Page 51 of Until Delilah

While I feel as big as a house, Max has made me feel beautiful every day. In fact, I think the bigger my stomach gets, the more turned on he is. It’s some weird fetish that I don’t want him to get accustomed to because I’m not sure I can handle another pregnancy. At least not for a long while.

Pulling out the keys to Max’s truck, I click to unlock it, but it doesn’t beep. I hit the button again and again, but nothing happens. The lights don’t even flash.

I sigh and look to make sure I have the right set of keys. I’ve been driving around using Max’s SUV that he’s all but given me to use. He took out everything of his and deemed it my car one day. Surprisingly I didn’t agrue. For once, I’m enjoying having someone take care of me.

But the keys in my hand are the right ones. What I’m not sure about is why they aren’t working. I want to get inside and grab the lip gloss I left inside earlier. My lips feel dry, only adding to my uncomfortable state.

Pulling out my phone, I bring the screen to life to text Max and ask him if he knows what’s wrong with his truck when my hand is hit, and my phone goes flying.

What the hell?

I turn to look at whoever just slapped my phone out of my hand when I’m cut short by the one person I never wanted to see again. It’s dark in the parking lot and where we parked is even darker than some of the other spaces, but I’d know him anywhere. My body starts to tremble as Bradley rips my purse from my arm and crowds me into the side of Max’s truck.

He leans in. His hot breath fans my face and I smell the stench of alcohol on his breath. He doesn’t stop until his body is pinning me against the hard surface of the truck. “It’s been a long time, D. Have you missed me?”

I shake my head, hoping this is all just some bad dream, and I’ll wake up.

“That’s too bad because I’ve missed you. I’ve missed these succulent tits, and your tight pussy.” He looks down at me and sneers. “I guess it won’t be tight for much longer.”

I try to push him off me, but he doesn’t budge. No, instead he grabs both of my arms in a bruising hold and shakes me like a ragdoll.

“You should have stayed.” He takes both my hands in one of his large ones and grabs me by the throat with the other. “Now I have to assume the worst. Did you tell your new friends about me and what you overheard?”

I try to shake my head no, but his hold is too tight. “No,” I choke out. His hold on me becomes tighter, cutting off my airway.

“Somehow I don’t believe you. Do you want to know why?”

No, I don’t. All I want is for him to let me go and leave me alone, but I know he won’t do it. Not now that he’s found me. I knew this day would come, but I didn’t think it would be today.

After it seemed like Bradley and his goons were no longer looking for me, we became complacent. I should have stayed home and never left the house.

“How did you find me?” I squeak out.

“It seems you’ve forgotten who I am. You can’t hide from me. I’ll always find you.” He leans in and licks the side of my face, and I want to throw up when his dry tongue hits my skin. “This is new,” he lets me go to grab my protruding stomach. “What I wonder is… is it mine or is it your famous baseball player boyfriend’s?”

I cough and sputter until I catch my breath. When I can finally breathe easy, I see his face twisted up. He’s evil. There’s no other word to describe what Bradley is.

My body goes slack at the knowledge he knows who Max is. “Please don’t hurt him,” I beg.

“Oh, I’m not going to lay a hand on him. Your little Beck is safe as well. I’m going to hurt them by hurting you.” His eyes are dark and dilated as he grabs me again roughly by the arms and slams me back against the truck.

“I remember a time when you told me you didn’t want any more kids.” He laughs, and it’s pure unadulterated evil. “Let me help you with that. If you make it out alive, we’ll see if pretty boy Max Black still wants you.” He leans in and bites down on my earlobe. “I have a confession. I don’t think he’ll want you after I’m through with you.”

“What are you going to do?” I cry out as he drags me further into the parking lot. It’s darker back here. Eerily dark. When he starts to pull me into the trees, that’s when I start to fight. I can’t let him take me where no one will see. He’s going to kill me and if he doesn’t, I’m sure I’ll wish I was dead.

“I’m just going to rough up that pretty little face of yours.” He grabs me by the face and squeezes hard enough I taste blood in my mouth. I know this isn’t even the worst of it. “Maybe cut off this ugly hair of yours.” He flips the ends of my hair and snarls at me. “Did you really think changing your hair color would deter me for long?”

“I just wanted a fresh start,” I say with my mouth smashed together.

“Well, I’m about to give you a fresh start. When I’m done with you, no one will want you. Even Beck won’t be able to look at you.” Grabbing me by the throat again, he cocks his arm back and starts to laugh. “Tears won’t save you. In fact, nothing will save you now.”

I don’t realize I’m crying until he smears my tears with this thumb and digs the pad into my lip until my flesh breaks and blood starts to trickle down my chin.

“You should have minded your own business, bitch.” It’s the last thing he says before his fist slams into my face. Pain explodes through my nose and eye to the point I can’t see anything. I don’t need to see to feel what he’s doing to me, though.

Pulling me by the hair, Bradley drags me over the curb and throws me front first into a tree. Now on the ground, I try to curl into a ball to protect my baby, but he’s too strong. He kicks me in the side and waits until I arch my back in pain for him to stomp down as hard as he can on my stomach.

One second there’s pain, and the next everything is dark. There’s no more pain. No more Bradley. No more anything.

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