Saving Melissa

***Please see the author's note for a trigger warning for this book if you think there is anything that might keep you from reading this book.*** Melissa  Past I don't how last night got so out of control. Dustin and I had a fight, nothing out of the ordinary, but something happened as we stood yelling at each other. I never even saw it coming, never imagined it would come, but one second he was standing there and the next, his hand was raised slapping me across the face. His ring caught the corner of my eye and I had bruise there that I was trying to coverup. How did we get to a point where I was sitting in front of a mirror applying cover-up to a bruise that my fiance had given me? Thankfully Charlotte had slept through the whole thing. I don't know how I could have taken care of a five-month old during all of that. I have no idea how I'm even supposed to handle this. Dustin left right after the fight and he hasn't been home since. Charlotte was still sleeping so its given me time to think. I don't know how we got here, our fights have always been pretty explosive Dustin yells a lot when he loses his temper, and that happens at least once a day. I'm used to the awful things he says to me by now because I know he doesn't mean them. He loses his temper and just can't help himself. He always apologizes after but he has never physically hurt me. I'm surprised when a tear falls down my face. I thought I had cried every drop of water out of my body last night. As I was trying to think about what the hell I was supposed to do next, I heard the bedroom door softly open, my body tensed when I looked in the mirror and saw Dustin enter. "Melissa," he said softly. I turned to look at him not quite sure what to say to him, then his eyes moved looking at the bruise that had formed in the corner of my eye. As soon as he saw it his face dropped in despair and I couldn't help the tears that started to fall again. "I'm so sorry baby," he said as he walked towards me, when he was close enough he reached out to touch me and I couldn't help the flinch that tore through me. His eyes darkened for a moment before he sighed and dropped his hand. "I don't know what to say right now," I told him truthfully. "Dustin you hit me, you slapped me right across the face." "I know and I'm so sorry," he said, getting down on his knees in front of me. "I don't know if sorry is enough right now," and I really didn't. How do we even come back from something like this? Is it even possible? "I know it seems so inadequate to say, but I am sorry. I'm so sorry. I lost my temper and it was like I didn't even have control over my own body. I just saw red when you accused me of cheating. I was so hurt and disappointed that you thought I could ever cheat on you." "I'm sorry and I guess I shouldn't have said that," I really shouldn't have. I know how he gets when he thinks I'm accusing him of something. Crap, maybe this was my fault. At least a little bit. "You guess?" Dustin said in disbelief as he cut me off, "I'm here literally on my knees apologizing to you for what I did. I'm admitting my mistake, a mistake that caused you pain, and you can't meet me half way? I'm not even asking you to say this whole fight was your fault, even though you started it, and you can't just admit that you had no right to accuse me like that?" I stared at him. I didn't know what to say right now, but maybe he had a point. I was angry that he was home late again, and I thought he smelled like perfume, but that could have been from his secretary, or someone he had a meeting with. Maybe I was out of line for saying that to him? "Baby," Dustin interrupted my thoughts, "I shouldn't have hurt you like that, I know that and I swear to you it will never happen again. I swear. I love you, and I love Charlotte. You know I love her like she's my own, I would never risk losing the two of you." "I know," I finally said. Maybe it was just better to get over this, to forget that it had happened and move on. Dustin had never hit me before and I really don't think he will do it again, and it might be partially my fault for driving him to that level of anger in the first place. Can I really forgive him though? He seems upset with himself, disappointed in what he did. I guess I can give him another chance. "I should apologize too for accusing you of cheating. I'm sorry for doing that. I shouldn't have made you so mad. I promise that I will try to reign in my temper, but you have to as well. You have to promise me that you will never put your hands on me in anger again." "I promise, baby I promise," he told me, and I still couldn't help but flinch as he reached out to pull me into a hug. This was for the best it had to be, Dustin is my fiance, I can't just leave him. He's my future, he had taken care of me and Charlotte when we had nobody else in the world to depend on. I know he loved me, and I have to believe that he will stay true to his word and never do this again.