Summary: Isabella lived a perfect life with her husband until the abuse started. With the death of her mother, she may have just been given life changing gift: a way out. But with it comes a whole new world that she may not be ready to face. Maybe with the help of her green-eyed savior. Mafia, Crime, Abuse, Hurt/Comfort.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. Stephanie Meyers owns characters but the plot is of my original work.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: Perfect

James and I lived in Kenilworth, Illinois, but the safe house was only a state away in Davenport, Iowa. It was still dangerously close to home, but I had to remind myself that it was just temporary. For a safe house, it wasn't too shabby. It was a little cottage off a cliff and it overlooked the Mississippi River.

It was secluded and away from other houses. The lot was surrounded by thick shrubs and enclosed by iron gates. There were two bedrooms, with a spacious kitchen and a living room. It had two bathrooms, and an office room that had computer monitors showing live recording of the cameras strewn around the property. This part, Jason said, was for my safety and was constantly monitored by someone. It was a safety precaution, Jason said. The most beautiful part of the house was the giant floor-to-ceiling windows that gave a beautiful view of the river. My favorite spot, I found, was the windowsill that was perfectly placed in the corner of the room. I was alone at this house but at the same time that I enjoyed being left to myself, I hated it.

When I woke up this first morning, it was muscle memory that made me jump up in bed. I was already mentally reciting my routine for the day because I knew I had so much to do around the house before dinnertime. James had made a mess in the kitchen the day before. He didn't like the brand of sugar I had bought.

Organic, Marie! Only Organic.

Then I burst out in tears because although I wasn't completely safe, I was for now. It was only a day away from James and by now, he must have sent a handful of people looking for me. The longer it takes for him to find me, the worse my punishment would be if he did, I thought.

Today was Tuesday. I was supposed to pick up the dry-cleaning in the closest town. I was supposed to meet with Gianna, the personal shopper James had hired, to help me pick out clothes at a boutique. Later tonight, I was supposed to make James dinner. I pre-planned dinners for the week and tonight was supposed to be chicken satay with shrimp fried rice and homemade peanut sauce. But sitting here in the windowsill, I had no one to fend for but myself. Today, I didn't have to scrub the kitchen clean and dust off the sugar that James threw on the kitchen island. I didn't have to re-arrange the closet to make more room for the handful of clothes I was sure to bring home later in the afternoon. I didn't have to cook, wash dishes, put make-up on, straighten my hair, and wear a dress for a dinner in my own home. But most of all, tonight I wasn't forced to have sex with James.

I twiddled my thumbs all morning, and I almost thought about vacuuming the carpet till I realized the house actually had hardwood floors. I cradled the phone in my hand all day waiting for Jason to call me with some news and I replayed our conversation throughout my head over and over again. I was going crazy.

On the morning of my mother's funeral, Mrs. Cope was able to pull me into a hug. While to others she may have seemed to be simply comforting me, in my ear she whispered something that became the reason I was here in the safe house.

"Isabella," she whispered. The name caught me off guard because it was a name only my mother called me. I have always been Marie to everyone else. "Remember the name Jason Jenks."

I tried to pull back to look at her face but she kept a tight grip around my neck.

"When things are safe, find this man. You mother asked me to tell you about him if she dies and she couldn't tell you the truth. But only when it's safe. Only when you've gotten away from James."

A week after my mother's funeral, Mrs. Cope died. I've known her my whole life—she and my mother were best friends. She was a healthy fifty-something woman and her cause of death was declared "natural causes". Her warning weighed heavily in my brain and I didn't know what to make of it. Until James started to hit me.

The phone rang loudly and my heart stopped beating for a second. I answered it quickly.

"Jason?"

"Marie," he greeted back. "Is this what you really want? You can have other options."

"Yes," I said. "I want to meet Charlie Swan. And if he can help me get away from James, so be it."

"Alright then," he replied. "It's been one day and your husband has been quite busy looking for you."

I gulped audibly. "What's going?"

"As expected, he sent out a search for you," Jason sighed. "Some news stations have broadcasted a photo of you on the TV. It's also confirmed that your picture will be published tomorrow on the front page of the Tribune. But don't worry, I've spoken with Charlie and he'll be here later this afternoon. We'll head to the safe house as soon as possible."

I was meeting my father today. I left my home, my abusive husband, and found out I had a chance to start a new life. So much was happening in the span of forty-eight hours and I couldn't figure out where to focus myself.

When I married James, it wasn't his money that caught my eye. In fact, I didn't even know rich he was until after our second or third date. Because of that, I didn't anticipate what kind of people James involved himself in. I've always been the housewife, and he was the breadwinner. In the first four months I was married to James, he didn't show any signs of the monster he actually was. Not until my mother died.

"Alright," I said. "I'll see you later."

"Don't go outside Marie," Jason warned. "You're not too far."

"I won't," I promised, and we hung up.

That was what frightened me the most. Along with the abuse, I didn't at all anticipate the kind of power James had. I didn't know he had men working for him to do his dirty job. At this point, I wouldn't rule out murder anymore. Especially with the information, or lack thereof, that Jason has given me about his suspicion on my mothers' death; my mother and Mrs. Cope too actually.

With a gasp, I realized that James wanted to pick off the closest people in my life. He wanted me to be alone in this world so that I could have no one to run to. What if he knew my mother was very suspicious of him? And to get rid of her, what if James did kill mother? Because what if James knew that once I was all alone, no one would be able to save me from his true nature—an abusive, rapist, evil monster.

My fists clenched so tight and I almost bolted to the door until I realized that I wasn't anything against James. He was much bigger, stronger, richer, and more powerful than me. And as much as I wanted to run back to Kenilworth to avenge my mother, I didn't have sufficient information to confirm if he killed my mother of not. And at this point, I wasn't in any way shape or form to physically confront James.

My mother was all I had. She was the only blood family at least because Mrs. Cope was a second mother to me. Of course, I didn't know about Charlie Swan up until 24 hours ago. My mother had always said that she had a one-night stand and never knew who he was and couldn't find him after. It was the best mistake she had ever made, she said, because she me now. I had so many questions surrounding my mother's past and only Charlie Swan can answer that for me.

I couldn't figure out whether or not I could trust him. There must be a reason my mother wanted to make Charlie Swan disappear from our lives. If she worked so hard to get a restraining order and full custody of me, what was wrong with Charlie Swan? Why did Charlie Swan agree to give away his rights to me but still funded an inheritance and provide a large amount of child support? And if she didn't want to have Charlie Swan in our lives; why did my mother want him to be notified of her death.

I'm ashamed to say I was unable to do anything to save myself for eight months. Eight months after my mother died was when I finally found a way to leave. I understand why Jason Jenks thought I wouldn't make it anymore. I was locked in a room for a whole month after her death. During this time, James told me that he wanted to make me the perfect wife. That he wanted no more of my non-sense about writing a book and prancing around the mansion like a spoiled brat. As soon as Mrs. Cope's death was confirmed, it was as if a light switch was flipped. James knew I was officially alone.

He beat me…a lot. I remember looking at myself in the mirror all blue and purple after the first beating. I remember thinking to myself that I didn't look anything like Marie Hayes Witherdale anymore. Not too long before that, I had a sparkle in my eye—I was a woman in love and newlywed to the man who literally swept her off her feet. I had color in my cheeks from sheer happiness and not bruises. Looking in that mirror, I was a badly beaten woman. He just kept hitting, punching, kicking, and throwing me around so much that I couldn't' move from the sheer pain in my joints. I remember yelling for the house staff but he laughed my face and said that he fired them all. Told them that I was still grieving and needed to be alone. I was starved, broken, and alone.

The threats James made to me during that first month were what made me stay.

You are nothing without me. Wherever you go, I will find you. No one can help you. No one will help you. You have no money, no job, and no life outside of these walls. You're mine and will always be mine.

James was right at the time. To my knowledge, I had no one left. I never held a proper job with my degree; I had no experience in teaching. I had no money because everything I used was bought with his. I had no home to run to because my mother never owned a house and really didn't have much to her name. Anything I received from her will and testament was taken away.

James didn't trust me enough during the first four months to leave me alone. So as much as possible, he stayed at home and educated me on what being a perfect wife meant. There were so many rules. He hovered over as I went about the things he told me to do and every time I made a mistake, he didn't hesitate to use physical violence. During the daytime when he would leave for work in the city, he would lock me in. The windows were padlocked and the whole exterior of the house was under constant surveillance and of course, we had a security guard at the end of the driveway. He was instructed that under no circumstances should I ever leave the property. I didn't have any phone or laptop to contact anyone for help.

I was imprisoned for four months. During that time, I lost a great deal of weight. Before, I was at a healthy 120 for my age and height. I used to regularly do yoga and Pilates while James was at work and I ate whatever I wanted. I missed chocolate so much—I just missed eating junk in general. Sometimes, James would deprive me of food for days; he'd lock the fridge up or would eat dinner in front of me. Today, I'm a starved and still bruised twenty-four–year-old at 99 pounds.

Immediately after my meeting with Jason, he escorted me to a private clinic here in Davenport. Jason was a lot more resourceful that I thought because he wasn't just a simple lawyer. Long story short, Charlie Swan paid Jason Jenks. At the clinic, my bruises and wounds from my most previous beating were documented. The ones of my lower back and inner thighs were a merely two days old. When Jason asked me why I finally left, I simply answered with, "I was going to die."

That much was true. I was too weak and too badly hurt to be able to put up with any more spontaneous beating that James still put me through. Although it had subsided since the first initial month, James found that he constantly wanted to change something. When I was close to being perfect, something had to change, and those changes caused me to lose my balance in my routine.

Thinking about how my life ended up like this made the day go by so much faster. With a blink of an eye, the sun was gone, and I was staring out into the darkness. I realized that I haven't eaten anything, so I decided to get up and find something in the kitchen. Jason told me to eat because the doctor said that I was heavily malnourished. I knew I was but anyone living in that house with James wouldn't be able to stomach anything either. Not with the things he made me do and made me feel. I felt disgusted with myself. I was ashamed of myself. I hate everything about my life.

Just when I found some prepackaged sandwich, I heard two car doors close outside. I peeked out the window to find Jason walking alongside a tall lean man with brown hair and a mustache. The man was well dressed with his fancy suit and his leather shoes. He carried himself with so much poise that his every movement intrigued me. Then almost as if he felt my gaze burning a hole in his head, he whipped around and his eyes found me.

Big brown eyes just like mine.

This was Charlie Swan.

This chapter was edited by EdwardsFirstKiss.

4/10/2018