Kirsty

Warren had been receiving calls all morning. Every single one of them had been about me. Tess, Charlie, Jay, Noel, Zoe, Emily had called twice and even Adam had phoned.

I could see Warren getting more and more wound up. He hadn't banked on everyone being so nosy and checking up on me so soon and asking when they could visit. I could see it coming, there was no way all this anger they were creating wouldn't be directed at me at some point.

I tried to lay low, cleaning, cooking hoping that being the best wife ever would stop the inevitable but I might as well not have bothered. I jumped as the phone stared ringing again and I prayed that it wasn't another person trying to check up on me.

My prayers were unanswered as Warren answered the phone and sprouted out the web of lies he had concocted and told everyone else. He waited for them to hang up the vein on his forehead already bulging with anger.

He slammed the phone back into its rest causing both parts to break under his fist. This only increased his anger and I prayed that Nita would stay in her room for the evening whilst Warren vented his anger.

His hand loosened around the broken pieces of phone and they fell into a pile on the counter, another household object that I now needed to replace. He closed the door slowly behind him letting me know that I was trapped.

I thought that I would at least get a couple of nice days at home with him where everything would be good and calm when I returned, but I had been very wrong. At least all of my old injuries had healed and I was all shinny and new just waiting for more punches and kicks to break me again.

He advanced on me, and I backed away from him. It was only when I no longer had anywhere to go that I stopped, my back firmly pressed against the wall. That's when his face turned into a smirk and I knew he would enjoy what he was going to do to me next.

"It's been a long time Kirsty, and I've been waiting for this. You may have gotten lucky recently; but your luck had just changed. I'm going to make sure that your friends don't want to see you any longer. Then it will just be me, you and Nita all the time." He sneered at me. He knew exactly where to hurt me. He was going to take away all my freedom and leave me with nothing but my home life with him and Nita.

I would have no friends; no work, no nothing. I would never have anything that I could escape to again. At that moment it felt like my life was about to end. I couldn't live like that, with nothing but a daughter; who hated me, to live for.

"No." I don't know why I said it. It just slipped out but it was too late.

"You are my wife, you do as I say. That is how it is." Warren raised powerfully, his voice at me not quiet shouting. He moved forward leaning over me and the second he was finished speaking his closed fist connected with my jaw with a sickening thud.

I leant into the wall and managed to use it to stay on my feet. I cupped my throbbing cheek with one hand and looked up at him, fear in my eyes. I had nearly died the last time he had laid into me. How could I be sure that things wouldn't go too far this time?

My thoughts were cut in half by Warren's knee connecting with my stomach. I couched and gasped for air as he gripped my shoulders stopping me from doubling over and falling to the floor.

It took me a while to recover and I wondered why Warren was just holding me upright with out attacking me further. I looked into his eyes daringly. He was glaring at me, waiting for me to look away first but I didn't. After a couple of seconds it was clear to both of us that this had become a battle of wills and I could see that there was no way on earth that Warren would lose to me, and even if he did he would probably kill me for it.

There was no other option for me but to look away; but I couldn't bring myself to do it. No matter how much Warren really did scare me I wanted to prove that I still had some of the backbone that I had when we first met.

So we carried on staring at each other neither of us willing to look away I could feel the tension rising in the room at an alarming rate and we stayed that way until it was almost unbearable.

We were in complete silence the only noise being the faint sound of traffic coming from the road at the front of our house. I could feel myself beginning to sweat under his gaze. Warren's hands were still on my shoulders although his grip had loosened and it seemed they were just resting there.

Thud. I saw stars as Warren gripped my shoulders once more brought me closer to him and then head butted me. My forehead was on fire but I was too stunned to do anything but collapse onto the floor as Warren released my shoulders, like they were on fire.

I didn't manage to sit up either and I ended up lying at his feet. I couldn't see straight, just the blur of lights around me. I left a foot connect with my thigh and I gasped in pain taking my hands of guard from my face, to my leg leaving my face open for the next kick and it went straight for head. I didn't even feel the pain, the black, emptiness took over immediately.

I can't believe it has taken me so long to up-date this, especially when you've all been so lovely with your reviews. I finally made it to chapter 50 as well my longest and most successful fiction so far so I want to thank everyone who has been reading and reviewing, you are all awesome. I think there's about ten more chapters to go so if anyone has any amazing happily ever afters, or maybe even a sad ending let me no :D Thanks for sticking with me for so long, Lucy xx