CHAPTER 10: BREAKING POINT

"Astrid?"Henry called softly and opened the door of the room she rushed into to be hidden from Heather.

Was he really expecting her to be here? He had told to leave right? Soon his engagement to Heather would be cancelled if he didn't stop lying to her.

This was all his fault.

He should have taken her home, that way he'll know she was safe, but letting her leave alone?

Sure, she was hiding something. Something about her life and if she didn't want to tell him about it, he had to respect that. It was her life anyway.

Henry slipped his phone out and punched in Astrid's number. If only she picked up the phone.

Ugh! It was frustrating worrying about her this way!

"Come on Astrid..pick up"

She's gonna be okay Henry! She's not a kid, why worry about her so much? He had to check up on her sometime. He had treated her badly when he saw Heather and had to apologize for that. Hopefully, this wouldn't ruin their friendship.

Astrid sucked in her breath and turned the key to the door of her apartment. Thoughts of endless possibilities of what Eric would do if he was home made her heart could feel her hands shiver in fear. The fear that was the reason why she told Henry not to bring her home last night. Eric shouldn't be here, or last night's alcohol would be her last meal. The pushed the door gently and it creaked open. Scanning the room with her eyes, she let out a big sigh of relief when she didn't see Eric in the living room.

She couldn't rejoice yet, he could be sleeping in the bedroom. She closed the door behind her and tiptoed through the living room, to the bedroom door. Swallowing hard, she turned the door knob and peeked into the bedroom. Eric wasn't there either! She pushed the door and walked inside falling back on the bed she shared with Eric. She was this close to going back to that strip club and if she kept hanging out with Henry, he would ruin everything.

Astrid looked up at the ceiling. Those pictures flashed through her mind again. Henry and Heather in a steamy make out session.

He is absolutely more romantic than he looks, and she had thought he was a panzi all along.

Heather was definitely one lucky girl. Lucky to be the one he chose to spend the rest of his life with. Lucky to spend most nights safe and warm in his arms.

She on the other hand, was lucky to be born and her life was a constant reminder.

Her phone beeped and she pulled her phone from her purse.

Henry.

What? was he done with morning sex routine with his fiancee? What does he want from her this time? She swiped towards the 'reject' option and flung the phone back into her purse.

She was definitely done with letting him into her head because clearly, he belonged to someone else and she had to accept that.

Henry pulled up to Nottingham place apartments and parked in the visitors parking lot. Astrid had left her wallet in the guestroom and he was darn lucky Heather didn't see it.

She had been exhausted from her morning case and passed out, leaving him enough time to clean up the room Astrid had slept in. He had found her wallet containing her cards and decided to return it on his trip from the grocery store for Heather. The life of a two-timer, only that he was not trying to be that. He was too much of a hiccup to be that.

Henry picked up the wallet from his cup holder and stepped out of his car. He last shipped the red gorgeous gown to room 24, going through Astrid's records really got him a little more information than she had given him and snooping appeared to be childish. If she was a private person, he had to respect that.

He walked into the building and upstairs, scanning the number tags for number 24. In a short while, he was in front of the apartment door.

Henry took in a deep breath, hoping it would be Astrid that comes to the door, and knocked.

Silence.

He knocked again, a little harder this time.

"There's a doorbell you know?!" He could hear a loud gruff voice echo from inside. It was a male voice.

The door flew opened and Henry froze. A huge dark haired guy with a nose ring stood before him. He was in a vest that revealed his tattooed arms. His long dark hair was in a knot backwards and his beard evenly spread over his chiseled jaw. He leaned on the door with a bottle of bloody Mary in one arm and a lit cigarette in the other.

Henry stared in shock. This was Astrid's husband? This was the guy she was happily married to?

"Who the fuck are you?" The guy shot blowing a wheeze of cigarette smoke on Henry's face.

Henry choked coughing. He had always been allergic to this stuff. One of the many reasons he was called a hiccup.

"I'm Henry...Henry...Haddock." He struggled to catch his breath.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"I'm um...Astrid's...colleague at Haddock Aviation...she um...left her wallet back in the office yesterday...I just thought I'd um...return it to her" Henry stuttered between words. He wouldn't deny the fact that he was terrified and the fact that Astrid was married to this guy was more terrifying.

"Yesterday, huh?"

Henry bit his lower lip! Rats! She obviously didn't tell her husband she attended his engagement party, got drunk and passed a night in his house. She probably didn't even tell him she went to work yesterday. This was getting messed up!

Henry handed him the wallet. "Yes."

"What's your name again?" Eric looked into the wallet.

"Henry Haddock."

"You're the CEO of Haddock aviation?"

"His son." Henry replied watching his reaction carefully.

"Okay. I'll give this to Astrid, but next time, you use the doorbell. If you're a rich kid, act like it."

Henry raised a brow. "Noted."

Eric rolled his eyes and slammed the door in his face.

Henry ran his fingers through his brown locks in disbelief. It just seemed impossible to come up with a reason why a girl like Astrid would end up with a wasted low life like that!

All Henry could smell was alcohol and drugs. Was this why she pleaded with him not to take her home that night? He looked like someone who would hurt her at every chance he got and she had been suffering all this time. Her husband was definitely the kind of guy who would leave her out in the rain when they owned a car, get brutal if she came home late with the guy who offered her a ride, not care when she stayed out late and make her feel she needs alcohol to be truly happy.

Everything made so much sense now. Astrid was in an abusive relationship.

It made her push away people who really cared about her.

He shouldn't have come here. He should have returned her wallet at the office and now, he has probably caused more problems for her.

That's your problem Henry...Think before you act!

Henry walked out of the apartment. All he could think of was what Astrid's life has been like living with that monster. How many times he hurts her, physically, sexually, emotionally and how many times she cries into her pillow. Yet, despite all that, she was still willing to help him with his 'problems' with Heather.

She is worth so much more, she doesn't deserve the life she is living.

He got into his car and rested his head on the steering wheel.

She was completely broken on the inside and she needed help.

She just had to ask for it.

"I got your pills. They are here on the counter."

"Well I'm not at the counter am I? Put 'em down here" Eric lit up another cigarette with his lighter and slipped into his mouth.

Astrid walked towards the couch and placed it on the center table. "They're right here."

"Where did you go on Saturday?"

Astrid froze in fear. She didn't tell Eric about Henry's engagement party or her sleep over at the Haddock mansion. In fact, she had told Eric she stayed at home all night waiting for him, so where exactly did this question pop up from? Did Eric have her followed?

"I...didn't go...anywhere."

Eric chuckled and took in another glass of alcohol. "You see, this chimp came to look for you today...Henry Haddock. He said you left your wallet at the office yesterday."

What?! Henry was here?!

Gawk! this hiccup was going to be the death of her!

"Oh...um...I dropped in at the office yesterday for um...a...project with my colleagues." Astrid shivered, resisting the urge to run out the main door.

"And...you just remembered you did that, today?"

"I'm...sorry...I didn't..."

"Where did you go on Saturday, Astrid?" Eric stood up, his eyes darkened, just like they did each time he was on a pill.

Astrid shook as he walked towards her, smoke from the cigarette evaporating through his nose. Astrid looked up at him in terror. "Work...for a..."

Eric grabbed her tightly on one shoulder and grabbed a handful of her hair as she screamed in pain. "Do you think I'm stupid huh?"

"Eric stop it!"

"What did we say about you lying to me?"

"Eric!"

He threw a blow to her abdomen and she could taste her blood in her mouth. "Where did you go on Saturday? Are you ready to tell me the truth?"

Astrid wimped, the pains sent hot tears down her face. "Henry's engagement party. I attended the party and left my wallet there...I'm so sorry."

"Why did you lie to me in the first pace huh?!" Eric's hand still pulling her hair and on her throat.

"Please stop. You're hurting me."

Astrid received another blow on her lower abdomen. She screamed in pain. This time, he used his knee.

"Don't ever lie to me again! do you understand?!"

Astrid nodded, too weak to speak. The pain was unbearable, Eric hadn't hurt her this much in a long time.

"And I see you hit the jackpot with your new boy toy. Flirting with the CEO's son huh? is that one of your schemes to keep your job?"

"I'm sorry...please...stop it."

"Once a slut, always a slut!" Eric pushed her to the wall, where she bruised the left side of her forehead. "Lets see if they would still want you in their company once they figure out who you really are." Eric locked the main door and walked into the bedroom slamming the door behind him.

Astrid held her stomach and cried in pain. How could she have been so careless? She would have said no to Henry, no to Freddie, no to all the distractions, but she had thought they accepted her, forgetting her fate and her main goal in Haddock Aviation. She could leave Eric with her first year pay...as long as she obeyed the rules for now.

Then, Henry came in, confusing her thoughts and making her deviate from what was really at stake here. Her freedom.

This was Henry's fault!

She wished she hadn't entered his car that rainy day. She wished she hadn't let him come back to give her another ride. She wished she hadn't smiled each time he threw a compliment at her and most of all, she wished he never chose to be an intern, because that decision, was ruining things in her life. She touched the blood on her forehead and looked at the pressure marks on her body, she didn't know how much more of this she could take.

There was a limit to perseverance, every warrior has breaking points.

and she was at the brink of hers.