A/W: Just a heads up to anyone who reads this...there is some dark material in this chapter and some scenes with violence. I haven't included anything too graphic but abuse is implied. Other than that, I whoever reads this is still interested to find out what happens after this chapter. Let me know what you think in a review or a PM. x
By the time Carla had reached the school playground later that day in order to pick her daughter up, the woman was mentally and physically done in. It was safe to say that she was almost at breaking point after listening to everyone at work talk non stop about tomorrow's big 'event'. The factory lot had surprised her and Frank with a 'Pre-Wedding Cake' (she didn't even know they existed) and they had all celebrated – yet again – with an impromptu tea break. She had made a quick getaway when she received a phone call from her solicitor and gave Frank the excuse that she was going to meet a new client who had an aversion towards men due to a recent bad break up.
The news Jennifer had given her was not good. She was unable to force Frank out of the business. Him leaving would basically have to be agreed between them. However despite this setback, she had finally come to a decision over her next move and now she was trying to formulate a plan in her mind to let Frank down as gently as possible.
Carla was brought back to reality by Rachel calling out for her and a smile brightened up the stressed mother's face when her little girl approached her. The smile faltered though when she saw that the sentiment wasn't returned. Instead, her daughter looked just as sad and stressed as Carla herself was feeling on the inside.
Crouching down in front of her baby, Carla peered into Rachel's glassy eyes. "What's the matter, baby girl?" She asked softly.
Rachel looked around the playground at all the other kids who were laughing and playing and then her eyes finally settled on her mother. "Can I tell you on the way home?" She requested. Carla nodded wordlessly and stood up. A tanned hand was held out towards the little girl who grasped at it desperately with her paler one before mother and daughter made their way out of the school playground.
The pair strolled down the road in silences but once they were on a quieter street, Rachel began talking about her day.
"I tried to talk to Simon, like you said..."
It wasn't until lunch time when Rachel finally plucked up enough courage to speak to her former best friend AKA, Simon Barlow.
The blonde haired girl studied the boy who was playing an informal game of football with some other boys. Simon was smiling and laughing as he passed the ball to a boy who completely missed it and had to run after it. Rachel drew in a deep breath and jogged over to the group of boys before her curly haired friend could be distracted by any of the other kids.
"Simon!" Rachel called out and gave the slightly younger boy a small wave.
Simon sneered at the girl who had dared to interrupt his game. "What do you want?" He spat.
The friendly smile that had been on Rachel's face fell and she shifted uncomfortably when she saw some of the other lads look over at her. "Well...I was wondering..." She lifted her head up high and looked into Simon's brown eyes. She decided to be strong because after all, she was a Connor and her mother was always telling her that Connor women were strong and independent, "We need to talk."
The Barlow boy sniggered and shook his head. "I already told you...we can't be friends. Your stupid dad almost killed my grandma and when my mum found out what you did last week in class, she said I should never even speak to you."
Rachel felt her dimpled chin wobble with suppressed sobs but managed to hold them back as she stepped closer to Simon. "None of that was my fault! It was Fr-"
However before she could take one step closer, Simon stepped forward and shoved her hard. She stumbled backwards but was unable to gain her footing and landed hard on her back. The eight year old resisted a scream of pain at the impact as she looked up at Simon who leaned towards her.
"Get it through your head...I don't want to be friends so just leave. me. alone." He ground out. Rachel looked over his shoulder at the rest of his buddies who were either laughing at her or egging Simon on to do or say more. She felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment and without another word, Simon turned his back on her and stormed away. The other boys soon followed, leaving the sad little girl all on her own.
Mother and daughter had reached the entrance to their building by the time Rachel had finished her tale. Sobs shook her body as she hugged her mother around the waist tightly.
"I-I'm sorry, Mummy. I-I t-tried to be s-strong, l-like y-you said b-but..." She couldn't finish what she was trying to say as her tears took over her ability to speak.
"Shhh," Carla soothed and rubbed her daughter's back comfortingly, "it's ok, baby. Come here." She whispered and without another thought, she picked her daughter up into her arms and held her on one hip. It was a struggle, but she was able to free up one of her arms to dig through her bag in order to pull out her house keys. From there she was then able to gain access to the building and their flat.
Carla kicked off her heels and went straight over to the couch so she could sit down with Rachel in her lap. The upset girl moved herself so that her legs rested along either side of Carla's own and she buried her face into her mother's chest as she continued to sob.
Inwardly, Carla was seething. It was clear that Leanne was stirring the pot between the two children. It was safe to say that the dark haired woman wasn't about to let her love rival get away from basically being the cause of her little girl's upset.
Carla rocked her daughter back and forth and rubbed soothing circles on her back as she whispered soft words in her ear. "It's ok, darlin'. Mummy will sort this out. There's no need to cry." She told her daughter gently and then placed a kiss to Rachel's tear soaked cheek. Then she made the decision to push Rachel back slightly so she could be face to face with her. Carla pouted sympathetically at the sorry sight her daughter had become and wiped some of the tears away.
Rachel drew in some deep breaths as she tried to take off her coat. "Too hot, Mummy..." She whined out and let out a grunt of frustration when she struggled to remove the garment. Clearly the girl was very agitated and Carla made quick work of helping her daughter with the usually simple task, lest she risk another meltdown.
"Hmmm, you are very warm. Let's take this jumper off of you as well." Carla suggested and instructed her daughter to lift her arms so she could remove the red coloured item of clothing. Rachel sniffled once more and was about to use her exposed forearm to wipe at her nose but Carla was quick to stop her with a slight grimace, "Oh no, Rach. That's disgusting." She told the girl and seemingly out of nowhere (it came from her handbag), she produced a tissue and held it up to the snivelling child's leaking nose and instructed her daughter to 'blow'. Without looking at the contents of the tissue, Carl folded it with practised ease and used the clean part of the disposable item to wipe some excess tears away. Her daughter sniffled again and slumped forward once more onto Carla's chest in pure exhaustion.
Carla played with one of her daughter's dishevelled braids as the two sat in silence and once the mother was sure that Rachel had significantly calmed down, she pressed one last kiss to the crown of her head before she spoke her next words. "How about some cartoons whilst I go and make you a snack? We've got your favourite...toast with chocolate spread."
Rachel nodded and sighed deeply as she reluctantly left her mother's lap and settled herself into her favourite spot on the couch. Carla rose to a standing position and upon realising her daughter wasn't going to make any effort to turn the television on, she reached for the remote herself and turned the TV onto Rachel's favourite channel. She then handed the control to the little blonde on the couch and smoothed back some of her hair. "I'll be back in a minute." Carla promised before taking her phone out of her handbag and going over to the kitchen area.
Frank arrived home not long after Carla had left Rachel on the couch. He frowned when he heard his fiance's raised voice from the kitchen area and went to investigate.
"How dare you make my eight year old daughter collateral damage, Leanne?! Are you that pathetic that you have to use two innocent children to get to me?!" Carla spat down the phone as she covered two slices of toast with chocolate spread rather forcefully. She looked up at Frank who had his head tilted questioningly and held up a finger in response before gesturing to the phone she had held between her ear and shoulder. The dark haired woman then turned her back on him so she could rip the fridge door open. She then went into one of the cupboards and took out a glass so she could fill it up with orange juice. With the glass and plate in hand, she held them out towards Frank and gestured for him to give them to their daughter with a jut of her chin in the direction of the couch.
Frank, deciding he had better comply with her wordless instruction, took the after school snack items from Carla and went over to the living room area. He placed them down on the coffee table and looked down at Rachel who was slumped on the couch and staring blankly at the TV, a sad pout fixed firmly upon her lips.
"You ok there, blondie?" The adoptive father asked hoping his obviously upset daughter would open up to him. However, all Rachel did was look at him out of the corner of her eye and gave him a small shrug. Frank sighed and went back over to the kitchen just in time to hear Carla spit: 'do you know what, love? I can't be bothered to talk to you any more but just so you know, I will be emailing Brian as soon as I get off this phone. Good bye now!' Her last words were heavily laced with sarcasm.
Frank's eyes widened comically when Carla promptly hung up on the conversation and threw the phone down onto the kitchen counter. "That flamin' woman...I wish she would just do one." She muttered more to herself as she brushed past Frank and marched over to the dining room table where her laptop was.
The dark haired man wandered over to her side and watched as she booted up the computer and promptly began typing up a strongly worded email to their daughter's head teacher. He let out a gasp and chuckled as he pointed at the screen. "I don't think that word is very appropriate for a school related email, love." He told his furious counterpart who ignored his advice and continued to angrily tap at the keys before her.
"Mr Packham knows me well enough by now. He's aware of the fact that I'm not one to sugar coat things." Carla grumbled and quickly hit send after reading over the email addressed to Brian Packham. "I will not have a grown arse woman use her child to bully my daughter."
"Ok, Mama Bear, breathe..." Frank said and rested a comforting hand on Carla's shoulder. "How about we move on from the subject of school drama for now?" He suggested hoping to get her focused on a different matter entirely.
Carla crossed her arms and softened her glare slightly, "what do you have in mind? Why are you back so early anyway?" She asked quickly when she realised that it had only just gone past four o'clock.
Frank smiled and shrugged. "I gave the factory lot an early dart. They couldn't get away quick enough. They're all very excited about tomorrow. I think I even heard Sean refer to us as 'Kate and Wills'." He chuckled good naturedly.
His fiance's face screwed up a little at his words. "They do know it's just a small gathering at a boring old registrar's office and then a little dinner at the bistro?" She asked him.
He shrugged in response. "You know what those lot are like. Everything is a big deal to them...and our wedding - no matter how simple you've kept it - will always be a big deal, Carla."
Silence engulfed the room and the only sounds to be heard was some audience laughter from the TV. Usually the familiar sound was accompanied by their own child's sweet giggles but on that occasion, it was missing.
"So Rachel's had a rough day?" Frank asked with a touch of concern and Carla hummed in acknowledgement. "That's a shame. Maybe we should get her to try on her dress for tomorrow? It might take her mind off of her school troubles."
Carla gave a humourless chuckle. "That will just put her in even more of a bad mood." She said to him.
Frank contemplated her words before he spoke. "Maybe but she might actually like it once you put that little head dress on her. Plus...I haven't seen her in it yet and we need to make sure it fits still." He told her.
His partner released a tired sigh and stood up. If she was being honest with herself, she couldn't be asked to get into a back and forth at that precise moment. No, she was saving that for when after Rachel had been dropped off at Roy and Hayley's for the night. She was now giving herself a pat on the back for accepting Hayley's offer to look after Rachel so Carla could spend her last few hours of unwedded bliss in her own relaxing company.
"Ok, fine." Carla said and Frank gave her a satisfied grin, "but she needs a bath first." She told him before going over to the living area. Frank watched her go and after a while, he saw his fiance and their daughter go into their bedroom.
It was just under an hour later when Rachel and Carla reappeared from the bedroom. The little girl was dressed in one of her night dresses and her damp hair was clipped up into a bun. She looked just as grumpy as she had been since Frank had last seen her. However, a part of him had hoped that the bath had worked some sort of miracle and that Rachel wouldn't put up much of a fight when it came time for her to try her flower girl dress on.
"Oh...wait right there, darlin'. I forgot to pick up the head dress." Carla called out to Rachel who plopped herself down on one of the dining room chairs.
As soon as Carla disappeared back into the bedroom, Rachel glared between the stupid dress and Frank. "I'm not wearing that." She told him rather forcefully.
Frank leaned towards her and whispered to her firmly; "look, I know you've had a bad day but that doesn't give you the right to be defiant." He told her and then stood up straight. "You're wearing the dress."
The little girl slammed a fist onto the dining room table rather hard as she continued to glower. "You can't tell me what to do!" She screamed at him.
Rachel then tried to make a run for it to the safety of her room but she was too late. Frank reacted quicker than she ever could. She didn't stand a chance and before she knew what was happening, he had grabbed her arm and bent her over sharply. The first slap landed on the back of her bare thigh with a resounding 'whack' and a high pitched wail left the eight year old's lips. Tears streamed down her face before the second violent swat propelled her forward. The firs two were about to be accompanied by a third but a loud and ferocious voice froze Frank on the spot.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?! Take your hands off her!"
Frank released his hold on Rachel as if he had been burned. The little girl sobbed louder and bolted towards Carla who was giving the cruel man a look that could kill as her arm automatically wrapped around her daughter protectively. Frank made to move closer towards them but the seething woman stopped him in his tracks. "Don't even think about it!" She screamed at him and without warning, threw a flowery head dress in his direction.
"Mummy!" Rachel sobbed as she clawed at her mother in a desperate attempt to climb up into Carla's arms. The woman complied to her daughter's needs and lifted the girl into her hold. One arm supported the child under her bottom whilst the other cradled Rachel's head into the crook of her neck. Carla then side stepped around the man in front of her and gave him a look of disgust before storming up the spiral staircase.
Rachel continued to sob and shake in her mother's arms even as Carla began to hum a familiar tune once she was sat at the end of the bed in the child's room. Tears of guilt and fury filled Carla's eyes as she rocked her traumatised child back and forth.
"I'm so sorry, baby. I'm so sorry." Carla whispered to her daughter repeatedly and pressed multiple kisses to Rachel's temple. Her hands shook as she cradled her daughter's head so they were looking into each other's eyes. "I'm going to get you away from him, darlin'. Mummy is so sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"
Rachel continued to sob as she clung onto her mother's wrists desperately. "N-not y-your f-fault." She stuttered out. "L-love you, M-Mummy."
Carla released a tiny sob herself and pulled her child towards her chest. "I love you too, Rachel. Shhh."
It took a while but soon enough, Rachel had calmed down considerably although tears still fell from her blue eyes. She had been left on the bed whilst Carla hurried around the room and quickly packed her daughter an overnight bag. Once she was sure Rachel would have everything she would need, Carla went over to her daughter with some items of clothing clutched tightly in her hand. She was in such a rush, she didn't even take the time to check that the outfit she was holding was even matching. She had one priority and one priority only.
"Let's get you out of here." Carla whispered and began helping Rachel dress into some outdoor wear – a pair of navy jogging bottoms and a white t-shirt with blackcurrant squash stains splattered all over it. Her heart broke when she took the time to inspect the area where Frank had landed his vicious assault. A milky thigh was tarnished with a ruby red hand print and Carla had to swallow back some bile that rose up into her throat at the sight.
Rachel watched as her mother's shaking hands did up the laces on her battered converse. "Where are we going, Mummy?" She asked quietly, her voice raw from her relentless crying.
Carla gave her little girl what she hoped to be a comforting smile. "You're going to stay with Nana Hayley and Pops whilst Mummy sorts everything out." She told her.
The little girl panicked and shook her head. Sure, she had suffered abuse and had been hit multiple times in the past by previous foster parents but she never thought that it would happen in her new home which - up until recently - had been a relatively safe one. "Don't leave me, Mummy. Stay with me." She begged and threw herself once again into her mother's arms. What if Frank hurt her mother once she had been taken to safety? They had to protect each other and the only way to do that was for them to stick together!
The dark haired woman stood from her crouched position with the girl in her arms. She picked up the blanket on the bed and covered Rachel with it before shouldering the backpack she had just packed. "It's ok, darlin'. Just trust me." She whispered and drew in a silent breath as she began to descend down the stairs.
As expected, Frank was waiting right where she had left him. He looked over when he heard her footsteps approach and he once again went to move towards them. Carla shook her head as she stepped back and turned slightly in an attempt to shield the child in her arms from him even more.
"Don't move." She told him in a deadly tone.
Frank released a sigh and nodded his head in defeat. All he could do was watch as she made her way past him and headed towards the door. "Carla, where are you going?" He called out to her upon realising that Rachel was now dressed in outdoor clothes and that Carla was carrying their daughter's overnight bag.
"That doesn't concern you." Carla called over her shoulder. She stopped by the shoe rack and slipped on a pair of flats before opening the door. She looked over at him one last time when she spoke her parting words; "Don't follow us...oh and in case you need it spelled out – the wedding is officially off!"
The door slammed shut behind her and after taking another calming breath, Carla hurried along to the lift that would take them out onto the street below.
Their hurried journey was filled with even more tears and sniffles but neither of them spoke as Carla speed walked down the various streets that would lead to her desired destination. They had almost made it to the cafe without coming across anyone of importance. However, just as they reached 'Roy's Rolls' the door opened and none other than Peter Barlow stepped out, a takeaway coffee cup in hand.
He looked an uncharacteristically dishevelled Carla up and down and tried to get a peak at the bundle in her arms but the blanket was preventing him from getting a proper look. A tender but strong hand reached out to move the fluffy material to one side but Carla shook her head sharply at him and stepped back.
"Carla? What's happened?" Peter asked, concern in his voice and his caring brown eyes. God she missed him looking at her like that. She had craved it even but ever since she had told him that she was the one driving the car that had hit Stella, he had looked at her with nothing but contempt whenever they had just so happened to cross paths.
Shaking her head of these thoughts, Carla shot her secret love a steely glare. "Go home to your wife and child, Peter." She told him a little harsher than intended.
"How can I? With the state you're in?" Peter asked her rhetorically and then gestured to the child she clutched onto tightly. "What's wrong with her? Has Frank done something to her?"
Carla fought back tears and avoided eye contact with the man before her. She seemingly ignored his presence and waited rather impatiently for him to step aside so she could enter the cafe. Rachel let out a small whimper and the upset mother pressed a long kiss to the girl's head in the hopes of giving her some reassurance.
Her silence was all the answer Peter needed. He furiously threw down the cup he was holding and shook his head in disgust at the unspoken revelation. "I knew it. I never trusted him. He's hit her, hasn't he?!" The bookies owner seethed.
The factory owner turned her attention back on him. "Go home to your wife and child, Peter." She repeated. "I – we're of no concern to you." She told him bitterly. "Now can you please get out of my way?"
Peter scoffed at her and shook his head once more. "You can't let him get away with this, Carla-"
"Oh don't you worry about that." She interrupted him. "I've already dumped him."
Peter sighed in relief. "Good. He deserves stringing up." He spat.
Carla let out her own bitter laugh. "Oh don't act like you really care, Peter." She spat. "Look, we aren't your problem. Just leave us alone and pretend you never even saw us."
The conflicted man sighed and decided that he had better get out of her way. She was clearly in no mood to discuss the matter any further with him. Carla waited until he was out of sight before wiping away some tears and drawing in another deep breath.
"I'm cold, Mummy." Rachel whimpered when a breeze suddenly blew in their direction.
Carla lifted the child higher up into her arms and whispered to the girl. "It's ok, sweetheart. We're going to go and see Nana Hayley now."
Warmth surrounded them as they entered the cafe but it offered very little comfort to the mother and daughter. Carla ignored the looks she got from the early evening diners and made her way over to Roy who was serving a customer.
"Roy, is Hayley upstairs?" The dark haired woman asked and tried to keep her tone light.
Roy looked over at her and if he was shocked by her appearance, he didn't show it as he responded to her. "She is. Go on up." He told her and a flicker of concern flashed in his eyes when he took note of his pseudo grandchild hiding under the blanket.
No more was said between Carla and the cafe owner but the woman did give Roy a nod of thanks before quickly going up the stairs to the cafe flat. She knocked lightly on the door and swayed back and forth gently as she waited for the door to be opened. Carla gave Hayley a watery smile and stepped into the homely residence when the factory worker moved aside to allow her entry.
"I'm sorry if we're a little early, Hayley." Carla apologised as she placed her daughter on the couch. She secured the blanket around Rachel's shoulder's and handed the girl her backpack. Rachel made no effort to move and only held the backpack close to her body. "You stay here, baby." Carla told the little girl unnecessarily and after receiving a small nod, she pressed a kiss to Rachel's forehead before going over to Hayley who was already filling up the kettle.
Hayley paused her movements and studied her boss come somewhat surrogate daughter. "Is everything ok, Mrs Connor?" She asked softly.
Carla let out a small laugh and ran her fingers through her hair. "Come on now, Hayley. How many times do I have to tell you? It's Carla outside of work. I think any formalities go out of the window when your boss's child calls you Nana." She reminded the older woman and gestured to Rachel who remained on the couch.
Hayley glanced over at the girl in question and her concern grew when the normally bubbly child looked like she had seen a ghost. Her eyes then went back to Carla who didn't look any better than her daughter. "Has something happened?"
The factory boss blinked as her vision blurred. She shook her head but that turned out to be a mistake as she suddenly came over very light headed. Hayley, realising what was about to happen, abandoned the kettle on the kitchen counter and steadied the younger woman. With a little effort, Hayley was able to lead Carla to one of the chairs at the table and once she was sure she wasn't going to try and get back up, she sat down in one of the other vacant chairs.
"Carla, have you eaten today?" Hayley asked and looked deep into Carla's eyes.
Her question was waved off rather nonchalantly. "I had a croissant." Carla said.
Hayley gasped and shook her head in displeasure. "That is ridiculous. I bet that was hours ago!" She exclaimed.
Carla went to get up from the chair but Hayley pulled her back down. "Hayley, I need to go. I brought Rachel round early because I realised I had so much to do for tomorrow." She said. 'Yeah so much to do as in cancel the whole bloody thing!'
"That can wait. You need to eat. Tea will be ready soon." Hayley insisted. "I'll make you a brew for now and you can tell me what's really bothering you."
Carla contemplated the conversation she had with Hayley back at the cafe flat as she waited for the lift in her building to reach her floor. She had eventually confessed what Frank had done to her daughter and it was safe to say that not only was the older woman shocked, she was downright furious! Carla was quick to tell her she didn't need to worry about Frank getting the chance to repeat the deplorable act as she was cutting ties with him.
At first, Hayley was reluctant to let Carla go back to her own flat alone and suggested she should go with her but the younger woman point blank refused the offer. She told Hayley that she would feel more comfortable if she stayed with Rachel who, after a quick dinner, had been tucked up in bed in the room that had been claimed as hers for when she stayed with Roy and Hayley for whatever reason. Carla had waited until the little girl was sound asleep and told Hayley to call her should her daughter awaken at any point. Carla then left the flat after promising to call her in the morning.
The 'ding' of the lift alerted Carla to the fact that she had reached her destination and she tapped her foot rather impatiently as she waited for the doors to open. She didn't even allow them to fully slide apart and instead she propelled herself into the hallway as soon as there was a big enough gap for her to slip through.
Carla's hands shook slightly as she unlocked the door to her apartment and allowed it to swing open. Her lip turned up in disgust when she saw that Frank was still in her home and had made himself comfortable in the armchair that was facing the door she had just closed behind her.
"I thought I had made myself clear before I left. You need to pack your shit and leave."
Frank looked up from the photo frame he held in his hands. It was a picture that had been taken of himself and 'his' girls whilst they were sight seeing in Rome. The smile that was on his face as he thought back on their first family holiday fell when his eyes landed on his obviously still furious business partner.
He placed the picture down on the coffee table and stood up from the chair so he could move a little closer to her. His footsteps came to a halt though when Carla shook her head and took a step back so the appropriate amount of distance between them remained.
"Carla, I've been doing a lot of thinking." Frank spoke as he paced around the space behind the couch. "We can still make this work."
Carla scoffed and shook her head in loathing. "No, Frank. There is no 'we' any more. Did I not make that clear enough when I told you the wedding is off?" She spat at him.
Frank came to a standstill there and then and pleaded with his eyes as he spoke his next words. "I know I've messed up but-"
"There's no 'buts' about it! You hit my child!" Carla screamed at him. Why couldn't he just admit defeat and leave? She knew he could be bullheaded but she didn't think he was stupid. Clearly she was mistaken as he made no move to comply with her request.
"Our child, Carla!" Frank roared back as his own agitation grew. "Both of our names are on that adoption certificate and don't you forget that!" He had an aggressive finger pointed in her direction but lowered it and drew in a calming breath when he saw that Carla had once again taken another step back from him. Pinching the bridge of his nose to relieve the tension in his head, he spoke his next words; "I love you, Carla."
Carla's eyes closed as she gathered her thoughts. She then looked him square in the eye when she sensed his dark orbs on her. "I don't love you, Frank." There, she had said it. The four words she had been wanting to tell him for over a month at that point. A weight was lifted off her shoulders as soon as they had left her lips.
Frank let out a mirthless laugh and threw his hands up in the air. "What do you mean? Of course you do!" He exclaimed incredulously. "We're getting married tomorrow. My parents are on their way to their hotel right now as we speak. You're not going to throw our whole relationship – our family – away just because of my moment of weakness, are you?!"
Carla resisted the urge to scream back at him and instead repeated the same words from moments before. "I don't love you." He went to say something but she stopped him with her next words; "and don't even bother trying to use Rachel against me. She's not a weapon. She's a child. A child you just assaulted."
Frank sighed and nodded his head. "I know. You're right. I know I hurt her. I'll make it up to her. Let's just get through tomo-"
"There isn't going to be a tomorrow, Frank! Not for us anyway!" Carla yelled and then leaned against the kitchen counter top tiredly. She felt like they were going around in circles at that point and she felt like her head was spinning from their back and forth. "How can I marry you when I don't even love you?" She asked him as she stood up straight and turned to face him after she had wiped some tears of betrayal away from her eyes.
"You say you don't love me but that's ok. I know you did once. I saw it in the way you looked at me. You're still at least fond of me." Frank spoke calmly as he took a few tentative steps closer to Carla who continued to fight back tears of a mixture of emotions. All she could do was shake her head wordlessly as he got nearer, almost to the point where he was invading her personal space. "You can learn to love me again. I know you can."
"No." Carla insisted and looked down at the ground. There was no way he was going to talk her round. Not this time. "It's not working...this family isn't working. Rachel...she barely tolerates you-"
"I'm her father. We're bound to have our ups and downs." Frank claimed.
Carla grimaced as the next words escaped from her lips. "I'm sorry, Frank, but there's just been too many downs between you two. You living here...it's too stressful for her. I have to put Rachel first." She told him and practically begged him to back down.
"I can't believe this. You can't let a child dictate our future." Frank ground out. Then it was like he had a light bulb moment. "It's not just Rachel you're thinking about though, is it? There's someone else, isn't there?" He asked her and gave a counteractive and self assured nod in response to her whispered 'no'. "You've been seeing someone else."
His now ex-fiance shook her head. "No. There isn't anyone else." She lied but of course he saw right through her. Before she knew it, he began pacing once more and started accusing her of having an affair with Peter Barlow. He even went as far as saying that she had more than likely slept with the bookies owner in their shared bed. It got to the point where his accusations became even more ludicrous and Carla found herself suddenly blurting out; "Ok. You're right! I'm don't love you because I love Peter but we have never slept together. He's with Leanne."
Frank froze at her admission and rubbed the palm of his hand over his face. "How long have you felt like this? The whole time we've been together? You know you've basically admitted that you've been using me for your own gain?" Carla shot him a questioning look at his last question but offered no verbal response. "Oh come on, Carla. We never would have even started this relationship if you didn't need bailing out when the factory was in trouble. Then of course Rachel came along and you knew you would never have gotten custody of her on your own and don't even get me started on the crash..." Another dark laugh left his throat as he shook his head in disbelief, "all this time you've been using me, you hard-faced cow!" He spat viciously.
Carla let him rant and rave but she eventually grew tired of him shooting out numerous accusations and insults aimed at both herself and Peter. She made her way to the front door and turned to face him once more. "Look Frank...I know you're angry and I understand, I really do. I'll give you some time to make other living arrangements for yourself." She said as she shouldered her handbag. "I'll get in touch with my solicitor and we can all sit down and talk about what we're going to do about the factory. As for Rachel...well, she's still your daughter but the only way you will get to see her is when I'm sure that you've got that nasty temper of yours under control." A deep breath was released as she readied herself to say her next words. "You've left me no choice for the time being though. If you won't leave, I will."
Frank's eyes widened in pure rage as he watched her turn her back on him and he immediately rushed over to the door way. He slammed the door closed just as she had got it open and ripped her bag from her shoulder so he could throw it to one side. Her body was pinned under his own and she tried to struggle out of his strong hold but it was no use, there was no way of her escaping from under his heavy weight. She felt a sharp tug on her dark hair and let out a yelp as Frank's fingers gripped the silky tresses tightly. Carla was then forced to turn around so she was facing him. His hot breath surrounded them as he breathed heavily into her face.
Fear overcame the usually bold woman and she froze as Frank turned into a raging demon right in front of her eyes. His dark eyes burned holes into her glossy green ones whilst he practically spat his next words; "you aren't going anywhere and you're certainly not going to stop me from seeing my daughter." He then took advantage of her shell shocked state and pressed his lips firmly onto hers in a bile inducing kiss. She could feel his nails digging into her skin as one hand grasped her chin whilst the other came up to her throat.
Carla came to her senses and attempted to push him off when his tongue was shoved violently down her gullet. However her attempt was in vain as he was just too strong. Her body was thrown to the ground like a rag doll and she saw stars when the back of her head collided with a rock hard wall.
Frank began to unbuckle his belt and all Carla could do was beg and plead with him as he climbed on top of her once he had completed the task of undoing his trousers. As he carried out his assault, Carla felt a piece of her soul slip away and all she could think about was her little girl. If it wasn't for Rachel, Carla would have wished for death right there in that moment.
She couldn't help but feel like that the hell she experienced that fateful night was her punishment for practically inviting a monster into her precious daughter's life.
