Page 78 of Love in Pieces

“Sam, stop, please!” I beg. He doesn’t respond. He keeps dragging me backward toward the far corner of the building. There’s nothing back here except unkept trees and bushes. And his car that is still running, ready to leave at any moment.

He stops suddenly, dropping me just barely in view of the front door.Please let someone come out here.I brace myself just in time to keep my head from hitting the ground. When I turn toward him, Sam stands in front of his car. His face is set in stone with rage. A look I’m all too familiar with, but this time, somehow, it’s worse. I shuffle backward but stop in my tracks when Sam takes a large step toward me, now only a foot away.

“You’re not going anywhere unless it’s with me. So, what do you say? Ready to go home?”

When I don’t say anything, he takes another step forward.

“Wait!” I yell but my voice is quickly cut off by the back of his hand. The familiar sting makes my ears ring. His fingers wrap around my hand that instinctually gravitates to my face, as if holding the pain would make it feel any better. He pulls hard, forcing me toward him. I fall to my knees in front of him.

“Now this is a sight to see. It’s only taken how long for you to kneel before me?” He rolls his eyes. “If only you were doing it willingly. You have it so good with me. You don’t have to worry about having food on the table. You don’t have to live in those stupid dorms. You don’t even have to worry about work.” His arms flail wildly in front of him. I stay as still as possible as my knees start to ache from the asphalt. “I’ve taken care of everything for you. And you think you can throw that all away? For what? Living with a stranger? You think he cares about you?”

He shakes his head, takes a fist full of my hair, and pulls me to my feet, forcing me to stand on my toes. I hold onto his wrist with both hands, hoping if I pull down enough it’ll relieve some of the pain, but to no avail. I frantically search for my footing, but my toes don’t provide enough stability. Hot tears stream down my face. My heartbeat is painful in my chest. Can he hear it? He’s probably enjoying this. In fact, I know he’s enjoying this by the smirk glued to his face.

“I leave for two weeks, and you think you can go off creating a whole new life? Yeah, I don’t think so. What the fuck is your problem, Abby? Look at me!” he yells, shaking my head.

I squeeze my eyes shut at the outburst, trying to focus on keeping my hair attached to my head instead of focusing on the pain radiating down my body. I open my eyes but avoid his stare. He shakes his head. A corrupt smile contorts his features. “Sam, please let me go and we can talk,” I beg, scrambling to get my footing again as the fistful of hair tightens on my head.

“We’re past talking. You had your chance to talk for the past three weeks but instead, you left me high and dry. So, no. No more talking.” He takes his free hand and wraps it around my neck, squeezing hard as he lets go of my hair. I try to breathe, but his grip is blocking my windpipe. Trying to keep myself from panicking, I focus on the air Icanget. “You’re an idiot. You know that? An absolute fucking idiot.”

He lets go of my neck and I suck in a sharp breath, coughing repeatedly until I feel like I’ve gotten enough air back into my system.

“You feel that?” he asks, gripping my jaw. “That’s what freedom feels like. Not this fantasy you’ve created without me.” He shoves me back and I land on my ass, bracing my fall with both hands. A sharp pain shoots through my palms as the gravel embeds itself in my skin. I wince but quickly compose myself. I blink away the tears in my eyes as the all-too-familiar fear starts to build again.

“Crying? Really? You must have assumed I’d find you.” He shakes his head again. “Come on. I’d really like it if you’d come home willingly, and we can sort this out.” He tips his head toward his car.

Like a gut punch, the knot in my stomach makes its way up to my throat. The tears threaten to fall as I realize he’s not going to back down. I shouldn’t have expected him to. And who knows what’ll happen then, in the privacy of those four walls. If he’s willing to do this in broad daylight, what will he do when we’re alone? I don’t want to find out. I don’t move, trying hard to anchor myself to the ground, willing invisible hooks to latch to the surface.

The tone of his voice sharpens, and he takes a step closer. “I said, let's go.” His mouth forms a straight line. Both hands are balled into stiff fists.

I look up at him, rubbing the gravel from my palms, and debate whether or not to listen to him while discreetly checking my surroundings. There’s only one way to run. It’s futile. He’d surely catch up to me before I made it anywhere worth running to. And it would only make things worse. I take a deep breath, wipe the tears from my eyes, and rise to my feet, forcing myself to stand as tall as possible though it does little to calm my nerves. “No,” I say, as assertive as I can manage, trying hard to keep my voice steady.

I caught him off guard. It’s been a long time since I’ve said that singular word to him. I’ve defied plenty, but I learned the hard way that that one word is the worst thing I can say. He blinks a few times and then steadies his stare as if trying to burn a hole through my head.

“Excuse me? What the fuck did you just say to me?” He takes a step closer, but I manage to take a few steps back to distance myself from his harsh tone.

Another deep breath. “I said no, Sam. We’re done. I meant what I said at the party, and I mean it now.” My legs threaten to give out from under me. My hands shake aggressively despite my best effort to keep them still at my sides. My breath quivers as I wait for his next move.

He stares at the ground and laughs, shaking his head slowly. He rubs his jaw, then the back of his neck as he raises his eyes to meet mine, which are now welling with tears again. I blink rapidly, trying to rid them of the saltiness. “Oh, Abby. You think you have any control in this? I control you. I own you. You still exist because I let you. Now get the fuck over here before I drag you home.”

As realization settles, it feels like a bat is hitting me over and over. He’s not going to give up. Ever. Talking this through with him is no use. He will always have a comeback. Freedom is a joke. The tears fall freely now. It’s no use trying to stop them. I can’t get away from him. It’s at this moment that I realize I’m absolutely screwed. I’m as good as dead. Why has no one called the cops yet? Why does no one seem to be home? How has no one seen what’s happening out here?

Sam steps closer. I turn to run in a last-ditch effort to save myself, but Sam’s hand wraps around my forearm. I dig my heels into the ground, trying to give myself some leverage. I hit his arm repeatedly in hopes he’d let go, but that only makes it worse. As I spin around again, a full fist hits my upper cheek. I stumble, but only as far as Sam’s grip will allow. His knee connects with my rib cage as he lets go of my arm and shoves me to the ground. A searing pain races through the back of my head before I feel it get warm. Suddenly, I’m nauseous and dizzy, and my vision wobbles. My ears ring, blocking out all other sounds.

Sam peers over me with a smile on his face. I see him talking, but I can’t hear the words coming from his mouth. I’m hurled backward another foot as he kicks my ribs again. He kneels, still talking, but everything’s muffled. A hand closes around my throat and a fist to my face follows. This one hits my lip. The metallic taste of blood coats my mouth. Another fist. This one to my cheek. All I can do is lie here. It’s no use fighting anymore. I’m not sure I could if I tried.

Sam whips his head around, eyes wide. He quickly disappears from my vision and is replaced by a head of brown hair. The brown eyes that look down at me are intense. Worry and anger lace his vision, at the same time a softness in them comforts me. Dallas.

---