When We Wake Up
Chapter 16
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Carly buried her face into his chest. "He hit me"

Sonny jumped off the couch "That pig!"

Carly jumped at the tone in his voice, she could tell he was angry "You got that right. But at the time I still didn't see it. As soon as he hit me he broke down....and I ran. I ran out of the house and home. Luckily he nor his guards followed. I ran home and snuck in the house so my parents wouldn't see me."

Sonny started to pace trying to control his temper. No women should be hit. He knew that this man would pay if it took him the rest of his life.

"I cried myself to sleep that night. I'd never been treated like that and didn't know what to think. I got up the next day and my parents saw me and asked where the bruise came from. I told them something fell of the shelf at work and hit me in the eye. They believed me......I'd never lied to them before, why wouldn't they" Carly looked towards the wall and Sonny knew it was painful for her to talk about it.

"I went to school and went back home. I decided not to go to work and about an hour after I was supposed to show up, Mark called. He cried and made me feel bad played a sob story and I forgave him and went to work."

"Carly....why would you do that, no women deserves to be hit." Sonny stated.


Carly threw her arms up in the air. "I don't know Sonny, if only I knew then what I know now."

Sonny just shook his head and Carly wondered if she had hit some kind of nerve with her story. "Sonny, why does this affect you so much?"

"I'll tell you another time, tell me what happened next." He turned and starting pacing again, still trying to keep his anger in check.

"Everything was alright for a couple days and again he got drunk, this time getting some sense and hitting me where the bruises wouldn't show. Again I ran and didn't come to work the next day. For some reason, I still to this day don't know why, but he didn't' contact me for about a week. Then one day out of the blue he called me and apologized. Again being stupid me...."

"You are not stupid, don't say things like that" Sonny startled Carly when he interrupted her but she soon realized it was a good interruption, she loved the compliment.

"Thank you" she said with a smile. "Anyway, again things were fine for a couple days and this time he was just angry with me for being late to work. I couldn't get out of the house, my parents we talking to me and I was late. He knocked me around some and told me never to do it again or I'd be sorry."

Sonny tightened his jaw but didn't say anything. "This started to happen more regularly and one night out of the blue I decided I'd had enough. I didn't go to work and I stayed home and locked the doors. I didn't realize it that I chose a night when my parents were out of town. Mark had people watching me and they knew. That evening about three hours after I was supposed to be at work, three guys broke into my house forced me to go with them. They brought me to Mark. Mark made me sit down to dinner with him. I remember sitting there in disgust at what was going on."

Carly started to get upset again and Sonny went over to sit by her again. As soon as he sat down she launched into his arms. Sonny tightened his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "It's alright I'm right here." He couldn't help the control this woman had over him.

Carly smiled up at him then looked down "He told me that I was never to disobey him again, and to remember I still owed him a lot of money. He told me next time I acted up it wouldn't be me that got hurt. Of course I was scared and listened to what he said."

Carly buried her face into Sonny bracing herself for her next part. "Everything went fine for another month. Mark didn't hit me but he wouldn't leave me alone either. One night I was heading to the bathroom and one of the guys from the club followed me. He cornered me and started putting his hands all over me. I cried for help but no one answered." Carly shuddered and Sonny tightened his arms and stroked her hair. "But before he could get much further Mark came around the corner to see us. He pulled the guy off of me and asked what was going on. The guy told him that I had come on to him and that I wanted it. I tried to argue but Mark wouldn't listen. He slapped me and then said to remember his words." Carly buried herself in Sonny and he let her cry for a while, neither speaking.

When Carly's sobs began to subside Sonny spoke "What happened Carly?"

"The next day my parents car was run off the road and into a lake." Carly whispered into Sonny's shoulder and began to sob again.