The ride back home was as dire as the beating that's to come, it was inevitable at this point.
I could only hope for a miracle.
The entire ride Luke was quiet, he didn't mutter a word, more or less look towards my direction.
He appeared calm.
Way too calm.
I knew what was coming and he knew that I was waiting for him to react, so he plays with my mind, making me paranoid.
He knew the longer he held out, the worse the terror flooding my mind would become.
We arrived at the house and got out of the car.
We walked inside to see Maria waiting patiently for us, seeing us walk in, she stood up to her feet,
"Welcome home, Mr & Mrs. Hampton."
Luke smiled at her, "Thank you, Maria. You're free to go now...Thank you again.." he said politely. She looked frettingly at Luke and then me before nodding and leaving to grab her things.
"Good night, Mrs. Hampton." She whispered to me,
I smiled faintly, watching her leave. I was almost forced to ask her to stay. I didn't want to be left alone, not when Luke is drunk and angry.
I went to check on the boys and when I returned to our bedroom Luke was pacing around casually, kicking off his shoes and loosening his tie.
He still said or did nothing.
What's he waiting for?
Every second that passed I became more and more frantic, afraid of being taken unawares. But at the same time I didn't want this dream to end, it would only mean Olivia was right and Luke hadn't changed at all.
I didn't want that to be the case, I wanted to believe so badly that he had changed and no longer that monster he used to be.
My eyes were set on Luke, watching his every move, as he paced around the room, stopping once in a while to check his phone, not even sparing me a glance.
"Luke, if you have something to say, just get it out and stop torturing me." I yelled at him, his looming silence was driving me nuts.
"What's there to say?" he muttered.
"If you must know, Jamie is just an old client, that's just it, there was and there's still nothing going on between us." I made that clear.
"It won't be the first time you've gone astray, you think I don't know what goes on in that office of yours." he snarled, glancing through his phone.
"You know what, screw you, Luke!"
He snapped his eyes to me, but I didn't care.
"You're free to believe whatever you want, I'm done explaining myself to you. It's no use..." I didn't wait for him to retort, and stormed into the bathroom.
I spent half of the night, trying to prove my innocent to the man but he just won't listen, how can one man be so stubborn?
I tied my hair up and slid out of my dress, until I was standing in my underwear. I then searched around for my wiper, when I remembered I left it in the dresser.
I went out to pick it, when I was suddenly caught off guard and smacked across the face.
A cry of shock and pain erupted through my body as I landed on the floor.
His hand gripped my hair, snapping my head back abruptly, causing a scream to tear through my throat, my neck wailed in pain, while my scalp burned with the intensity of the pull on my hair.
Luke pulled me up by the hair and dragged me into the bathroom.
"Luke, please... stop." I cried.
He tugged my head on his shoulder, wrapping his other arm fully around my waist and trapping my body against his.
"You made me look like a fucking joke out there." He growled in my ear.
"I'm sorry." I sobbed, tears soaking my skin.
"you're sorry!" He growled, intertwining his fingers deeper into my head, whilst I cried. "I saw you Jane." Luke growled in a smooth deadly voice.
His face inches from mine, while his eyes were burning with rage, his lips quirked into a sick snarl. "I fucking saw him touch you!" he screamed in my face,
His other hand clamped my chin,
"Tell me Janelle is James even mine."
"What?!" Luke's question struck through me,
"Answer me!"
"Yes!" I screamed, "You think I would cheat on you-" I said, choking abruptly as another pain shot through, Luke crashed my head into the wall behind us, my head connected painfully into the hard mass and I tore out in tears.
"I said don't lie to me, Jane!" He screamed, hauling my quivering body upwards. "You fucked him, didn't you?"
"What? No.." I wheezed, overwhelmed by his outrageous questions.
His hand suddenly clutched my chin, bringing his raging eyes directly to mine, "You guys were this fucking, Close. Jane. So don't you dare lie to me." he spat in my face, "Everyone saw you and do you know how that made me feel like I don't have a leach over my wife. You fucking humiliated me, Jane."
"I'm sorry, I didn't--"
"Didn't what, Jane? Huh? You didn't want him. Do I bore you. Are you into black men now? Is that it.." Luke's voice was filled with mockery and arrogance. "Perhaps I should tan my skin to look like James Saint Patrick, would you prefer it, Jane?"
"You're a sick man." I spat and in seconds, Luke tossed me to the hard floor,
"What did you say?" He dared me to repeat my words.
"I said you're a sick man and wish you would rot in hell-" I screamed abruptly as he kicked, kicking my ribs repeatedly.
My cry of pain echoed through our bedroom and then I realized his intention for the sound proof walls, making me cry even harder.
I cried and screamed my lungs out but he just kept kicking like I was trash. He stopped for a while to catch his breath, when suddenly a voice came from the room, having even I panicking.
"Mamma, Dad!" Came Joseph's voice.
"No, Luke-" I gasped in fear, trying to stand.
Joseph can't see us like this.
Luke quickly dragged me further into the bathroom, I whimpered in pain, whilst he ran to stop Joseph from coming in.
"Where's mom?"
"Your mom is in the bathroom, Why are you awake?"
"I couldn't sleep."
"Come, I will put you to bed." I heard the door getting shut and curled on the floor, where I was, my tears forming a puddle on the floor where I cried and quivered in shame.
My ribs were burning in pain from Luke's persistent kicking on my ribs, my cheeks sore and I knew I would have bruises littering my face.
But the worst pain, was the pain shooting through my chest, aching my heart as I realised Luke hadn't changed, he was still the same monster I married.
