Chapter 22

No one's POV

Sunday

11:00 am

3 days left

Henry was super bored so when someone rang the doorbell, he wasn't surprised it was probably one of his moms cleaning kits for the kitchen. But what he didn't expect was his girlfriend, as soon as he recognized her face he pulled her in a hug and kissed her lips softly. Charlotte chuckled as Henry dragged her into his house shutting the door behind him.

"Hey Charlotte, What are you doing here? I mean I'm glad you're here, but your not supposed to be in public remember?" Charlotte sighed as she sat down on the couch stretching out her sore limbs.

"Well Ray was going to the factory downtown, and I asked him if he could drop me off here."

"Oh well, I'm glad you're here now. Are you hungry? I could have made something for us to eat or something." Henry said as he walked to the kitchen grabbing some ham out the fridge.

"Yeah, I am actually. I'm sorry it's my fault I should have texted you." She said looking down fiddling with the ring on her thumb, looking down she felt like she made a mistake by not telling him that she was coming.

"Hey, it's okay Charlotte. I'll make us some ham sandwiches wanna help?" She leaned her head up to glance him behind the counter and grinned.

"Yeah. Do you have cream cheese?" She asked as she stood up and walked to the refrigerator taking a glance.

"Charlotte who in the hell puts cream cheese on their ham sandwich?"

"Well my grandma put in on my sandwich once, and I loved it ever since. Don't knock it till you try it, Henry."

"Mmmhmm, it's in the bottom drawer on the left. Get mayonnaise on the door please."

She found the container of cream cheese and grabbed the mayonnaise off the door. She placed the things on the table, she looked around and realized they were the only people in the house.

"Where are you mom, dad, and Piper?"

"They went to a picnic at Church and they made me stay home." He explained as he put the bread and knife on the table, and started making his sandwich.

"Oh okay. What time are they coming back?" Henry glanced towards her direction,

"What you trying to do?" He asked with a smirk forming on his lips. He bit his bottom lip in suggestion and winked at her making heat flush to her face.

"You ass! That's not why I'm asking. I'm just curious. Your mind is always in the gutter."

She scolded him halfway embarrassed, smacking his arm he didn't react to her harmless act of violence.

"I have no idea when it's over, so they'll just catch us in the act. Which I don't mind if they do." He said with an exaggerated moan at the end of the sentence. He just started laughing hysterically,

"Shut the fuck up please and thank you." She said wanting to throw her sandwich at his face.

"I'm just kidding. You know that I'm sorry Char-boo." Charlotte just glared at him as she put her two pieces of bread together.

They were both done with their food, now relaxing in Henry's room laying on his bed. Charlotte's head was resting on his chest, listening to his heartbeat she played with the hen of his Spider-Man t-shirt while he rubbed her side. Sitting in comfortable silence for the past 10 minutes.

"Thanks for lunch." She muttered softly.

"No problem sweetie." He said kissing the top of her head, she smiled and traced the logo on his shirt.

" I missed you for the last few days. How are you feeling today?"

"Me too. I'm good today, I have still been getting dreams of when I was locked up in his basement. Like when I first wake up, I can still smell the earthly and mold in the air but I'm not there anymore. But telling you my problems aren't going to help erase my terrible past." She said regretfully turning her head to avoid his gaze.

"Listen, love, telling me how you feel and how you're not having good sleep is helping you because holding it all in isn't going to help you. Because that means you trust me telling me the truth about what's bothering you. And I'm grateful that you are letting me know. So don't worry about it, it's okay to tell me."

"Thank you, Henry. I know I'm probably a broken record repeating the same things over and over. But I mean it thank you, I don't want to go back with him the thought scares me to think the possibility of going back with him." Goosebumps covered her arms quickly as a shiver ran down her spine. Henry noticed and began rubbing her arm softly as if he was rubbing her fears away.

"I know Char, it scares me too I'm going to make sure you don't go back with him. I swear, pinky promise." He said holding out his pinky finger she reached out and linked it with his. She laughed as Henry kissed the top of her hand the uneasy feeling slowly leaving her body, but deep down she knew that he wouldn't keep the promise she had a feeling.

"Yeah, you're right."

"Want to watch a movie?" Henry proposed, She nodded and sat up. She adjusted her shirt and walked downstairs. Henry trailed behind her he sat down on the couch as she went to the kitchen.

"I'm making popcorn if you want any." Henry glanced away from the t.v.

"Okay love." He said making a kissy face, Charlotte rolled her eyes but smiled softly. She grabbed a bag of popcorn and placed it in the microwave and waited for it to be done. Her gaze drifted over to the empty kitchen sink a hidden memory pulled itself to the surface.

*Flashback*

7 months ago

Charlotte was glad and relieved when Jasper unlocked the basement door, the sunlight leaked through the opened door burned her red eyes. She hasn't seen sunlight for 2 weeks, she cowered away from Jasper as he stepped down the old stairs.

"Don't touch me!" Her hoarse voice exclaimed. Her sore body couldn't move any further as she tried to move away from her abuser. He roughly grabbed her by her arm pulling her to her feet making her lose her balance as she stepped up the stairs.

Her eyes stung as the sunlight surrounded her when her eyes adjusted she quickly realized why she was up here. The living room and kitchen were a mess it was broken glass bottles shattered on the hallway floor leading to the kitchen, the carpet was stained with beer and dirt there were picture frames that were ruined. She was concerned for his well-being what if he takes his anger out on her and killed her? The thought was cut when Jasper pushed her to the kitchen, her dirty bare feet were being split open by the shards of glass that cut her feet.

He lead her towards the sink, it was pulled with dirty dishes she stood there not knowing what he wanted her to do.

"Wash the fucking dishes." She was about to grab the sponge when he embedded his blunt nails in her arm making her bleed.

"Now!"He yelled. Making her flinch.

"Yes sir." She responded quickly, Charlotte filled the sink with hot soapy water and began washing the pile of dishes. She was halfway done when she heard Jasper enter the kitchen and stand directly behind her. He grabbed her hair making her gasp, her head jerked backward as he yanked on it. Exposing her bruised neck, littered with teeth marks and rope burns.

"You like it when I hurt you right?" He asked as he sunk his teeth in her shoulder making her shriek. Charlotte shook her head no, Jasper's blood filled with rage he push her head into the sink filled with hot soapy water. She tried to push herself up so she could breathe but the stronghold on the back of her head was preventing her breathing. Charlotte felt the pressure fill behind her eyes the oxygen in her lungs was running out, maybe this was the end of her she kicked and pounded on the sink begging to breathe.

"Let me go!" She screamed but it came out as bubbles, her vision was fading to black she knew she was going to die. Jasper finally pulled her up from the sink she coughed violently as she took a few gasps of air.

"You're gonna like it." He muttered as he left the kitchen, she cried silently she knew if she made any noise he would stab her again. She continued to wash the rest of the dishes until she was done.

She wanted to die.

*End Of Flashback*

"Charlotte!" Henry's voice made her snap out of her memory. She took a shaky breath,

"Yeah?"

"The popcorn is done."

"Oh yeah. Thank you." She grabbed the hot bag and poured the contents into a bowl. She carried the bowl to the living room sitting next to Henry she was shaken up and he noticed.

"Hey what's wrong?"

"Nothing I just made a memory."

"If you don't mind me asking what was it about?" He asked wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.

"Well, when I was making the popcorn. I got a flashback of when I was looking at the sink, it was Jasper who tried to drown me in the sink filled with hot water. Because I told him I didn't like it when he hurt me, so he tried to kill me, and then he told me that I should like it when he would hit me." Henry's heart rate quickens as she told him what he did to her. He wanted to find that coward and hurt him as he hurt her, she started crying which made him sad he wanted to cry with her but he remained calm.

When her breathing slowed down he grabbed the tissue box off of the coffee table and gave a few to her.

"Thank you." She muttered as she wiped her eyes.

"God it's too early to cry." She said chuckling sadly.

"It's alright. I just wish you told me about him sooner I could have saved you from him."

"You don't know how many times I wanted to tell you but, I didn't. Because I knew if I did Jasper would have killed you and me. Any chance he got to scare me into staying with him, he would always threaten your safety or your family's safety."

Henry didn't say anything because if he did he would have raised his voice, and he didn't want to scare her. Instead, he pulled her in a hug not letting her go.

"C'mon let's watch this movie."

"Okay." She said as she sniffled.

Not even halfway through the movie Charlotte was fast asleep on his chest, Henry didn't mind because he knew she needed it. Then eventually he drifted off to sleep.

End Of Chapter 22...