfort sleeping here. she should sleep in her own bed in her own room which was down the hall but she couldn't bring herself to go there. she didn't want to leave the comfort of this room.

She propped the pillows up and looked around the room hadn't changed much. Her mother kept it neat and it was filled with photographs. Mostly of a younger version of Stef.

Stef jumped as the doorbell rang out and the sound of a fist hitting the front door repeated echoed through the house. Stef got up closing the bedroom door she sat behind it. putting all her weight against it. she knew who it was. she knew it would be Ella. Stef felt herself shaking and crying. She couldn't go back. She couldn't do this.

Sharon walked to the front door, wiping her hands on the towel that was causally thrown over her shoulder. She opened the door and saw a woman she wanted to kill.

Ella, was tall and muscular with her dark hair pulled back. Sharon smiled, her daughter had always had a type. she was attracted to dark women.

"And what do I owe this pleasure?" Sharon said, her voice sharp. She'd never been nice to Ella and after seeing her daughter broken she didn't like her at all.

"Where is she?" Ella demanded, looking into Sharon's hard eyes. she knew she couldn't bully Sharon but she was going to try.

"I'm sorry who?" Sharon asked, she wasn't letting this woman anywhere near her daughter.

"You know who?" Ella demanded.

"I'm sorry I don't." Sharon said

"Where is Stefanie?"

"I don't know. I've not seen her in years. Have you lost my daughter?" Sharon said, looking defensive. She was going to act the part.

"No, I've not fucking lost her. she's stolen money and left me."

"Stolen money, that doesn't sound like my Stef," Sharon said. "She's always been very law abiding."

"My God you're a fucking pain in my ass, I should beat the crap out of you."

"Just try it," Sharon said, squaring up to Ella, who quickly backed down. she didn't like to be challenged. "You're like all bullies."

"Where the fuck is she?"

"Away from you." Sharon said slowly. "And if you ever, ever come here again I'll call the police. I'm sure one of Frank's old buddies would have no problems locking you up for what you've done to my little girl,"

"She can't prove anything," Ella said.

"She's not told me anything. I just have to look at her. she didn't get those bruises and cut lip on her own." Sharon said, holding her own.

"She deserved it."

"No one deserves that. I can't make her press charges against you but if you come near me or her again I'll make sure your life is hell, do you understand me?"

"You can't threaten me. Do you know who I am?" Ella said.

"I'm very aware of who you are. You're a bully, a domestic abuser and a coward. I think that about sums it up." Sharon watched as Ella didn't look as confident as she had when she had arrived.

"She will crawl back to me. she will be in my bed by the end of the week."

"You keep telling yourself that." Sharon said. "Now please get off my property."

"She will come back to me,"

"Oh whatever, go away." Sharon said slamming the door shut in her face and bolting it. she went to the side window and watched as Ella walked back down the pathway and looked up at the house. She got into her car and sped away.

Sharon went upstairs, seeing the bedroom door had been closed. She tried to open it put knew there was weight against it.

"Stef, baby, sweetheart it's Mom,"

"Has…has she…gone." Stef said between sobs,

This broke Sharon in two. Her outgoing, carefree daughter was a mess and she was now determined more than ever to make this right.

"She has baby," She heard shuffling from the other side of the door and then she slowly opened the door to find her daughter, shaking and crying sat at the bottom of her bed, with her back resting against her bed. Sharon walked over, knelt down next to her daughter and took her into her arms.

For the first time in a long time Stef wrapped herself around her mother and cried. Holding onto the one person in life that made her feel safe. She needed her Mom more than every and she was glad she had her.

Blog name: Better_Version

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New Post – where we go from here.

I am writing this blog more for anyone who is or has been in a domestically violent relationship. I'm only starting to get out. I'm running. Well I ran. I'm now with my Mom and for the first time in five years I feel safe.

Today EL turned up at the house. My God did my mother put her in her place. The one thing about my Mom is she's a very strong woman and no one gets the better of her. EL slipped away after my mother basically told her she was going to get my late dad's buddies to arrest her. you see my father was a police officer and my Mom is still looked after by the service because my dad died on duty. A stolen car rammed his police car off the road and it flipped the car and a metal spike killed him. I was fourteen. I lost my daddy.

At nineteen I was living with El, a woman ten year older than me and she cut me off from everyone. She made sure I had no friends, no family, no where to run. I'm twenty-four and back at home. I've had a journey I didn't want to take and no woman or man should have to go through.

Today as I write this I've got a split lip, a black eye, bruising my cheekbone, neck, shoulder, down both arms, my back is mess my rips hut and my legs have her shoe prints on.

After this last beating I knew I had to leave. She was going to kill me. I didn't want to be another domestic partner murdered by their lover.

Ha, lover. There was no love there. I don't know why I stayed so long.

Well I do.

Fear.

I let fear rule my life for too long and that has to change. Listening my mother putting El in her place I knew I have to change. It's going to be a long journey this. one I'm going to have to walk to get my life back. Get who I am back. To become a better version of me.

This is my new start.

All I have is a bag full of clothes and couple of hundred dollars but we all have start somewhere.

I know I'm lucky my Mom come running. I'm an only child and I know how lucky I am.

But forever doesn't start tomorrow.

It starts TODAY.