FYI: This chapter has a scene of domestic violence and a few curse words. Please read at your discretion.

Chapter 2 – Broken but Alive

The following week passed slowly for Tony as he couldn't shake seeing Angela the past weekend at the airport. He couldn't pinpoint it, but he knew something wasn't right deep down with her. He couldn't shake the feeling he had deep down in his gut about Christopher.

Knowing he couldn't concentrate, Tony decided to see if he could get ahold of Mona. He knew she'd give it to him straight about Christopher. As he scrolled through his phone, he saw the phone number for Mona and clicked the number to call it. The phone began to ring on the other end. After a few rings, Mona picked it up.

"Mona here."

"Mon?"

"Ton?"

"Hey, good to hear your voice, Mon."

"Ah, it's good to hear yours too, Tony. How have you been?"

"Oh, you know, just living life. I'm a high school history teacher here at the Brooklyn High School."

"You know, Tony, I know I always was putting you down while you were in college, but I knew you'd be a great teacher."

"I'm very happy here, Mon."

A few moments of silence passed between them.

"How's my man, Jonathan, doing?"

"Oh, he's loving the college scene. He has a steady girlfriend now and they seem serious. She's just so sweet. Her name is Elizabeth."

"Hey oh, oh ey… My man Jonathan with a girlfriend…"

"Yeah…"

Silence passed again between them before Tony spoke about what he called for.

"Mona, can I ask you a question?"

"Shoot."

"It's about Angela."

"Oh."

"Now hear me out, Mon. I saw her this past weekend at JFK airport. I also met Christopher…"

Before Tony could finish his sentence, he heard Mona gagging on the other side of the phone.

"Tony – Here's the story. After you two split up, it wasn't but a few months later I decided to move out to give Angela some space. She was working herself frantic at work and was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She was really tore up when you two broke up. Anyways, I left, and Jonathan left for college at almost the same time, and I think it was more than she could handle. She attended therapy more than normal and saw a few doctors to help her overcome her anxiety. Between her and Christopher – They met about a year ago at a gala dinner that Angela and I attended for the Bower Agency. I guess you'd call him "Mr. Charming", but he wasn't charming, in my opinion. He was a grade-a jerk. Anyways, Angela threw herself into their relationship with all she had and fell in love with him at first sight, or so she says. Next thing I know, they are engaged, planning their wedding, and then getting married. It all happened very suddenly. I don't trust him, Tony. Something about him doesn't set well with me."

"Mona, I hate to hear about Angela taking our split so terribly. There I was in Iowa with her, enjoying the time we had together and the next thing I knew, we broke up. I guess I could've put more effort into making it work but it was just so hard to be apart for so long between Iowa and Connecticut. I should've fought harder for her. I should've came home and stayed home. Looking back on it, it was probably the stupidest decision of my life. Now, I've missed my chance to get her back. This Christopher guy seems very fishy to me, Mon. Something doesn't add up with him. The way Angela acts around him…It's very frightening."

"Listen, Tony… She works from home a lot more these days. Christopher works a lot in New York City. He's a stockbroker for a big prestigious firm on Wall Street. Go over there and talk to her. What could it hurt?"

"Mona, I can't. She's married. I'd feel odd being back in her house and her being married."

"Just talk to her, Tony. She needs someone and I think that someone is you."

Taking a deep breath, Tony glanced up at the clock in his office and noticed it was a little past 3:30. He was finished for the day and could get to her house right before dinner.

"What time does Christopher normally get home from work?"

"Hard to tell. Most days he doesn't come home until well past 9:00."

"Alright, I'll head over there now and talk to her but I'm not making any promises that she'll even talk to me, Mon."

"Thank you, Tony. Deep down, I really hope it works out between you two. Christopher needs to go. I just don't like him, Tony. I don't like him at all."

"Me either, Mon. Me either."

With that, Tony hung up and said goodbye to Mona and decided to jump in the car and head to Angela's house. He knew it would be a drive, but it was worth it to see her again.

After driving for almost two hours, Tony arrived at Angela's house. He pulled up to the curb and looked over at the house that he knew very well. Nothing had changed. The old oak tree was still out front, the white picket fence was still standing… Everything looked untouched as it had when he was living there.

Walking up the sidewalk to the front door, Tony stopped just before knocking and took a deep breath. Was he prepared for this? What if Christopher came home and saw him talking with Angela? How would Angela react?

Pushing his thoughts out of his mind, Tony quickly rapped on the door and heard Angela's muffled but distinct voice through the door yelling, "Coming!"

Within seconds, the door flew open, and Angela stood holding the doorknob staring at Tony on the other end of the front door. Shocked, she wasn't sure why Tony was here.

"To… Tony. Wa… What are you doing here?"

"I came to talk to you, Angela."

"Talk to me? About what? It's not Sam, is it?"

"No, it's not Sam. Everything's fine. I've just been thinking, and I wanted to talk to you."

"Oh. Well…Um…Do you… Do you want to come in?"

"Is that okay?"

"Yes, yes! Come on in. We can sit on the couch. Would you like anything to drink?"

"No, no thank you."

Tony walked in front of Angela towards the couch and sat down. Angela quickly sat down beside him.

Silence fell between them for a few seconds before Angela spoke.

"S…So… What did you want to talk to me about, Tony?"

Clearing his throat, Tony was suddenly nervous and unsure of how to convey his thoughts to Angela. What if she became upset with him? What if she hated him for being here in her house? What if… Pushing the thoughts out of his head, Tony finally spoke.

"Angela…I'm… I'm here because…. Because I'm afraid for you."

"Afraid? Afraid of what?"

"You really have to ask?"

"Yes, because I don't know what you are talking about."

"I'm afraid for you because of…. Christopher."

"Chris…. Christopher? What about him?"

"Angela, I saw him at the airport. Something isn't right with him. I mean, haven't you noticed things about him? Things that frighten you?"

"No! That's… That's crazy. You are making things up."

"Angela…"

Angela stood up hastily and began pacing back and forth at Tony's comments. How could he come in here and insinuate that Christopher was such an evil person? He had no right! He didn't even know Christopher like she did…

"No, Tony. No… You're wrong."

"Angela…I spoke to Mon. She told me what happened."

That stopped Angela in her tracks as she looked at Tony sitting on her couch. He was here because he was worried to death about her and here, she was claiming that he was making things up about her husband. Christopher…her husband…

Her mind flashed to a memory of her and Christopher… They had been out on the town one night a few months after they became engaged, and Christopher had become severely drunk. Angela had brought him home to his house for him to sober up and as she tried to leave, he became a different person. As she tried to leave, he turned on her like a mad man and she was very frightened that he would hurt her. Thankfully, he passed out before something happened and she left him to sober up, convincing herself that she was imagining things and that it had been his drunkenness.

"Angela? You there?"

Her mind whooshed back to the present as she saw Tony looking at her with concern while still sitting on her couch, staring at her with worried eyes.

"Ye…yes."

"You okay? Do you need to sit down? You look…flushed."

"I'm fine. Just a little lightheaded."

"Well, here! Sit down here. Do you need something to drink?"

Tony fluffed the pillow behind Angela's back, their arms touching and the closeness bringing them back to how close they used to be when they were dating.

"No, no… I'm fine, really..."

Unable to control the "pull" towards each other, both gazed deeply into each other's eyes, lost in memories of being a couple as they inched their lips closer to each other. Before they both realized it, they were lost in an overwhelming, enraged and passionate kiss.

Then it happened. The front door opened, and Christopher walked in from coming home from a long day at work. To say he was stunned was an understatement.

"Angela!"

Unbeknownst to Tony and Angela, who were still engaged in their fiery kiss, they both didn't hear the front door open. They both broke from their kiss and saw Christopher standing there staring at them, clearly wanting an explanation.

"Christopher! I didn't hear you come in!"

"I'm sure you didn't! What are you doing kissing another man in our home?"

"Christopher, I can explain."

Tony butted in before Angela could explain what happened between them.

"No, Angela, I can explain. You see…"

"Shut up! Who are you, anyways? What were you doing with my wife?"

"I'm Tony… We met yesterday at the airport, remember?"

"Oh, so you decided to follow us home and take advantage of my wife in our house?"

"Christopher, Tony and I kn…."

"Be quiet! Get upstairs, now!"

Unsure of what to do or where to go, Angela ran upstairs to their bedroom, shut the door and locked it behind her, sitting on the bed and crying. She could hear Christopher and Tony yelling at each other downstairs and heard the front door slam.

Moments later, Tony jumped in his car and started the engine, outraged at Christopher and his reasoning, hitting the gas pedal and peeling out on the road and heading back to Brooklyn.

Inside Angela's house, Christopher was screaming mad and took his suit jacket off, throwing it on the ground, as he glanced up the steps towards their bedroom. His anger getting the better of him, he stormed upstairs and tried to open the door but noticed it was locked.

"Angela! Let me in!"

Christopher began pounding on their bedroom door, scaring Angela because of the strength of his impatience to get into their bedroom. She had seen this before, multiple times, but this time was the worst. He was seething mad, and she was truly afraid of what he would do. Thinking quickly, she ran to her dresser drawer and opened it, revealing a .22 pistol that she had purchased months ago for safety. She pulled the bullets out and loaded the pistol. Unknown to everyone else, she had taken a gun safety course for women safety, just in case something would happen to her coming home or something. She sat herself down on the floor and tried to hide beside the mattress. Her hands were shaking so bad, she couldn't hold the pistol straight.

Moments later, the door broke down and Christopher came barreling into their bedroom.

"Where are you, tramp? I know you're in here! You can't hide from me!"

Angela had ducked behind the side of the bed, trying to hide herself from him before he found her. It didn't work.

"Ah, there you are! Get out here now and face me!"

He began pulling her with her hair as she tried to back up from his grasp. He pulled her out into the middle of their bedroom and began striking her with his hand across her face. The hits stung her face as she continued to sob, unable to run from Christopher. Before she knew it, she could feel a warm liquid running down the side of her face – blood.

"Christopher, stop it!"

Angela pushed back, knocking Christopher on the ground and began to stand up to run downstairs and out of the house. He was too fast. He grabbed her ankle and pulled her down to the floor. Again, Angela began swinging at him, trying to get him off her. He fell backwards against the end table.

Angela, standing, looked around for her pistol that had fallen out of her hand during the fight, and saw it lying on the floor across the room. As she took off towards it, a sharp pain in her ankle kept her from running and she fell to the floor in pain, trying to crawl away. As she was so close to the pistol, she reached out to grab it and felt Christopher pull her back towards him.

"Look, bitch, you aren't going to sleep around with other guys while you are with me. I'll teach you a lesson…"

Angela dug her fingernails into the carpet, trying to pull herself towards her pistol, but Christopher was too strong and overpowered her.

He sat in front of Angela, breathing heavily, alcohol in his breath and his pupils dilated. She remembered the fear she felt during the last encounters with his drunkenness.

Angela remembered something she had learned while in college at a self defense class. She bent her fingers down and shoved her palm up into Christopher's nose. Hearing him yell, there was a distinct cracking sound, and she observed blood spewing everywhere. At that point, Angela knew she had done some damage. She turned away from him and did her best to stand and run.

Blood continued to roll over his chin and down his shirt. Christopher's nose was obviously broken. It was evident that he should be in pain, yet he looked evil…crazed… Much like a man who had lost his mind.

"If you're taking me down, I'm taking you down with me… But we'll have some fun before we go…"

Angela, still crawling across the room towards her pistol, turned towards Christopher and began swinging her legs, landing a hard kick to his crotch, causing him to double over. Ordinarily, that would have had a normal man re-thinking his plan, but it was as if he didn't feel any pain and he kept getting closer.

Christopher pulled her onto her feet, punched her in the stomach and as she doubled over, he pushed her and laughed as she fell backward over an ottoman, landing flat on her back on the floor, hitting so hard that it took the breath right out of her body.

Angela had no breath. She couldn't breathe in or breathe out. She remembered this happening when she was a child when she fell flat on her back of the jungle gym in grade school. At that time in grade school, her teacher ran up to her and told her to relax and that her breathing would return. This moment was different. She had no time to wait.

Hearing a noise downstairs, Christopher turned his attention towards the open bedroom door, giving Angela time to catch her breath. She began to crawl back towards her pistol.

She managed to crawl on a few feet when she felt Christopher grab the back of her clothing and with a strength she swore was reserved for weightlifters, he lifted her off the floor and flung her towards a padded chair, where she slid down until her butt hit the floor.

As Christopher walked back towards her, she screamed, finally finding her voice, hoping that someone would hear her. She continued striking out with her hands and legs, doing her best to push him away.

"Go ahead and fight. I like my women feisty…" Christopher laughed a wicked laugh; unlike anything Angela had heard before.

Angela reached out and took hold of a lamp that sat on the end table beside the chair and pulled the lamp closer to the edge. She stretched hard, barely reaching the base. Grabbing it from the table, she swung it at Christopher with all the strength she had.

He was too quick for her though. He tore the lamp from her hands and broke it over the end table, holding a broken piece of glass to her throat.

Angela could feel the sharp blade of the glass cutting against her throat. Christopher continued tugging at her clothing as she fought to remain covered.

"You won't get away from me, you tramp." He backhanded her across the face as Angela lay on her stomach, crumpled on the floor.

Angela was beaten. Her body hurt beyond anything she could have ever dreamed possible. She felt defeated and was close to asking God to take her now, asking for the pain and fear to stop. But in her mind, she saw Tony…

Angela rolled over and continued fighting…kicking, punching, biting when he was close enough and she opened her mouth and screamed even louder.

Tony had decided to turn around in his car and head back to Angela's house. He had an uneasy feeling come over him that she was in trouble, and he had to get back to her and make sure she was safe. Why he left, he was unsure. He should have stayed and fought Christopher.

He ran to the front door and heard her scream from upstairs. Tony took the stairs three by three and ran towards her screaming. Seeing the mess from the broken door, Tony was about to step through the bedroom door when he heard a gunshot. Silence filled the bedroom and the hallway.

Tony's breath caught in his throat as he wasn't sure what happened. He slowly walked into their bedroom and took in the scene. The room was in disarray and items were strewn about, broken and tossed around.

Off in the corner, he saw Christopher lying on the floor slumped against Angela. Angela was laying against the padded chair and wasn't responding.

Tony's attention immediately went to Angela. She was obviously unconscious, her breathing was normal, however, she wasn't responding. Tony grabbed a small blanket off their bed to cover her body before running into the master bathroom and getting a wet rag and returned to Angela's side.

Tony began cleaning the cut on Angela's head, she began to regain consciousness and immediately began fighting.

"Angela, stop. It's me, Tony. You're okay…stop. You're safe."

Angela opened her eyes but didn't stop her assault on Tony. As quickly as she came to, she passed out again.

Tony stood up and assessed the damage. It was clear Angela had shot Christopher as he lay dead on the floor in a heap. Tony ran downstairs and called 911 and then ran back upstairs to console Angela.

Within minutes, Tony could hear the sirens from 911 and heard the police and paramedics arrive downstairs. He met them and directed them upstairs to assist Angela and remove Christopher.

The police began asking Tony questions while the paramedics assisted Angela. Christopher's body was removed after the forensic team arrived and did what they needed to do.

Angela remained unconscious as the paramedics worked on her. Tony made sure to keep the small throw over Angela to keep her body covered away from the paramedics. After a little bit of time, they placed her on a gurney and proceeded downstairs to transport her to the hospital.

Tony pulled out his cell phone and proceeded to call Mona and Samantha and inform them what happened to Angela and that he was on his way to the hospital with her via an ambulance.

After five minutes or so, the ambulance pulled up to the emergency room and rushed Angela in to be evaluated by a doctor as quickly as possible. Tony was left behind in the emergency room waiting room to collect his thoughts as he waited for Mona and Samantha to arrive.

After waiting for almost 30 minutes, Mona arrived and rushed up to Tony, who was sitting with his hands in his lap.

"Tony! How is she? What happened?"

"Mona, I'm not sure. When I arrived back at Angela's house, I ran upstairs after hearing her scream and then heard a gunshot and saw Angela and Christopher and called 911. They rushed her back to the emergency room and I haven't heard anything yet. Mona, I can't lose her. I just can't."

Mona consoled Tony and embraced him in a tight embrace.

Samantha ran into the emergency room and spotted Tony and Mona hugging and ran towards them as fast as her feet would take them.

"Dad! Mona!"

Breaking from their embrace, Tony quickly wiped his eyes and held his arms out to take Samantha into his arms.

"What happened, Dad? Is she okay?"

Instead of allowing Tony to repeat what he told her, Mona spoke up and informed Samantha that they weren't sure yet what happened and were waiting to hear from the doctors.

The doctor stepped out after awhile of waiting and asked for the family of Angela. Tony, Mona, and Samantha all rushed forward towards the doctor and holding out hope that she was alright.

"She's alive… How, I don't know how. I've ordered a CT scan and she's waiting to be taken up to Radiology soon for that test. Come with me and I'll let you see here for a few minutes."

All three of them followed the doctor to cubicle #8. As he opened the door, Tony took in the sight of Angela lying on the bed, still unconscious. It took all he had not to break down and cry right then and there. He had to remain strong for her.

Mona spoke first.

"How is she, doctor?"

"There's been no change since she was brought in. She's still unconscious and her vitals have remained stable, so it could be her body blocking out the trauma. The CT scan should tell us something. This cut on her forehead was nasty. I'm not sure what she was hit with, but there were a few shards of glass that we removed from the wound when she first came in. Aside from her head injury, she suffered two broken ribs, multiple cuts and bruises, a large laceration across her neck and a sprained ankle. The nurse for Radiology will come and take her upstairs for her CT scan here in a few moments. You can stay but just for a few minutes."

As the doctor left the room, they all fell silent between them as they carefully glanced over Angela lying in the bed. No one said a word as they were all trying to grasp what happened to her.

After a few minutes, the nurse from Radiology came in to take Angela up for her CT scan. All were told they had to leave the room and they could sit back in the waiting room until the doctor had reviewed her CT scan results.

As they sat in the waiting room, all were quiet and concerned.

Breaking the silence, Samantha spoke up.

"Has anyone called Jonathan to tell him?"

Mona shook her head yes.

"I called him on my way over here. He was going to head this way once he got some things packed up."

Samantha glanced around and saw the sign for the cafeteria. Noticing it was early in the morning, she decided she was going to find some food for them.

"Uh, look, I'm going to go check out the cafeteria. Does anyone want anything? Dad? Coffee?"

Tony didn't say anything. He just sat there with a look on his face like a deer in headlights.

"Samantha, go ahead and bring us some coffee. I'm sure we will both appreciate it after this long night."

"You got it."

Samantha headed towards the cafeteria, leaving Mona and Tony in the waiting room.

It didn't take long for Samantha to bring back their coffees and some donuts that she had picked up from the cafeteria. She handed one cup of coffee to Mona and held the other cup of coffee out for Tony to take. Again, he just sat there, frozen, unmoving.

"Dad? I brought you some coffee."

Her voice broke his thoughts, and he looked up at her. His glance at her was nothing she had seen before from her dad. He looked so lost, so broken…so frightened.

Tony took the coffee but didn't drink it. He sat it on the small table beside of his chair and placed his head in his hands and began sobbing.

"Dad, she will pull through this. Don't think about that. Just keep your mind on her getting better."

"Yeah, Ton. She's a fighter. She won't let this get her down, you'll see."

Tony continued to sob. He couldn't lose Angela. He just couldn't. If he lost her, he'd be devastated. His sense came back to him in that moment, and he realized he had to be strong for her if she survived her assault. He'd do anything he could for her and wasn't leaving, no matter what. He loved Angela and was stupid for leaving her three years ago. He decided right then and there that he wasn't letting her go again. He knew she loved him too.