Stef
I looked at her before looking down awkwardly. This subject has always been an uneasy topic for me and I always try to avoid discusses it.
"Um well I was fresh out of high school and new to college and he was in my class and I cheated off of him" I admitted and she shook her head.
"Sorry i'm not perfect, Miss Adams" I said and she laughed.
"Anyways he wasn't much smarter than me so it ended badly for both of us but we started talking and eventually we started dating. Anyways long story short we dated for a few months before he started getting possessive and like insanely jealous. I ignored it for a bit hoping he will stop and well he got obsessed with the idea that I was sleeping with Mike and after a fight the one night he shoved me and I fell down on a table and his mother's vase and then he proceeded to kick me for breaking his mom's vase" I started.
Flashback
I laid there coughing and trying to catch my breath shocked at what just happened. I didn't see this coming. As the initial shock wore off I started to feel how painful my body feels. I can feel the sharp pain in my ribs that are probably broken from him kicking me and the glass that's stuck in my body.
"Fuck… I'm sorry I don't know what happened" he said and I tried to figure out what to do.
The next day he came over to my dorm a thing of I forced a smile.
"Hey how are you feeling?" He asked.
"Sore"
"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. Please forgive me… " he said and I sighed.
"Eric I can't be in this relationship…" I started to say.
"I will do anything and It won't happen again, I swear, please you're all I live for. You're only thing keeping me alive" he said and I know he is referring to having attempted suicide a few times before meeting me.
Present
"That's not ok, to manipulate you like that" she said taking my hand and I smiled at her a keeping tears from my eyes.
"No it's not and I know that it's just I guess I felt bad for him or actually believed him I don't know but it quickly escalated to frequent physical abuse, stalking and even occasional game of russian roulette which isn't a fun game by the way" I said trying to stop myself from crying but I couldn't.
"Come here" she said holding her arms open for me and I moved into her arms.
"I'm so sorry, babe" she said hugging me and I finally pulled myself together.
"He um told me if I tried to leave him he would kill me and my family and I didn't know how to get out" I said.
"How did you get out?" She asked me rubbing small circles on my back. I sighed, somehow I getting out of it is an even worse story.
Flashback
I looked at the date and tried to keep myself from freaking out. How did I not notice being almost three weeks late. I can't be pregnant, not now. I can't raise a baby in this environment.
Before I completely freaked out I went out and got myself a test. Oh please let it be anything else, but of course it won't be.
Present
"And were you pregnant?" She asked and I nodded.
"Yeah I was but um I ended up miscarrying" I said and she gave me a sad pitying smile.
Flashback
I called Mike knowing I need to get out and I need to get out safely and he might be able to help me.
"Hey everything ok?" He asked.
"No i'm pregnant and i'm freaking out I need out but if I break up with him he will kill me and my family" I said quickly not taking a breathe in between words.
"Whoa hold up… it's ok… I will get you protection until we take him in" he said and I sighed hoping this goes well.
Mike was on his way to get me out of here right before another cop arrests him so it doesn't turn violent. He got here and I could see that it's going to get violent. He grabbed his gun and grabbed me pointing the gun to my head.
"Put the gun down, you don't want to do this" he said cautiously trying to get him to let go of me.
"She can't leave me!" He shouted and Mike took a cautious step closer.
"I'm gonna put my gun down if you do and we can just talk about this" he said and he didn't seem to know what to do.
"Your a smart guy, you know if you shoot her you are gonna lose her and go to jail, you don't want that do you" he said putting the gun on the ground and he hesitatingly dropped the gun and I moved away from him. Mike grabbed me and stepped in front of me.
"Ok good see nothing bad has to happen" Mike said and a cop coming in from the back door walked behind him and handcuffed him before escorting him out.
"Are you ok?" He asked and I nodded.
He grabbed his gun and put it in his belt before escorting me out of his house.
I sat in the hospital bed trying to wrap my mind around what happened. I didn't think I would get out of it safely, I can't believe it's all over.
I finally drifted off to sleep only to wake up to a sharp pain in my stomach and blood pooling between my legs. Tears immediately came to my eyes. I didn't want this to happen! I lost my baby.
Lena
I just held her until her tears subsided. I kissed her forehead which is normally her thing but she needs it right now.
"I'm sorry" I said lamely. He put her through hell and I let her blow it off as nothing even though she needed to talk about it. I didn't know any of that. She only told me that she was in a bit (her words not mine) of an abusive relationship before and she got out of it. I told her she can always come to me to talk to me about it but decided against pushing her to. I was foolish to believe that it was something 'minor' and she immediately got out of it. She always made it sound like that and carries herself like she would never let that happen.
She pulled back and looked at me and I smiled at her and she gave me a weary smile back.
"It's awful but it's never going to happen again, I know recently it hasn't been very convincing but I would never hurt you." I said and she nodded.
"I know you wouldn't… I shouldn't have taken it out on you… it just freaked me out" she said and I kissed her.
"I get it. We have a long way to go to get back on the right track but we are in it together" I said before we laid down in bed snuggling together before drifting off to sleep.
The next morning I woke up before Stef and slowly detangled myself from the sleepy blonde. I looked down at her as she cuddled up to a pillow to replace not cuddling up to me. I smiled so glad that I still have her after all of this. I wasn't sure if I would ever wake up next to her again, kiss her or tease her (you name it) again. I don't know how I would live without her. I'm so grateful to still have her.
"I love you" I said kissing her cheek.
"Good because it would be awkward if we lived together for all these years and you didn't" she mumbled sleepily causing me to practically jump out of my skin.
"I thought you were asleep"
"Hmm no… do I have to wake up?" She asked.
"No sweets sleep in if you want" I said and she gave me a sleep smile before turning around and drifting back to sleep. I got up and went downstairs pouring myself a cup of coffee. I was reading the newspaper and sipping coffee when my mom came in.
"Good morning" I said awkwardly. I haven't had a proper talk with my parent's, my kids or Sharon since before my hearing and their is a lot of tension, a lot of different opinions of what happened that day.
"Morning. Just you? Stef sleeping like the dead?" she said somehow in a humorous and harsh tone at the same time and I sighed.
"Uh I wouldn't go that far but yeah some times nothing wakes her" I attempted to joke back.
"So what's going to happen now?" She asked and I shrugged.
"I don't know mom. Me and Stef are still together and we are doing ok, um… I lost my job... " I admitted and she sighed.
"What are you going to do?" She asked and I sighed.
"I don't know, I will find another one" I said and she sat down across from me.
"They might be erasing it from your record but people know you and it's not good fame" she said and I played with my fingers avoiding looking at her. I know she's right and that's what scares me.
"I know, I will have to figure something out"
"Lena people at home heard about it, you better hope they don't keep up with current events." She said and I nodded. I know she's not happy that the family name has been dragged through mud because of me lately but what am I supposed to do.
"I get that it will be hard, mom, but I will figure something out" I said hoping i'm right but i'm not to confident.
"Be honest with me, lena…" she said.
"I didn't hurt my wife, I never could. I love her, mom, always have. I wouldn't even dream of hurting her, no matter how bad it is between us and no I didn't have an affair with Monte I wouldn't do that to her either" I said and she nodded.
"I didn't necessarily raise you thinking you will end up being with a woman but god love me you will treat your wife right" she said and I nodded.
"Of course, mom. I always will" I said hoping she will eventually believe me.
"Did Stef talk to you about Eric?" She asked. I don't think she told her as much as she told me.
"Yeah she did… I didn't realize it was that bad…. She puts so many walls up and I think because of this she's putting them back up" I said and she smiled at me.
"I'm sure it's hard to trust again after being hurt like he hurt her. She took down a big wall with you if she told you about Eric." She said.
"I know I just don't really feel like she trusts me anymore…. I can't blame her but…"
"Regardless of what happened that day you had her at gunpoint, Lena" I know we need to work this out somehow. Maybe it's for the best if we look into marriage counseling.
"I know and I can't imagine how scary that was for her but I will figure out a way to I don't know fix that." I said because honestly I don't know how to. How do you gain back trust in a relationship after pointing a gun at them? I don't think there is a relationship 'how to' for that.
"You scared her! She put up her walls to protect herself… as her wife…" she started to say.
"Let her live behind them?" I asked.
"No as her wife you have to knock them down" she said as if it's going to be easy.
"Yeah well easier said than done"
"Well if it was easier you would have done it already" she said getting up and leaving.
Stef
I picked up the paper noticing we made front page news. This is not good, right now she doesn't need publicity. I read through the article hoping it doesn't make her sound bad. Even though newspapers are probably the best at not being biased it's still can be very biased.
'Lena Adams Foster, 39, was found innocent of attempted murder of her wife Stefanie Adams Foster. Following her attack on January 3rd Stefanie suffered from memory loss making her unable to testify either way. Lena Adams Foster was found to have a tracfone which she used to contact Monte Porter, who is denying having any influence of Lena 'trying to get rid of her'.' I read and I rolled my eyes frustrated about Monte, who unfortunatly will probably get off.
'... After police arrived to the scene Lena dropped the gun which her wife argued was on safety the entire time because Lena wouldn't know how to use one." It said. This reporter does make it seem like Lena got away with murder, or at least attempted murder.
"... The jury ruled innocent based on circumstantial evidence that Lena was being framed. Candice got a life sentence for the attempted murder of Stefanie and Monte is awaiting trial. After court Lena went home with her family like nothing happened." I groaned you gotta be kidding me. It makes Lena sound like a cold blooded cheating spouse who got away by crying framed and me as the foolish spouse who acts like anybody in an abusive relationship and lets it happen. These people don't know what an abusive relationship is.
"Bull shit!" I yelled throwing the paper onto the table. They don't know anything.
"Hey lets calm down" Lena said and I sighed.
"They don't know anything! They don't know you and they still practically call you a murderer. They don't know what an abusive relationship is… " I shouted and she grabbed my hand.
"I know, honey. It's ok" she said and I rubbed my head starting to get a headache.
"No it's not. Everyone makes it out that you were abusing me because they think they know… and they don't. They think they know what it's like to be in one of those and they don't… they think they do but they don't" I said so frustrated. I couldn't count how many times I was asked if Lena was abusing me over the last few months. Comparing Lena to Eric is an insult to her who is innocent and not capable of that and makes domestic abuse look like nothing.
"I know honey, they were just worried about you" she said and I nodded. I kissed her.
"I can't wait until this is over" I said and she laughed.
"Me too" she said. I hope some how everything goes back to the way it used to be.
OK let me know what you think. I would say a few more chapters (2 or 3).